The Real-Time Perception Gap: How Experience Is Driving the Next Phase of Instant Payments Adoption

Business-to-business (B2B) payments have long relied on familiar rails—credit cards, checks and automated clearing house (ACH) transfers—that move money between bank accounts over one to three days. These methods are deeply embedded in financial workflows. And for most businesses, they work: More than nine in 10 businesses say they pay their suppliers on time, and 86% describe their accounts payable (AP) processes as efficient, according to the latest PYMNTS Intelligence research.

However, the experience of businesses that have made the move to real-time rails tells a different story. Instant payment users report stronger cash flow management, supplier relationships and operational efficiency, rating their return on investment (ROI) about 20 points higher than businesses still using legacy methods. Yet many organizations have not made that move, held back by integration complexity, cost concerns and the comfort of systems that already function. The value of real-time payments is no longer in question. This Tracker examines what it will take to bring that value within reach.

• Experience Changes Perception
• The Remaining Barriers
• Unlocking the Next Phase
• Turning Real-Time Readiness Into Competitive Advantage

Experience Changes Perception

Businesses that have adopted real-time payment rails are reporting benefits that extend far beyond faster settlement. The gap between perception and actual operational value is becoming increasingly difficult for the broader market to ignore.

Real-time payment users report stronger outcomes across critical business functions.

Businesses are also recognizing instant payments as a tool for operational flexibility. Real-time settlement gives organizations the flexibility to time payments around supplier terms, payroll cycles and liquidity priorities. Finance executives surveyed in the report noted that real-time visibility into balances and settlement timing enables more strategic liquidity management.

Instant rails’ value becomes apparent after businesses put them into practice.

Perhaps the report’s most revealing finding is the gap between perception and experience. Businesses that have never used the RTP^® network rate its overall ROI at 52 out of 100, while businesses that actively use the network score it substantially higher, at 71 out of 100. The FedNow^® Service shows a nearly identical pattern, with users rating ROI at 73 compared to 52 among nonusers.

The data suggests that many organizations underestimate the value of real-time payment rails until they integrate them into their day-to-day payment operations. The research consistently shows that familiarity changes perception. Businesses with firsthand experience report stronger confidence in payment certainty, treasury control, operational fit and supplier reach.

Real-time payments are strengthening business relationships.

The benefits of instant payments extend beyond operational efficiency. Nearly eight in 10 (78%) businesses surveyed say real-time payments strengthen supplier relationships. The same share (78%) report improved ability to capture early-payment discounts, while 77% say instant payments improve their competitive positioning.

Instant payments’ faster settlement, greater payment certainty and improved visibility can help businesses become more reliable trading partners while improving working capital management across the supply chain. In competitive industries where supplier relationships directly influence pricing, inventory access or service reliability, these improvements become strategically important.

The Remaining Barriers

For many businesses, the case for real-time payments runs into a familiar set of obstacles: Existing methods work well enough; integration with ERP and treasury systems remains complex; and concerns about payment finality linger even among businesses with positive real-world experience.

Many businesses still believe existing payment methods work well enough.

Integration challenges remain the industry’s most significant obstacle.

Across businesses of all sizes, integration with enterprise resource planning (ERP), treasury management and accounting systems emerges as the leading barrier to adoption. Businesses consistently identify integration as both the primary obstacle to implementation and the improvement most likely to enhance payment performance over the next two years. Better ERP integration is cited as the most important improvement by 22% of businesses overall and by 29% of businesses with more than $25 million in annual revenue.

Fraud concerns and payment finality continue to influence decision-making.

Real-time payments introduce a different risk environment than traditional payment methods. Because transactions settle quickly and are generally irreversible, businesses remain cautious about fraud, errors and payment misdirection. While these concerns continue to influence how finance leaders evaluate payment strategies, businesses’ actual experience with instant payments is often far more positive than their perceptions. For example, 70% say instant payments have improved fraud reduction. This suggests that concerns about payment finality may persist even as many users experience stronger risk outcomes in practice.

Unlocking the Next Phase

The next phase of real-time payments adoption will likely be shaped less by awareness and more by execution. Businesses have already made clear what they need most: simpler integration, demonstrable ROI and payment systems that fit naturally into existing financial workflows.

Businesses have been clear about what they need next.

ROI and cost transparency remain especially important for smaller businesses.

While integration leads the priority list, smaller organizations also want clearer economics. Nineteen percent of businesses overall say lower payment costs or fees would most improve payment performance, rising to 28% among businesses with annual revenue between $1 million and $5 million. Demonstrating tangible ROI will remain critical to accelerating adoption among cost-conscious organizations.

The businesses that move first may capture disproportionate advantages.

The long-term trajectory of B2B payments appears unambiguous. Nearly nine in 10 businesses (86%) plan to adopt the RTP network at some point, including 53% that expect to do so within the next two years. Network activity reflects that momentum: The RTP network set a new single-day record in May, processing more than 2.2 million transactions worth $8.62 billion.

As integration challenges are resolved and familiarity grows, real-time payments appear poised to move from a competitive differentiator to the prevailing expectation in B2B payments. Businesses that adopt earlier could gain meaningful advantages in liquidity management, supplier relationships and operational agility before those capabilities become industry standard.

Turning Real-Time Readiness Into Competitive Advantage

Real-time payments have already demonstrated their ability to improve cash flow management, supplier relationships and operational efficiency. The next challenge is less about proving the value of instant payments and more about making that value fully accessible.

PYMNTS Intelligence offers the following actionable roadmap for businesses evaluating real-time payments adoption:

• Prioritize integration between real-time rails and ERP, treasury and accounting platforms.
• Identify payment workflows where speed, certainty and visibility deliver the greatest value.
• Build fraud controls and payment validation processes that support real-time settlement.
• Quantify ROI using improvements in reconciliation, cash flow management and supplier relationships.
• Develop a phased adoption strategy that aligns real-time payment capabilities with broader finance transformation goals.

As more businesses move to real-time rails, the window for early-mover advantage will narrow. The organizations that act now will be best positioned to capture the operational and competitive benefits before instant payments become the standard expectation in B2B finance.

Real-time payments have moved beyond speed alone. Businesses using instant payment capabilities are seeing stronger cash flow management, deeper supplier relationships and greater operational agility. The next phase of adoption depends on simplifying integration with accounting, ERP and treasury management systems while helping organizations unlock measurable value within existing financial workflows.”