About the Summit
Kinfos Events is proud to present the 11th US Edition of the Instant Payments & Beyond Summit, taking place in Atlanta on March 16–17, 2026. As real-time payments gain nationwide momentum, this flagship event returns with sharper insights, new use cases, and forward-looking discussions for banks, fintechs, corporates, and merchants.
This edition comes at a pivotal time as adoption of RTP® and FedNow® expands, merchant-driven innovation accelerates, and the industry navigates rising fraud risks and high-value instant payment demands. The program is designed to offer a comprehensive view of instant payments—from implementation and operations to fraud, liquidity, interoperability, and regulation.
Join leading experts and key stakeholders to explore how instant payments are transforming financial services and commerce—across the U.S. and the broader payments ecosystem.
Why This Summit Is Unique
Unlike broader fintech conferences, this summit offers a deep dive into the evolution of instant payments and the innovations shaping what comes next for U.S. money movement. The event features:
- Targeted content on RTP®, FedNow®, instant B2B use cases, and merchant adoption.
- Key insights on interoperability, liquidity, and real-time infrastructure.
- Interactive case studies, expert panels, and practical discussions.
- Actionable strategies on next-gen fraud, AI-driven controls, and cross-border RTP.
- A powerful platform to connect with banks, fintechs, corporates, and innovators shaping U.S. payments.
Key Topics & Themes
This edition brings a high-impact agenda built around these 10 themes:
1. The State of Instant Payments in the U.S.: Progress, Adoption & Interoperability
As FedNow and RTP gain momentum, this session will explore where the U.S. stands on instant payment adoption and how traditional networks are adapting to the real-time shift. Discussion will include use cases, transaction growth, and interoperability across instant, ACH, and card rails. Attendees will hear perspectives from the Federal Reserve, The Clearing House, and leading issuers and networks on expanding access and achieving nationwide reach.
2. Managing Risk, Fraud & Trust in a Real-Time Environment
Instant payments demand instant trust. This session will examine how banks and payment networks are addressing emerging fraud typologies through AI-driven prevention, behavioral analytics, and strong authentication. Experts will share strategies for mitigating risk across instant and card-based ecosystems, balancing compliance, speed, and consumer protection in an always-on economy.
3. Building Value Beyond Rails: Overlay Services & Innovation Opportunities
Discover how financial institutions and fintechs are monetizing instant and card rails through overlay services such as Request for Payment, Confirmation of Payee, and instant refunds. This session will highlight the growing use of open APIs, name verification, and interoperable data layers that enable richer customer experiences and new revenue models.
4. Real-Time Liquidity, Settlement & Interoperability Across Banking
Managing liquidity in a 24/7 payments world requires new thinking. This session will explore how financial institutions and networks are leveraging ISO 20022 data and advanced treasury tools to achieve real-time settlement and cash visibility across FedNow, RTP, ACH, and card systems. Treasury and operations leaders will share insights on managing liquidity efficiently while ensuring system resilience.
5. Beyond Instant: Merchants, PSPs & the Future of Checkout, Orchestration & Real-Time Commerce
As commerce moves beyond instant payments, merchants and PSPs must navigate multiple rails, smarter routing, and rising fraud complexity. This session explores how checkout is evolving across cards, A2A, wallets, BNPL, and instant payouts; how orchestration reduces friction; and how AI is reshaping fraud and operations. We’ll examine the emerging “merchant operating system” where payments, identity, settlement, and data converge in a multi-rail, real-time
environment.
6. Combatting Financial Crime at Real-Time Speed: The Future of AML, KYC & Fraud Prevention
As real-time payments accelerate, financial institutions face a new wave of fast-moving fraud, identity risk, and compliance pressure. This session explores how AML, KYC, and fraud prevention models must evolve for instant onboarding, continuous monitoring, and 24/7 settlement. Leaders will discuss AI’s role in reducing false positives, modernizing risk controls, and enabling secure, frictionless payments across RTP, FedNow, and digital channels.
7. The Rise of Pay by Bank & Embedded Real-Time Commerce
As Pay by Bank gains traction, merchants and fintechs are reimagining checkout experiences through direct, account-to-account payments. This session will explore how open banking APIs and embedded finance are enabling real-time commerce, while card networks like Visa and Mastercard evolve their real-time offerings such as Visa Direct and Mastercard Send to stay ahead of the curve.
8. ACH Modernization: Redefining Domestic Clearing in a Real-Time Era
With the continued success of instant payment systems, ACH is evolving to remain relevant and interoperable. This session will examine how Nacha and network participants are modernizing Same-Day ACH, enhancing data quality, and enabling continuous processing that complements instant and card-based payments in a unified, faster ecosystem.
9. Stablecoins, Tokenized Deposits & The Digital Dollar Frontier
Digital assets are redefining the meaning of money. This session will unpack how U.S. institutions are experimenting with tokenized deposits, stablecoins like JPM Coin and PayPal USD, and digital dollar initiatives. Experts will discuss regulatory developments, interoperability with existing rails, and how these innovations could reshape cross-border, interbank, and card settlement flows.
10. Agentic Payments: The Next Frontier of Intelligent Money Movement
As real-time rails, AI, orchestration, and embedded finance converge, payments are shifting from reactive processing to proactive, autonomous intelligence. This closing session explores how agentic systems will predict intent, route transactions dynamically, prevent fraud before it happens, and automate treasury and settlement workflows — creating a future where payments execute themselves with precision, trust, and zero friction.
Why You Should Attend
Gain first-hand insights from industry leaders and real-world case studies on the evolution of instant payments and the innovations emerging beyond them. Discover new opportunities across RTP® and FedNow®, explore smarter fraud strategies, and connect with senior executives driving payment modernization nationwide.
Join us and be part of the movement that’s redefining U.S. payments.
