The Euro Banking Association has released new research papers examining how emerging payment technologies will reshape the financial sector, as detailed at EBAday 2026 in Copenhagen. Daniel Szmukler, EBA Director, highlighted two critical developments: agentic AI and tokenised money, both poised to fundamentally transform payment processing, customer interactions, and the broader payments ecosystem.
The research comes as financial institutions face mounting pressure to modernize infrastructure amid growing competition from fintech disruptors. Agentic AI systems, which can act autonomously on behalf of users, represent a significant shift from current payment authorization models. Meanwhile, tokenised money threatens to bypass traditional payment rails entirely, potentially disrupting established banking relationships and revenue streams.
Banks, payment processors, and fintech platforms must now evaluate how these technologies will alter transaction flows and competitive positioning. The EBA’s guidance provides a framework for understanding regulatory and operational implications as these innovations move from concept to implementation.
FXnCO Insight
Financial institutions should immediately assess their technology roadmaps against the EBA’s emerging payments framework to identify strategic gaps before tokenisation and agentic AI adoption accelerates industry-wide.
Source: Finextra