Financial institutions evaluating the technology can seize an opportunity for growth

Zelle^® is rising to new heights of adoption, reaching 80% of U.S bank and credit union accounts and more than 2,300 financial institutions.¹  

Still some smaller or more focused institutions remain on the fence. There are important reasons to take the leap.

Consumer acceptance of Zelle^® continues to grow, the technology keeps maturing and financial institutions face a constant challenge retaining deposits and attracting new ones with competitive digital offerings. There’s no time like the present to seize the opportunity. 

Consumers have voiced their continued demand for instant money movement, and the sustained growth in the person-to-person (P2P) payments market highlights the trend. Financial institutions have a golden opportunity to compete and drive growth through deposits by adding a Zelle^® offering to the strategic payments roadmap.

Zelle^® delivers growth opportunities

Zelle^® reported $1.2 trillion in payments and 4.2 billion transactions in 2025, year-over-year increases of 20% and 16%, respectively.²  

The rapidly increasing use of Zelle^® and the sunset of its standalone application open a path for financial institutions to deepen their relationships with consumers by offering the P2P technology.

“Zelle^® has become table stakes for any financial institution with a real growth mindset,” said Tina Shirley, Fiserv vice president of product management. “Consumers increasingly view Zelle^® as the default P2P experience. It’s fast, trusted, bank-backed and typically fee free. When those expectations are met, accountholders naturally gravitate toward the institutions that deliver that level of value.” 

Small businesses discover the benefits of Zelle® 

Zelle^® reported 647.6 million small business transactions in 2025 and $357 billion in small business payments,³ marking increases of 23.5% and 26%, respectively. 

Small businesses that adopt Zelle^® payments can get paid faster with fewer hassles and fees than checks or cards. The benefits extend to financial institutions that support the integrations because digital tools such as Zelle® can help them retain and win more of those profitable customers. 
 

Building strong defenses against fraud

Just as they do with cash and other forms of payments, fraudsters are hard at work trying to exploit personal payments, meaning consumer education and fraud controls are critical.

“We equip our financial institution partners,” Shirley said, “with real time fraud flagging capabilities and consumer education resources designed to help banks and credit unions reduce risk and confidently support their Zelle^® users.” 

Zelle^® remains one of the safest forms of payments, with only 0.02% of transactions reported as fraudulent,⁴ well below other forms of money movement such as checks. Partnering with a solutions provider that delivers robust fraud prevention, AI analytics and in-app fraud messaging can help mitigate the potential for fraud. 

Creating a sound P2P payments strategy

The retirement of the Zelle^® standalone application has opened the door for financial institutions to offer their customers and members a native P2P payments experience. 

Institutions can promote adoption through strategic marketing campaigns that drive deposits and give accountholders a secure payment method. A strategy that combines consumer and small business P2P payments through Zelle^® can be a significant step toward primary financial institution status. 

Fiserv has helped more than 1,500 Zelle^® clients. For more information, contact your Fiserv support team or Zelle@fiserv.com.

1 “Zelle® Widens the On-Ramp for Community Banks and Credit Unions: 337 New Bank and Credit Unions Went Live or Signed in 2025,” Zelle®, January 2026
2 “Zelle® Posts 20% Growth with $1.2 Trillion Sent, Far Outpacing Consumer Spending and Cementing Its Role in the U.S. Economy,” Early Warning Services, LLC, February 2026
3 “Zelle® Posts 20% Growth with $1.2 Trillion Sent, Far Outpacing Consumer Spending and Cementing Its Role in the U.S. Economy,” Early Warning Services, LLC, February 2026
4 “Zelle® Hits New Highs. Two Billion in Transactions and Nearly $600 Billion in Payments in First Half of 2025,” Early Warning Services, LLC, September 2025