24% of RTP® Holdouts Say Current Payment Methods Work

That is one of the more useful takeaways from the PYMNTS Intelligence report, “Ready and Willing: B2B Payments Are Headed for Real-Time Rails. Here’s How They’re Getting There.” The report finds that instant payments outperform traditional methods across a wide range of business outcomes, from faster supplier access to funds to better cash flow control. Yet adoption still trails usage of credit cards, checks and ACH. The reason is not hard to understand. Many companies already pay suppliers on time, run efficient accounts payable operations and see enough visibility into cash flow to avoid a rush into change.

That creates a rare opening for banks, FinTechs and payment providers. The market does not need to be convinced that real-time rails are useful. It needs help making them easier to plug into existing workflows.

Three data points show why the adoption gap may be smaller than it looks:

•  94% of businesses pay suppliers on time. That helps explain why many finance teams do not feel immediate pressure to replace existing payment methods, even when faster options are available.
•  86% of businesses say their accounts payable processes are efficient. Real-time payment providers are not selling into a broken process. They are selling an upgrade to a process that many executives already believe works.
•  24% of RTP network nonusers say other payment methods work well enough. That was the most common reason cited for not using the RTP network for B2B payments. For FedNow nonusers, 16% gave the same reason, while 13% cited limited industry awareness or familiarity.

The positive angle is that these are not permanent barriers. They look more like speed bumps. Businesses are not saying real-time payments lack value. They are saying they need clearer benefits, more supplier acceptance and better links to the systems that already run finance operations.

Integration may be the biggest unlock. The report finds that 22% of businesses say better integration with accounting, enterprise resource planning or treasury systems would greatly improve B2B payment performance over the next two years. Among companies with at least $25 million in annual revenue, that share rises to 29%.

That points to the next phase of competition. Real-time rails will gain ground not simply because they move money faster, but because they can help companies manage money with more precision. A finance team that can time payments more closely, reconcile transactions faster and give suppliers more certainty has more control over working capital.

Other findings reinforce the opportunity. Instant payment users rate real-time rails far more favorably than nonusers do, with RTP network and FedNow users assigning ROI scores 19 to 21 points higher than firms that have not used them. More than half of businesses plan to adopt RTP network rails within two years. The bridge from interest to usage is now practical: make real-time payments fit the back office, and adoption can move from test case to routine.

At PYMNTS Intelligence, we work with businesses to uncover insights that fuel intelligent, data-driven discussions on changing customer expectations, a more connected economy and the strategic shifts necessary to achieve outcomes. With rigorous research methodologies and unwavering commitment to objective quality, we offer trusted data to grow your business. As our partner, you’ll have access to our diverse team of PhDs, researchers, data analysts, number crunchers, subject matter veterans and editorial experts.