TO BE PUBLISHED April 2026
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This conference will examine next steps for UK payments infrastructure, regulation and innovation. Delegates will also discuss the way forward for development and growth of the UK payments services sector.
Taking place in the context of the Payments Vision Delivery Committee’s work to deliver the 2024 National Payments Vision, including the November 2025 Strategy for Future Retail Payments Infrastructure and forthcoming Payments Forward Plan, the agenda will consider how objectives to expand payment choices, support innovation and inclusion, and promote resilience might be effectively achieved in practice.
Wider regulatory developments will be discussed, including the proposed consolidation of the Payment Systems Regulator into the Financial Conduct Authority, the Bank of England’s evolving approach to stablecoins and tokenised money, and the transition to a permanent governance model for open banking and open finance.
Payments infrastructure rollout, new forms of digital money & consumer engagement
Delegates will assess practical priorities for transforming UK payments infrastructure, and supporting new and existing forms of digital money. Areas for consideration include the rollout of future retail payments infrastructure. The agenda will also look at approaches to improving consumer choice, including practicalities of incorporating inclusivity by design, and latest thinking on strategies for encouraging uptake of new payments solutions across different customer groups and channels.
Sessions will explore how the Strategy for Future Retail Payments Infrastructure can be delivered in practice, including sequencing of upgrades to legacy systems, the role of Pay.UK in supporting access arrangements for new and smaller providers, and considerations for how infrastructure decisions relate to the Government’s Financial Inclusion Strategy, including implications for access to cash.
Open Finance, regulation & user-centred services
The agenda will look at next steps for developing emerging payments use cases within Open Finance, including next steps for industry and the Financial Conduct Authority in establishing the Future Entity for open banking. We expect discussion to look forward to priorities for the forthcoming open finance roadmap, expected by March 2026. Approaches to the Future Entity’s governance, funding model, and remit will be considered, including how consumer representation will be integrated, and how the Entity can best support the transition from open banking to wider open finance under the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025.
Attendees will consider regulatory clarity needed for early adopters of commercial schemes - such as commercial Variable Recurring Payments - the development of technology frameworks that can support safe scaling, and investment and collaboration needed from banks, fintechs and merchants to deliver reliable, user-centred services. Delegates will assess priorities for streamlining the regulatory environment for firms, and maintaining proportionate requirements that can support market growth while protecting consumers and businesses.
Innovation, digital assets, safeguards & faster transactions
Options for developing future regulatory frameworks that support innovation will also be discussed, particularly in areas such as AI-enabled and agentic payments. It follows the FCA launching the Mills Review in January 2026 looking into the impact of advanced AI across retail financial markets. Deployment of tokenised deposits and the use of stablecoins will also be discussed, including stakeholder views on BoE’s plans for a new regulatory regime for stablecoins.
There will also be a focus on risk and resilience, with attendees considering the practicalities of embedding fraud protection and customer safeguards by design, as well as considerations for the effective and proportionate use of digital verification and AI in prevention, and preparations for compliance with the FCA’s updated safeguarding regime for payments and e-money firms by May 2026.
Further sessions will explore the role of digital payments innovation in reducing late payment risk, as the Government prepares its response to consultation on strengthening protections for small businesses. Attendees will assess opportunities for open banking-enabled invoicing, commercial variable recurring payments, and improved data-sharing to advance faster settlement and potentially reduce administrative burdens for small suppliers. Delegates will also consider the role of the Future Entity’s standards, alongside the Strategy for Future Retail Payments Infrastructure, in supporting prompt payment practices by design, and reducing disputes and verification delays.
All delegates will be able to contribute to the output of the conference, which will be shared with parliamentary, ministerial, departmental and regulatory offices, and more widely. This includes the full proceedings and additional articles submitted by delegates. As well as key stakeholders, those already due to attend include officials from the Department of Finance, NI; Defence Science and Technology Laboratory; HM Revenue and Customs; Ofcom; and Home Office.
