#real-time payments

The post Continuous Settlement: Transforming Finance with Real-Time Payments appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com. Luisa Crawford May 12, 2026 22:48 Continuous settlement could reshape global finance by enabling real-time payments, reducing idle capital, and minimizing counterparty risk. Global commerce has long outpaced the financial infrastructure that supports it. While businesses operate in real time, payments and settlements often rely on batch processing—an outdated system where transactions are grouped and processed at set intervals. According to Circle, this delay traps liquidity, increases counterparty risk, and burdens enterprises with reconciliation work. Under batch systems, payments can remain idle for hours or even days before clearing. For example, U.S. ACH payments and European TARGET2 transfers operate on defined clearing schedules. Securities markets often use T+1 or T+2 settlement windows. These delays force businesses to hold excess working capital,