Settlements System   The Future of Global Payments Payments are the flow of funds and information between parties. For decades, banks have established their institutions as a critical link in the financial flow continuum, being the primary intermediary in the exchange of money and information along with the payment chain. Today, this still remains true as consumers and corporates continue to look to their most trusted partners - financial institutions - to provide a secure environment for payments. However, the New Millennium is heralding a change in the way the payments business will be conducted. The New Digital Economy coupled with International Monetary Fund’s funding regulations as well as ongoing infrastructure changes with the introduction of Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) further accelerate this change. Financial institutions must now adopt a global perspective to its payment business as technology continues to bring payment systems together, transforming the face of payments both in terms of complexity and volume, enabling the emergence of local, regional, national and global private sector providers for payment processing, clearing and settlement.