The Federal Reserve has already launched a small test of near-instantaneous financial transactions. Every time they talk about payments as a future feature of X/Twitter, I wonder if they know that’s getting Sherlocked.
Many countries, including those in the developing world, have had instant payments systems for years. They’re very convenient, especially those that provide an “overlay” service (usually coming with a standardized app) that allows sending money to registered phone numbers, without dealing with bank account numbers.
Characteristically, the US version of instant payments seems half-assed. It’s initially supported by only 35 banks (not including Citi and Bank of America). And it apparently does not provide a standardized overlay service. Many big financial stakeholders, including the credit card companies, no doubt view it as a threat and would be very happy if it does not catch on.
It’s honestly amazing how quickly a lot of developing countries have embraced this stuff. Hell, even roadside hawkers in a country like India accept instant bank transfers. It’s ridiculous that the US is so far behind.
No, because corporations like PayPal and Meta lobby against it. They got it don’t worry about it.
/s
interesting stuff. I wonder how it’s developed since that article was published.
It launched at a few banks a couple of days ago. https://techcrunch.com/2023/07/21/fednow-is-finally-live-in-the-us/
So, I guess it’s in late beta stage where a limited private beta will happen for a bit and then we’ll see how it goes.
It’d honestly be great for small businesses and workers. No more waiting multiple days for a payment to clear and money to become available.
It’s also great for splitting checks at restaurants, paying for odd jobs, and paying street vendors. Many countries already have instant payments, so it would be nice if it caught on in the US, but you never know — lots of nice things don’t catch on in the US for one reason or another.
for one reason or another
Money. The reason is money.
Tech Crunch’s recent article indicates it may be costly. https://techcrunch.com/2023/07/23/fednow-may-finally-be-live-but-will-it-be-too-costly-for-businesses-to-adopt/
Depends on how you look at it. According to the article, FedNow is more expensive than automatic clearing house. 4 cents vs half a cent. But if FedNow is competing with Venmo and Paypal, they charge a lot more than the Fed’s $0.04. That’s also cheaper than what the credit card companies charge businesses.
