Bank of America and Bradesco test a real-time payment route that connects existing banking systems with faster domestic payment networks
Miami, Florida, 30 September 2026 – Moving money between countries can involve multiple banking systems, intermediaries, processing windows, and different payment rules. For businesses handling frequent international transactions, even small delays can make payments harder to manage. Bank of America and Brazilian bank Bradesco are exploring a simpler approach through a new cross-border real-time payments service.
At Sibos 2026 in Miami, Bank of America announced that Bradesco had completed the first pilot transaction using the service. The payment was initiated through Bradesco’s existing SWIFT connectivity and delivered in Hong Kong dollars to a local beneficiary through Hong Kong’s Faster Payment System. The transaction was completed in near real time, although the exact processing time and cost were not disclosed.
The pilot demonstrates how international payments can be connected to domestic instant payment systems without requiring financial institutions to completely change the technology and channels they already use. This is a key part of Bank of America’s approach. The service is designed to work with existing connectivity, including Swift, application programming interfaces, and host-to-host channels.
The new payment capability is aimed primarily at corporate, commercial, and financial institution clients that handle large volumes of smaller international payments. These can include remittances, payments to gig workers, and payouts to e-commerce marketplace vendors. The service is designed to provide real-time tracking, full principal delivery, and greater certainty that funds have reached the intended recipient.
One of the most important elements is the connection between international banking infrastructure and domestic real-time payment networks. Bank of America has said the service can connect with systems such as Mexico’s SPEI, the United Kingdom’s Faster Payments Service, and India’s Unified Payments Interface. Funds can be delivered in the recipient’s local currency, helping make international transactions easier to use.
The partnership with Bradesco also points to how financial institutions can modernize international payments without replacing established banking relationships. For banks, maintaining existing workflows while adding faster payment capabilities could reduce the technology burden associated with adopting new payment infrastructure.
The development comes as businesses and consumers increasingly expect international payments to offer the same speed and visibility available in domestic transactions. Fintech companies and payment networks have already raised expectations around faster transfers, putting additional pressure on traditional financial institutions to improve cross-border payment experiences.
Bank of America plans to make the service available through CashPro, its digital banking platform for corporate and institutional clients, with broader availability planned for 2027. The bank also intends to expand the capability to more countries, currencies, and payment types.
The Bradesco pilot represents an early example of how established banking infrastructure can work alongside real-time payment networks. Rather than treating cross-border payments as a completely separate process, the model connects existing systems with faster local rails.
As international commerce continues to grow, payment speed, transparency, and predictability are becoming increasingly important. The collaboration between Bank of America and Bradesco shows how banks are adapting their infrastructure to meet these expectations while keeping the systems businesses already depend on at the center of the process.
