Request to Pay is the missing link between invoice and payment. In a typical purchase – whether at checkout or by invoice on delivery – there’s a media break. Your online banking shows a debit, merchant name, and amount, but not what was purchased. If you later need the invoice (e.g. for warranty), it might be difficult to find.
With RTP, the merchant sends a payment request along with the invoice at the moment of transaction. Once accepted, the item is yours—and the invoice remains archived in your online banking. Transparent, seamless, and retrievable.
Sounds convenient—but is that really a payments revolution?
That’s just to illustrate the concept. The real game-changer lies in corporate use cases, where RTP unlocks new value, especially at the point of interaction and in e-commerce.
Could you share some concrete use cases?
Absolutely. Imagine you're buying a premium TV. After a consultation, the salesperson initiates an RTP request right on the spot. You pay instantly. Meanwhile, the warehouse prepares your model. No waiting in line—your TV is ready to go as you leave the store.
Or consider automotive services: you choose new rims during a service appointment. Payment and order go through immediately via RTP. The workshop receives the spec and starts the fitting process. Your car is ready as you shake hands goodbye.
In both cases, the invoice is digital and linked to the payment. Paper clutter is a thing of the past.
But if RTP was introduced in 2021—why is broader implementation only happening now?
Because banks now have capacity and incentives to act. The RTP ecosystem has been growing – our RTP platform PAYCY is already being used by institutions like DZ BANK and now also BayernLB. The shift is largely due to regulatory momentum and investment readiness.
Previously, banks were hesitant to implement RTP since real-time payments infrastructure wasn’t widely available. With the Instant Payments Regulation (IPR), that’s changing. From 9 October 2025, banks in the EU must offer instant payments, along with features like Verification of Payee (VOP) and 24/7 sanctions screening.
Now that this heavy lifting is mostly done – or at least scheduled – banks are free to explore value-added services like RTP.
How does the Growth Opportunities Act play into this?
This act requires German businesses to be ready to receive electronic invoices from 2025, and send them by 2028. We are in a transition phase. For banks, this creates a “window of opportunity”.
If banks act now, they can offer invoice-related services directly via RTP. Instead of ERP vendors controlling the flow, banks can offer an all-in-one solution – from invoice dispatch to payment. It strengthens the banking ecosystem and opens monetisation avenues.
Can this go beyond B2B to consumers (B2C) as well?
Very likely. EU legislation often extends from B2B to B2C over time. Banks that position themselves now as digital invoice postboxes can capture future market shares.
And the business case is sound: companies benefit from streamlined accounting and archiving. Banks can charge for these services while still saving their clients money compared to existing processes.
What role does PAYCY play in all this?
PAYCY supports banks in integrating RTP flexibly. It can handle EBICS routing, integrate with online banking portals, or generate the pain.013 message from raw invoice data (e.g. via SAP).
Each bank can define its own RTP approach – PAYCY simply provides the toolkit.
About the expert
Eric Waller is Senior Manager at PPI AG, specialising in consulting for mass payments and electronic banking. Since 2017, he has focused on the Request to Pay initiative and the PAYCY platform. He previously worked in payments at SaarLB for over two decades.
Interview by: Alexander Held, Content Marketing Manager at PPI AG.
