Author

Dan Brightmore

Published

15 April 2026

Estimated Read time

4Mins

Read in brochure format

FinTech Strategy is back with more key insights from the industry experts and thought leaders shaping the future of financial…

FinTech Strategy is back with more key insights from the industry experts and thought leaders shaping the future of financial services.

Read the latest issue here

Vibrant Capital: Scaling AI on Main Street

Our cover star Shadman Zafar, Founder & CEO of Vibrant Capital, is building a CIO-led model for enterprise transformation. Vibrant Capital is an operator-led investment and company-building platform focused on scaling AI in the real economy. “We don’t spray investments across hundreds of AI startups. We curate a portfolio with purpose – selecting companies that solve the real mission-critical problems CIOs face in scaling AI adoption.”

FNB: Redefining Data Science in Commercial Banking

We also hear from Yudhvir Seetharam, Chief Analytics Officer at South Africa’s First National Bank (FNB) on a data science journey characterised by curiosity, culture and the drive for a competitive edge. “Ours is a holistic approach focusing on the customer,” he explains. “Understanding the context of each customer journey and then using that context so that when we interact with you, we’re able to drive the right conversation with the right customer, at the right time, through the right channel and for the right reason. These ‘five rights’ make our interactions with clients more impactful.”

Virginia Farm Bureau: An Enterprise CIO’s Journey

Shifting focus to the world of insurance at the Virginia Farm Bureau, we spoke withan Enterprise CIO at a complex mission-driven organisation. As he approaches retirement, Patrick (Pat) Caine reflects on his career as a CIO and the centennial of an organisation renowned for resiliency, collaboration, commitment to a greater cause, diversity and service to its members. “In my role as CIO, I’ve always been that person who connects the dots between business needs and technology execution. Virginia Farm Bureau is digitally relevant, collaborative, and well‑positioned for the future.”

Mastercard: Protecting Trust in the Digital Economy

Michele Centemero, EVP Services at Mastercard Europe explains why promoting awareness, stronger collaboration and data-sharing, and continued innovation of payments ecosystems, will be critical in reducing the impact of scams and protecting trust in the digital economy. “The combination of AI, robust identity controls and open banking can help protect consumers from scams, whether across card and account‑to‑account payments or in fraudulent account openings.”

Thales on AI Security: How FinServ’s Budget Priorities Signal a Boardroom Shift

Todd Moore, Global VP – Data Security Products at Thales, reveals why making AI security a boardroom priority today, will help firms position themselves to capture competitive advantage, safeguard customer confidence, and define the future of secure innovation. “Balancing AI’s opportunity and risk means embedding security at every stage, from design to deployment and ongoing monitoring.”

Paymentology: The First Live AI-Agent Payment Is a Test for Credit Infrastructure

Thomas Benjaminsen Normann, Product Director at Paymentology, dissects the future for agentic payments and the progress still to be made. “Agentic payments demand something more granular: a clearer account of who or what acted, under what limits, and with what right to create a liability on the customer’s behalf.”

Also in this issue, we hear from Publicis Sapient, on why asset managers must redesign their enterprise for AI-driven decision intelligence; learn from Bitpace why the most resilient payments infrastructure will be the one with the most adaptability; rank the AI maturity of 12 of the largest payments networks in the latest Evident AI Index; and round up the key FinTech events and conferences across the globe.

Enjoy the issue!

Read the latest issue here

  • Artificial Intelligence in FinTech
  • Blockchain & Crypto
  • Cybersecurity in FinTech
  • Data & AI
  • Digital Payments
  • Embedded Finance
  • Fintech & Insurtech
  • InsurTech
  • Neobanking

Author

Meryem Habibi

Published

6 March 2026

Estimated Read time

5Mins

Meryem Habibi, Chief Revenue Officer at Bitpace, on why the most resilient payments infrastructure will be the one with the most adaptability

The traditional global payments narrative is obsolete. For decades, the West viewed emerging markets (EMs) as ‘catch-up’ economies, destined to eventually mimic the legacy banking structures of London, New York, or Frankfurt. In 2026, the reality is the inverse. While the Global North manages the ‘Inertia Tax’ of legacy systems, EMs have built a $3.47 trillion payments ecosystem from the ground up, designed for a digital-first, real-time world.

While developed economies are busy polishing the ‘front end’ of ageing systems, shaving seconds off a checkout or refining a UI, EMs have been forced to rebuild the ‘back end’ entirely. Out of necessity, Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia have leapfrogged traditional banking, turning stablecoins and decentralised rails from ‘niche alternatives’ into the primary engine of trade.

