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The American Payment Network Act

One-Page Summary

Published January 2026

Millions of Americans cannot fully participate in the modern economy because they lack access to basic digital payment systems. Wages arrive via direct deposit, bills are paid online, and government benefits flow electronically -- yet according to the FDIC, 5.6 million households have no bank account, and another 19 million are underbanked. These families are forced to rely on check-cashing stores, payday lenders, and money orders that drain hundreds of dollars annually from those who can least afford it.

The American Payment Network Act (APNA) establishes the American Payment Network -- a nationwide, utility-style payments infrastructure that guarantees every American access to a secure, fee-free digital account. Like the interstate highway system or rural electrification, the APN provides essential infrastructure that connects everyone to economic life while preserving private sector competition and innovation.

Key Provisions:

  • Network Accounts for everyone -- Fee-free digital accounts with no minimum balance, no overdraft fees, and no credit check requirements. Every lawful U.S. resident can hold an account.

  • Technology-neutral access -- Accounts work through smartphones, web browsers, feature phones (SMS/USSD), ATMs, debit cards, and in-person services. No one is excluded based on the technology they own.

  • Open participation for financial institutions -- Banks, credit unions, and fintechs can connect to the network as APN Agents, earning service fees while their customers retain fee-free access.

  • USPS partnership for physical access -- Post offices become APN access points, bringing banking services to rural communities and urban neighborhoods where bank branches have closed.

  • Protections for vulnerable populations -- Independent account access for youth 16+, working minors, foster youth, homeless youth, and domestic abuse survivors, with privacy safeguards against financial exploitation.

  • Self-sustaining infrastructure -- The American Payment Network Fund provides dedicated financing through transaction fees and interest earnings. Treasury borrowing authority enables immediate deployment with mandatory repayment from network revenues. No ongoing taxpayer cost; continuous operation during government shutdowns.

Primary Benefits:

  • Financial inclusion -- Eliminates the fees and barriers that exclude millions from the banking system. Check-cashing charges, money order costs, and predatory overdraft fees become unnecessary when free alternatives exist.

  • Economic infrastructure -- Provides the foundation for efficient delivery of wages, benefits, tax refunds, and programs like the American Prosperity Stability Payment. Reduces government administrative costs and payment delays.

  • Market-driven consumer protection -- Makes financial exploitation economically unviable through competition rather than complex regulation. When a free, reliable option exists, predatory services lose their customer base.

  • Fiscal responsibility -- Self-capitalizing model requires no ongoing appropriations and repays initial investment within 15 years. Infrastructure that pays for itself.

Prepared by: Albert E. Ramos Director, The American Policy Architecture Institute

Contact: info@policyarchitecture.org Website: www.policyarchitecture.org