[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 221 (Thursday, November 15, 2018)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 57351-57364]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-24667]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM

12 CFR Chapter II

[Docket No. OP-1625]


Potential Federal Reserve Actions To Support Interbank Settlement 
of Faster Payments, Request for Comments

SUMMARY: As part of its overall mission, the Federal Reserve has a 
fundamental interest in ensuring there is a safe and robust U.S. 
payment system, including a settlement infrastructure on which the 
private sector can provide innovative faster payment services that 
serve the broad public interest. Accordingly, the Board of Governors of 
the Federal Reserve System (Board) is seeking input on potential 
actions that the Federal Reserve could take to promote ubiquitous, 
safe, and efficient faster payments in the United States by 
facilitating real-time interbank settlement of faster payments. While 
the Board is not committing to any specific actions, potential actions 
include the Federal Reserve Banks developing a service for 24x7x365 
real-time interbank settlement of faster payments; and a liquidity 
management tool that would enable transfers between Federal Reserve 
accounts on a 24x7x365 basis to support services for real-time 
interbank settlement of faster payments, whether those services are 
provided by the private sector or the Federal Reserve Banks. The Board 
is seeking input on whether these actions, separately or in 
combination, or alternative approaches, would help achieve ubiquitous, 
nationwide access to safe and efficient faster payments.

DATES: Comments on the potential actions must be received on or before 
December 14, 2018.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. OP-1625, 
by any of the following methods:
     Agency Website: http://www.federalreserve.gov. Follow the 
instructions for submitting comments at http://www.federalreserve.gov/generalinfo/foia/ProposedRegs.cfm.
     Email: [email protected]. Include docket 
number in the subject line of the message.
     FAX: (202) 452-3819 or (202) 452-3102.
     Mail: Ann Misback, Secretary, Board of Governors of the 
Federal Reserve System, 20th Street and Constitution Avenue NW, 
Washington, DC 20551.
    All public comments will be made available on the Board's website 
at http://www.federalreserve.gov/generalinfo/foia/ProposedRegs.cfm as 
submitted, unless modified for technical reasons or to remove 
personally identifiable information at the commenter's request. 
Accordingly, comments will not be edited to remove any identifying or 
contact information. Public comments may also be viewed electronically 
or in paper in Room 3515, 1801 K Street NW (between 18th and 19th 
Streets NW), between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on weekdays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kirstin Wells, Principal Economist 
(202-452-2962), Mark Manuszak, Manager (202-721-4509), Susan V. Foley, 
Senior Associate Director (202-452-3596), Division of Reserve Bank 
Operations and Payment Systems, or Gavin Smith, Senior Counsel, Legal 
Division (202-452-3474), Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve 
System; for the hearing impaired and users of Telecommunications Device 
for the Deaf (TDD) only, contact 202-263-4869.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Context for Public Comment

A. The Reasons for Faster Payments

    Broad trends in society based on technological advancements have 
changed the ways that people interact

[[Page 57352]]

with others, conduct commerce, and access information. While many 
industries have adapted, the same is not equally true for the nation's 
payment and settlement system that foundationally supports commerce and 
the economy. For example, a business in Florida can immediately deliver 
an invoice by email to a customer in Oregon. The receipt of the 
corresponding payment from its customer, however, may take days to 
receive, even if initiated quickly. This lack of speed has economic 
implications and societal costs borne by individuals, households, and 
businesses.
    Traditional payment methods, such as checks, automated 
clearinghouse (ACH) payments, and debit and credit cards, form a retail 
payment infrastructure that is safe, reliable, and ubiquitous, albeit 
not necessarily quick.\1\ These traditional payment methods have served 
our economy well over decades (and for checks, over most of the 
country's history).\2\ The ubiquitous nature of these payment methods 
generally allows any two individuals or businesses (that is, end users) 
with accounts at banks to exchange value supporting an underlying 
economic transaction.\3\ As a result, regardless of where they hold 
their accounts, individuals can receive payroll deposits from their 
employers, households can pay their utilities, mortgage, rent, and 
other bills, and businesses can exchange commercial payments. For 
payments to most merchants for goods and services, individuals can 
similarly use debit cards to make payments from their bank accounts.\4\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ Retail payment systems are those that handle large volumes 
of lower-value payments, such as those among individuals or between 
an individual and a business. For more information, see Committee on 
Payments and Market Infrastructures, ``A glossary of terms used in 
payments and settlement systems,'' the Bank for International 
Settlements, updated October 17, 2016. Available at: https://www.bis.org/cpmi/publ/d00b.htm.
    \2\ According to the Federal Reserve Payments Study, in 2015, 
checks, the ACH system, and payment cards, including debit and 
credit cards, accounted for over 144 billion payments and nearly 
$178 trillion in value. Federal Reserve Board, ``The Federal Reserve 
Payments Study 2016.'' Available at https://www.federalreserve.gov/paymentsystems/files/2016-payments-study-20161222.pdf.
    \3\ Throughout this notice, the term ``bank'' will be used to 
refer to any type of depository institution. Depository institutions 
include commercial banks, savings banks, savings and loan 
associations, and credit unions.
    \4\ Although credit cards form part of the retail payments 
infrastructure, they do not operate using deposit balances and 
deposit accounts, but instead operate on the basis of credit and 
credit card accounts.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Over the past two decades, however, a gap has emerged between the 
capabilities of traditional payment methods and end-user expectations 
for enhanced payment speed, convenience, and accessibility. A new 
method of faster payment has emerged to address this gap, with several 
nonbank payment service providers entering the payment market 
alongside--and sometimes in lieu of--banks. Faster payments allow end 
users to initiate and receive payments at any time of the day, any day 
of the year, and to complete those payments in near-real time (from the 
end users' perspective), such that, within seconds, the recipient has 
access to final funds that can be used to make other payments.
    The term ``faster payments'' is broadly used in the payment 
industry to indicate simply that increased speed, convenience, and 
accessibility are essential features for the future of the payment and 
settlement system. However, faster payments provide more to individuals 
and businesses than just the ability to make payments quickly from a 
mobile device. For example, when funds move in and out of end-user bank 
accounts in real time, end users have more flexibility in managing 
their money. Faster payments eliminate the need to schedule bill or 
vendor payments well in advance and, more broadly, allow end users to 
make time-sensitive payments whenever needed. By increasing flexibility 
and accessibility, end users may also have greater scope to avoid 
penalties such as late fees.
    The development of payment and settlement services that are 
essentially real time and always available is a worldwide phenomenon. 
Both advanced and emerging economies have undertaken efforts to develop 
faster payment services, and those services are now broadly accessible 
to the general public in an increasing number of countries.\5\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \5\ For a discussion of global developments related to faster 
payments, see Committee on Payments and Market Infrastructures, 
``Fast payments--Enhancing the speed and availability of retail 
payments,'' Bank for International Settlements, November 2016. 
Available at https://www.bis.org/cpmi/publ/d154.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Efforts to implement faster payments in other countries often 
reflect a collaborative, strategic endeavor that involves the payment 
industry, central banks, and other authorities. The deployment of 
accessible faster payment services generally requires extensive 
upgrades to a country's or region's payment and settlement 
infrastructure, involving significant coordination among all 
stakeholders. As part of these upgrades, central banks in various 
jurisdictions have implemented or planned changes to their settlement 
services in support of faster payments, reflecting the foundational 
role that central banks play worldwide in the settlement of obligations 
between financial institutions. The ability to reliably settle 
interbank obligations using balances at the central bank (also referred 
to as central bank money) is vital not only to the smooth functioning 
of the payment system but also to financial stability more broadly.
    As the U.S. central bank, the Federal Reserve initiated a broadly 
collaborative effort with the payment industry and other stakeholders 
in 2013, to support development of ubiquitous, nationwide access to 
safe and efficient faster payments in the United States. While the 
private sector has to date implemented certain faster payment services 
for the public, there are still challenges related to achieving these 
broader goals. As part of its central mission, the Federal Reserve has 
a fundamental responsibility to ensure that there is a flexible and 
robust infrastructure supporting the U.S. payment system on which the 
private sector can develop innovative payment services that serve the 
broadest public interests.\6\ The settlement infrastructure concepts 
outlined in this notice are intended to advance the development of 
faster payments and to help support the modernization of the financial 
services sector's provision of payment services.\7\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \6\ For example, in 2017, the Board approved final guidelines 
for evaluating requests for joint accounts at the Federal Reserve 
Banks intended to facilitate settlement between and among depository 
institutions participating in private-sector payment systems. 
Available at https://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/pressreleases/files/other20170809a1.pdf. The original impetus for 
adopting these guidelines was to broaden access to joint accounts in 
support of private-sector developments in faster payments.
    \7\ In a recent report, the U.S. Treasury recommended that the 
Federal Reserve move quickly to facilitate a faster retail payments 
system, such as through the development of a real-time settlement 
service, that would also allow for more efficient and ubiquitous 
access to innovative payment capabilities. In particular, smaller 
financial institutions, like community banks and credit unions, 
should also have the ability to access the most-innovative 
technologies and payment services. See U.S. Treasury, ``A Financial 
System That Creates Economic Opportunity: Nonbank Financials, 
Fintech, and Innovation,'' July 2018. Available at https://home.treasury.gov/sites/default/files/2018-07/A-Financial-System-that-Creates-Economic-Opportunities---Nonbank-Financi....pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

B. The Federal Reserve's Role in the Payment System

    A safe and efficient payment and settlement system that works in 
the interest of the public is vital to the U.S. economy, and the 
Federal Reserve plays important roles in helping maintain the integrity 
of that system.\8\

[[Page 57353]]

