London, UK, 27th July, 2025 – LHV Bank has become the first UK bank to join the RT1 platform (the pan-European real-time gross settlement payment system) as a direct participant, enabling it to process SEPA Instant Credit Transfers (SCT Inst) in real time.

While other UK institutions facilitate access to euro payments through the RT1 scheme, they do so via indirect access, limiting them to serving end users without the ability to offer payment services to other financial institutions. LHV’s new direct integration with the SCT scheme sidesteps those constraints and allows it to offer seamless connection to the SEPA network. 

This direct participation reaffirms LHV Bank’s position in the European payments landscape and enhances its cross-border capabilities, allowing it to offer more efficient, cost-effective, and scalable payment services by removing the need for correspondent banking relationships or third-party intermediaries.

Erki Kilu, CEO of LHV Bank, commented: “This is a technical upgrade and strategic step forward. We’re helping to shape the next generation of cross-border payments, and direct participation in SCT Instant strengthens our standing as a trusted partner for fintechs and internationally focused businesses.” 

The announcement follows a series of recent milestones for LHV Bank, including launching retail banking to the UK market in May, and being selected as one of the Sunday Times’ Best Places to Work and winning two awards at the ICA Compliance Awards in June.