India vs Canada · Real-time payment systems compared
| Capability | IMPS | Interac e-Transfer |
|---|---|---|
| QR Code Payments | — | — |
| Wallet Support | — | — |
| 24/7 Availability | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cross-Border | — | — |
| ISO 20022 | — | — |
| Request to Pay | — | ✓ |
| Open API | ◐ | ◐ |
| Alias/Proxy | — | ✓ |
Immediate Payment Service is India's original 24/7 real-time interbank transfer system launched by NPCI, and the foundational infrastructure that UPI was later built upon. IMPS uses MMID (Mobile Money Identifier) and mobile number for addressing, supports transfers up to INR 5 lakh, and connects banks via the National Financial Switch. While UPI has overtaken it for consumer payments, IMPS remains widely used for direct bank-to-bank transfers and backend settlement.
Canada's dominant person-to-person and business payment system, used by virtually every Canadian with a bank account. Interac e-Transfer enables instant transfers via email address or phone number across all major Canadian banks and credit unions. Originally a next-day service, it was upgraded to real-time settlement in 2022. Interac processes over 1B transactions per year with CAD 900B+ in value, making it one of the world's highest per-capita instant payment systems. Operated by Interac Corp (jointly owned by Canadian financial institutions), it also supports Interac Debit for point-of-sale and Request Money for invoicing.