Payments predictions for 2026: Regional visions for a global future

ChainWatcher · 2026-02-24T09:27:23+00:00

The essay discusses the evolving payments landscape, highlighting trends such as unified systems for payments, ISO 20022, and the roles of AI and embedded finance, while looking towards the future of the industry in 2026.

ChainWatcher

2026-02-24 09:27:23

Abstract generation in progress

In the last several years, change on the payments landscape has been ramping up. With regulations, end-user demands and payment methods in constant flux, payment service providers (PSPs) have been working at full capacity to stay afloat and continue innovating.

Some of the key topics the payments industry are highly focused on at the moment are integrating domestic and cross-border payments into unified systems, the birth of new business models through ISO 20022, and the influence of embedded finance and agentic AI.

Looking ahead at 2026, it is time to explore the ways in which these trends will shape the payments industry in the near future.

**This Finextra impact study, produced in association with Volante Technologies, investigates: **

*   _The evolution of regional rails and real-time payments; _
*   _How the industry will build on ISO 20022; and _
*   _The roles of agentic AI, embedded finance and tokenisation in 2026. _

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