From delayed settlements to instant processing – here’s how we help our partners stay ahead.
In a world where immediacy is no longer a luxury but an expectation, businesses can’t afford to delay. Whether it’s settling a bet in iGaming, completing a purchase in e-commerce, or making a cross-border payment, customers demand fast, seamless, and secure transactions.
According to a 2023 PYMNTS report, 70% of consumers say that slow payments negatively affect their satisfaction, and nearly half will abandon a transaction altogether if there’s a delay. In regulated industries, where trust and timing are everything, that’s a risk no one can afford to take.
At The Payments Factory, we help businesses reduce settlement delays with solutions that are secure, scalable, and compliance-first – built to support even the most complex operations.
What are real-time settlements?
Real-time settlement is the ability to send and receive funds instantly, without waiting for traditional banking hours or batch processing cycles. Funds are verified, cleared, and confirmed within seconds, 24/7 – even during weekends, holidays, or peak traffic events.
In the iGaming world, this could mean a user receiving their winnings seconds after a game ends. In Fintech, it might be a customer making a last-minute transfer or wallet top-up and seeing it reflected instantly. These are more than conveniences – they’re critical moments in the user journey that can determine whether a customer returns.
Real-time settlement also plays a key role in cash flow management. Instant access to funds allows businesses to better control liquidity, respond to regulatory reporting needs faster, and reduce the friction that often exists between payment events and operational workflows.
How do real-time payments work?
Though the customer experience is seamless, real-time payments rely on a fast-moving series of technical steps that ensure speed without sacrificing security.
Here’s how it typically works:
- Payment Initiation: The customer initiates a transaction through an app, wallet, or website.
- Authentication: The system verifies identity, payment credentials, and available funds instantly.
- Clearing and Settlement: Instead of waiting for batch processing, the transaction is cleared and settled in real time.
- Confirmation: Both sender and receiver receive instant confirmation, often with full tracking.
This process allows businesses to access funds almost immediately, reducing uncertainty and unlocking operational efficiencies.
Why real-time matters in regulated markets
Speed matters everywhere, but in regulated markets, speed must come with precision, accountability, and compliance.
Customers in industries like iGaming and Fintech expect the same instant experience they get from digital wallets and real-time banking apps – but with far higher stakes. A one-second delay in settling a payout, or a failed deposit during a major event, can lead to immediate reputational damage, regulatory scrutiny, and lost revenue.
And it’s not just the customer-facing side that suffers. Operational teams are burdened by outdated reconciliation processes, customer support is flooded with refund requests, and finance teams struggle to maintain visibility across jurisdictions.
Real-time settlement helps address all of this by making payments faster, cleaner, and more predictable – even in complex, multi-regulated environments.
The challenges of real-time settlement
Despite their many advantages, real-time payment systems introduce new challenges that businesses must navigate carefully.
Security is perhaps the most pressing. The very speed that makes real-time payments attractive also leaves little room for traditional fraud detection. That means businesses need advanced, proactive fraud management tools that work in real time, using behavioural analytics and machine learning to flag anomalies as they occur.
Compliance is another area of complexity, especially for cross-border transactions. Each country has its own regulations around KYC, AML, and data protection. Ensuring full compliance while maintaining speed requires flexible, jurisdiction-aware systems that can adapt in real time.
Additionally, as customers grow accustomed to instant transactions, their expectations rise. They no longer tolerate delays – not just in payment processing, but also in support, refunds, and dispute resolution. Businesses must invest in agile infrastructure and responsive support systems to keep pace.
How TPF Payment Solutions supports real-time settlement
At The Payments Factory, we understand the challenges regulated businesses face when it comes to payment speed and operational resilience. That’s why we’ve built a solution stack designed to support efficient settlement and smooth operations from the ground up.
Here’s how we do it:
Seamless Integration
Our APIs and modular solutions integrate easily into your existing tech stack, helping you enable faster payments without complex system changes.
Cross-Border Support
With multi-currency settlement and international capabilities, we help ensure payments – and customer experiences – remain consistent across markets and time zones.
Reliable Processing
Our infrastructure is built to reduce failed transactions and deliver dependable settlement cycles, giving businesses greater control over cash flow.
Compliance-First Approach
As a UK-regulated Electronic Money Institution, we provide the regulatory foundation businesses need to grow while staying aligned with evolving requirements.
Ready to eliminate delays and deliver with confidence?
The shift toward faster payments isn’t just a trend – it reflects changing user expectations, regulatory demands, and business needs. For companies in iGaming, fintech, and other regulated verticals, the ability to settle payments efficiently is becoming a key competitive differentiator.
If you’re looking to reduce delays, improve user satisfaction, and strengthen cash flow without compromising compliance – faster settlement should be at the core of your payment strategy.
Ready to bring speed, control, and compliance to your payments?
Let’s talk about how real-time settlement can transform your business – get in touch today.