Fed launches long-awaited instant payments service, FED NOW (Reuters)

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July 20 (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Reserve has launched a long-awaited service which will aim to modernize the country's payment system by eventually allowing everyday Americans to send and receive funds in seconds, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the central bank announced on Thursday.

The "FedNow" service, which has been in the works since 2019, will seek to eliminate the several-day lag it commonly takes cash transfers to settle, bringing the U.S. in line with countries including the United Kingdom, India, Brazil, as well as the European Union, where similar services have existed for years.

FedNow is launching with 41 banks and 15 service providers certified to use the service, including community banks and large lenders like JPMorgan Chase (JPM.N), Bank of New York Mellon (BK.N), and US Bancorp (USB.N), but the Fed plans to onboard more banks and credit unions this year.

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