72% of Consumers Pay for Instant Income Access

Instant payments are increasingly being judged less by how fast money moves and more by what faster access allows consumers to do. That is the central takeaway from “From Faster to Smarter: Real-Time Payments as a Consumer Cash Flow Tool,” an April 2026 Real-Time Payments Tracker® Series report from PYMNTS Intelligence. The report finds that real-time payments are evolving from a convenience feature into part of consumers’ everyday approach to managing income, expenses and financial stability.