With 6.2 billion digital wallet users globally, the question for leadership in developed economies is no longer about supporting financial inclusion elsewhere; it is about whether they can afford the inertia of their own legacy.

From ‘Workarounds’ to Global Standards – the Liquidity Revolution

In stable economies, payment friction is an annoyance. In volatile ones, it is a solvency risk. This has turned stablecoins from a speculative asset into a $1.2 trillion foundational infrastructure for international commerce.

In 2026, despite the G20’s efforts, the global average cost for a traditional $200 remittance still hovers near 6%. Whereas stablecoin settlement has compressed that cost to under 1%. In fact, the actual stablecoin payment volumes reached $390 billion in 2025, more than double the previous year. This means that when an e-commerce merchant settles in stablecoins, they aren’t just ‘saving money’. They are optimising 5–9% of their working capital instantly. In a high-inflation world, time is the most expensive currency.

What does it mean in the real world? For an SME in Nigeria or an exporter in Brazil, traditional cross-border rails are a tax on growth. Often clawing back 6–10% in fees and trapping capital in settlement limbo for days. By shifting to stablecoin settlement, these businesses aren’t just ‘saving money’, they are optimising their working capital. When costs drop below 1% and settlement is instantaneous, capital’s velocity increases.

Developed markets often view crypto through the lens of speculation or regulation. Emerging markets view it through the lens of utility and margin. If the West continues to anchor itself to Swift and correspondent banking while the rest of the world moves on digital rails, the ‘developed’ world will eventually find itself holding the most expensive, slowest pipe in the global room.

Radical Interoperability – Breaking the Silo Mentality

The West suffers from ‘walled garden’ syndrome. We have highly sophisticated, yet isolated payment silos: banks, card networks, and FinTech apps that rarely speak the same language, requiring a dozen intermediaries.

Emerging markets have bypassed this by adopting Intelligent Orchestration. In high-growth regions, a merchant doesn’t care if a customer pays via a QR-based wallet, a local bank transfer, or a USD-pegged digital asset; the infrastructure is built to handle all of them simultaneously. 

For instance, in Southeast Asia, where digital wallet adoption has surged by over 300% in recent years, ‘rail-agnostic’ infrastructure is the standard. 

By 2026, 80 countries have launched domestic real-time payment (RTP) schemes. India alone now accounts for 46% of all global real-time transactions, proving that scale and speed are no longer the exclusive domain of Western card networks.

Flexibility is a competitive moat. The EM model proves that the future of finance isn’t a “winner-take-all” rail; it’s a fabric of interoperable layers. Leaders in developed economies must stop trying to protect their proprietary silos and start building for a multi-rail reality.

Programmable Trust: Compliance as an Operating System

The most dangerous myth in FinTech is that innovation and regulation are at odds. In markets where financial stability is fragile, ‘built-in’ compliance is a survival requirement.

EM-based digital asset platforms have had to pioneer automated KYC, real-time transaction monitoring, and transparent reporting frameworks just to earn the right to operate. They haven’t ‘bolted on’ compliance to satisfy a regulator; they have encoded it into the protocol to build trust in high-stakes environments.

In 2026, the integration of ISO 20022-rich data standards has led to straight-through processing (STP) rates rising, but only for those on modern rails. Legacy banks still face up to a 60% manual intervention rate on cross-border flows due to data fragmentation.

This is the blueprint for the next generation of Global North finance. As we move towards tokenised assets and CBDCs, the winners will be those who build the most programmable trust, not those who move the fastest

The Competitive Imperative – Inertia is a Risk

Legacy strength breeds complacency. When a system ‘mostly works’, there is little appetite for the systemic overhaul required to stay competitive. Emerging markets do not have the luxury of satisfaction. Their constraints have forced them to innovate at scale, creating a payments infrastructure that is faster, cheaper, and more resilient than anything currently running on legacy Western rails.

In 2026, ‘real-time’ is the baseline, and ‘programmable’ is the requirement. The ‘developed’ world needs to stop looking at emerging markets as a charity case and start seeing them as a mirror. The most resilient infrastructure will be the one with the most adaptability.

