The present disclosure provides systems and methods directed to processing payments using an event-triggered distributed rules-based system (“DRBS”). In one embodiment, a system comprises a DRBS comprising a DRBS virtual holding account associated with the DRBS, a merchant virtual account associated with a merchant, the merchant being a member of the DRBS, and/or a consumer virtual account associated with a consumer. The system also comprises a database configured to manage virtual balance information for the plurality of virtual accounts. The DRBS is configured to receive payment information associated with a payment transaction of the consumer at the merchant, receive funds from a consumer financial account associated with the consumer into a DRBS financial account associated with the DRBS, credit virtual funds to the DRBS virtual holding account or the consumer virtual account, transfer the virtual funds to the merchant virtual account, and transfer the funds from the DRBS financial account to a merchant financial account associated with the merchant.