2025 has seen the rise of stablecoins, the sophistication of AI birthing agentic commerce, and new developments within cross-border payments that will all take on greater effects in 2026.
In the first of a two-part series, Payment Expert spoke to several industry leaders who shared what they believe were some of the payments trends which defined the financial sector this year, and what we should be paying attention to next year.
Mike Walters, CEO of Form3: Instant Payments will skyrocket
Next year, we’ll see instant payments adoption skyrocket across the European Union, with resilience and availability becoming key areas of focus as a result of the new mandate for payment service providers passed this year.
However, as instant payments grow, so will the risk of fraud. Banks will be looking for payment technology partners that go beyond meeting new regulatory requirements — investing in automated fraud detection, smarter risk analytics, and seamless Verification of Payee experiences.
I also think there will be greater competition and innovation from payment institutions and e-money institutions as regulation allows them to access payment systems directly, reducing their reliance on banks for settlement.
On a global scale, G20 initiatives will continue to drive cross-border payment improvements, and I’m expecting the OCT Instant scheme and participation from major players to gain real traction. I also expect the digital euro project to continue building momentum as we get some renewed clarity with new legislation.
Amber Harsin, VP of Credit Unions at Mambu: Gen Z/Alpha will takeover
Gen Z and Gen Alpha are setting the pace for what comes next in financial services. Their digital fluency, values-led choices and growing distrust of traditional institutions mean that their chosen financial service provider is no longer just a tool for wealth; it reflects identity and personal beliefs.
In 2026, these behaviours will drive three clear demands. Young people will want tools that make ethical spending and flexible investing easy to manage. As social platforms continue to influence financial decisions, institutions will need to offer credible and accessible education that builds confidence and reduces risk.
Their preference for convenience will also boost the use of digital wallets, payment apps and other integrated financial tools, leading many to look beyond traditional banks for their everyday needs.
Together, these changes will inform the ‘checklist’ for Gen Z and Gen Alpha when choosing their financial service provider – where personalised, real-time and value-aligned finance are what matter most.
Barry O’Sullivan, Director of Banking and Payments at OpenPayd: Banks to continue adopting digital assets
Despite growing momentum around digital assets, it is unlikely that SWIFT’s blockchain-based ledger will move beyond the trial phase in 2026. The initiative is still at the conceptual stage, focused on enabling real-time, 24/7 cross-border payments. Building a scalable, globally interoperable ledger for thousands of network participants requires significant R&D, while regulatory alignment across jurisdictions will remain a major gating factor.
Where we will see acceleration in 2026 is in traditional banks deepening their engagement with digital assets. The real turning point happened in 2025, when global momentum behind blockchain and stablecoins moved the conversation firmly into the mainstream. With rising customer demand for faster, cheaper cross-border payments, banks now face a clear choice: embrace digital asset rails or risk becoming uncompetitive. I expect stablecoins to exceed a $1trn market cap next year, reinforcing this shift.
If stablecoins become fully interoperable across chains by the end of 2026, and assuming regulatory readiness, banks could play a central role. From issuing stablecoins to FX, custody, treasury, compliance, and tokenised assets, traditional institutions can provide the trust and infrastructure that many businesses and consumers still look for. Far from being sidelined, banks could become critical enablers of the next phase of digital finance.
Husnain Bajwa, SVP of Risk Solutions at SEON: Humans vs. AI: Finding the Right Balance
AI has become a permanent part of the fraud landscape, but not in the way many expected. AI has transformed how we detect and prevent fraud, from adaptive risk scoring to real-time data enrichment, but full autonomy remains out of reach. Fraud detection still depends on human judgment, such as weighing intent, interpreting ambiguity, and understanding context that no model can fully replicate.
Fraud prevention is a complex interplay of data, intent and context and that’s where human reasoning continues to matter most. Analysts interpret ambiguity, weigh risk appetite, and understand social signals that no model can fully replicate. What AI can do is amplify that capability. It surfaces patterns, prioritises alerts and reduces manual work so teams can focus on what really matters.
In that sense, the future isn’t human or machine, but human plus machine. AI becomes an enabler, not a replacement. The organisations that thrive will be the ones that design systems where humans and machines enhance each other’s strengths, pairing computational scale with the intuition and ethical reasoning that only people can provide.
Pete Wickes, General Manager EMEA at Worldpay: 2026 – The year of agentic commerce
Agentic commerce gained significant pace in 2025 as its potential edged ever closer to mainstream reality. Our own analysis shows that by 2030, UK consumers expect around 7% of their total online purchases to be made via an AI Agent – and while that might seem a small percentage, it will equate to £29bn of online spending.
As we look ahead to a new year, retailers are going to need to focus on how they adapt to this emerging way of shopping, based on the knowledge that while shoppers are open to agentic commerce, many still want to maintain control of the final decision-making and purchase. This means retailers need to be ready to meet shoppers where they are – with trusted, flexible experiences that feel simple, secure and tailored to what consumers actually want, while ensuring they’re discoverable by agents through which consumers will be shopping.
2026 will be the year retailers build agentic commerce strategies with trusted partners to deliver on this.
