2017 has been called "the year of real-time", and for good reason; 25 systems and schemes around the world are already operational, and at least 11 are in development, including in the US.

There is an inevitability about real-time payments that means transaction and retail banks must develop real-time payments strategies. But in addition to the technical considerations of readying for a real-time environment, banks must also tackle one other major hurdle - how to make money out of real-time payments.

Building a business case for real-time is notoriously difficult. While volumes in other regions with live schemes have shown significant growth, particularly in the initial years following go-lives, banks still recognize the U.S. territory remains uncharted. The ROI will depend on the speed of uptake - which seems impossible to predict.

The roundtable discussion hosted by ACI Worldwide and Finextra in on 7 December 2017 will explore ways in which banks can leverage the opportunity of real-time payments to not only keep up with customer demand but get ahead of it.

The discussions will bring together a number of real-time payments experts from across the financial industry to share insights and address a range of key questions including:

• Why is the business case for real-time so challenging?
• How can banks discover key insights on corporates customer demand for real-time?
• What are some of the most promising value-added real-time services?

Speakers currently include:

• Paul Thomalla, SVP Global Corporate Relations & Development, ACI Worldwide
• Timothy Mills, AAP Vice President RTP Business Development, The Clearing House Payments Company
• Tom Pendolino, SVP Strategic Planning, Wells Fargo
• Spencer Burness, Payments Transformation North America, KPMG