For all the talk about real-time payments, there is a lot of work to be done before the vision of electronic payments flowing seamlessly between buyers and suppliers becomes a reality.
For starters, the Real-Time Payment (RTP) Network does not reach all deposit accounts. Merchants and other businesses also must maintain separate connections to the RTP Network and the Automated Clearing House (ACH) Network. And interoperability is a big challenge for businesses with a hodgepodge of loosely connected systems.
A new “network of networks” addresses these issues head-on, providing businesses with a valuable tool in their drive towards real-time payments.
FIS’ RealNet is a cloud-based Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform that enables businesses, consumers, and government entities to initiate real-time payments.
The platform integrates with The Clearing House Co. LLC’s real-time payment network as well as the National Automated Clearing House Association (NACHA) same-day Automated Clearing House (ACH) network – collectively facilitating transactions to any deposit account in the United States.
A proprietary smart routing engine determines which network is the fastest, most cost-effective option for each transaction.
Any payment type can be delivered through any payment rail, anywhere. Initially available in the United States, the platform also will be available in the UK and Europe. This is a game-changer in business-to-business and business-to-consumer payments, where systems rarely work well together.
Aggregating real-time payment networks provides businesses with another tool for tightly connecting systems with their ERP applications to process, clear, and settle global payments faster. From initiation through settlement, payments can now be completed within seconds, not days.
RealNet is a big step towards eliminating friction in the payment lifecycle.
But it isn’t enough.
To achieve a seamless real-time payment environment, banks and businesses need middleware that connects the Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) that banks use as part of their payment suite, card networks, and transaction networks such as RealNet with the enterprise resource planning (ERP) applications used by their customers. That’s where integrated payment solutions come in.
Integrated payment solutions are embeddable technology that support any payment rail, seamlessly integrate with any bank API or corporate ERP, provide built-in disbursement and collections (including support for payment networks), and offer configurable workflows and other options.
Connecting bank APIs to corporate ERPs offers businesses tantalizing benefits:
🔸 One-time integration for multiple ERP system access
🔸 Connectivity with any ERP
🔸 Seamless workflows
🔸 Faster innovation
🔸 Real-time processing
🔸 High availability
🔸 Scalability
The potential use cases for an integrated real-time payments environment are seemingly endless:
🔹 Rebates
🔹 Patient refunds
🔹 Emergency funds
🔹 Claims payments
🔹 Billing and collections
Regardless of the application, the combination of RealNet and integrated payment solutions provides businesses and consumers with more control over their money. Transactions made via RealNet and an integrated payment solution cost less than wire transfers and they are faster than traditional ACH.
Real-time payments are the future of global commerce. U.S. demand for real-time payment is strong with the pandemic providing a significant tailwind.
As many as 35% of U.S. consumers consider the ability to receive payments in real-time as “extremely” important, PYMNTS research finds.
More than one-quarter of businesses in the United States and the United Kingdom plan to innovate their systems within the next three years to receive real-time payments, PYMNTS finds.
“RealNet and other real-time payment options will improve the speed and control of B2B payments. But the greatest value for businesses and their banks is having rich data flow with the payment,”
noted Transcard CEO, Greg Bloh.
“When a business can connect its systems to facilitate the fast exchange of payments and related data, it can achieve greater efficiency, eliminate unnecessary complexity, bring down payment and data silos, and mitigate potential risks.”
Bloh explored the effort among corporates and their financial service providers to leverage real-time payments in the B2B ecosystem, in a recent conversation with PYMNTS. For more insights check out the interview.
Using RealNet as part of an integrated payment solution is another way for businesses, consumers, and government entities to make payments in the fastest and most efficient way possible.
The payments landscape is evolving in a world of greater financial complexity, with RTP being one example of this advancement.
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