Immediate funds transfer (IFT) is a highly convenient, certain, secure, and economical means of payment using bank money. IFT is not available in the U.S. banking system, except for large-value business payments, interbank transfers, and specialized financial market transactions. This article...

Immediate funds transfer (IFT) is a convenient, certain, secure, and low-cost means of electronically transferring money between bank accounts with no or minimal delay in receivers’ receipt and use of funds. Yet IFT is not widely available in the U.S. This article summarizes discussions on the...

On October 22–23, 2012, the Chicago Fed hosted its 12th annual Payments Symposium, where industry leaders convened to evaluate the implications of recent technological changes for the payments industry, including the attendant rise in customer demand for faster, more convenient payment options...