Real-time payment capabilities are transforming how companies manage liquidity and streamline operations and The Bank of New York Mellon (BNY) has form when it comes to payments firsts.
On 10 February last year, BNY took centre stage as the new era of real-time, higher-value payments was born. Specifically, The Clearing House and BNY announced the successful completion of the largest instant payment($10m) in US history and the first-ever payment on the RTP network exceeding $1m. This followed the increase in the network’s transaction limit the previous day.
The $10m inter-company liquidity management payment, from a leading, global transfer agent, Computershare, to an account at another financial institution, marked a significant milestone in the evolution of instant payments. It is not hype or marketing bluster to say that the transaction heralded new opportunities for businesses to move money faster, optimise cash flow, and streamline financial operations.
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It is stating the obvious to note that there is a growing demand for higher- value instant payments. In summary, they provide a seamless alternative to traditional wire transfers and checks while improving liquidity management.
And given BNY’s position at the forefront of capital markets, it can guarantee to clients the ability to operate with greater agility and support their long-term financial success.
The benefit to BNY’s corporate customers of real-time higher-value payments encompasses, inter alia, the management of large supplier transactions, moving wealth management or brokerage funds between accounts, funding payrolls, responding to unplanned liquidity needs, and ensuring the immediate settlement of obligations.
The importance to BNY of payments and its success in delivering on its status as a leading provider of global payments, liquidity management and trade finance services for financial institutions, corporations and the public sector, is borne out in the bank’s earnings. In fiscal 2025, the unit reported revenue of $2.0bn, up by 15% y-o-y, primarily reflecting higher net interest income and net new business.
Carl Slabicki, Head of Commercial, Global Payments & Trade at BNY, sets out the BNY value proposition and explains how BNY is so well positioned to benefit from the move to RTP, real-time settlement.
Carl Slabicki, Head of Commercial, Global Payments & Trade at BNY:
“Through the integration of payment rails such as RTP and FedNow, robust bank-level controls and API-driven data, we deliver seamless, around-the-clock liquidity, immediate access to funds and comprehensive messaging that streamlines both reconciliation and cash application processes.
As instant payment networks continue to evolve globally – expanding into cross-border transactions and tokenised deposits introducing greater programmability – BNY’s advanced orchestration, entitlement solutions and analytics help make sure that real-time payments become not only faster, but also more intelligent and secure.
This is especially crucial for managing complex, high-value financial flows with the highest standards of safety and efficiency.”
EPI: Why are 24/7 payments outpacing the rest of the financial services?
Carl Slabicki:
24/7 payments match modern expectations: instant experiences, embedded workflows and continuous liquidity. Real-time settlement cuts timing risk and operational friction, enabling straight‑through automation and better cash positioning. As rails expand (RTP, FedNow), bank operations modernise to process 24/7, and tokenized deposits add programmability, use cases scale – from disbursements to data‑rich B2B, making “faster” also measurably better for treasury.
EPI: How is digital cash emerging as connective infrastructure?
Carl Slabicki:
Digital cash – instant rails and tokenised deposits, connects value, data, identity and controls in programmable flows. Funds and rich remittance travel together, enabling event‑driven, atomic completion across ERPs, marketplaces and bank platforms. As networks enable 24/7 (including cross‑border instant) and tokens interoperate with other assets, treasury gains real‑time confirmation, policy‑based routing and trusted automation for working capital.
EPI: Why is interoperability across rails, ledgers and workflows a real challenge?
Carl Slabicki:
Standards for value, data, identity and controls differ across RTP, FedNow, ACH, card, cross‑border and tokenised ledgers, creating friction in routing, reconciliation and risk. Enterprises need a network‑agnostic experience with consistent entitlements, confirmations and messaging. The hard work is stitching workflows end‑to‑end, so outcomes are immediate and trusted regardless of path, enabling policy‑based routing across rails and tokens.
EPI: How is BNY positioned to win more market share?
Carl Slabicki:
BNY leads with enterprise‑grade orchestration: integrated APIs, consistent identity and messaging, and analytics built for instant payment finality. We abstract rail differences (RTP, FedNow, cross‑border), unify 24/7 bank operations, and add tokenised deposit programmability to scale use cases without re‑engineering. The result: tighter liquidity, fewer breaks, smarter automation, making BNY the safest, most interoperable fabric for complex, always‑on flows.
