Cross River Launches Request for Payment (RfP) to Power Smarter, Real-Time Money Movement

Cross River Bank (“Cross River”), a technology infrastructure provider that offers embedded finance solutions, announced the launch of Request for Payment (RfP), a transformative addition to its growing suite of instant payment capabilities. The capability will streamline inbound money movement and enhance funding agility across the Real-Time Payments (RTP)^® network. Plaid will be the first to implement the feature, unlocking instant purchases through its bank payments platform, Plaid Transfer. A leader in instant payments and an early adopter of the RTP^® network, Cross River moves over $1 billion monthly in real-time disbursements across RTP^® and FedNow combined. However, while outbound payments have become instant, inbound funding has lagged — dependent on ACH and wire transfers that operate on batch processing and limited banking hours. Now, Cross River will be one of the first financial institutions to support RfP on the RTP^® network, paving the way for faster and more reliable pay-in options. “The current reality of money movement is imbalanced — payments go out in seconds, but pay-ins often take a day or more,” said Adam Goller, EVP and Head of Fintech Banking at Cross River. “RfP is a smarter, more flexible way to receive incoming funds. It gives our partners greater control over timing, real-time visibility into each transaction, and reduces the need for overfunding or constant balance monitoring — all while delivering a better experience for the end user.” RfP allows businesses to send a secure, digital request for payment — enabling payers to authorize and send funds instantly with greater control, a significant step forward in streamlining the payment experience and reducing friction in how money moves. With RfP, businesses will be able to instantly fund digital wallets and accounts, reduce operational friction from delayed deposits, and improve customer experience with smooth, real-time pay-in options. Plaid, the first to implement RfP functionality with Cross River, will enable real-time pay-ins for Carvana customers. This integration allows car buyers to complete purchases instantly and seamlessly — eliminating the friction typically caused by traditional bank transfers. “Instant payment rails unlock huge value for businesses and end customers by reducing friction, accelerating funding, and boosting conversion,” said Brian Dammeir, Global Head of Payments and Financial Management at Plaid. “Through our partnership with Cross River, Plaid Transfer now offers instant pay-ins, instant payouts and Same Day ACH, as part of a full solution with best-in-class account linking and optimized conversion, so customers can tailor bank payments across their business.” Built on Cross River’s proprietary API-based banking core infrastructure, COS, the RfP solution was developed with security, transparency, and compliance at its core. Each RfP is presented to the recipient by the receiving financial institution for explicit authorization, ensuring full control over every transaction. This adds a critical layer of security and trust, while improving the user experience on both ends of the exchange. Cross River is continuing its mission to modernize financial services and provide real-time tools that reflect the pace of today’s economy. This new capability reflects Cross River’s commitment to building a more inclusive and modern financial system — where speed and safety go hand in hand.