Fedwire (formerly known as the Federal Reserve Wire Network) is a real-time gross settlement funds transfer system operated by the United States Federal Reserve Banks that allows financial institutions to electronically transfer funds between its more than 9,289 participants (as of March 19, 2009).[1] Transfers can only be initiated by the sending bank once they receive the proper wiring instructions for the receiving bank. These instructions include: the receiving bank's routing number, account number, recipient’s name and dollar amount being transferred. This information is submitted to the Federal Reserve via the Fedwire system. Once the instructions are received and processed, the Fed will debit the funds from the sending bank's reserve account and credit the receiving bank's account. Wire transfers sent via Fedwire are completed the same business day, with many being completed instantly.[2]
In conjunction with Clearing House Interbank Payments System (CHIPS), Fedwire is the primary U.S. network for large-value or time-critical domestic and international payments. Fedwire is designed to be highly resilient.
The Fedwire system has grown since its inception, seeing growth in both number of transfers and total transaction dollar value of about 79% and 207% respectively between 1996 and 2016.
In 2022, Fedwire processed roughly 196 million transfers with a total value of just over one quadrillion US dollars.[3]
- ^ "Fedwire Participant Directory" Archived 2010-02-10 at the Wayback Machine, Federal Reserve Financial Services
- ^ Silitschanu, Phillip. "B2B Payments Learning: What are Fedwire Transfers?". americanexpress.com. American Express Company. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
- ^ "Fedwire Funds Service--Annual Statistics". frbservices.org. Federal Reserve Services. Retrieved 13 Jan 2024.