Learn more at bitpace.com

  • Digital Payments
  • InsurTech
  • Neobanking

Author

Can Taner

Published

13 January 2026

Estimated Read time

3Mins

Can Taner, Chief Product Officer at Bitpace, analyses the most important shifts in the crypto and payments landscape

The crypto industry has entered a phase of unbundling. Instead of one-size-fits-all platforms that try to do everything, businesses are looking to specialised providers that solve real-world problems with focus and precision. This shift defines how leading firms now build products: client-first, agile, and compliance-ready by design.

Solving Real Problems with Real Products

The key to building effective crypto payment solutions is understanding what businesses actually need. Payments should help companies operate faster, more efficiently, and at lower cost. Rather than chasing every trend, the focus should be on creating tools that remove friction and add measurable value.

That’s why many providers now offer modular solutions designed to work seamlessly across industries:

  • Payment gateway – enabling merchants to accept crypto securely, with instant conversion to fiat if needed, reducing volatility risk.
  • Global settlements – allowing businesses to move funds cross-border quickly and cost-effectively, bypassing traditional bottlenecks.
  • API integration –giving partners the tools to embed crypto payment functions directly into their platforms, delivering a frictionless experience for end-users.
  • OTC services –providing access to large-scale crypto trades, executed with discretion, high liquidity, and competitive pricing.

Each product is tailored to solve a specific pain point. Instead of bundling everything into a rigid system, we focus on flexible modules that businesses can adopt individually or together.

Agility and Expertise in Product Development

For providers, being specialised also means being agile. Every client problem requires a different approach, and in-house expertise allows them to respond quickly without compromising quality. From compliance to sales to product development, teams must collaborate to find creative solutions that meet the highest regulatory and technical standards.

This agility is only possible if they invest in deep domain knowledge. Product and engineering teams that understand the nuances of payments, crypto, and regulation can adapt quickly to market changes while keeping compliance at the core of every decision.

How to Launch New Products Effectively

Launching a new product in crypto, or any fast-evolving sector, demands structure and discipline. The most successful teams follow a process that balances creativity with rigour.

  • Start with ideation. Listen closely to client feedback, analyse emerging trends, and identify where the market still falls short. Great products don’t begin with technology, but with a clear problem to solve.
  • Do the research. Test assumptions early, model potential use cases, and validate compliance requirements before writing a single line of code. A strong evidence base prevents costly pivots later.
  • Plan collaboratively. Bring product, legal, compliance, sales, and technology teams together from the outset. Aligning goals across functions ensures that innovation doesn’t come at the expense of security or scalability.
  • Build with resilience in mind. Security, interoperability, and performance should be built into the product from day one, not retrofitted at the end.
  • Test thoroughly. Create safe environments to simulate real-world conditions and identify weaknesses before launch. Testing isn’t just a single step, but an ongoing cycle.
  • Launch deliberately. Roll out in phases, gather user feedback, and support early adopters closely. A careful launch builds trust and sets the stage for sustainable growth.

Each of these stages is designed to reduce risk, accelerate learning, and maximise long-term value, principles that define successful product development in today’s crypto landscape.

How Specialisation Wins

Launching products in crypto is about precision and collaboration. The great unbundling of crypto is rewarding those who specialise, focusing on solutions that solve real business challenges. Specialised providers win because they put the client first. That focus on expertise and flexibility is what defines success in the new era of crypto payments.

Learn more at bitpace.com

  • Blockchain & Crypto
  • Digital Payments
  • Fintech & Insurtech

Author

Dan Brightmore

Published

7 January 2026

Estimated Read time

5Mins

FinTech Strategy hears from the experts at DeepL, PagerDuty, Bitpace and Pleo who assess the impact of AI, crypto, stablecoins, tokenised payments and more on financial services in 2026

Looking back at 2025, it was a pivotal year for financial services. The past 12 months have been marked by growing regulatory pressure, publicised outages, and a renewed focus on decentralised finance. In January, the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) officially came into force across the EU, imposing new obligations on banks, insurers, investment firms and their technology providers to better manage ICT risks, report incidents and ensure continuity of operations.

That regulatory shift has come at a time when real-world failures are under intense scrutiny. A report from the Treasury Committee, prompted by a wave of IT glitches, revealed that nine of the UK’s largest banks and building societies suffered at least 803 hours of unplanned outages between January 2023 and February 2025, equivalent to more than 33 days of downtime. Alongside revision of traditional finance strategy, pro-crypto policy emerging from the US with the new administration has also buoyed investor confidence in newer assets like stablecoins, with the global market slated to hit $500 to $750 billion in coming years.

