Real-Time Payments and the Infrastructure Advantage for UK Fintechs
By Nina Papazyan (pictured), Director of Product and Banking Relationships, Clear Junction
Real-time payments (RTPs) are fast becoming the gold standard in financial infrastructure – especially in the UK, where Faster Payments and Open Banking have laid strong foundations. For fintechs operating in a competitive, highly regulated environment, RTPs offer much more than speed. They provide the agility, resilience, and compliance tools needed to scale sustainably.
Across the globe, RTP volumes are soaring. Juniper Research forecasts that over 600 billion RTP transactions will be processed annually by 2028, up from 252 billion in 2024. But the real story is not just growth – it’s utility. For fintechs, RTPs unlock faster settlement cycles, reduced reliance on legacy intermediaries, and richer real-time data for smarter liquidity management and fraud prevention.
UK fintechs are particularly well positioned to take advantage. The country benefits from one of the most advanced regulatory frameworks in Europe, driven by the FCA’s innovation agenda, PSD2-led API adoption, and a strong appetite for cross-border growth. RTP infrastructure provides the rails to match these ambitions.
Evolving use cases in UK fintech
RTPs are reshaping what’s possible across consumer finance, business banking, and embedded payments. For consumer-facing fintechs, real-time disbursements and instant top-ups enhance the user experience. In B2B, RTPs are powering just-in-time payments, streamlined invoicing, and real-time treasury operations.
One of the most transformative areas is fraud and compliance. In traditional systems, institutions are exposed for hours – sometimes days – between initiating and settling transactions. RTPs compress that window to seconds, enabling real-time monitoring, transaction scoring, and anomaly detection. Fintechs that build these capabilities in from the start are better placed to meet KYC and AML requirements, while reducing false positives.
RTPs also support the next phase of Open Banking innovation. As account-to-account payment journeys continue to grow, real-time capabilities bring the immediacy, reliability, and confirmation users expect. They eliminate card fees, improve UX, and open up new revenue models – particularly for payment initiation service providers (PISPs) regulated by the FCA.
Global momentum and emerging opportunities
The UK is not alone in embracing real-time payments. Brazil’s Pix system is now one of the largest real-time payment networks globally, processing over 150 million transactions daily. India’s UPI has revolutionised access for millions. In Southeast Asia, corridor integrations like Singapore’s PayNow and Thailand’s PromptPay are facilitating seamless regional transfers.
Meanwhile, the EU’s Instant Payments Regulation will lift key restrictions in the eurozone, including the €100,000 cap by 2025. In the US, the FedNow service is laying the groundwork for broader institutional adoption.
Fintechs wanting to scale internationally will need infrastructure that supports both domestic and cross-border RTP flows. That’s where trusted infrastructure partners (like Clear Junction) come in – delivering compliant, flexible access to networks like Faster Payments, SEPA Instant, and other local RTP schemes.
Stablecoins as a complementary rail
As RTP adoption accelerates, many fintechs are also turning to stablecoins for additional settlement flexibility. Digital assets like USDC and USDT enable instant, round-the-clock transfers with on-chain visibility – especially valuable for global fintechs handling crypto-fiat flows or operating across time zones.
The most forward-thinking institutions are already adopting hybrid models. They rely on RTPs for domestic, compliance-led transactions, while using stablecoins to enhance liquidity and speed for cross-border flows. The real value lies in orchestration – routing payments based on use case, cost, and jurisdiction.
At Clear Junction, we’ve seen this surging demand first-hand. That’s why we’ve launched an on-chain stablecoin solution, supporting issuance and conversion across Ethereum, Solana, and Tron. For UK fintechs that need licensed, reliable infrastructure – we offer both sides of the coin.
What makes an RTP-ready fintech?
To make the most of RTP infrastructure, fintechs need more than technical access. They need to align culture, compliance, and technology. The most successful fintechs we work with share a few characteristics:
- API-first architecture enabling seamless integration with RTP schemes and stablecoin protocols
- Real-time compliance controls, including transaction monitoring and sanctions screening
- Dynamic treasury logic built to manage liquidity minute-by-minute, not end-of-day
- User-led product thinking, where real-time capabilities are applied to meaningful, customer-centric use cases
By building with RTP from the ground up, fintechs can stand out on service, reduce operational risk, and expand into new markets without the drag of legacy systems.
Where UK fintechs go from here
As real-time infrastructure becomes the norm, the differentiator for fintechs won’t just be access – it will be how intelligently they use it. The future lies in orchestration: managing flows across currencies, regions, and rails with control and confidence.
At Clear Junction, we’re seeing these shifts play out across our global network – as fintechs look to simplify domestic operations while expanding their international reach. The convergence of fiat and digital systems is accelerating, with more firms exploring stablecoins, programmable payments, and real-time compliance strategies. Regulation is evolving too – becoming more consistent across borders, but also more demanding.
The fintechs that build trusted, agile infrastructure today will define what’s possible tomorrow – where speed, transparency, and compliance are built in from the start.
