The global shift to instant payments is accelerating, with transaction values projected to climb 163% from 2024 to 2028. In Europe, new regulations are driving this transformation even faster. As of October 2024, payment service providers and financial institutions across the SEPA region must support SCT Instant payments, enabling euro transfers in under ten seconds, around the clock and across 36 countries.
This rapid adoption is creating new pressure on fraud controls. Real-time settlement gives criminals a faster runway to exploit vulnerabilities, with Authorised Push Payment scams emerging as a leading threat. Traditional measures and consumer education alone can no longer keep pace.
Financial institutions now need fraud prevention that works in real time and at ecosystem scale. AI models trained on rich, diverse data across multiple banks and networks are proving the most effective in detecting threats like mule networks before funds disappear. The EU’s Instant Payments Regulation reinforces this direction by pushing the industry toward standardised APIs, real-time verification, and interoperable frameworks that enable rapid risk assessment.
The path forward is clear. Success in the instant payments era requires modern infrastructure, intelligent analytics, robust data governance, and secure data sharing across networks. Institutions that invest in connected, AI-driven fraud prevention will be positioned to protect customers and meet regulatory demands while enabling the speed and convenience today’s payment landscape requires.