Real-Time Payments and Instant Payments in B2B Transactions

Trend Overview: How Real-Time and Instant Payments Are Transforming B2B Cash Flow

The rise of real-time payment networks is transforming B2B cash flow management. New instant payment rails such as The Clearing House’s RTP® network and the Federal Reserve’s FedNow® service enable money to move within seconds, 24/7. Globally, many countries have their own real-time schemes, and interoperability is improving.

In 2026, instant payments are set to become a standard expectation, not a novelty. Traditionally, B2B payments have been plagued by delays of days or weeks for ACH and check clearing. Real-time payments solve this by providing immediate funds availability.

This has huge implications: improved liquidity, ability to precisely time payments (pay when a shipment arrives, for example), and reduced reliance on short-term credit.

Indeed, an industry survey found 87% of businesses expect real-time rails to replace slower methods for receiving payments. The momentum suggests that “instant” will soon be the default for many B2B transactions, fundamentally changing how companies think about order-to-cash cycles.

Industry Impacts: Key Sectors Benefiting from Real-Time Payments

Gig Economy & Contracted Services: Businesses that rely on contractors or on-demand workers (e.g. ride-sharing platforms, freelance marketplaces, home repair networks) are embracing instant payouts to stay competitive. The pain point of workers waiting for weekly payouts is addressed by real-time wage access – think same-day pay after a job completion. This trend creates a commercial opportunity: companies that pay suppliers or workers faster can attract better partners and differentiate their service.

Manufacturing & Distribution: These sectors benefit greatly from real-time supplier payments. For instance, manufacturers can pay suppliers the moment goods are delivered to unlock early-pay discounts and avoid supply chain bottlenecks. In fact, 96% of manufacturing firms anticipate using real-time payments instead of checks for outgoing supplier payments. The pain of waiting weeks for check clearance or ACH is solved, and they gain opportunities to optimize inventory with just-in-time payments triggered by ERP systems (e.g., auto-triggering a payment when inventory hits a reorder point).

Healthcare & Insurance: Healthcare providers and insurers see value in real-time disbursements for things like insurance claim payouts or patient refunds. For example, an insurer using FedNow can reimburse a clinic or pharmacy immediately for a claim, improving provider cash flow. Similarly, hospitals can use instant payments for emergency vendor orders (medicines, supplies) outside of normal banking hours. This reduces operational delays and strengthens partner trust.

Technology Roadmap Impact for PayFacs and Payment Processors

Integration Requirements: To offer real-time payments, PayFacs and processors need direct connections to instant payment networks (or via correspondent banks/third-party providers). This means implementing new APIs and message formats (e.g., ISO 20022) and potentially partnering with fintech specialists to access RTP® or FedNow® rails. Processors must upgrade their systems for continuous processing – clearing and settling transactions in seconds, at any hour.

Orchestration & Workflow: Payment orchestrators should embed real-time payments into their smart routing engines. For example, an orchestrator platform might detect when a payee is RTP-enabled and route the transaction through that rail for faster settlement. Orchestrators can also enable conditional workflows – e.g. triggering an instant payment when an IoT sensor signals inventory received (turning the vision of ‘payment triggered by inventory systems’ into reality). Orchestrating between traditional ACH and new instant rails will be a vital strategy to optimize cost vs. speed on a per-transaction basis.

Infrastructure & Compliance: Supporting real-time payments requires always-on infrastructure. PayFacs and banks must ensure high availability and real-time fraud screening since transactions settle irrevocably in seconds. Additionally, treasury systems need enhancements for liquidity management – firms will need to pre-fund accounts or have credit lines to cover instant outflows. Processors should build features for clients like alias directories (to route payments using email/phone proxies) and rich remittance data handling to help with reconciliation in a real-time environment.

Go-to-Market Acceleration for Real-Time Payment Adoption

A key GTM message for payment providers is improved cash flow precision. Sales teams can now pitch to mid-market CFOs that they can precisely time payments to match cash needs, pay on delivery, not a day early or late.

PayFacs can differentiate their platform by offering instant merchant payouts (e.g., funding a merchant’s account right after a transaction) to attract businesses tired of waiting days for funds.

Educating clients with industry-specific use cases – like instant supplier payments in manufacturing or instant gig-worker payouts in logistics – will accelerate adoption by making the benefits concrete.

Real-time payments are redefining liquidity and competitiveness. Praxent’s payments consulting and engineering teams enable PayFacs and processors to move faster from batch to instant without distracting your internal roadmap. Whether you need to integrate instant-rail infrastructure, build resilient systems, or deploy workflow-triggered payments, our teams deploy fast, scale reliably, and allow you to outpace legacy incumbents.

Learn more about Praxent’s B2B payments technology consulting and engineering solutions.

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Frequently Asked Questions

1. What are real-time payments?
Real-time payments are instant bank-to-bank transfers that settle within seconds, 24/7. They enable immediate funds availability and reduce delays common in ACH or check processing.

2. How do instant payments differ from traditional payment rails?
Instant payments settle within seconds, while ACH and checks can take days or weeks. This provides precise cash-flow timing and eliminates payment uncertainty.

3. What is the RTP® network?
The RTP network is a real-time payment rail in the U.S. that supports immediate settlement and 24/7 processing. It is widely used for supplier payouts, wage disbursements, and B2B payments.

4. What is FedNow®?
FedNow is the Federal Reserve’s instant payment service, designed to enable U.S. banks to offer real-time transfers. It helps businesses move money instantly across institutions.

5. How can real-time payments improve B2B cash flow?
Businesses can time payments precisely—paying as soon as goods arrive or delaying until cash is needed—reducing credit dependence and improving liquidity.

6. What industries benefit the most from instant payments?
Manufacturing, logistics, gig-economy platforms, distribution, and healthcare benefit from faster supplier, contractor, and claims payments.

7. Do PayFacs and processors need new infrastructure for real-time payments?
Yes. They must support 24/7 processing, ISO 20022 messaging, liquidity controls, fraud monitoring, and integrations to instant-payment networks like RTP or FedNow.