Fundamentally, the payment and settlement system facilitates financial 
transactions, purchases of goods and services, and the associated 
movement of funds on behalf of individuals, households, businesses, and 
other parties (such as government entities and nonprofit 
organizations). The importance of the payment and settlement system in 
daily lives and, more broadly, for all financial transactions 
underscores the significance of its safe and proper functioning for the 
U.S. economy.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \8\ The Federal Reserve has long provided payment services under 
authority of the Federal Reserve Act (See e.g., Federal Reserve Act 
section 13(1) (12 U.S.C. 342), section 19(f) (12 U.S.C. 464), and 
section 16(14) (12 U.S.C. 248(o))).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    One of the Federal Reserve's most significant roles in that system 
involves providing mechanisms for the settlement of payment obligations 
between and among banks. Banks process payments on their own behalf as 
well as on behalf of their end-user customers, including individuals, 
households, businesses, and other parties. Banks--small, medium, and 
large--settle payments at the Federal Reserve through their accounts 
and balances at the Federal Reserve Banks (Reserve Banks).\9\ This core 
central banking function stems from the Federal Reserve's unique 
ability to transfer balances that are free of counterparty credit risk 
and provide certainty that payments between banks are complete.\10\ In 
addition to providing settlement, the Reserve Banks provide payment 
services to clear and settle check, ACH, and wire transfer payments 
between banks. The Reserve Banks also process these payments on behalf 
of the U.S. Treasury in their capacity as fiscal agents.\11\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \9\ Section 13(1) of the Federal Reserve Act (FRA) permits 
Reserve Banks to receive deposits from member banks or other 
depository institutions. 12 U.S.C. 342. Section 19(b)(1)(A) of the 
FRA includes as depository institutions any federally insured bank, 
mutual savings bank, savings bank, savings association, or credit 
union, as well as any of those entities that are eligible to make 
application to become a federally insured institution. 12 U.S.C. 
461(b). In addition, there are certain statutory provisions allowing 
Reserve Banks to act as a depository or fiscal agent for the U.S. 
Treasury and certain government-sponsored entities (See e.g., 12 
U.S.C. 391, 393-95, 1823, 1435) as well as for certain international 
organizations (See e.g., 22 U.S.C. 285d, 286d, 290o-3, 290i-5, 290l-
3). In addition, Reserve Banks are authorized to offer deposit 
accounts to designated financial market utilities (12 U.S.C. 5465), 
Edge and Agreement corporations (12 U.S.C. 601-604a, 611-631), 
branches or agencies of foreign banks (12 U.S.C. 347d), and foreign 
banks and foreign states (12 U.S.C. 358).
    \10\ As mentioned earlier, these balances are referred to as 
central bank money. The Committee on Payment and Market 
Infrastructures defines central bank money in its glossary of terms 
as ``a liability of a central bank, in this case in the form of 
deposits held at the central bank, which can be used for settlement 
purposes.'' Available at https://www.bis.org/cpmi/publ/d00b.htm.
    \11\ Additional information about the Federal Reserve's role in 
the payment system is available in ``The Federal Reserve System 
Purposes & Functions,'' October 2016. Available at https://www.federalreserve.gov/aboutthefed/pf.htm.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Through the services that it provides to the banking industry and 
the U.S. government, the Federal Reserve seeks to foster the safety and 
efficiency of the payment and settlement system. In doing so, the 
Federal Reserve provides payment and settlement services on an 
equitable basis and maintains a fundamental commitment to competitive 
fairness, which is essential to fostering end-user choice and 
innovation across the financial services sector as a whole.
    When evaluating the potential introduction of a new payment service 
or major enhancements to an existing service, the Federal Reserve looks 
to its statutory obligations as well as long-standing principles and 
criteria.\12\ These include expectations that (i) the Federal Reserve 
will achieve full cost recovery over the long run, (ii) the service 
will yield a clear public benefit, and (iii) the service is one that 
other providers alone cannot be expected to provide with reasonable 
effectiveness, scope, and equity.\13\ The Board also conducts a 
competitive-impact analysis for any new service or major enhancement 
that would have a direct and material adverse effect on the ability of 
other service providers to compete effectively with the Federal Reserve 
in providing similar services.\14\ Recently, at the request of 
Congress, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) conducted a review 
of the Federal Reserve's role in providing payment services and the 
effect of the Federal Reserve on competition in the market for 
payments. The GAO found that the activities of the Federal Reserve in 
the payment system generally have been beneficial, with benefits that 
include lowered cost of processing payments for end users.\15\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \12\ See Monetary Control Act of 1980, Public Law 96-221, 94 
Stat. 132 (1980). The Federal Reserve also considers, as 
appropriate, the effect of a potential new service or major 
enhancement on other critical missions, including conducting 
monetary policy and promoting financial stability.
    \13\ See Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, ``The 
Federal Reserve in the Payments System,'' Issued 1984; revised 1990. 
Available at https://www.federalreserve.gov/paymentsystems/pfs_frpaysys.htm.
    \14\ See id. at Competitive-Impact Analysis for more information 
on what the Board considers in a competitive-impact analysis.
    \15\ See U.S. Gov't Accountability Off., GAO-16-614, ``Federal 
Reserve's Competition with Other Providers Benefits Customers, but 
Additional Reviews Could Increase Assurance of Cost Accuracy'' 
(2016.) Available at https://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-16-614.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    In addition to providing payment and settlement services, the 
Federal Reserve plays other roles, including serving as a convener of 
industry stakeholders, in support of its mission to foster safety and 
efficiency of the payment and settlement system. The next section 
discusses the broad initiative that the Federal Reserve launched five 
years ago to collaborate with the payment industry to foster payment 
system improvements.

C. Background on the Strategies for Improving the U.S. Payment System 
Initiative

    Beginning in 2013, the Federal Reserve established a new 
initiative--Strategies for Improving the U.S. Payment System (SIPS)--
with the objective of engaging with the payment industry and other 
stakeholders to upgrade and enhance the nation's payment system. The 
collaborative work began with a consultation paper that requested 
public views on gaps, opportunities, and desired outcomes related to 
the goal of improving the speed and efficiency of the U.S. payment and 
settlement system from end-to-end while maintaining a high level of 
safety and efficiency.\16\ The consultation paper prompted responses 
from a wide variety of payment industry stakeholders, including banks, 
processors and other nonbank providers of payment services, technology 
firms, and business end users.\17\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \16\ The Federal Reserve Banks, ``Payment System Improvement--
Public Consultation Paper,'' September 10, 2013. Available at 
https://fedpaymentsimprovement.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Payment_System_Improvement-Public_Consultation_Paper.pdf.
    \17\ The responses are available at https://fedpaymentsimprovement.org/about/consultation-paper/.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Based on responses to the initial consultation paper, the Federal 
Reserve published in 2015 a set of strategies that it would pursue in 
collaborative engagement with payment industry stakeholders to improve 
the safety and efficiency of the U.S. payment and settlement 
system.\18\ For faster payments, the specific strategy was to 
``identify effective approach(es) for implementing a safe, ubiquitous, 
faster payments capability in the United States.'' This 2015 paper 
identified a number of tactics for each strategy, including the 
establishment of an

[[Page 57354]]

industry task force to pursue the strategy related to faster 
payments.\19\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \18\ Federal Reserve System, ``Strategies for Improving the U.S. 
Payment System,'' January 26, 2015. Available at https://fedpaymentsimprovement.org/wp-content/uploads/strategies-improving-us-payment-system.pdf.
    \19\ In addition to the task force on faster payments, other 
efforts under the SIPS initiative have included a Secure Payments 
Task Force and a Business Payments Coalition. More information on 
these efforts and the broader SIPS initiative is available at 
https://fedpaymentsimprovement.org/.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    In 2015, the Federal Reserve also convened the Faster Payments Task 
Force (FPTF), a 320-member group comprised of banks of varying sizes, 
nonbank providers of payment services, business and government end 
users, consumer interest organizations, governmental organizations, and 
other industry participants.\20\ In order to evaluate possible faster 
payment services, the task force developed a set of effectiveness 
criteria.\21\ These criteria addressed various features of a faster 
payment service, including ubiquity, efficiency, safety and security, 
and speed.\22\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \20\ Information about the FPTF and its participants is 
available at https://fasterpaymentstaskforce.org/.
    \21\ Faster Payments Task Force, ``Faster Payments Effectiveness 
Criteria,'' January 26, 2016. Available at https://fedpaymentsimprovement.org/wp-content/uploads/fptf-payment-criteria.pdf.
    \22\ The FPTF developed the criteria to evaluate ``faster 
payment solutions,'' where the FPTF defined a ``faster payment 
solution'' as ``the collection of components and supporting parties 
that enable the end-to-end payment process.'' This definition is 
analogous to the concept of a ``faster payment service'' that is 
used in this notice.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The FPTF's effectiveness criteria provide important benchmarks for 
both end-user capabilities of faster payments and interbank settlement 
arrangements. With respect to service availability and payment speed 
for end users, the FPTF viewed service availability on any day, at any 
time of the day (that is, 24x7x365 service availability), and final 
funds provided to the recipient within one minute as characteristics of 
a ``very effective'' faster payment service.\23\ With respect to 
interbank settlement, the FPTF considered a faster payment service to 
be ``very effective'' if, among other things, (i) interbank settlement 
occurs within 30 minutes of the completion of a faster payment for end 
users, (ii) the service manages credit and liquidity risks arising from 
any time lag between payment completion for end users and interbank 
settlement, particularly if the service is available to end users on a 
24x7x365 basis but interbank settlement is not, and (iii) interbank 
credit exposures related to settlement can be fully covered.\24\ As 
subsequent sections of this notice will explain, these criteria reflect 
the importance of the speed of interbank settlement given the speed of 
faster payments for end users and the risk, specifically credit risk, 
that results when interbank settlement is slower. The Board recognizes 
that interbank settlement for faster payments using existing settlement 
services offered by the Reserve Banks would be unable to meet fully the 
FPTF's criteria.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \23\ See ``Faster Payments Effectiveness Criteria,'' supra note 
21 at criteria U.2 (Usability) and F.3 (Fast Availability of Good 
Funds to the Payee). In this notice, references to ``real time,'' 
``instant,'' and ``immediate'' are intended to denote availability 
of final funds within one minute, consistent with the task force's 
criteria for a service to be very effective, and ideally within just 
a few seconds.
    \24\ See ``Faster Payments Effectiveness Criteria,'' supra note 
21 at criteria F.4 (Fast Settlement among Depository Institutions 
and Regulated Non-bank Account Providers) and S.4 (Settlement 
Approach).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    In its final report, released in 2017, the FPTF published a set of 
consensus recommendations for achieving its vision of ubiquitous, safe, 
and efficient faster payment capabilities for the United States.\25\ As 
part of its recommendations, the task force asked the Federal Reserve 
(i) to develop a 24x7x365 settlement service to support faster payments 
and (ii) to explore and assess the need for other Federal Reserve 
operational role(s) in faster payments. Following that report, the 
Federal Reserve stated its intention to pursue these 
recommendations.\26\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \25\ In its recent report on the financial system, the U.S. 
Treasury recommended that the Federal Reserve set public goals 
consistent with the FPTF's final report. See ``A Financial System 
That Creates Economic Opportunity: Nonbank Financials, Fintech, and 
Innovation,'' supra note 7.
    \26\ The Federal Reserve System, ``Federal Reserve Next Steps in 
the Payments Improvement Journey,'' September 6, 2017. Available at 
https://fedpaymentsimprovement.org/wp-content/uploads/next-step-payments-journey.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

