U.S. Faster Payments Council Publishes 2025 U.S. Instant Payments Adoption Quantitative Study

The U.S. Faster Payments Council (FPC), a membership organization devoted to advancing safe, easy-to-use faster payments in the United States, today announced the publication of the 2025 U.S. Instant Payments Adoption Quantitative Study, a survey of U.S.-based third-party enablers to financial institutions (FIs). Collectively, respondents to the study serve more than 90% of U.S. FIs and offer a forward-looking view into how instant payments adoption is expected to expand over the next five years.

The study highlights how adoption is being shaped by use cases, perceived benefits, technology enablement, and emerging standards. In the 2024 study, respondents projected that by 2028 between 70–80% of financial institutions would be able to receive instant payments, while 30–40% would be equipped to send instant credits. At that time, early adoption was being driven by earned wage access, wallet funding, P2P, marketplace and gaming, and brokerage payouts, with mid-term growth anticipated from B2B payments and online bill pay.

In this year’s findings, respondents indicated that earned wage access, wallet funding, marketplace/gaming, and P2P remain key drivers of adoption. Additionally, loan payouts have gained meaningful traction, adding to the range of use cases where instant payments are being applied.

“The insights from this study demonstrate both the scale of progress already made and the opportunities still ahead,” said Reed Luhtanen, FPC Executive Director and CEO. “Instant payments are increasingly becoming a part of everyday transactions for consumers and businesses. As adoption accelerates, the FPC is working with members and stakeholders across the industry to address remaining challenges and ensure these capabilities are accessible, secure, and beneficial for all.”

The study also underscores areas that respondents view as essential to advance in the near term. Over the next 12–24 months, they anticipate significant deployment of real-time fraud mitigation tools (78% rated as top importance), as well as consumer and business user interfaces (both rated 72% top importance). Furthermore, respondents prioritized fraud, user interfaces, and exceptions as top areas for advancing standards. At the same time, respondents highlighted QR codes, APIs, and pay-by-bank as important tools that are helping advance broader adoption of instant payments.

The new study, conducted during the summer of 2025, included responses from two dozen third-party enablers such as payment processors, gateways, digital vendors, bankers’ banks, and corporate credit unions, collectively serving 90% of U.S. financial institutions. The survey measured industry perspectives on adoption, benefits, and challenges expected through 2028. Federal Reserve Financial Services, a founding sponsor of the FPC, contributed to the implementation and analysis of the study.

The full report is available for download from the FPC’s Faster Payments Knowledge Center. For more information on the FPC, its current work efforts or to join, visit FasterPaymentsCouncil.org.