Distributed open source payment network Ripple has extended its partnership with Expertus Payment Platform to offer banks a way to explore use of the blockchain and Ripple’s distributed ledger for real-time payments.

The two companies originally partnered in April to provide a real-time payments product that offers lower costs, fee transparency, and better liquidity management. The combined solution has the capability to process all payment types 24 hours a day/seven days a week and is designed to support exponential growth. According to Expertus president Jacques Leblanc, “Several banks have already joined the program and have realized the benefits of blockchain.”

The testing service promises minimal process disruption and makes integration easy by plugging into a bank’s existing infrastructure. Steve Mollenkamp, head of channel sales at Ripple, says the newly launched pilot program “will contribute to the growth of the Ripple network, enabling even more financial institutions to improve their cross-border payments.”

Ripple launched in 2012 to offer banks a way to transact directly with each other without the need for a central authority. This lowers operational costs, enhances transparency, and paves the way for real-time transactions. The San Franciso-based company launched the Ripple Network at FinovateSpring 2013.

Last month, Deloitte announced a full integration with the Ripple protocol and Santander became the first U.K. bank to do blockchain-based international payments using Ripple.