D. Summary of Potential Actions by the Federal Reserve

    The Board has worked with the Reserve Banks to identify the 
potential actions described in this notice. The Board believes it is 
important to present these conceptual approaches for supporting 
interbank settlement of faster payments to the public and to gather 
initial public comments while faster payment services are still in the 
early stages of their development. The Board is not committing to any 
further actions at this time or in the future, but is committed to 
transparent communication with the public after analyzing the responses 
to this notice and determining further steps, should any be taken. As 
outlined earlier, any new services or service enhancements proposed by 
the Board would be expected to meet longstanding principles and 
criteria established under Federal Reserve policy as part of meeting 
its statutory requirements and would also be subject to request for 
public comment.\27\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \27\ See ``The Federal Reserve in the Payments System,'' supra 
note 13.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    First, the Board is seeking comment on whether the Reserve Banks 
should consider developing a service for real-time gross settlement 
(RTGS) of faster payments that is available to conduct settlement on a 
24x7x365 basis (24x7x365 RTGS settlement service). Such a service would 
involve interbank settlement of faster payments using banks' balances 
in accounts at the Reserve Banks. Reflecting the characteristics of 
faster payments, the service would provide payment-by-payment interbank 
settlement in real time and at any time, on any day, including weekends 
and holidays. A 24x7x365 RTGS settlement service could be similar, in 
certain respects, to the Fedwire[supreg] Funds Service, the RTGS 
service that the Reserve Banks currently provide for banks to clear and 
settle payments on behalf of their customers and for their own 
purposes.\28\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \28\ In contrast to a potential 24x7x365 RTGS settlement 
service, the Reserve Banks' Fedwire Funds Service does not operate 
24x7x365. Much of the value transferred through the Fedwire Funds 
Service reflects large-value, time-critical payments between banks.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Second, the Board is seeking comment on whether the Reserve Banks 
should consider developing a liquidity management tool that would 
operate on a 24x7x365 basis in support of services for real-time 
interbank settlement of faster payments, whether those services are 
provided by the private sector or the Reserve Banks (liquidity 
management tool). Such a tool would enable movement of funds during 
hours when traditional settlement systems are not open (nonstandard 
business hours) between banks' master accounts at the Reserve Banks and 
an account (or accounts) at the Reserve Banks used to conduct or 
support 24x7x365 real-time settlement of faster payments.\29\ A 
liquidity management tool could involve simultaneous liquidity 
transfers among multiple accounts that are coordinated by an authorized 
agent in the settlement process and could be based on the existing 
National Settlement Service (NSS) or a similar service.\30\ 
Alternatively, the tool could

[[Page 57355]]

involve individual bank-initiated transfers between specific sets of 
accounts and could function similarly to the existing Fedwire Funds 
Service or a similar service. Regardless of its structure, such a tool 
would enable transfers to support liquidity (or funding) needs 
associated with real-time settlement of faster payments during 
nonstandard business hours, such as weekends and holidays.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \29\ A master account is the record of financial rights and 
obligations between account-holding banks and a Reserve Bank. The 
account is where opening, intraday, and closing balances are 
determined.
    \30\ NSS is a multilateral settlement service offered to banks 
that settles for participants in private-sector clearing and 
settlement arrangements. The service requires a designated agent to 
submit a settlement file to a Reserve Bank, which initiates debits 
and credits to participant accounts at the Reserve Banks.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Later sections of this notice expand on these possible actions to 
support interbank settlement of faster payments, as well as the general 
concepts that underlie them. The Board is seeking input on the 
proposition that RTGS is the appropriate strategic foundation for 
interbank settlement of faster payments. The Board is also seeking 
input on whether the provision of a 24x7x365 RTGS settlement service 
and a liquidity management tool, separately or in combination, would 
help achieve the goals of ubiquitous, nationwide access to safe and 
efficient faster payments in the long run. The Board is further 
interested in receiving comment about whether other approaches, not 
explicitly considered in this notice, might help achieve those goals.

II. Discussion of Faster Payments

A. General Elements of a Payment

    Payments are essential to the conduct of economic activity. When a 
good is purchased, a service is rendered, or a debt is repaid, a 
payment is typically involved. For example, an individual's purchase of 
a product from a business involves the business providing something of 
value, namely the product itself, to the buyer. As compensation for the 
product, the business needs to receive something of financial value 
from the buyer in return. This act of transferring financial value from 
the buyer to the seller, or, more generally, from one party in a 
transaction to another, constitutes a payment.
    In the United States, as in other modern economies, the value 
transferred in a payment typically involves monetary assets. 
Individuals, households, businesses, and other parties in the economy 
(for example, governments and nonprofit organizations) hold these 
monetary assets in various forms. For example, some monetary assets may 
be held as currency and coin. Other monetary assets may involve funds 
held with specialized financial institutions. In the United States, 
deposits in accounts with banks comprise the monetary asset that is 
most widely held by the general public to conduct payments.\31\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \31\ As of July 2018, the value of transferable deposits held by 
the public, including demand deposits and other checkable deposits, 
was $2.09 trillion, while the value of currency in circulation 
outside banks was $1.59 trillion. See Federal Reserve Board, ``Money 
Stock and Debt Measures--H.6 Release, Table 5'' available at https://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/h6/current/default.htm.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    In broad terms, the function of the payment and settlement system 
is to enable the transfer of these monetary assets between their 
holders for the purposes of exchanging value to pay for goods and 
services, remitting funds to pay bills and meet other obligations, 
managing business balance sheets, and conducting other activities. This 
transfer can occur in various ways. For example, in a face-to-face 
payment, the handover of currency serves to transfer a monetary asset 
from the individual to the business and, hence, to complete a payment 
between them. When the monetary asset used for payment is deposits held 
in accounts with banks or other institutions, transfers require 
adjustments to the amount of funds in the respective accounts of each 
party in a payment. Thus, the balance in the individual's account with 
their bank must be decreased by the amount of the purchase, and the 
balance in the business's account with its bank must be increased by 
the same amount.
    To make these adjustments, the banks involved in a payment must 
have a way to receive and exchange payment messages. A payment message 
typically contains information related to the payment, such as the 
identities of the parties involved, relevant account information, and 
the payment amount. Without a payment message and a method to exchange 
it, the banks involved in a payment would not know the details of a 
payment or even be aware of an end user's need to conduct it.
    The payment between end users and associated payment message 
generates an obligation between the respective banks. The banks must 
have a mechanism to conduct a transfer of assets between one another to 
settle the payment. Without a mechanism to settle the interbank 
obligation, the banks would not have transferred the underlying funds 
to complete the payment.
    These activities, which are known as clearing and interbank 
settlement, involve processes, infrastructure, rules, agreements, and 
law that ultimately allow end users, such as an individual and a 
business, to conduct payments using accounts held with banks or other 
institutions.

