The much-anticipated FedNow service, the product of the U.S. Federal Reserve’s painstaking endeavors, is primed for an imminent launch. Positioned to revolutionize the United States payment system, FedNow promises instant fund transfers 24/7 for all Americans.
This major leap forward aims to streamline transactions and put an end to the multi-day waiting period that’s been a bottleneck in domestic financial exchanges.
Bringing real-time payments to the forefront
FedNow’s conception dates back to 2019, and its impending inauguration aligns the U.S with nations like the UK, India, Brazil, and the EU that have leveraged similar facilities for years.
In the initial phase, the system has been authorized for 41 banks and 15 service providers, featuring both community banks and substantial lenders like JPMorgan Chase, Bank of New York Mellon, and US Bancorp.
The Federal Reserve has plans to add more banks and credit unions to this elite list in due course. Pitted against private sector real-time payments networks such as The Clearing House’s RTP network, FedNow had faced initial resistance from major banks.
However, these institutions are now embracing the system, recognizing its potential to enhance the suite of services they provide their clientele. “FedNow represents a new dimension of reach extension,” said Anu Somani, who helms global payables and embedded payments at U.S. Bank.
Contrasting popular peer-to-peer payment methods like PayPal and Venmo, which merely act as banking go-betweens, FedNow facilitates direct settlements in central bank accounts.
The Federal Reserve operates another real-time payments mechanism called FedWire, but its use is restricted to significant corporate transactions and only during standard business hours.
Building a competitive edge with FedNow
With FedNow, smaller entities, including consumers and small businesses, stand to gain significantly. Carl Slabicki, BNY Mellon’s Treasury Services global co-head of payments, mentioned, “We want our clients to leverage these capabilities as a competitive edge for us.”
Smaller banks had advocated the creation of FedNow, envisioning it as a means of accessing real-time payments without the overhead of fees to larger competitors.
Though FedNow is a free service for consumers, how banks might offset any associated costs remains unclear. Certain market participants expressed concerns over FedNow potentially triggering a bank run due to the system’s speedy fund outflows.
Regardless, the Federal Reserve officials dismissed these apprehensions, contending that banks have adequate measures to counteract massive outflows.
Commencing operations, FedNow will implement a maximum payment cap of $500,000, which banks may adjust lower as necessary.
The Federal Reserve has made clear that FedNow, promising real-time gross settlement (RTGS) and instant fiat payments, bears no relation to central bank digital currencies (CBDCs).
This clarification came as it declared the FedNow service ‘ready’, following successful testing with multiple financial institutions, 15 service providers, and the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
The Federal Reserve plans to incorporate all of the U.S’s 10,000 financial institutions in due course, indicating a broad scope for the FedNow service.
Notably, the integration of Metal Blockchain into FedNow was announced on May 11. Developed by Metallicus, Metal Blockchain is based on a fork of Avalanche’s code, allowing rules to be established for asset transfers.
