Why we Built RfP: Unlocking Instant Pay-ins to Power Instant Payouts

Real-time payments have reshaped how businesses move money—but only in one direction. While payouts have become instant, pay-ins remain stuck in the past. Enter Request for Payment (RfP).*

Right now, most of our customers use ACH or wires to fund their accounts. These are reliable and widely used rails, but they weren’t built for the instant economy. ACH settles in batches and can take a day or two. Wires are faster, but they can be expensive and limited to banking hours.

The result is that businesses are left with a real-time outflow system, but an inflow system that runs on traditional workweek hours. This tends to spark overfunded accounts “just in case,” tied up capital that could be working elsewhere, and time spent monitoring balances instead of innovating products. The system works, but it’s not good enough.

That’s why we’re excited about RfP. It’s a simple concept with massive implications: the ability to move money in before you need to move money out. RfP closes the real-time gap by enabling secure, instant pay-ins through the RTP® network, unlocking better liquidity and cash flow alignment for our partners.

With RfP, businesses can send payment requests directly to their customers’ bank apps. Once authorized, funds settle instantly—24/7/365—with full transparency and confirmation.  

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Built for the modern payment stack

At Cross River, we’re not just supporting faster payments—we’re enabling the financial infrastructure behind them. RfP will be a key part, helping businesses match the pace of innovation with liquidity that moves as fast as their customers do. RfP is part of a broader evolution in financial infrastructure—one that demands speed, clarity, and reliability across every transaction.

If you’re building the future of payments, let’s build it together.