Full steam ahead:
The future of payments in Canada on the Real-Time Rail

In 2025, the pace on the path to the Real-Time Rail (RTR) picked up considerable speed. With testing and readiness in progress at Payments Canada and new milestones developed, there is significant work being done at Central 1 support of our clients to navigate this monumental transformation.

The shift to the RTR is complex, requiring more than a single system upgrade or technical change; it demands the alignment of multiple moving parts. Financial institutions are navigating this transformation alongside other major priorities—from mergers and platform migrations to ongoing modernization initiatives. Recognizing these realities, Central 1’s role has been clear: reduce complexity wherever possible without each institution having to solve the same challenges independently.

As a payments partner, Central 1 is here to support and guide clients with resources and expertise in place to provide the ability to enable clients to make informed decisions. For clients, this translates into clearer choices, fewer unknowns, and a more manageable path to readiness amid competing priorities.

A major area of progress in 2025 was the work done on Central 1’s technology platform. We delivered a modernized, integrated technical approach designed to ease digital banking and core system integrations. Our updated banking host integration and integration platform leverage open API standards, creating a more standardized, flexible foundation that reduces bespoke integration work and allows clients to move more quickly and confidently toward RTR readiness. Not only that, this work positions clients not only for the RTR, but for what comes next.

Central 1 also advanced a formal certification process with digital banking vendors to support integration to e-Transfer and other payment types. While this process is not specific to readiness for the RTR, setting this foundation ensures platforms meet the security, performance, and integration standards required for payments, helping clients move forward with confidence while reducing complexity and implementation risk. Our digital banking partners played a critical role in this progress, demonstrating strong collaboration and agility as certification requirements evolved. Their ability to meet rigorous standards while continuing to innovate helped position the ecosystem—not just individual institutions—for success as real‑time payments move closer to reality.

As a trusted payments partner, Central 1 provides both guidance and hands‑on support. While we cannot fully shelter clients from the scale of change required, we help reduce its impact by improving predictability, minimizing rework, and clarifying sequencing across systems and initiatives. Our teams bring deep expertise and a coordinated approach, supporting informed decision‑making so clients can prioritize with confidence and avoid costly detours as they prepare for real‑time payments and future modernization.

This is not uncharted territory. Central 1 has successfully guided credit unions through previous transformative changes, including Interac enhancements for Autodeposit, Request Money, and e-Transfer for Business. Through close collaboration between account executives, delivery teams, and payments experts, Central 1 continues to help clients navigate dependencies, balance priorities, and move forward with confidence.

In a period of rapid change, confidence and clarity matter. Central 1’s role is to help clients move forward with fewer surprises, clearer choices, and a stronger foundation for future payments innovation, so they can stay focused on serving members while the payments landscape continues to change around them.