B. Levels of the Payment Process

    To complete a payment between two bank accounts, three key levels 
of the payment process are necessary: End-user services, clearing 
services, and interbank settlement services.\32\ Together, these three 
levels comprise a ``payment service'' or, as will subsequently be 
discussed, a ``faster payment service'' in the case of a payment 
service focused on faster payments.\33\ In other words, a payment 
service encompasses everything that goes into providing an individual, 
a business, or another end user with the ability to conduct a payment. 
Figure 1 depicts the levels of the payment process when the sender 
initiates a payment through their bank.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \32\ This discussion focuses on a situation in which the parties 
to a payment hold accounts with different banks or, more broadly, 
different financial institutions. If these parties hold accounts 
with the same institution, that institution may be able to conduct 
payment activities internally through, for example, adjustments to 
an internal ledger of account balances. This scenario can apply to 
payments within a single bank, yielding what is termed an ``on-us'' 
transaction. It also applies to many payment services provided by 
nonbanks.
    \33\ A legal framework that governs the conduct of payments is 
also necessary and may apply across levels of the payment process. 
This framework may be in the form of laws, regulations, rules, or 
contractual agreements, which collectively determine the rights and 
obligations of the participants, such as end users, in the payment 
process. The legal framework may provide, among other things, for 
error resolution and fraud protection for end users. Legal 
requirements related to anti-money-laundering and economic sanctions 
may also affect the design and operation of a payment system.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    An end-user service includes the tools that an individual or 
business uses to conduct a payment. For example, an individual wishing 
to pay a bill to a utility company or send money to a friend may be 
able to do so through a mobile phone application. Similarly, a business 
may be able to initiate a payment to a vendor through a bank's website. 
Such services allow an end user to communicate with their bank about 
the need to make a payment and the details of that payment. In other 
words, end-user services support the exchange of payment messages and 
other information between a bank and its end-user customers. End-user 
services also include other critical aspects of the overall payment 
experience for an individual or business, such as error resolution 
procedures and security measures to mitigate fraud.
    Clearing services and interbank settlement services constitute the 
infrastructure underlying payment

[[Page 57356]]

services involving bank accounts. These services and the activities 
they perform may not be apparent to end users, but they are crucial to 
the transfer of information and value between banks, so that the sender 
of a payment can satisfy their obligation to the recipient of a 
payment.
    In clearing services, the sending and receiving banks interact, 
possibly through an intermediary such as a clearing house, based on the 
payment information received from end users and the protocols 
associated with a payment service. A key element of this interaction is 
the exchange of the payment message between the sending and receiving 
banks.\34\ The payment messages that are exchanged contain the 
necessary information for banks to make appropriate debits and credits 
to the accounts of their end-user customers and to notify their 
customers of those adjustments to account balances.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \34\ Other clearing activities include sorting and routing of 
payment instructions, ensuring that payment instructions comply with 
service-specific rules and limits, and calculating and communicating 
interbank obligations that arise from payment instructions. Clearing 
activities may also include screening for fraudulent payments and 
other risk-management measures.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Finally, in interbank settlement services, the sending and 
receiving banks transfer assets to each other to satisfy the interbank 
obligations that arise from end-user payments. Settlement takes place 
by adjusting the balances in banks' settlement accounts on the books of 
a settlement institution. For example, interbank settlement can be 
performed by directly adjusting balances in accounts that banks hold 
with the central bank or a commercial bank.
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TP15NO18.000

C. An Overview of Faster Payments

    In a faster payment, the three levels of the payment process are 
structured so that senders can immediately initiate, and recipients can 
immediately receive, payments at any time.\35\ At the end-user service 
level, the sender of a payment must have an interface that allows real-
time communication at any time to initiate a payment. This need for 
instant and always-available communication capabilities for end users 
explains why faster payments are often associated with payments 
initiated through computers or mobile devices.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \35\ Rules or agreements that govern the conduct of faster 
payments are also necessary. Among other things, these rules or 
agreements will specify end-user rights and obligations associated 
with a faster payment.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    At the clearing level, certain activities must similarly happen in 
real time and

[[Page 57357]]

at any time. In particular, the messaging between banks must occur in 
real time on a 24x7x365 basis, so that, at any time of the day, the 
banks involved in a payment are able to send and receive payment 
messages immediately, such that they can debit and credit their 
customers' accounts. By contrast, in certain traditional payments, the 
payment message exchange can occur sometime after an end user initiates 
a payment. As will be discussed in more detail in the next section, 
however, the interbank settlement level of a faster payment service may 
or may not exhibit the same speed and availability as end-user and 
clearing services.
    Although the previous discussion focused on activities related to 
faster payment services involving banks, several established services 
in the United States that allow end users to conduct faster payments 
are provided by nonbank entities. These nonbank payment services 
usually combine all three levels of the payment process. These services 
often focus on enabling impromptu payments between individuals, such as 
friends or family members, although some also handle a wider array of 
payment situations, such as payments between individuals and 
businesses. Such a service typically provides an online portal or 
mobile application that allows parties who have signed up with the 
service to send payments to each other. The service executes payments 
through adjustments to balances of the sender's and recipient's 
service-specific accounts, which are located on the service's internal 
books.\36\ Because end users can quickly communicate with the service, 
which can then rapidly make internal adjustments to end-user balances, 
such a service allows registered end users to conduct immediate 
payments at any time. However, such capabilities are only possible when 
both the sender and receiver of a payment have signed up with a 
specific service. In addition, the balances are only immediately usable 
within that specific service. Transfers of funds out of a nonbank 
service into bank accounts that are held for general use typically 
involve transactions through traditional payment systems that can take 
more than a day to complete.\37\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \36\ As noted in footnote 32, nonbank entities can often conduct 
key activities related to payments on an internal ledger of account 
balances.
    \37\ A nonbank service's internal ledger of end-user account 
balances is generally backed by a deposit account or accounts that 
the nonbank service holds with one or more banks. Transfers by a 
service's customers to fund or defund their service-specific 
accounts involve payments between the customers' bank accounts and 
the service's bank account(s). These funding and defunding transfers 
typically occur via payment card networks or the ACH system.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Recently, other faster payment services have emerged in the United 
States that are based on transfers between bank accounts. These include 
services that allow end users to send or receive faster payments using 
the debit card infrastructure of certain payment card networks and 
services that allow faster payments over newer proprietary payment 
networks owned by groups of banks. The end-user service can involve a 
service-specific website or mobile application or may be integrated 
into a participating bank's website or mobile application, similar to 
many existing online bill payment services. For business customers, the 
end-user service may be integrated into a bank's back-end payment 
processing infrastructure. To use these services, end users must 
typically sign up with a specific service through their banks or, in 
some cases, may sign up directly with the service itself. Because the 
sending and receiving end users may hold their accounts at different 
banks, their banks must exchange payment messages as part of clearing. 
These interbank clearing activities can occur through existing payment 
card networks or proprietary communication networks of the bank-owned 
services. To enable their customers to make payments through a specific 
faster payment service, banks must participate in the service or 
otherwise be capable of receiving payment messages initiated through 
the service. Interbank settlement must also occur, allowing the banks 
to transfer assets reflecting their customers' faster payments. At 
present, interbank settlement for these services is largely conducted 
through existing services provided by the Reserve Banks and, in one 
case, is performed using a private sector-owned settlement ledger that 
is backed by funds in a ``joint account.'' A joint account is a 
recently announced type of account held at a Reserve Bank that holds 
balances for the joint benefit of settling banks in a private-sector 
settlement service.
    The interbank settlement models discussed in this notice 
specifically focus on faster payment services that involve transfers 
between bank accounts and do not directly address services provided by 
nonbank entities. At the same time, many nonbank faster payment 
services ultimately use deposit accounts at banks to hold funds 
associated with their customers' balances and further rely on 
established interbank payment systems for the movement of money between 
their customers' bank accounts and service-specific accounts. Nonbank 
faster payment services may also have access to Reserve Bank services 
when acting as agents on behalf of banks that participate in their 
services. As a result, interbank clearing and settlement capabilities 
may have implications for both bank and nonbank faster payment 
services.

III. Faster Payment Interbank Settlement Models

    As defined above, faster payment services involving transfers 
between bank accounts must conduct certain activities in real time on a 
24x7x365 basis. In particular, such services must accept payment 
messages from end users, exchange payment messages between banks, and 
make final funds available to recipients in real time and at any time. 
However, interbank settlement can be performed in two ways: On a 
deferred basis or in real time. These two models have important 
distinguishing features with risk, liquidity management, and other 
implications.

A. Deferred Net Settlement of Interbank Obligations

    In a deferred settlement arrangement for faster payments, final 
funds are made available to the end-user recipient before interbank 
settlement occurs. In such an arrangement, individual payment messages 
are exchanged in real time between the sender's bank and the 
recipient's bank. The banks adjust their customer balances to reflect 
the outflow of funds for the sender and the inflow of funds for the 
receiver, and the recipient's bank immediately makes final funds 
available to its customer. The interbank settlement information 
resulting from the individual payments is collected and stored by a 
centralized entity (for example, a clearinghouse) for a period, such as 
a certain number of hours or until the next business day, before 
interbank settlement occurs. In some cases, settlement may be deferred 
for several days over weekends or holidays, depending on whether the 
system used for settlement is available then. Around the world, most 
existing implementations of deferred settlement for faster payments 
involve netting of interbank obligations prior to settlement, yielding 
what is termed deferred net settlement (DNS).\38\ In a DNS arrangement, 
the centralized entity that collects and stores interbank settlement 
information offsets payment obligations owed by a bank with

