KEY FACTS
TOP 10 – PREDICTIONS FOR 2026
10
REAL-TIME PAYMENTS BECOME THE GLOBAL STANDARD
KEY FACTS
US $ 60tn – 2025 total value of instant payments transactions
( Juniper Research)
The UK’ s Faster Payments Service processed 5.9 billion transactions in 2024( Pay. UK)
1973 – the first real-time settlement service( the Zengin System) was developed
( Prove,‘ Swift and Secure Transactions – A Quick Look at Some Popular Real-Time Payments Systems across the World’)
Instant payment systems have the potential to become ubiquitous across developed economies, in turn relegating traditional payment processing. The UK’ s Faster Payments and international equivalents, such as the Single Euro Payments Area( SEPA), could also improve through strengthened cross-border rails.
As a result of this improvement, cash flow management could be redesigned around realtime liquidity, while consumers are given the opportunity to expect immediate settlement as standard. Traditional payment cards could face pressure as account-to-account payments gain prominence, fundamentally restructuring financial operations. 38 December 2025