RTP network prepares cross-border payments with a 2027 pilot

The Clearing House plans to extend its US real-time payments network beyond domestic transfers, with a pilot in the first half of 2027 and rule changes landing next month. What changed The Clearing House said it is taking the RTP network cross-border on a so-called one-leg-out basis, where RTP carries the US leg of an inbound or outbound international payment and a correspondent relationship handles the other leg. Rule changes permitting one-leg-out traffic were made earlier this year and take effect in September 2026, with early-adopter banks piloting the capability in the first half of 2027. BNY has said it intends to be in the first group of participating institutions. The move puts RTP ahead of FedNow, which has a comparable cross-border proposal out from the Federal Reserve but no start date. RTP has run since 2017 and, like FedNow since 2023, has so far only cleared domestic US payments.