EYE ON Faster Payments: What’s Driving Adoption, Use Cases, and What Comes Next

In this episode of FinWise EYE ON, host Sarah Grotta, Chief Fintech Officer at FinWise, sits down with Reed Luhtanen, Executive Director & CEO of the U.S. Faster Payments Council, for a deep-dive conversation on the rapid evolution of faster and real-time payments in the U.S. Reed brings a unique, ecosystem-wide perspective—spanning banks, fintechs, payment networks, merchants, and regulators—to unpack how the industry has moved from “why faster payments?” to “how fast can we get live?” Listeners will learn: Why instant payments have officially passed the tipping point in the U.S. How RTP and FedNow adoption has accelerated—and what’s driving it The most compelling real-world use cases, from payroll and earned wage access to loan disbursements, insurance payouts, marketplaces, and healthcare How fintechs access faster payment rails through bank partnerships Why “receive-only” participation isn’t enough—and the ROI case for enabling send Key fraud and risk considerations—and why real-time doesn’t mean reckless How industry standards (confirmation of payee, transaction tags, exceptions handling) can unlock broader adoption The role of AI, stablecoins, and tokenized deposits in the future payments landscape Why optionality and redundancy may be a strength—not a weakness—of the U.S. payments system Whether you’re a community bank, fintech, program manager, or payments professional, this episode offers valuable insight into where faster payments are today—and where they’re headed next.