Instant payments have emerged as a transformative force in the financial landscape and have facilitated a faster and more secure alternative to traditional credit transfer, revolutionising the way individuals and organisations interact financially.
According to the Instant Payments Regulation, a new EU legislation, by 9 January 2025 all payment service providers (PSPs) that offer services in euros, are required to provide the possibility for customers to send and receive euro payments across the EU instantly. This means that PSPs are required to allow the funds to arrive in the beneficiary account within 10 seconds at any time and day of the year.
However, the speed and convenience of instant payments also brings the heightened risk of various financial crimes with account takeovers, synthetic identity frauds, deepfakes and more becoming increasingly common.
Banks and other PSP's must now work within tight timelines to screen payments for sanctions and money laundering risks, and to verify the identities and bank accounts of sending and receiving parties. This is against the backdrop of an evolving and complex global sanctions landscape and new instant payment regulations and reimbursement liability shifts.