Walmart Pay-by-Bank: How the World’s Largest Retailer Could Transform Real-time A2A Payments

Walmart recently announced that it will offer shoppers the option to check out with instant pay-by-bank payments beginning in 2025. This is a major development for real-time payments, pay-by-bank, and the retail industry in the United States. As the world’s largest retailer, Walmart could make a critical impact on how consumers pay, given Walmart’s scale, customer base, and transaction volume. Most consumers are not familiar with pay-by-bank or instant payments, but Walmart is helping build awareness and adoption. 

Pay-by-bank and instant payments are transforming the account-to-account (A2A) payments experience. Historically, A2A payments have not been the most convenient or efficient, requiring manual entry of bank account information and days to set up and process. Pay-by-bank provides a faster, simpler, more secure digital experience that consumers increasingly expect when moving money. Consumers can easily share their financial data with trusted parties, such as retailers, to make payments directly from their bank account with greater security. 

This impact notes looks at the benefits of real-time pay-by-bank to consumers and merchants, including more customer choice, enhanced security, improved efficiency, and better user experience, as well as how Walmart’s new offering could be a game-changer for the retail industry.