For the last two years, the central bank has allowed the private sector to drive a process aimed at modernizing the nation's payments system. Now the Fed will have to determine what its own role will be.
Same-day Automated Clearing House transactions exist, in part, as a first step in the faster payments initiatives taking place in the U.S. But are they lucrative enough for acquirers to add to their portfolio?
An influential task force established by the central bank envisions a future in which the U.S. has multiple real-time payment systems, and in a new report it lays out a series of actions that will be necessary to stitch them together.
Particularly at risk are service providers with high volumes of automated or customer-initiated debit payments, such as cell phone service providers, utilities, cable companies, insurance, and retailers.
With The Clearing House still targeting November for the launch of its Real-Time Payments service, it relies on a wide range of partnerships to introduce this offering to the banks that would use it.
