Joey Pizzolato

Real-time payments are expected to generate $173 billion in additional economic output this year, according to the Center for Economic and Business Research. Cross-border payments are entering their “real-time era”—and in 2026 the biggest opportunity for banks is to evolve from slow, fee-driven intermediaries into 24/7 liquidity, settlement, and compliance hubs. This panel explores how banks can capture new revenue and deepen client relationships by delivering instant cross-border settlement, richer data, and embedded treasury capabilities—while maintaining trust, control, and regulatory-grade risk management.

The panelists will debate where banks can lead versus where they will be disintermediated, and which technologies will determine who wins the next generation of global payments. Key to this: Interoperability infrastructure—the combination of ISO 20022 + APIs + real-time compliance automation, increasingly paired with tokenized settlement rails, including stablecoins and blockchain-based networks. The discussion will include:

• Why the real opportunity isn’t “faster wires,” but always-on settlement and liquidity services
• The race to become the cross-border orchestration layer for corporates, fintechs, and marketplaces
• Where tokenization and stablecoin settlement will matter most—and where it won’t
• The role of ISO 20022, APIs, and data richness in enabling automation and scale
• Why AI-driven AML/fraud and sanctions screening becomes mission-critical in real time
• What a winning 2026 strategy looks like: corridors, partnerships, pricing, and operating model

Global payments are entering a new phase, shaped by real-time expectations, growing complexity, and rapid advances in technologies such as blockchain, biometrics and artificial intelligence. At the same time, mission-critical payments infrastructure needs to be modernized while maintaining the resiliency and security that clients depend on.

In this fireside chat, Umar Farooq, will share his perspective on where the payments industry is headed and what it takes to innovate at a global scale. Drawing on his experience leading one of the world’s largest payments franchises and helping shape the firm’s blockchain strategy, Umar will discuss how client needs are evolving, where innovative breakthroughs are emerging, and how new technologies are being applied in payments today.

The conversation will explore how J.P. Morgan Payments is using blockchain infrastructure, biometric authentication and AI-driven capabilities to enhance speed, security and transparency across payments. Attendees will walk away with a high-level view of the payments landscape and a practical understanding of how large institutions can responsibly scale innovation without compromising trust or stability.