The feature is now available to all US-based Highnote subscribers and is supported by Mastercard Move and Visa Direct.
Designed to address the growing demand for faster and more flexible payouts, Instant Payments allows businesses to send funds to recipients in seconds. The service supports a variety of use cases, including gig economy payments, employee tips, insurance reimbursements, merchant settlements, and customer refunds.
Unlike standalone solutions offered by some providers, Instant Payments is integrated directly into Highnote’s unified platform, which combines card issuing, acquiring, credit capabilities, and a general ledger. This integration enables businesses to manage the entire payment lifecycle through a single interface.
By embedding real-time payout functionality into its existing infrastructure, Highnote aims to simplify money movement and improve operational efficiency for its clients. The platform’s unified architecture also enables intelligent routing based on transaction parameters such as speed, cost, and destination.
The launch of Instant Payments marks the first step in Highnote’s broader strategy to unify outbound money movement under one programmable framework. The company plans to expand this functionality to include additional payment rails such as ACH, wires, RTP, FedNow, wallet-based transfers, and stablecoin funding – all accessible via a single API.
This expansion reflects a wider industry trend toward faster, more secure disbursement solutions, as digital commerce and real-time expectations continue to shape the future of payments.
The demand for instant payouts
The demand for instant payouts has surged in recent years, driven by shifting consumer expectations and the rise of real-time digital services. In the US, real-time payment volumes continue to grow, with networks like The Clearing House’s RTP system and the Federal Reserve’s FedNow Service accelerating the move away from batch-based disbursements. According to ACI Worldwide, global real-time payment transactions reached 195 billion in 2022, up 63% from the previous year, and the US is projected to be one of the fastest-growing markets through 2027. This infrastructure evolution is transforming how businesses across sectors manage cash flow, enabling payouts in seconds rather than days.
For industries built on speed and flexibility, the shift to instant disbursements is becoming a competitive necessity. Gig economy platforms, for example, now prioritise real-time payouts to improve worker retention, while insurers aim to deliver immediate claim reimbursements to better customer satisfaction. Digital wallets and neobanks have also raised the bar by offering users faster access to funds, prompting traditional institutions and fintech infrastructure providers to follow suit. In this context, Highnote’s launch of Instant Payments directly addresses a proven market demand, positioning the company to support modern businesses seeking to offer seamless, on-demand financial experiences.
