For credit unions still weighing whether immediate payments are worth the investment, the conversation is shifting from 'if' to 'how soon'. 

That’s why I recently hosted our webinar, "Immediate Payments Quarterly Conversation: Making the Business Case for Immediate Payments," featuring Barb Kren, Corporate One’s Vice President of Member Success. 

Immediate payments are no longer a speculative innovation reserved for early adopters. They are becoming core financial infrastructure—one that credit unions increasingly need to stay relevant to members, retain deposits, improve operational efficiency, and compete in a world where consumers and businesses expect money to move in seconds, not days. Ahead of the webinar, I sat down with Barb to discuss why this topic has become more urgent and what credit unions should be thinking about now. Barb works with credit unions every day on payment strategy, implementation decisions, and the practical business questions that arise long before a credit union is connected to the RTP^® network and FedNow^® Service.  

Why are immediate payments becoming a more urgent strategic conversation for credit unions right now, rather than something they can keep watching from the sidelines? 

Barb: Member expectations have already changed. Consumers and businesses are getting used to accessing, moving, and receiving confirmation of money in real time in other parts of their lives. That expectation doesn’t stop when they interact with their financial institution. For credit unions, this is becoming less about innovation for innovation’s sake and more about staying aligned with how members manage their financial lives today. The infrastructure is also no longer theoretical. We now have real rails, real adoption, real transaction growth, and real use cases. The better question is no longer, “Is this important?” It’s, “What does this mean for us, and how long can we afford to wait?” 

What do immediate payments signal to members about the kind of financial institution their credit union is becoming? 

Barb: Immediate payments send a strong signal that a credit union is building around member needs, not around legacy limitations. Members may not think in terms of payment rails, but they do notice whether they can access funds quickly, move money easily, and trust their credit union to operate at the speed of modern life. In fact, studies have shown that 93 percent of financial institutions say immediate payments improve member retention, and 78 percent of consumers prefer faster payments. Offering immediate payments tells members that their credit union is responsive, forward-looking, and committed to convenience and certainty. It says, “We understand how you live and how you move money.” That’s increasingly important as expectations are shaped by the digital experiences people have every day. 

What are the hidden costs of waiting too long to act on immediate payments, even for institutions that aren’t ready to launch tomorrow? 

Barb: The hidden costs of waiting fall into three areas: relevance, opportunity, and strategic readiness. First, if members increasingly expect faster, always-on money movement and their credit union cannot support it, loyalty can gradually erode. Second, every month or year a credit union waits may mean missed deposits, revenue opportunities, and operational efficiencies. Third, delaying the internal evaluation process can make future decisions harder, even if your credit union is not ready to go live immediately. The webinar makes clear that demand for real-time payments is already strong, the ROI is compelling, and the lift to get started is very manageable. Our member credit unions are seeing triple-digit year-over-year growth across both immediate payment rails, with RTP transactions up 157% and FedNow transactions up 188%. Credit unions that begin learning now—by understanding use cases, evaluating providers, and building internal alignment—will be better positioned to stay relevant and meet member expectations in the future. 

Immediate payments are no longer just a payment conversation. They’re a strategic conversation about relevance, growth, and the member experience. 

Watch our webinar, "Immediate Payments Quarterly Conversation: Making the Business Case for Immediate Payments," to explore how your credit union can begin building the business case for immediate payments.