[Silhouette]

I'm in the UK, and yes, Faster Payments are clearly an improvement and more like how things ought to work. But they only work for payments to others in the UK.

Elsewhere across Europe, SEPA provides a similar facility, but again only "within its own walls".

I would love to see the sort of alternative payment methods you mention taking off as a replacement for card payments. That is exactly what needs to happen. But as you say, there are some very powerful organisations with a vested interest in preventing or disrupting any such change.