Sionic and Unfiltered Media Ink Partner to Deliver Instant Bank Payments for Hospitality

Sionic has partnered with boutique consulting firm Unfiltered Ink Media to bring real-time, account-to-account payments to the hospitality sector. By leveraging a referral network of resellers, the collaboration aims to bypass traditional card networks for restaurants and bars, significantly reducing transaction fees and settling funds within seconds via the FedNow Service and RTP network.

What was announced

Sionic and Unfiltered Ink Media, LLC have entered a strategic partnership designed to connect hospitality-focused payment resellers with real-time, bank-to-bank payment infrastructure. Under the agreement, Unfiltered Ink Media will act as a referral partner, introducing its network of hospitality merchants and resellers to Sionic’s Instant Bank Pay service. This allows restaurants, bars, and other hospitality operators to accept payments that settle within seconds rather than days.

The service utilizes the FedNow Service and the RTP network through Sionic's banking partners to facilitate digital money movement in real time. For consumers, the system integrates with Apple and Google wallets and can include merchant-specific perks for choosing account-to-account (A2A) payments over traditional cards. This provides a path for hospitality owners to integrate real-time payments into their broader technology and customer engagement strategies.

According to the announcement, merchants using the service can potentially save an average of 60% compared to the costs associated with credit and debit card processing. This partnership follows Sionic’s recent expansion into the Microsoft Marketplace, where its Instant Bank Pay and Fraud Detection Service are available for deployment. The initiative targets online, mobile, and in-store commerce environments where hospitality operators are seeking to protect margins and reduce the friction of unexpected or inflated processing fees.

"The hospitality operators we advise are constantly looking for practical ways to protect margins, strengthen operations, and improve customer experiences,"

Chloe Howard, Co-founder & Creative Director, Unfiltered Ink Media.

The companies involved

Sionic, led by founder and CEO Ronald Herman, is a specialist in real-time, bank-to-bank payment solutions for commerce. The company focuses on bridging the gap between financial institutions and merchants by utilizing modern payment rails like FedNow and RTP. Sionic has established a significant presence in the U.S. market, providing tools that allow financial institutions to offer instant cash payments to both personal and business customers. The firm’s technology stack includes not only payment processing but also specialized fraud detection services, which have recently been integrated with major cloud ecosystems to broaden accessibility for enterprise clients.

Unfiltered Ink Media, LLC is a boutique consulting and media firm dedicated to the hospitality industry. The company provides advisory services to restaurant and bar operators, focusing on operational efficiency and technology adoption. Co-founded by Chloe Howard, who also serves as Creative Director, the firm maintains a robust network of connections among hospitality resellers. Unfiltered Ink Media also produces content for the sector, including the book "How I Steal From You," which addresses issues such as payment processing fees and operational vulnerabilities within the hospitality trade.

What FF News has reported before

FF News has followed Sionic’s rapid expansion throughout 2024 and 2026. In September 2026, we reported that Sionic Appoints Shashi Varma and Joe Ciranni to Scale Real-Time Payments Growth, marking a significant strengthening of its leadership team. This followed the news in August 2026 that Sionic Debuts Instant Bank Pay and AI Fraud Detection on Microsoft Marketplace, a move that significantly lowered the barrier for entry for businesses seeking A2A solutions. Earlier that month, the company also collaborated on Sionic and Agentix Partner to Launch Agentic AI Commerce for Instant Bank Payments. These developments build on the company's long-term focus on security, including the 2024 announcement that Sionic Announces Fraud Protection Service Using Google Cloud AI Technology.

What this means

This partnership highlights the growing threat to traditional card networks in high-volume, low-margin sectors like hospitality. While A2A payments have struggled for retail dominance, the hospitality industry’s desperate need to protect margins makes it a prime testing ground for FedNow and RTP adoption. By leveraging a boutique consultancy rather than a traditional bank partner, Sionic is tapping into the "trusted advisor" model to overcome merchant inertia. The move puts pressure on traditional merchant acquirers who rely on legacy interchange fees. However, the success of this initiative will ultimately depend on whether consumers are sufficiently incentivized to switch from rewards-heavy credit cards to direct bank payments at the point of sale.