These events have reinforced a hard truth across the sector: digital infrastructure is no longer just a supporting pillar, it is mission-critical. Against this backdrop, many firms are now rethinking how they build, monitor and respond to technology risk. In this transformational moment, the voices below outline why 2026 may well become the year financial services firms turn lessons into lasting change, providing predictions about FS in 2026.

Eduardo Crespo, VP EMEA, PagerDuty:

“By 2026, financial services firms have turned hard-won lessons from the Treasury’s 2025 outage reports into action. Years of costly downtime and lost trust pushed the industry to rebuild around resilience. Always-on access is non-negotiable. Customers leave if they can’t transact in real time, and regulators are watching. In response, banks are overhauling legacy stacks and embedding AI at the core of incident management.

“AI isn’t a pilot project anymore, it’s become part of frontline defence. Systems now detect and diagnose disruption before it happens, enabling predictive maintenance and softening the blow of unplanned events. In 2026, resilience is a competitive edge.”

Anil Oncu, CEO, Bitpace:

“By 2026, digital assets will no longer be considered emerging. They will be fully embedded in mainstream finance. The shift is accelerating, driven by clearer regulation and stronger institutional participation across the US, UK and Europe. Pro-crypto policy is now the backbone of a global effort to build stablecoin-powered commerce at scale.

“In the UK, the Bank of England’s decision to allow stablecoin reserves to be held in short-term government debt is a significant signal of confidence. In the US, the GENIUS Act provides long-overdue oversight for dollar-backed tokens and replaces years of ambiguity with a clear path to legitimacy and widespread adoption.

“As global stablecoin supply moves beyond $300 billion, these digital dollars will support a rapidly increasing share of cross-border transactions. They reduce fees, eliminate settlement friction, and outperform traditional rails in both speed and transparency. At the same time, regulators are finally moving in the right direction. Stablecoins are moving from a speculative tool into a trusted infrastructure layer for modern payments.

“By 2026, digital assets will no longer sit alongside traditional finance. They will power its next phase of development. Stablecoins, crypto ETFs, and tokenised payments will be used directly within the financial stack and will be part of everyday business and consumer activity worldwide. This is not hype. It is execution, and the market is already moving.”

Ed Crook, VP Strategy & Operations, DeepL:

“2026 will be make-or-break for many financial services providers. In a competitive market, the edge goes to providers who adopt useful AI to cut through inefficient workflows. In this sector, where every interaction is highly regulated and reputational risk is acute, businesses need the right tools for the job. This includes data protection, account security, compliance, IT ops and customer service – keeping fundamental lines of communication open and effective. These are all areas where AI is already solving critical problems.

“AI is fast becoming the connective tissue of international finance, and this trend will continue in 2026, particularly in customer engagement and operational support. Our FS research found that over a third (37%) of client interactions in UK finance already involve AI. Over half (52%) use AI for multilingual translation, the top use case, directly addressing linguistic fragmentation. Moving into the new year, Language AI will be a key practical tool for financial services firms. But these companies first need to iron out their strategy around AI integration. Staff will inevitably look for workarounds if the tools provided don’t meet their needs. This is why companies need to get ahead by providing secure, fit-for-purpose solutions. By building a collaborative approach between IT and frontline teams, and avoiding pitfalls around shadow AI, financial service firms can maintain a unified, strategy approach to AI deployment, protecting against cybersecurity threats, while still realising the full benefits of trusted AI.”

Jeppe Rindom, CEO and Co-Founder, Pleo:

“Automation and “agentification” will redefine the fintech landscape. Most of what’s considered operational today will be handled by intelligent systems, from finance ops to customer support. That playing field will level and expectations will rise.

“To stand out, companies will need to inject identity – the one thing only humans can create. That could be through exceptional product design and user experience, considered use of human touchpoints where emotion and trust matter most, or the depth in which problems are solved for customers, not just how fast they can be solved.

“As the average becomes automated, greatness will come from creativity, clarity and crafting products and experiences that still feel unmistakably human.”

The Next 12 Months

The start of 2026 marks a massive turning point for financial services. After a year defined by renewed pressure on service uptime and improvement, around outages, regulatory pressure and rapid technological acceleration, the industry is now moving from reaction to reinvention.

In the coming year, we’ll see that firms embedding resilience, embracing intelligent automation and identifying new trends in service provision will lead the pack. The future of finance will hinge on trust, modernisation and operational strength, backed by technology.

  • Artificial Intelligence in FinTech
  • Blockchain & Crypto
  • Digital Payments