Intelligent automation to redefine global finance

By Vriti Gothi

A new market outlook has identified the major forces that will reshape the global Fintech and payments industry in 2026, signalling a decisive shift toward intelligent, automated, and programmable financial infrastructure. The findings, released through a detailed whitepaper of the Top 10 FinTech & Payments Trends for 2026, point to a year in which emerging technologies evolve from experimentation to large-scale commercial impact.

The research, published by global tech advisory firm Juniper Research, highlights that 2026 will mark a turning point for financial services as innovations such as stablecoins, agentic AI, digital identity frameworks, tokenisation, and advanced fraud prevention mature in parallel. According to Nick Maynard, VP of FinTech Market Research at Juniper Research, the coming year will be shaped “not just by digitisation, but by intelligence, programmability, and automation,” creating an environment that will require financial institutions to rethink how they operate and compete.

One of the most significant developments outlined in the report is the anticipated rise of stablecoins as a credible alternative to existing interbank settlement systems. As regulatory clarity improves and institutional participation increases, stablecoins are expected to challenge legacy correspondent banking rails by offering faster, programmable, and more cost-efficient settlement. This shift could fundamentally change how money moves across borders.

Alongside this evolution, the research points to the rapid emergence of agentic commerce, where autonomous AI agents handle purchasing decisions, vendor selection, subscription management, and payments execution on behalf of both consumers and enterprises. This transition is expected to simplify commercial processes, increase efficiency, and reshape the interaction between buyers, sellers, and financial intermediaries.

Digital identity is another area expected to undergo significant transformation. The rollout of Europe’s EUDI Wallet will streamline cross-border identity verification, enabling banks and FinTechs across the EU to deliver faster onboarding, simplified KYC processes, and more secure authentication experiences. This development marks a major step toward standardised digital identity infrastructure in one of the world’s most heavily regulated financial markets.

Tokenised assets are also projected to enter the mainstream, with financial institutions expanding early pilots into production environments. The tokenisation of real-world assets, securities, and other financial instruments is expected to unlock new liquidity pools, enable fractional ownership models, and support more efficient issuance and settlement processes.

Generative AI is set to deepen its influence across core banking operations, extending far beyond conversational interfaces. Banks are likely to integrate GenAI across risk modelling, underwriting, product personalisation, fraud analysis, and operational automation. The research notes that institutions will also invest in governance and explainability frameworks to ensure responsible and compliant AI deployment.

In parallel, the report anticipates renewed momentum for payment cards through the adoption of flexible, cloud-based credentials that can be instantly updated for specific merchants or use cases. This evolution may revitalise card innovation at a time when alternative payment methods continue gaining ground.

The industry’s fight against fraud will intensify as deepfake-driven crime escalates. Financial institutions are expected to significantly increase investment in AI-powered fraud prevention systems, behavioural analytics, and multi-layered identity verification to mitigate increasingly sophisticated cyber risks.

In the UK, the commercial rollout of Variable Recurring Payments is expected to accelerate adoption of Pay-by-Bank capabilities. These new account-to-account payment flows will support a wide range of use cases—from subscription billing to SME payments—positioning open banking for its next stage of scale.

Compliance transformation will also extend beyond banks as no-code AML solutions gain traction. These platforms will enable FinTechs, PSPs, and digital-first financial institutions to deploy compliance workflows rapidly without heavy engineering commitments, reducing time-to-market and regulatory burden.