The US-based Faster Payments Council (FPC), a membership organisation focused on faster payments in the US, released Operational Considerations for Non-Value Messages. The document was developed by the FPC Operational Considerations Work Group and sets out practices and considerations for financial institutions implementing and managing the messages that accompany instant payment transactions.
Non-value messages do not move funds themselves. Instead, they carry the information surrounding a payment and support functions such as requesting payments, returning funds, exchanging transaction details, and communicating payment status. According to the FPC, managing these messages becomes increasingly important as financial institutions expand their instant payment capabilities, as they underpin exception handling, daily operations, and the customer experience.
Scope of the guide
The guide examines several message types: Request for Payment, Request for Return of Funds, Request for Information, remittance messages, and administrative system messages. Beyond the message types themselves, it covers operational workflows, fraud and risk management, regulatory compliance, and technology integration.
It also outlines differences in messaging capabilities and requirements between the two US instant payment networks, the RTP Network, and the FedNow Service. The comparison is intended to help institutions address implementation considerations across both.
Miriam Sheril, Head of Product – North America at Form3 and Chair of the FPC Operational Considerations Work Group, noted that non-value messages are often treated as secondary to the payment, although they can matter as much to the customer experience and to the efficiency of the payment system. The chair described the document as a practical ‘how-to’ resource designed to help the industry use these messages to streamline instant payment processing. The work group’s vice chair, an official at U.S. Bank, made a similar point, stating that having the right information at the right time can be as important to supporting a payment as the speed of the transfer, with non-value messages contributing to greater visibility and stronger operational processes.
Building on earlier guidance
The publication extends the work group’s previous guidance on receiving and sending instant payments. While that earlier material centred on the transactions, the new guide shifts attention to the messages and processes that support a payment throughout its lifecycle, including operational readiness, exception handling, and coordination between internal teams.
Reed Luhtanen, FPC Executive Director and CEO, positioned the release as part of the organisation’s wider effort to provide resources that address operational challenges in instant payments. A council official stated that the ability to move funds within seconds is only one element of a functioning instant payment service, with financial institutions also requiring the processes, technology, and information to support transactions from start to finish.
Taken together, the comments from the work group and FPC leadership indicate a focus that extends beyond settlement speed to the data and operational processes surrounding each transaction. In addition, for financial institutions operating on the RTP Network, the FedNow Service, or both, the guide provides a reference point for organising messaging workflows, managing exceptions, and aligning fraud, compliance, and technology functions around instant payments.
