Eight years after the RTP® network launched in the United States, corporate adoption of instant payments is beginning to reach its inflection point. For years, real-time systems were a consumer story, with digital wallets and other near-instant experiences shaping expectations for individuals long before large enterprises started their instant payments journey. Now, however, the shift underway follows a familiar pattern seen in other countries: consumers lead, corporates follow about five to seven years later.

As Irfan Ahmad, Managing Director and Head of U.S. Payments at Bank of America explained, corporates are beginning to see the tangible value of instant payments beyond the headline of “speed.” The past few years of discussion have evolved from speculation into practical examples. This momentum is reflected in the data: volumes on the RTP network have surged to an average of 1.3 million transactions each day, and while the numbers remain modest compared to ACH, they reflect a steady movement toward mainstream adoption.

Part of the delay in U.S. adoption of instant payments can be attributed to the success of other payment rails. Unlike some regions that did not have reliable payment systems to process electronic transactions, the U.S. already had efficient ACH and card networks. “We spent years making batch and paper processes really efficient,” Ahmad said. “The value proposition to join a new payments rail has to be clear.” That clarity is now emerging as companies realize that instant payments aren’t just about moving money faster, they’re about paying precisely when it matters most.

Take the insurance industry, for example. As Dr. Leo Lipis, CEO of Lipis Advisors, noted, the difference between mailing a check and sending funds in seconds can redefine customer experience, particularly during crises. Lipis described a simple but powerful scenario: after a car accident or natural disaster, an insurance adjuster can approve and send payment immediately while standing next to the customer. “Within seconds, the money could be in your account,” Lipis said. “That creates a completely different experience, and a reason for increased loyalty” to the business. Recent events have made this especially visible. For example, during the California wildfires, insurers that offered instant payouts gained a clear reputational advantage over those still bound by weeklong paper check cycles.

Another example comes from small trucking companies in the shipping industry, which are businesses that are extremely sensitive to cash flow. Here too, instant payments address a long-standing pain point. A trucker delivering freight no longer needs to wait 30-60 days for payment because factoring platforms that send instant payments over the RTP network can release funds the moment a shipment is dropped. “Those pain points are sharply felt in small businesses,” Ahmad said. “If I can get paid now, I can refuel and move to the next job.” The benefit extends beyond liquidity to operational continuity.

The narrative is similar in business-to-business transactions. Since the RTP transaction limit increased to $10 million in February 2025, corporates have been sending larger payments, with many hitting the limit. Supporting this shift, Average transaction values more than quadrupled once the transaction limit was increased, from $840 per transaction in January 2025 to over $4,000 in October. With the higher limit, the RTP network is no longer only a P2P or small-business solution, and it is quickly moving upmarket as treasury teams see the precision, finality, and transparency of real-time payments as tools for efficiency, not just novelty.

Still, challenges remain. The next frontier for the broader adoption of instant payments is Request for Payment (RfP), which can bring real-time payments into invoicing, supplier management, and supply-chain finance. Its adoption will be critical to extending instant payment benefits deeper into B2B workflows.

For Ahmad, the lesson is simple: stop focusing on “speed.” The real story is about control, visibility, and user experience inside and outside the organization. “We should be talking about building better products, not faster payments,” he said. “You’re not paying earlier; you’re paying precisely when you want to.”

As Lipis summed up, focus on “the benefits, not the features.” Instant payments, when seen as a tool for better business rather than a faster payments rail, may finally be on the verge of their corporate adoption moment.