https://financialservicing.com/ New Payment Infrastructure Center guides and articles from FinancialServicing.com. en-us Sun, 31 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://financialservicing.com/payment-infrastructure/ach-networks https://financialservicing.com/payment-infrastructure/ach-networks The ACH network is the US batched electronic payment system that handles payroll, bill pay, and most account-to-account transfers. Payment Infrastructure Center Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://financialservicing.com/payment-infrastructure/wire-networks https://financialservicing.com/payment-infrastructure/wire-networks Wire networks (Fedwire and CHIPS) move large-value funds in real time between US bank accounts. Payment Infrastructure Center Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://financialservicing.com/payment-infrastructure/rtp-networks https://financialservicing.com/payment-infrastructure/rtp-networks The RTP network from The Clearing House delivers 24/7 instant payments between US bank accounts with rich messaging. Payment Infrastructure Center Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://financialservicing.com/payment-infrastructure/fednow https://financialservicing.com/payment-infrastructure/fednow FedNow is the Federal Reserve's instant payment service, launched in 2023, providing 24/7 instant settlement for US bank accounts. Payment Infrastructure Center Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://financialservicing.com/payment-infrastructure/payment-gateways https://financialservicing.com/payment-infrastructure/payment-gateways Payment gateways are the technology layer that securely transmits payment data from a merchant to the processor. Payment Infrastructure Center Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://financialservicing.com/payment-infrastructure/payment-processors https://financialservicing.com/payment-infrastructure/payment-processors Payment processors connect merchants and acquirers to card networks for authorization, clearing, and settlement. Payment Infrastructure Center Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://financialservicing.com/payment-infrastructure/merchant-acquiring https://financialservicing.com/payment-infrastructure/merchant-acquiring Merchant acquirers are the banks that enable businesses to accept card payments and that bear settlement risk to the networks. Payment Infrastructure Center Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://financialservicing.com/payment-infrastructure/issuing-banks https://financialservicing.com/payment-infrastructure/issuing-banks Issuing banks issue payment cards to consumers and businesses, fund authorizations, and earn interchange on transactions. Payment Infrastructure Center Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://financialservicing.com/payment-infrastructure/settlement-systems https://financialservicing.com/payment-infrastructure/settlement-systems Settlement systems finalize the transfer of funds between participants of a payment network after clearing. Payment Infrastructure Center Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://financialservicing.com/payment-infrastructure/clearing-systems https://financialservicing.com/payment-infrastructure/clearing-systems Clearing systems calculate and exchange the obligations between participants in a payment network before settlement. Payment Infrastructure Center Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://financialservicing.com/payment-infrastructure/ach-vs-wire https://financialservicing.com/payment-infrastructure/ach-vs-wire ACH and wires are both bank-to-bank rails but differ on speed, cost, revocability, and use case. A complete comparison. Payment Infrastructure Center Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://financialservicing.com/payment-infrastructure/rtp-vs-fednow https://financialservicing.com/payment-infrastructure/rtp-vs-fednow RTP and FedNow are the two US instant payment rails. A direct comparison of operator, reach, pricing, limits, and adoption. Payment Infrastructure Center Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://financialservicing.com/payment-infrastructure/debit-vs-credit-processing https://financialservicing.com/payment-infrastructure/debit-vs-credit-processing Debit and credit cards both run on card networks but differ on funding source, interchange, regulation, and merchant economics. Payment Infrastructure Center Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://financialservicing.com/payment-infrastructure/payment-gateway-vs-processor https://financialservicing.com/payment-infrastructure/payment-gateway-vs-processor Gateways and processors are often confused but do different jobs in the payment stack. Here is exactly how they differ. Payment Infrastructure Center Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT