The need for speed, convenience and certainty is driving demand for faster payment services in the U.S.

Same day Automated Clearing House (ACH) payments rose 19.1% year-over-year in the first quarter of 2025 . FedNow is also reporting significant growth, with more than 1.3 million transactions settled in the same period . Similarly, a record 98 million transactions were made through The Clearing House (TCH-RTP) network in Q4 2024 .

bolttech, the fast-growing global insurtech, today announced the addition of Sumitomo Corporation, one of Japan’s largest trading houses, and Iberis Capital, a leading private equity and venture capital manager in Portugal, as strategic investors. Their participation marks the successful close of bolttech’s Series C funding round, with shares acquired by Series C investors in the amount of US$147 million, reflecting a company valuation of US$2.1 billion.

Fiserv, Inc., a leading global provider of payments and financial services technology, announced today that it has agreed to acquire the remaining 49.9% of AIB Merchant Services (AIBMS), its joint venture with AIB Group, in a transaction focused on driving continued growth in Ireland and the broader European market.

In this exclusive interview, Financial IT speaks with Eduardo Azanza, CEO of Veridas, to explore how AI, biometrics, and identity verification are transforming the financial services landscape.

Topics covered:

    •    Key industry challenges in identity and compliance

    •    How AI is reshaping fraud prevention

    •    Building trust in digital ecosystems

    •    Veridas’ mission and innovations in the fintech space

Experts predict that instant payments could be revolutionary. Between 2023 and 2030, the value of transactions processed using instant payment technology is forecast to grow by 289%.

According to new research, ‘Balancing the Books’, from leading payments platform Paysafe, an overwhelming 96% of U.S. small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) accepting in-person transactions plan to upgrade their payments technology in the next 12 months. Despite some economic challenges, SMBs remain optimistic and view payment innovation, including e-commerce, as critical to their future growth as well as overcoming cash flow and fraud issues.

Lloyds today announced a partnership with BNP Paribas to offer its corporate and financial institution clients  access to market-leading FX Execution Algorithms (EAs). The partnership will see Lloyds deliver an FX  Algorithmic Execution Service supported by BNP Paribas’ leading edge solutions - helping clients to execute  large FX trades more efficiently, while retaining transparency and control through robust Transaction Cost  Analysis (TCA).