More firms plan to support instant payments within next two years

APAC FIs reported the highest uncertainty with 13% responding “not sure.”

Over 2 in 5 financial institutions (FIs) and payment organizations plan to support sending instant payments within two years, according to a survey by Finextra Research, commissioned by ACI Worldwide released in November 2025.

In a global survey of 162 respondents, 41% of organisations said that they plan to support sending instant payments within two years.

The Asia Pacific region is noted for having a more “fragmented” outlook compared to Europe, with institutions in the region reporting a wide variety of deployment timelines. APAC firms also had the highest level of uncertainty across regions, with 13% responding ‘not sure’.

In contrast, 39% of organisations in Europe are aiming to support sending instant payments within the next 12 months.

Nearly half or 46% of organisations globally acknowledged that work remains to scale
digital payment readiness.

“Whilst the vast majority of organisations (94% combined) report a level of preparedness to support rising volumes of end-user initiated digital payments, a closer look reveals that 46% (combining the ‘somewhat prepared’, ‘not well prepared’, and ‘not prepared at all’ segments) still see work to be done,” the report stated.

“It is clear that scaling infrastructure to meet growing demand for end-user
initiated digital payments must remain a priority,” it added.