Plaid and Instant payments are closely linked in Open Banking, with Payment Initiation Services (PIS) relying on licensed providers like Plaid to initiate payments through banks. PIS needs well-connected banks that participate in the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) and its schemes, such as SEPA Instant Credit Transfers (SEPA SCT Inst), to fully scale and impact the EU payments space. The European Commission has recognized the benefits of combining open banking and instant payments, which can revolutionize retail payments with higher certainty, quicker settlement times, and reduced susceptibility to fraud. SCT Inst payments are cheaper than traditional card payments, but their adoption is currently limited, with only 1 in 10 transactions routed through instant payment rails. To succeed, open banking providers need full coverage of SEPA SCT Inst amongst EU banks, which is why the European Commission should consider mandating access across the EU in 2022 to ensure free or non-discriminatory access for users.