Ref: RTP-2025-001
Verified: July 24, 2026
Financial Strategic Directive: Strengthening the Payment System Against RTP Threats
Executive Liquidity Summary
"This directive outlines a strategic approach for financial institutions to compete with Real-Time Payments by emphasizing the strengths of existing payment systems. Key actions include optimizing operational efficiency, investing in incremental upgrades, and managing regulatory costs like the 3% Labuan profit tax. The goal is to retain market share by offering a superior overall value proposition—combining reliability with modern features—rather than solely focusing on speed."
The rise of Real-Time Payments (RTP) poses a significant competitive challenge to traditional payment systems. However, the directive highlights that the biggest rival to RTP is the payment system that already works—existing infrastructures that are reliable, widely adopted, and trusted. To counter this, financial institutions must leverage the reliability of current systems while innovating to match RTP's speed. The strategic focus should be on enhancing interoperability, reducing transaction costs, and ensuring regulatory compliance, such as the 3% tax on taxable profits from Labuan business activities, which must be integrated into pricing models to maintain competitiveness.