[[Page 57358]]

payment obligations due to that bank. After collecting and netting 
settlement information related to groups of payments, the centralized 
entity submits information on net obligations to an interbank 
settlement system, which then adjusts the account balances of all 
participating banks on the settlement institution's books. 
Alternatively, rather than relying on a centralized entity, 
participating banks may initiate a series of funds movements to settle 
the net obligations. The process of collecting, netting, and then 
settling a group of payments is known as a settlement cycle.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \38\ See ``Fast payments--Enhancing the speed and availability 
of retail payments,'' supra note 5.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The Board understands that, at present, most faster payment 
services in the United States that involve transfers between bank 
accounts are based on a DNS model for interbank settlement. In these 
services, interbank settlement of net obligations is conducted using 
traditional payment and settlement systems, namely the Fedwire Funds 
Service or the ACH system, with the timing and frequency of settlement 
depending on, among other things, the operating hours of those 
systems.\39\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \39\ The Reserve Banks' National Settlement Service is used by 
some DNS-based systems that do not involve faster payments.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    A number of factors may contribute to the current prevalence of 
DNS-based arrangements for faster payment services in the United 
States. First, traditional payment and settlement systems, which can be 
leveraged for settlement of faster payments, already have widespread 
participation by banks. In addition, by using the Fedwire Funds Service 
or the ACH system, banks can treat settlement payments for faster 
payment services much like other interbank payments, without the need 
to implement new faster payment settlement capabilities and operational 
procedures. As a result, it may be easier for banks to become 
participants in these faster payment services. Finally, DNS-based 
faster payment services can be attractive from a liquidity management 
perspective because netting reduces balances that banks need to set 
aside to settle obligations related to faster payments.
    At the same time, DNS arrangements for faster payments involve 
inherent risks that need to be managed. Because the recipient's bank 
makes final funds available to the recipient before interbank 
settlement occurs, DNS arrangements for faster payments inherently 
generate interbank credit risk for the recipient's bank. If a sending 
bank in the arrangement fails to pay a net obligation, receiving banks 
are at risk of losing the full value of funds that they have already 
made available to recipients.\40\ In addition, this scenario could 
generate liquidity risks for receiving banks if, subsequent to a 
sending bank's failure to pay, settlement amounts are recalculated and 
banks may receive less or have to pay more than expected. Such credit 
and liquidity risks may become particularly pronounced if, as the 
24x7x365 nature of faster payments would allow, rapid withdrawals from 
a troubled bank were to occur outside standard business hours, 
increasing credit exposures and liquidity needs for receiving banks. 
During a period of financial stress, these risks could also further 
aggravate financial stability concerns.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \40\ The risk can be particularly acute with the use of the ACH 
system given the time delay between file submission of the ACH 
payment to settle the net obligation and the actual settlement of 
those ACH payments at specified times during the day or next day. 
Debit ACH payments, if used in the settlement process, also are not 
final upon settlement. The extra time lapse in ACH processing and 
settlement and the lack of final settlement for debit ACH payments, 
if used, can add to interbank credit risk.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The interbank settlement risks created in a DNS-based faster 
payment service may be mitigated with appropriate risk management 
tools. Potential tools include (i) transaction limits on individual 
payments or frequent settlement cycles to help prevent the emergence of 
large net interbank exposures, (ii) loss-sharing agreements among 
participants in a system to help spread the risk of a settlement 
failure, (iii) limits on the net negative position of each 
participating bank to prevent interbank exposures from becoming too 
large, and (iv) collateralization to back settlement activity if one or 
more participants were not able to meet their obligations. Credit and 
liquidity risk exposures can be fully mitigated by requiring 
participants in a DNS-based faster payment service to prefund potential 
exposures fully with cash held at a custodial institution, with an 
enforceable limit on payment transactions to prevent interbank 
settlement exposures from exceeding the covering funds or, potentially, 
a mechanism to augment prefunded cash collateral when needed. Under 
this risk-management structure, if a participant in a DNS system is 
unable to fund its settlement obligations, the obligations could be 
covered with prefunded cash, allowing the settlement payments to be 
completed and avoiding the need to recalculate settlement obligations.
    In other countries, every faster payment service based on a DNS 
model employs measures to mitigate the resulting interbank settlement 
risk.\41\ Most recent international examples of DNS-based faster 
payments typically use full cash prefunding, a risk-management approach 
that is reflected in the FPTF's effectiveness criterion related to full 
coverage of interbank credit exposures. A prominent example of full 
risk mitigation occurs in the United Kingdom, where faster payment 
participants settle their positions three times per business day using 
accounts at the Bank of England. Each participant in the system sets 
its own ``net sender cap'' that limits the participant's negative 
position between settlement cycles. Since 2015, these caps have been 
fully backed by cash collateral held in segregated accounts at the Bank 
of England to mitigate the overnight interbank credit risk generated by 
the system. In the event that a participant were unable to meet its 
obligation in a settlement cycle, the participant's cash collateral at 
the Bank of England would be immediately accessed to conduct 
settlement.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \41\ See ``Fast payments--Enhancing the speed and availability 
of retail payments,'' supra note 5.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    In addition to risk management, DNS-based faster payment services 
may have liquidity management implications. On the one hand, liquidity 
management may be simplified for banks in a DNS arrangement because 
netting reduces the funds that banks need to have available for 
settlement obligations related to faster payments. In addition, because 
settlement is conducted periodically, often at pre-defined times, banks 
in a DNS arrangement do not need to provide sufficient funds on a real-
time basis to settle faster payments that are otherwise taking place in 
real time. On the other hand, if a DNS-based service were to use 
frequent settlement cycles to manage credit risk exposures, banks would 
need to ensure that they have adequate liquidity whenever a settlement 
cycle occurs. For example, if it were possible to conduct the 30-minute 
settlement cycles that would be applied in a DNS arrangement satisfying 
the FPTF's effectiveness criterion related to settlement speed, that 
settlement frequency would require banks to monitor and manage their 
liquidity over the weekend and on holidays.
    Furthermore, collateral management may have implications for banks 
participating in a DNS-based faster payment service that employs 
collateral to mitigate interbank credit risk. The availability of 
adequate collateral to cover a bank's net obligation would need to be 
verified in real time for each individual faster payment, with

[[Page 57359]]

payments being rejected when collateral is inadequate. As a result, 
cash or collateral to back settlement activity in a DNS arrangement 
would need to be monitored, maintained, and potentially adjusted on a 
real-time basis, including during nonstandard business hours, to avoid 
rejected payments.\42\ Alternatively, banks could elect to maintain 
higher cash or collateral balances to hedge against unexpected payment 
volumes; however, this choice would have other implications for banks 
and their ability to use cash or collateral for other purposes.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \42\ The need for collateral management during nonstandard 
business hours in a DNS arrangement for faster payments is similar 
to the need for liquidity management during nonstandard hours in an 
RTGS arrangement. As a result, to avoid rejected payments resulting 
from insufficient collateral, a collateral management tool, which 
could be similar to the liquidity management tool discussed in the 
context of RTGS arrangements, may be needed in a DNS arrangement.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Another consideration for DNS-based faster payment services is that 
interoperability between services that use different risk and liquidity 
management arrangements may be challenging, which can be a barrier to 
faster payment ubiquity if end users are not able to send payments 
across services. For faster payment services to be interoperable, each 
service should have the ability to receive transactions originated from 
the other service and to manage the associated cross-service settlement 
risks.\43\ Interoperability would likely be harder to achieve if two 
services and their chosen settlement features generate different levels 
of interbank settlement risk or if they use different tools to mitigate 
such risk.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \43\ Currently, interoperability agreements do not exist among 
payment card networks or wire operators. The only interoperability 
agreement is in the ACH system between FedACH, provided by the 
Reserve Banks, and the private-sector Electronic Payments Network.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

B. Real-Time Gross Settlement of Interbank Obligations

    In an RTGS arrangement for faster payments, final funds are made 
available to the recipient only after interbank settlement has occurred 
between the banks that are party to the transaction. To ensure this 
outcome, RTGS-based faster payments involve both completion of end-user 
payments and settlement of interbank obligations on a payment-by-
payment basis in real time and at any time. RTGS for faster payments 
thus aligns the speed and 24x7x365 availability of interbank settlement 
with the speed and 24x7x365 availability of faster payments for end 
users. In such an arrangement, because the speed and timing of 
interbank messaging activities needed to support faster payments for 
end users coincide with the speed and timing of interbank settlement 
activities, it can be possible to avoid duplicative activities by 
combining interbank messaging and settlement.\44\ As a result, a single 
payment message may be sent from the sender's bank to the recipient's 
bank through the settlement service with that message containing both 
the information needed by the banks to adjust their customers' balances 
and the bank information necessary to conduct interbank settlement.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \44\ For purposes of this notice, in an RTGS model, messaging 
and clearing can be considered synonymous since, beyond real-time 
message transmission, the other components of clearing that are 
necessary in a DNS model, such as netting of payments for 
settlement, are not relevant. Messaging activities may still include 
other risk-management measures, such as screening for fraudulent 
payments and ensuring that payment instructions comply with service-
specific rules and limits.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    RTGS arrangements inherently avoid interbank settlement risk 
because funds are made available to the recipient only after interbank 
settlement has occurred. This key feature enhances the safety of faster 
payment services based on the RTGS model, both for individual banks and 
in the aggregate, particularly during times of financial stress. The 
lack of inherent interbank settlement risk eliminates the need for 
measures to mitigate such risk, as would be needed in a DNS 
arrangement. In addition, by aligning interbank settlement with 
interbank messaging, the RTGS model can avoid activities, such as 
storing, netting, and submitting groups of payments for settlement, 
that are not generally relevant for the provision of faster payments to 
end users, but would be necessary in DNS-based faster payment services 
because of the timing mismatch between settlement and the underlying 
payments. In the process, the RTGS model also avoids the unanticipated 
liquidity effects that can occur in the event of a settlement failure 
when interbank settlement positions have been netted by a centralized 
entity. Finally, when considering interoperability between RTGS-based 
faster payment services, the lack of interbank settlement risk in such 
services may facilitate interoperability by avoiding the need to 
reconcile measures to mitigate cross-system settlement risk, in 
particular, as may be necessary with DNS-based faster payment services.
    At the same time, real-time settlement for faster payments may have 
liquidity management implications. Because RTGS-based faster payment 
services process and settle each payment separately, with continuous 
updates to settlement accounts on a 24x7x365 basis, participants in an 
RTGS-based service may need to monitor and manage their settlement 
accounts outside standard business hours to ensure that balances are 
available to settle each payment. Further, even for retail payment 
systems, gross settlement may be more liquidity intensive than net 
settlement.
    Based on the design, liquidity management may require tools to 
reallocate liquidity to support settlement of faster payments. For 
example, if settlement for an RTGS-based service is conducted in an 
account that is separate from a bank's primary settlement account (that 
is, a Federal Reserve master account), a liquidity management tool 
could allow for banks or an agent acting on their behalf, such as the 
provider of an RTGS service, to move liquidity to the faster payment 
settlement account when needed. Alternatively, liquidity management 
could involve automatic replenishment of the faster payment settlement 
account from the primary account, based on certain parameters or at 
certain times of the day. Liquidity management tools are discussed 
later in the notice.
    Another consideration for RTGS-based faster payments is that faster 
payment services to end users are dependent on uninterrupted 
availability of the RTGS service to conduct faster payments. Although 
faster payments based on deferred settlement would require certain 
clearing activities to occur in real time and at any time, 
necessitating a high level of resiliency for those activities, end-user 
payments could still be completed even if the interbank settlement 
service is temporarily unavailable. In contrast, an RTGS service 
supporting faster payments would require advanced throughput 
capabilities and high resiliency of both the settlement service and 
messaging activities. In addition, to avoid failed end-user payments, 
enhanced contingency arrangements may be necessary to deal with 
situations when a primary RTGS processing service is temporarily 
unavailable to process transactions.
    One example of an RTGS service for faster payments is the system 
being developed by the European Central Bank (ECB) to support ``instant 
payments'' in the European Union. Like faster payments in the United 
States, instant payments in the European Union are expected to involve 
services for real-time payments between end users that can be conducted 
on a 24x7x365 basis. To facilitate ubiquity of instant payment services 
across national jurisdictions,

