Too Small, Too Risky, Too Soon? 4 Myths Killing Your Instant Payments Strategy
- Marcia Klingensmith
- Sep 3
- 2 min read
If you’ve ever sat in a leadership meeting and heard, “We’re not ready for Send,” you’re not alone. Across the industry, well-meaning executives are stalling instant payments strategies based on assumptions that feel true—but aren’t.
The longer you wait, the harder it becomes to justify your RTP or FedNow investment, defend your innovation story to the board, and keep your customers from drifting toward faster-moving peers.
And most of the barriers you think are holding you back? They’re myths.
Myth #1: “We’re Too Small to Do This”
It’s tempting to think instant payments are only for the big players. But today’s third-party service providers (TPSPs) and light-integration models mean even community institutions can stand up a Send use case in under 90 days—without a costly core conversion.
The competitive advantage isn’t scale—it’s clarity. Smaller institutions that already serve verticals like small businesses, insurance, or gig workers actually sit on some of the highest-demand instant payout opportunities in the market.
Myth #2: “It’s Too Risky”
Fraud. Compliance. Liquidity. These are the questions that keep risk officers awake at night. But they’re also solvable.
Instant payments as push payments carry lower inherent exposure than checks or cards, and when paired with layered controls—MFA, velocity limits, dual authorization, AI monitoring—they can be even safer.
The real question isn’t “is this too risky?” It’s: “Which risks matter for us, and how do we mitigate them?”
Why This Matters Now
Receive-only rails don’t tell a story of innovation. They tell a story of hesitation. Meanwhile:
86% of businesses already used faster or instant payments in 2023
Consumer digital wallet use grew 32% year-over-year
Peer banks are already piloting Send
Waiting doesn’t buy clarity—it only narrows your options.
Read the Full Breakdown on Substack
In my latest paid Substack article, I unpack all four myths killing instant payments strategies and show you:
Why customers aren’t “asking” for instant payments—but still demanding them
How to spot hidden demand in your ACH, check, and Zelle data
Where the market is already maturing, and what late movers will miss
The antidote: a framework to de-risk your first Send use case and launch with confidence
👉 Subscribe now to unlock the full article and get the SAFE to SEND™ playbook trusted by forward-looking institutions.
Read the full article here: https://open.substack.com/pub/instantpaymentsmaven/p/instant-payments-4-myths
About the AuthorMarcia Klingensmith, the Instant Payments Maven™, is a global payments strategist and founder of FinTech Consulting. With 20+ years of experience at Visa, Bank of America, and FIS, she helps institutions turn instant payment rails into revenue engines.
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