Payments in 2026 is a balancing act — innovating at full speed while controls tighten just as fast.
The payments sector sits at the centre of financial services transformation. Digital transactions are surging, cash usage has fallen below 10%, and innovation across digital wallets, open finance, AI and ISO 20022 is accelerating at pace. But regulators are raising the bar just as quickly.
The biggest risk is no longer failing to innovate — it’s letting innovation outpace operational maturity.
Consumer Duty, safeguarding 2.0, operational resilience, winddown planning and APP fraud reimbursement are forcing firms to prove they can deliver speed and convenience without compromising customer protection. Frictionless journeys must still demonstrate understanding, fair value and safety — and liability increasingly sits with PSPs, not customers.
At the same time, technology is both the sector’s greatest enabler and its biggest exposure. AI, thirdparty dependencies and richer data bring opportunity — but also resilience, governance and oversight risks regulators are watching closely.
In this video, our payments specialists unpack the key tensions shaping payments in 2026 — and what firms must do to strengthen governance, pressuretest resilience and clarify ownership of tech and AI risks.
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