[[Page 57360]]

the ECB system will offer final settlement for instant payments using 
balances held at the ECB (that is, central bank money) to banks and 
other eligible institutions across Europe. In line with 24x7x365 
instant payment services for end users, the ECB's system will enable 
settlement on a 24x7x365 basis. The ECB has announced that it will 
implement its instant payments RTGS system using separate, dedicated 
cash settlement accounts for each participating institution. The ECB 
plans to launch its instant payments RTGS system in November 2018.\45\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \45\ More information about the ECB's RTGS system for instant 
payments is available at https://www.ecb.europa.eu/paym/initiatives/html/index.en.html.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Another example, albeit with a different approach, of an RTGS 
service for faster payments involves a system launched domestically in 
the United States in late 2017. This system, operated by a private-
sector entity, performs immediate, round-the-clock settlement of 
payments on its private ledger, rather than using central bank money. 
Each participant in this arrangement relies on the presence of balances 
stored in a single joint account at a Reserve Bank that is held for the 
benefit of the joint account-holding banks as a method of backing the 
private-sector service.\46\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \46\ A joint account enables settlement for participants in a 
private-sector arrangement to be backed by funds held for a special 
purpose at a Reserve Bank. Although the joint account is not 
formally a collateral account, the funds in the joint account are 
held for the joint benefit of the settling participants. 
Accordingly, the operator of a settlement arrangement that relies on 
a joint account can perform real-time, payment-by-payment settlement 
on its own ledger, which in turn reflects how the operator, as agent 
for the settling participants, will attribute the balances in the 
joint account on its own records to each settling participant. 
Settlement backed by a joint account can occur at any time or on any 
day because the settlement takes place on the ledger of the 
settlement-arrangement operator.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

IV. Potential Federal Reserve Actions To Support 24x7x365 Real-Time 
Settlement of Faster Payments

    Although both DNS and RTGS arrangements have benefits and drawbacks 
for settling faster payments, on balance, the Board views RTGS as 
offering clear benefits from a risk and efficiency perspective, making 
it the preferable basis for interbank settlement of faster payments 
over the long term in the United States. Given the round-the-clock 
availability of end-user faster payment services, real-time interbank 
settlement should likewise be possible at any time and on any day. 
While DNS-based faster payment services with measures to mitigate risk 
may be appropriate for a nascent faster payment market in the short 
term, the Board believes that, as the volume and value of faster 
payments grow in the future, an RTGS infrastructure would provide the 
safest and most efficient foundation for interbank settlement for the 
next generation of payment services. Through this notice, the Board is 
seeking views regarding this perspective on interbank settlement.
    In addition, the Board is requesting comment about potential 
actions that the Federal Reserve could take to support a ubiquitous, 
nationwide infrastructure for 24x7x365 real-time settlement of faster 
payments. These actions, which could be taken separately or in 
combination, include the Reserve Banks' developing (i) a 24x7x365 RTGS 
settlement service and (ii) a liquidity management tool. In addition to 
seeking comment on whether the Reserve Banks should consider developing 
either or both of these services, the Board is interested in receiving 
comment about whether other approaches would help achieve the long run 
goals of ubiquitous, nationwide access to safe and efficient settlement 
services for faster payments.

A. A 24x7x365 RTGS Settlement Service Provided by the Reserve Banks

1. Characteristics of a 24x7x365 RTGS Settlement Service
    As one potential action, the Reserve Banks could provide a 24x7x365 
RTGS settlement service for banks that would carry out the interbank 
settlement of individual payments immediately, on any day, and at any 
time of the day. Such a service would reflect the real-time speed and 
24x7x365 nature of faster payments. The service would settle interbank 
obligations through debits and credits to balances in banks' accounts 
at the Reserve Banks, constituting settlement in central bank 
money.\47\ As it does with some of its existing services, the Federal 
Reserve could allow agents to submit settlement instructions to a 
24x7x365 RTGS settlement service on behalf of participating banks that 
hold accounts at the Reserve Banks.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \47\ The Board expects that such a service would be used for 
credit transfer payments in which the party that intends to make a 
payment initiates the payment to the recipient.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    A 24x7x365 RTGS settlement service could involve messaging 
functionality, which traditionally is considered part of the clearing 
level, and may function much like the Fedwire Funds Service. As with 
the Fedwire Funds Service, a 24x7x365 RTGS settlement service could 
receive and deliver the entire payment message, including bank routing 
information needed for interbank settlement and customer information 
needed by receiving banks to update their customers' accounts.\48\ 
Under this design, the service would receive settlement instructions 
from and deliver settlement notifications to the banks (or their 
agents) pursuant to the information in the payment message. As a 
result, the RTGS functionality could provide a straight-through 
processing method to conduct interbank clearing and settlement of 
faster payments.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \48\ An RTGS settlement service could be designed to optionally 
process either the full message with bank routing and customer 
information or only the bank routing information needed for 
interbank settlement. The latter use would require third parties to 
separately transmit the payment message between sending and 
receiving banks. These design choices may raise policy, legal, and 
operational complexities, such as achieving payment transparency for 
screening and other compliance-related requirements.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The proposed 24x7x365 RTGS settlement service could make use of the 
existing electronic access connections and payment services network 
that the Reserve Banks provide to banks to enable secure payment 
processing for transactions involving Reserve Bank payment services. In 
addition, interbank settlement of faster payments could occur in 
Federal Reserve master accounts, similar to the way that settlement for 
other types of Reserve Bank payment services occurs, and could use the 
same account-monitoring regime that is in place for other payment 
services provided by the Reserve Banks. Alternatively, interbank 
settlement of faster payments could occur in separate, dedicated faster 
payment settlement accounts for each participating bank with balances 
that could be treated as reserves, earning interest and satisfying 
reserve balance requirements. With separate accounts, an approach would 
be needed for moving funds between a bank's master account and its 
faster payment settlement account during standard business hours and 
potentially outside those hours. In either account structure, the 
service would record end-of-day balances in the account and provide 
balance reports for each calendar day of the week (that is, a seven-day 
accounting regime). The Board is requesting comment on the advantages 
and disadvantages of these design options and features.
    Additionally, a 24x7x365 RTGS settlement service might need to 
incorporate some auxiliary services or other service options in order 
to support an effective nationwide system. One example of an auxiliary 
service is a proxy database or directory that allows banks to route 
end-user payments using the recipient's alias, such as an email address 
or phone number, rather than

