The report finds that firms see a major opportunity to shift more payouts to real time. Today, roughly 5% to 12% of consumer payouts across these sectors are received in real time. Within three years, firms want that share to rise sharply, creating a $1.35 trillion opportunity to move more money within minutes. The stakes are substantial. Slow payouts can lead to financial stress for recipients, more service calls, disputes, compliance concerns and extra administrative work for senders.
The report also shows that real-time payouts are about more than speed. They can give recipients more choice and certainty. They can help businesses reduce exceptions, improve visibility and strengthen trust. The challenge is that adoption is still slowed by fraud concerns, system costs, compliance needs and the difficulty of verifying recipient information. That means the future of payouts will depend on both faster rails and stronger controls.
In “The Power of Now: Moving Money at the Speed of Life,” learn how:
- Payout speed affects trust. Recipients often judge an organization by how quickly and reliably money arrives. Smooth, timely payments can improve confidence in companies and government programs.
- Slow rails create hidden operating costs. Late or hard-to-track payments don’t stop at the customer service desk. They can trigger reissues, disputes, accounting work and reputational damage.
- Real-time payouts require more than faster technology. Firms must also solve for fraud, compliance, system readiness and verified recipient data. The winners will be the organizations that make faster payments feel safe, simple and reliable.
About the Report
PYMNTS Intelligence conducted three surveys of 360 payments leaders (120 per vertical) at U.S.-based investment platforms, insurers, and healthcare payers and administrators between Dec. 30, 2025, and Jan. 26, 2026. Respondents included leaders at healthcare carriers and providers that issue member payouts, insurance carriers that issue approved claims payouts and investment platforms, brokerages and fund providers responsible for investor withdrawal processes and related frictions.
In parallel, we collected 2,323 responses between Dec. 22, 2025, and Jan. 5, 2026, from U.S. adults who received a federal, state or local government payment within the past 12 months. This sample was benchmarked to U.S. Census demographics to support representativeness, enabling a consistent read on how payout timing, access and trust dynamics vary across recipient segments.
