When the Federal Reserve launched FedNow in July 2023, it did so with a clear goal: to make instant, always-on payments a core capability of the U.S. banking system. Two years in, the progress is measurable—but so are the questions. How close are we to ubiquity? How well is FedNow positioned to coexist with (and complement) other rails? And what does success look like in a market as complex and decentralized as the United States? 

This past weekend marked a major moment in the evolution of U.S. payments: the successful ISO 20022 migration of the Fedwire Funds Service. After years of planning and preparation, the cutover went smoothly—an impressive feat given the complexity of the change and the scale of the ecosystem involved. But while the industry collectively takes a well-earned breath, it’s important to recognize what this milestone really represents: the start of a new chapter, not the end of the journey.

Legacy payments are falling short. As customer demand for real-time, seamless experiences grows, and the subscription economy expands, real-time account-to-account (A2A) payments are fast becoming the new standard. In our joint whitepaper, Form3 and GoCardless explore how banks and businesses can modernise their infrastructure, reduce costs, and future-proof their payments by embracing agility and the right partnerships.

On Thursday 12th June Google’s Cloud outage impacted services across nearly every region for approximately two hours, disrupting operations for many global users. Kevin Holditch, VP of Engineering at Form3 discusses how Form3’s multi-cloud platform handles these outages to ensure zero disruption to real-time processing for its customers. 

Chris Mullins from Form3 explains what the new VoP scheme is all about, and offers sound advice on what payment service providers need to have in place before October’s go live date.

For many mid-sized banks, real-time payments (RTP) still feel like a technological challenge rather than a business opportunity. The perception that RTP is complex, expensive, or primarily suited for large institutions has kept many banks from fully exploring its benefits. However, in reality, RTP is not just an operational upgrade—it is a revenue-generating tool that can help banks retain customers, attract new business, and improve efficiency. 

With the 2025 deadline for the Verification of Payee (VoP) scheme fast approaching, financial institutions must act now. Learn how EPC regulations impact SEPA payments and instant transactions.

In the world of financial services, resilience isn’t a nice-to-have—it’s the foundation on which trust is built. Whether it's processing mortgage payments, ensuring businesses can pay their suppliers, or enabling everyday card transactions, the reliability of payment infrastructure is non-negotiable. Customers expect instant access to their money, and regulators demand that financial institutions maintain robust contingency plans to avoid catastrophic service failures.