[[Page 57361]]

their bank routing and account information. Another example of 
auxiliary services is enhanced fraud-monitoring capabilities, which may 
involve a shared database of known fraudulent accounts or automated 
fraud detection tools. Other service options to consider include 
transaction limits to manage risk or payment-by-payment offsetting 
functionality to economize on the use of liquidity. The Board is 
requesting comment on whether such auxiliary services or other service 
options are necessary for broad adoption of faster payments and what 
entity(s) should provide them.
    A 24x7x365 RTGS settlement service provided by the Reserve Banks 
would rely on banks and other parties, such as processors and other 
providers of payment services, to develop end-user services and, 
ideally, the full suite of auxiliary services, such as a proxy database 
or directory, that build upon the basic functionality of the settlement 
service.
2. Public Benefits of a 24x7x365 RTGS Settlement Service
    The Federal Reserve's longstanding public policy objectives for the 
payment system are that payment systems are safe, efficient, and 
accessible to all eligible banks on an equitable basis and, through 
them, to the public nationwide.\49\ Based on its analysis, the Board 
believes the Reserve Banks' development of a 24x7x365 RTGS settlement 
service could yield societal benefit by advancing these objectives and 
serve as an important part of the foundation for the nation's future 
payment system. The Board is requesting comment on whether the Federal 
Reserve's provision of a 24x7x365 RTGS settlement service will indeed 
offer these potential benefits.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \49\ See ``The Federal Reserve in the Payments System,'' supra 
note 13.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Accessibility
    A 24x7x365 RTGS settlement service provided by the Reserve Banks 
could significantly improve the long-term prospect of all banks having 
access to a real-time interbank settlement infrastructure for faster 
payments. Today, the Reserve Banks provide payment services to more 
than 11,000 banks--the vast majority of banks in the United States. By 
capitalizing on its electronic access network and customer 
relationships, the Reserve Banks are in a position to offer equitable 
access to real-time interbank settlement to all eligible banks in the 
country, regardless of type or size.
    It may be difficult for the private sector to create an 
infrastructure that, on its own, could provide equitable access to 
enough banks to achieve ubiquity. Practically, a private-sector RTGS 
service that does not have existing relationships with a large number 
of banks may have difficulties establishing those relationships for a 
new service. Likewise, banks without an existing relationship to the 
provider of a private-sector RTGS service may find it cumbersome and 
time-consuming to establish connections with a new provider of 
settlement services. However, accessibility could be greatly enhanced 
if existing and potential future private-sector RTGS services were able 
to interoperate with a Reserve Bank service, such that end-user 
customers of any bank could send faster payments to end-user customers 
of any other bank, regardless of the faster payment RTGS service used 
by the banks. In such a scenario, private-sector and Reserve Bank RTGS 
services would work in tandem to provide ubiquitous, nationwide access 
to real-time interbank settlement for faster payments.
Safety
    As noted above, real-time settlement for faster payments avoids 
interbank settlement risk by aligning the speed of interbank settlement 
with the speed of the underlying payments. If a 24x7x365 RTGS 
settlement service developed by the Reserve Banks were to significantly 
improve the prospect that banks nationwide would use real-time 
settlement for faster payments, the overall safety of the faster 
payment market in the United States could be enhanced. In addition, a 
service provided by the Federal Reserve, with its focus on the 
stability of the overall payment system, could also contribute to the 
real and perceived resiliency of faster payment settlement. This would 
be especially true if a 24x7x365 RTGS settlement service provided by 
the Reserve Banks were available alongside private-sector RTGS 
services, giving banks an option to connect to multiple operators for 
resiliency, as they often do with traditional payment systems. Finally, 
a 24x7x365 RTGS settlement service could further support the Federal 
Reserve's ability to provide payment system stability in moments of 
financial crisis or natural disaster, as it has done in the past with 
its cash, check, ACH, and wire transfer services.
Efficiency
    Payment system efficiency has multiple facets, including resource 
costs, the value of broad networks, and competition between and 
innovation by faster payment services. While a 24x7x365 RTGS settlement 
service provided by the Reserve Banks would consume societal resources 
and could duplicate certain costs that may already have been incurred 
to set up other settlement arrangements for faster payments, its net 
effect on the efficiency of the faster payment environment would depend 
on the extent to which it generates societal benefits by improving bank 
participation in a real-time interbank settlement infrastructure and, 
ultimately, public access to safe and secure faster payment services. 
Specifically, the value of a payment system increases as more banks 
join the system because all participants and end users can send 
payments to more recipients. As a result, incremental societal benefits 
realized through nationwide bank participation in a real-time interbank 
settlement infrastructure could outweigh the societal costs of the 
Reserve Banks developing a 24x7x365 RTGS settlement service.
    Additional efficiency benefits could be realized through enhanced 
competition between and innovation by faster payment services. The 
development of a nationwide real-time interbank settlement 
infrastructure could play a strategic role in persuading more banks to 
develop faster payment services, creating more competition among bank-
provided services and with existing nonbank services. Bank and nonbank 
providers of faster payment services may also be able to develop new or 
enhance existing services by capitalizing on the underlying interbank 
infrastructure. The resulting competition and innovation could 
ultimately benefit end users because competition typically generates 
lower costs and innovation advances feature-rich services.
    The Board recognizes the possibility that introduction of a Reserve 
Bank-provided 24x7x365 RTGS settlement service could have the opposite 
effect and disrupt the existing faster payment market. Industry 
stakeholders have already made certain initial investments in faster 
payment services and would need to assess how, or if, to connect to a 
new settlement service.\50\ Therefore, it is possible that Reserve Bank 
entry could add to market fragmentation and lower the prospects for 
ubiquitous faster payments in the United States, especially in the 
short run.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \50\ If banks were to establish connections to multiple 
settlement services, doing so may generate a duplication of 
participant connection costs.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The Board also recognizes that the cost of investing in new 
technology for the banking industry, its customers, and

[[Page 57362]]

service providers could be significant, and it could take many years to 
achieve full participation across the banking system. Operational and 
technical challenges are inherent in the creation of any new service, 
and the fact that the envisioned RTGS settlement service would operate 
24x7x365 may compound these challenges. The Board expects that moving 
to a 24x7x365 settlement environment may take a number of years of 
technical and operational adjustment for all stakeholders. In addition, 
issues with technical and operational adjustments may be exacerbated if 
there is more than one provider of real-time settlement. At the same 
time, some disruption and a period of adjustment could be acceptable, 
and often accompany foundational changes in infrastructure. The Board 
is seeking comment on whether the industry believes the costs of 
adjustment and potential disruption are outweighed by the benefits of 
the proposed interbank settlement infrastructure.

B. A Liquidity Management Tool

1. Liquidity Management Needs in RTGS-Based Faster Payment Services
    RTGS for faster payments can raise liquidity management issues for 
banks, particularly given the 24x7x365 nature of faster payments. RTGS-
based faster payments require banks to have sufficient liquidity to 
perform interbank settlement of individual payments. Absent sufficient 
liquidity, banks, and by extension their customers, would experience 
failed faster payments because interbank settlement, which must occur 
prior to the provision of final funds to the recipient in an RTGS 
arrangement, could not take place. Moreover, because faster payments 
can occur on a 24x7x365 basis, RTGS for faster payments requires banks 
to have sufficient liquidity to settle individual payments at any time 
of the day, any day of the year.
    The risk of failed payments caused by insufficient liquidity in an 
RTGS-based faster payment service implies a general need for banks to 
manage their liquidity related to settlement. The nature of this 
liquidity management will depend on the design of a particular RTGS 
arrangement for faster payments. For example, a private-sector RTGS 
arrangement for faster payments may rely on a joint account at a 
Reserve Bank that backs settlement conducted on a private ledger 
maintained by the arrangement's operator. In such an arrangement, banks 
would need to ensure sufficient liquidity by making contributions to 
the joint account that are adequate to cover obligations recorded in 
the operator's ledger. In another example, depending on the design of a 
24x7x365 RTGS settlement service provided by the Reserve Banks, 
participating banks may have individual accounts at the Reserve Banks, 
separate from their master accounts, that are dedicated to the 
interbank settlement of faster payments.\51\ In this case, banks would 
need to manage their liquidity on a 24x7x365 basis across their master 
accounts and their dedicated faster payment settlement accounts at the 
Reserve Banks.\52\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \51\ Globally, a number of central banks that provide or are 
planning to provide RTGS services for faster payments, including the 
ECB and the Reserve Bank of Australia, require banks to have 
separate, dedicated accounts for the settlement of faster payments 
through those services.
    \52\ If faster payments settle through banks' master accounts at 
the Reserve Banks, then liquidity management would involve a bank's 
overall liquidity available for settlement, as opposed to its 
allocation of liquidity specifically available for settlement of 
faster payments.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    In either of these examples, liquidity management by banks requires 
methods to transfer liquidity between accounts at the Reserve Banks. 
Because RTGS arrangements for faster payments require liquidity 
management outside standard business hours, these methods for liquidity 
transfers may need to be available during nonstandard business hours.
    At present, the Reserve Banks do not offer a service that would 
allow banks to move liquidity as needed to support 24x7x365 real-time 
settlement of faster payments. Various Reserve Bank services enable 
transfer of funds between accounts at the Reserve Banks, including the 
Fedwire Funds Service and the National Settlement Service; however, 
none of them fulfill the around-the-clock requirement. Over time, the 
Reserve Banks have extended operating hours for these services.\53\ 
However, current operating hours limit liquidity management based on 
these services, particularly during weekends and holidays.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \53\ The Fedwire Funds Service operating hours for each business 
day begin at 9:00 p.m. eastern time (ET) on the preceding calendar 
day and end at 6:30 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday, excluding 
designated holidays. For example, processing on a Monday begins at 
9:00 p.m. ET on Sunday night and ends at 6:30 p.m. ET Monday night. 
The Reserve Banks last expanded the Fedwire Funds Service operating 
hours in 2004, moving from an eighteen-hour business day to the 
current twenty-one and one-half hour business day. Current operating 
hours for NSS are 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday, 
excluding designated holidays. The Reserve Banks announced in 2015, 
that they are prepared to accept requests from current settlement 
agents to open the NSS settlement window as early as 9:00 p.m. ET 
the previous calendar day for the next business day. To date, no 
settlement agent has requested an earlier opening.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

