Sionic, a specialist in real-time, bank-to-bank payments at the point of sale, has launched its Instant Bank Pay service together with a Fraud Detection Service on Microsoft Marketplace. The marketplace serves as a unified online destination for customers seeking trusted cloud solutions, AI apps, and agents for their business needs. Sionic customers can now discover and deploy these solutions through Microsoft Marketplace, with integration and streamlined management across Microsoft Azure and other Microsoft products.

Instant Bank Pay leverages the FedNow® Service and the RTP® network through banking partners to move funds digitally within seconds from payers' checking accounts to payees' accounts, delivering an average 60% savings compared to credit and debit card transactions. FedNow, launched by the Federal Reserve in July 2023, and the RTP network, operated by The Clearing House since 2017, provide the underlying instant payment rails that make real-time, bank-to-bank commerce possible. By bypassing traditional card network interchange fees, Sionic's service targets one of the most persistent cost pressures for merchants handling digital transactions. Payers receive instant Perks for paying with their bank accounts at participating merchants and businesses.

"Organizations like Sionic are helping advance U.S. payments with solutions that foster innovation while expanding the value and reach of the FedNow Service," said Nick Stanescu, executive vice president and chief FedNow executive. "As the ecosystem continues to grow and evolve, we move toward our long-term goal of delivering reliable, efficient and widely accessible instant payments for all."

Sionic initiated a pay-by-bank proof of concept in late 2024 and identified several components critical to commerce transactions that were missing from both bank rails: an alias directory comparable to Zelle's, fraud detection for point-of-sale transactions, and support for payment disputes. Sionic turned to Microsoft Foundry to address these gaps. For instance, when a customer requests a refund, an AI agent negotiates with an agent representing the seller, removing the financial institution from the process unless escalation becomes necessary.

"Sixteen years ago, we set out to build the future of low-cost payments in America. Today, that future is here. Instant Bank Pay is the real-time, bank-to-bank payment service for commerce in the U.S.," said Ronald Herman, founder and CEO of Sionic. "Using Microsoft Foundry has helped us bring it to merchants, businesses, and financial institutions."

"We're pleased to welcome Sionic to Microsoft Marketplace," said Cyril Belikoff, vice president of Microsoft Azure Product Marketing. "Marketplace connects trusted solutions from global partners with customers worldwide, making it easy to find and deploy apps that work seamlessly with Microsoft products."

Microsoft Marketplace provides a single destination to find, try, and purchase trusted cloud solutions, AI apps, and agents designed to meet business objectives. The growing collection of solutions is available both within the Marketplace and directly through Microsoft products. As FedNow and RTP network participation continues to expand among U.S. financial institutions, services like Sionic's that build commerce-grade capabilities on top of these rails offer a signal of where real-time payment adoption may be heading for merchants and consumers alike.