@531095 Surely it depends on the bank. In Belgium for example, most cheap or gratis accounts impose a ~2—3 day lag on transfers. You generally must pay an extra fee for expedition (or bank at KBC, or subscribe to a higher tier premium contract). The banks earn interest while the money sits in limbo & they want compensation if they give that up.

And even then I don’t think the expedited service is instantaneous because that would make it impossible to intervene in a transfer. As I understand it, you’re only guaranteed rapid payments hit the same day they are sent. A human still has to be in the loop to approve or decline the transfer. I don’t see how the expressline could bypass the human (which would be necessary for instantaneous movement).

Also note there is a downside to the expedited SEPA transfers: you cannot transfer more than €15k. IIUC, that’s an EU rule. Not sure if it’s per day or per week.

Thus there are situations where the slow transfer serves you better. And in the case of KBC, the transfer form does not even give you the option of a slow transfer. You probably have to make an appointment to have it sent manually if you have more than 15k to send.