2. Characteristics of a Liquidity Management Tool
    As a result of the potential need for liquidity management outside 
standard business hours in certain RTGS-based systems for faster 
payments, and the limitations of existing Federal Reserve services to 
support such liquidity management, the Board is requesting comment on 
whether the Reserve Banks should consider providing a liquidity 
management tool that would enable movement of funds during nonstandard 
business hours between banks' master accounts at the Reserve Banks and 
an account (or accounts) at the Reserve Banks used to conduct or 
support 24x7x365 real-time settlement of faster payments.\54\ To 
provide such a tool for liquidity transfers during nonstandard business 
hours, the Federal Reserve could enhance an existing service by 
extending that service's operating hours, potentially up to 24x7x365, 
or providing special operating windows outside current operating hours. 
Alternatively, the Reserve Banks could develop a new service. 
Regardless of whether the Reserve Banks enhance an existing service or 
develop a new service, the Board envisions such a service being used, 
at least initially, only for the purpose of liquidity management 
related to RTGS-based faster payment services. The Board recognizes, 
however, that depending on its design, a liquidity management tool 
could have functionality that would be useful for other purposes. In 
particular, the ability to move funds outside standard business hours 
could be used to manage cash collateral in a DNS arrangement for faster 
payments that uses full cash collateral at the Reserve Banks to 
mitigate credit risk associated with deferred settlement.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \54\ As a baseline, it is assumed that liquidity transfers to or 
from settlement accounts are routinely available during existing 
operating hours for the Fedwire Funds Service.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    To determine how the Reserve Banks could best provide a liquidity 
management tool that meets industry needs, the Board is further seeking 
input on the characteristics and capabilities that such a tool might 
have. A key area of interest to the Board is the level of involvement 
that individual banks would wish to have in establishing the timing of 
liquidity transfers and in initiating specific transfers. For example, 
a tool could allow a designated agent to coordinate liquidity transfers 
simultaneously across a large number of participants in a settlement

[[Page 57363]]

arrangement, thereby removing the need for those participants to 
continuously monitor liquidity and initiate corresponding liquidity 
transfers. Such a tool could also support automated liquidity 
transfers, particularly during nonstandard business hours, based on 
thresholds established by a bank working with a designated agent. Such 
capabilities could be possible through NSS (or a similarly designed 
service) for the multilateral movement of funds between accounts at the 
Reserve Banks. Alternatively, if banks prefer to have more direct 
involvement in the timing and tailoring of their liquidity transfers, a 
tool could involve individual liquidity transfers initiated by 
individual banks. Such a structure for liquidity management could be 
provided through the Fedwire Funds Service (or a similarly designed 
service). In either case, expanded operating hours for such a service 
would support liquidity management outside standard business hours, 
possibly up to 24x7x365.
3. Public Benefits of a Liquidity Management Tool
    The Board believes a liquidity management tool could improve the 
level of participation by banks in real-time settlement infrastructure 
for faster payments. Such a tool could be an efficient and economical 
way to close potential gaps in account funding times for existing and 
potential future private-sector 24x7x365 real-time interbank settlement 
systems. Thus, the tool might make private-sector systems more 
attractive to a broader range of banks and boost the prospect of more 
banks joining private-sector systems. It could similarly increase 
participation in a 24x7x365 RTGS settlement service provided by the 
Reserve Banks. The end result might be a combination of RTGS 
arrangements for faster payments, enabling broader access to real-time 
interbank settlement infrastructure in the long term with similar 
safety, resiliency, and efficiency benefits discussed in relation to a 
Reserve Bank-provided RTGS settlement service. In addition, the 
liquidity management functionality itself would mitigate liquidity risk 
that can arise for banks in 24x7x365 real-time settlement of faster 
payments and the concomitant possibility that end users will experience 
individually rejected payments and broader scale payment interruptions.

V. Request for Comment

    The Board is seeking feedback on all aspects of the discussion 
presented in this notice and the specific questions posed below. The 
Board will use this feedback to assess what steps, if any, it should 
take related to the actions discussed or alternative approaches offered 
by the payment industry or other stakeholders. As previously mentioned, 
these actions are subject to the longstanding principles and criteria 
on new services or major service enhancements as part of the Federal 
Reserve's statutory requirements. As part of assessing these actions, 
the Board would continue its due diligence related to those 
requirements.
    The Board intends to publish the results of this request for 
comment and, as appropriate, to seek further comment on any specific 
actions that the Board determines that the Federal Reserve might 
pursue. The Board recognizes that a decision to undertake these 
actions, in particular the development of a 24x7x365 RTGS settlement 
service, will require close partnership and collaboration with industry 
stakeholders. The Federal Reserve would work with stakeholders to 
implement new infrastructure within a sensible timeline that provides 
stakeholders enough advance information to calibrate resource planning 
and operational readiness. The Board also seeks feedback on specific 
areas, such as liquidity management, interoperability, accounting 
processes, or payment routing, that stakeholders believe may require 
joint Federal Reserve and industry teams to identify approaches for 
implementation in a 24x7x365 RTGS settlement service.

Questions

    1. Is RTGS the appropriate strategic foundation for interbank 
settlement of faster payments? Why or why not?
    2. Should the Reserve Banks develop a 24x7x365 RTGS settlement 
service? Why or why not?
    3. If the Reserve Banks develop a 24x7x365 RTGS settlement service,
    a. Will there be sufficient demand for faster payments in the 
United States in the next ten years to support the development of a 
24x7x365 RTGS settlement service? What will be the sources of demand? 
What types of transactions are most likely to generate demand for 
faster payments?
    b. What adjustments would the financial services industry and its 
customers be required to make to operate in a 24x7x365 settlement 
environment? Are these adjustments incremental or substantial? What 
would be the time frame required to make these adjustments? Are the 
costs of adjustment and potential disruption outweighed by the benefits 
of creating a 24x7x365 RTGS settlement service? Why or why not?
    c. What is the ideal timeline for implementing a 24x7x365 RTGS 
settlement service? Would any potential timeline be too late from an 
industry adoption perspective? Would Federal Reserve action in faster 
payment settlement hasten or inhibit financial services industry 
adoption of faster payment services? Please explain.
    d. What adjustments (for example, accounting, operations, and 
agreements) would banks and bank customers be required to make under a 
seven-day accounting regime where Reserve Banks record and report end-
of-day balances for each calendar day during which payment activity 
occurs, including weekends and holidays? What time frame would be 
required to these changes? Would banks want the option to defer receipt 
of such information for nonbusiness days to the next business day? If 
necessary changes by banks represent a significant constraint to timely 
adoption of seven-day accounting for a 24x7x365 RTGS settlement 
service, are there alternative accounting or operational solutions that 
banks could implement?
    e. What incremental operational burden would banks face if a 
24x7x365 RTGS settlement service were designed using accounts separate 
from banks' master accounts? How would the treatment of balances in 
separate accounts (for example, ability to earn interest and satisfy 
reserve balance requirements) affect demand for faster payment 
settlement?
    f. Regarding auxiliary services or other service options,
    i. Is a proxy database or directory that allows faster payment 
services to route end-user payments using the recipient's alias, such 
as email address or phone number, rather than their bank routing and 
account information, needed for a 24x7x365 RTGS settlement service? How 
should such a database be provided to best facilitate nationwide 
adoption? Who should provide this service?
    ii. Are fraud prevention services that provide tools to detect 
fraudulent transfers needed for a 24x7x365 RTGS settlement service? How 
should such tools be provided? Who should provide them?
    iii. How important are these auxiliary services for adoption of 
faster payment settlement services by the financial services industry? 
How important are other service options such as transaction limits for 
risk management and offsetting mechanisms to conserve liquidity? Are 
there other auxiliary services or service options that are needed for 
the settlement service to be adopted?

[[Page 57364]]

    g. How critical is interoperability between RTGS services for 
faster payments to achieving ubiquity?
    h. Could a 24x7x365 RTGS settlement service be used for purposes 
other than interbank settlement of retail faster payments? If so, for 
what other purposes could the service be used? Should its use be 
restricted and, if so, how?
    i. Are there specific areas, such as liquidity management, 
interoperability, accounting processes, or payment routing, for which 
stakeholders believe the Board should establish joint Federal Reserve 
and industry teams to identify approaches for implementation of a 
24x7x365 RTGS settlement service?
    4. Should the Federal Reserve develop a liquidity management tool 
that would enable transfers between Federal Reserve accounts on a 
24x7x365 basis to support services for real-time interbank settlement 
of faster payments, whether those services are provided by the private 
sector or the Reserve Banks? Why or why not?
    5. If the Reserve Banks develop a liquidity management tool,
    a. What type of tool would be preferable and why?
    i. A tool that requires a bank to originate a transfer from one 
account to another
    ii. A tool that allows an agent to originate a transfer on behalf 
of one or more banks
    iii. A tool that allows an automatic transfer of balances (or 
``sweep'') based on pre-established thresholds and limits
    iv. A combination of the above
    v. An alternative approach
    b. Would a liquidity management tool need to be available 24x7x365, 
or alternatively, during certain defined hours on weekends and 
holidays? During what hours should a liquidity management tool be 
available?
    c. Could a liquidity management tool be used for purposes other 
than to support real-time settlement of retail faster payments? If so, 
for what other purposes could the tool be used? Should its use be 
restricted and, if so, how?
    6. Should a 24x7x365 RTGS settlement service and liquidity 
management tool be developed in tandem or should the Federal Reserve 
pursue only one, or neither, of these initiatives? Why?
    7. If the Federal Reserve pursues one or both of these actions, do 
they help achieve ubiquitous, nationwide access to safe and efficient 
faster payments in the long run? If so, which of the potential actions, 
or both, and in what ways?
    8. What other approaches, not explicitly considered in this notice, 
might help achieve the broader goals of ubiquitous, nationwide access 
to faster payments in the United States?
    9. Beyond the provision of payment and settlement services, are 
there other actions, under its existing authority, the Federal Reserve 
should consider that might help its broader goals with respect to the 
U.S. payment system?

    By order of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve 
System, September 28, 2018.
Ann Misback,
Secretary of the Board.
[FR Doc. 2018-24667 Filed 11-14-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6210-01-P