The news: SoFi’s technology platform, Galileo, will offer instant bank transfers via FedNow, per press release.

SoFi members will be able to instantaneously move their money between SoFi and accounts at other US financial institutions any day of the week, regardless of holidays.

Why this matters: FedNow can help SoFi better sell its ecosystem play. Recent releases like the Smart Card and the Unlimited 2% Card require SoFi Plus membership, which has deposit requirements. With FedNow rails, consumers may feel more comfortable moving their financial life to a new institution if there’s no delays with their money moving from point A to point B. 

SoFi also stands to score younger consumers, who are more likely to have affordability concerns and expectations for instant settlements: Forty-two percent of millennials and 30% of Gen Zers expect real-time processing speeds for payments, per Rocket Software and Researchscape.

FedNow is worth watching: The number of payments sent over the central bank-controlled real-time payments rail grew 459.9% YoY to more than 8 million from 2024 to 2025—and the total value of those payments surged over 2,000% to $853.411 billion. 

In contrast, Same Day ACH payment volume hit 1.4 billion payments in 2025, worth a total of $3.9 trillion, per Nacha—signalling FedNow has a way to go before breaking into real-time rails big leagues. 

Implications for payment providers: Whether it's through blockchain-backed stablecoins or FedNow rails, consumers  want swifter turnarounds for their transaction settlements.

For financial institutions trying to acquire young consumers, taking advantage of real-time rails like Visa Direct and FedNow can give instant gratification and peace of mind to shoppers counting on the most up-to-date view of the finances and cash flow.