{
  "id": 2399665,
  "title": "Instant Payments Unlock Working Capital by Allowing Treasury to Pay Later",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/21/instant-payments-unlock-working-capital-by-allowing-treasury-to-pay",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-08-21T15:38:26.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "PYMNTS",
    "slug": "pymnts",
    "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/real-time-payments/2026/instant-payments-unlock-working-capital-allowing-treasury-pay-later/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Real-time payments enable businesses to retain cash longer without violating payment terms, according to a PYMNTS Intelligence report. This shift in perspective transforms settlement latency into a controllable working capital variable. Instead of negotiating payment terms to extend the period suppliers finance operations, companies can now release funds before the due date, removing the \"float\" from payment terms. The report found that 88% of surveyed financial institutions view real-time B2B payment infrastructure as having a high or very high return on investment. CFOs also prioritize improving the cash flow cycle as a strategic priority. By optimizing the moment of cash release, companies can potentially save thousands of dollars in idle interest, reduce revolving credit usage, and free up investable capital. The changing dynamics of corporate payments, facilitated by real-time infrastructure, enable more agile and resilient businesses.",
  "summary": "The unexpected advantage of instant transactions for B2B firms is not faster payment but removing settlement float from payment terms. Real-time settlement does not merely accelerate money. It makes time negotiable, particularly across B2B. If a supplier must be paid Friday, a company should not have to surrender the cash Wednesday just because the payment […] The post Instant Payments Unlock…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}