Canada’s RTR Launch Includes Gaming Payment Firm Paramount

The new system allows payments to be cleared and settled around the clock. But its launch does not mean all existing Interac transfers have moved to the new infrastructure.

Paramount Commerce Connects Directly to RTR

According to Payments Canada, the first group includes Paramount Commerce, Peoples Trust Company, Wealthsimple, Questbank, KOHO, DoBusiness.com, Digital Commerce Bank and Bank of America. The RTR supports payments that clear and settle in seconds, using ISO 20022 messaging. Transactions can be processed at weekends and on public holidays, rather than waiting for the next business day.

In its November 9 announcement, Paramount confirmed that it had connected directly to RTR without intermediaries. The company said its merchants and partners could access 24/7 settlement, higher transaction limits and new fraud controls.

Paramount already provides Interac deposits and withdrawals to Canadian gambling operators. Its gaming products include bank-based deposits and rapid player payouts.

Interac Handles the Exchange and Fraud Controls

Interac designed and built the RTR Exchange and serves as the system’s technical operator. It also provides centralized fraud services.

The safeguards available at launch include confirmation of payee for consumer accounts, transaction risk scoring, a repository of fraud indicators and a fraud reporting platform. These checks operate alongside the controls already used by participating financial institutions.

Existing Interac Transfers Will Migrate in 2027

The November launch is only the first phase. Payments Canada’s published rollout schedule sets out three further stages:

• Q1 2027 – first participants begin migrating Interac e-Transfer clearing and settlement;
• Q2 2027 – additional participants move their e-Transfer settlement activity onto RTR;
• Q3 2027 – participants in the initial launch phases are scheduled to reach full transaction volumes.

The distinction is relevant to gaming operators using Interac for deposits and withdrawals. Paramount has direct access to RTR today, while the broader migration of existing payment flows remains scheduled for next year.

For gaming operators, the question is which deposit and withdrawal products will move onto RTR, and whether the change will make any difference to their payment processing.