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:

Tim is a seasoned payments executive with extensive industry experience, currently serving as the Executive Vice President of Enterprise Payments and Open Banking at Regions Bank. In this role, Tim spearheads the bank’s enterprise payments strategy, focusing on the bank’s adoption, implementation, and innovation of new payment technologies such as instant, cryptocurrency and legacy payment systems. In addition, he also oversees the ban’s enterprise open banking strategy including both data sharing and data aggregation objectives. His strategic vision and expertise are key contributions to Regions’ evolution of its digital payments’ capabilities. 

Before joining Regions in 2020, Tim served in leaderships roles at The Clearing House, a private sector, banked owned competitor to the Federal Reserve Bank’s financial services. During his tenure at The Clearing House he made leadership contributions in payment advocacy, product development, business development and overseeing the company’s third strategic partnership program. His expertise and innovative approach not only helped The Clearing House to shape the evolving landscape of the U.S. payments industry but also foster collaborative advancements across the industry.

Tim currently serves on the Nacha Board of Directors and The Clearing House Payments Company Board, reflecting his commitment to influencing and advancing payment systems nationally. Furthermore, he has lent expertise in a consultative role to several central banks around the globe, including those of Trinidad and Tobago, Bangladesh, and South Korea, advising on payments modernization and payments innovation. 

Jodie Kelley is the CEO of the Electronic Transactions Association (ETA), the world’s leading trade association for the payments industry. She brings more than 25 years of experience managing and providing strategic guidance to large organizations, including those in the technology, financial services, and software sectors.

During her tenure, Jodie has led the expansion of ETA’s educational programs and created new initiatives that help the industry navigate the complex compliance landscape. She has significantly evolved and expanded ETA’s government relations work in the U.S. at the federal level, in all 50 states, and in Canada, and has positioned ETA as the expert on critical and emerging topics including AI, privacy, and open banking.

Prior to leading ETA, Jodie served as Senior Vice President and General Counsel for the Business Software Alliance, where she managed programs supporting the software industry in more than 30 countries. She began her career as a partner at the law firm Jenner & Block before moving into leadership roles in financial services, including serving as Vice President and Deputy General Counsel at Fannie Mae.

Jodie is a relentless advocate for gender parity within the payments industry, taking action to get more women into payments and rising through the ranks. She earned her B.A. from the Pennsylvania State University and her J.D. from Harvard Law School.

Amir Wain is a recognized payment thought leader and serial entrepreneur. His entrepreneurial journey began when he founded Innovative Pvt. Limited in 1987. In 2000, he founded i2c to modernize financial technology. As CEO, Amir sets the strategic direction to realize his vision of a global, unified banking and payment platform that delivers unparalleled flexibility and agility while providing security and reliability.

Outside of his work at i2c, Amir serves as Chairman of the Board at numerous startups including xiQ, an AI-powered sales and marketing platform. He is also a limited partner to venture capital funds focused on B2B companies leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning. Amir also serves as Chairman for the Wain Foundation, which is focused on improving health and well-being, the quality of education, and clean water and sanitation in the world.

Jen Martin is an accomplished executive in fraud prevention, bringing over 25 years of expertise spanning criminal justice, banking, and anti-fraud initiatives. She has established and managed high-performing fraud programs, introduced advanced detection technologies, and formulated policies to address emerging threats. Her comprehensive background includes regulatory compliance, analytics, risk management, and security. Jen has played a vital role in protecting organizations from significant financial and reputational losses due to fraud, with particular emphasis on consumer education.

Tim Davis leads Deloitte’s Blockchain and Digital Assets (BDA) Consulting practice and brings more than 30 years of experience in helping organizations navigate emerging technology cycles. Throughout his career with Deloitte, he has advised a broad spectrum of clients—from large multinational technology companies to high-growth startups—on innovation, digital transformation, and adoption of next-generation technologies. In the BDA space, Tim works closely with major banks, payment intermediaries, custodians, and enterprises integrating digital assets into their strategies and operations. He is advising several clients on tokenized deposit and payment stablecoin adoption.

Having lived and worked in Europe, South Africa, and the United Kingdom, Tim brings a global perspective to his leadership and client work. He also collaborates with universities and research institutions to advance blockchain technology, standards, and education, further positioning Deloitte as a trusted advisor in the industry.

Beyond his professional responsibilities, Tim serves on the board of the Deloitte Foundation, a U.S. education nonprofit focused on developing future talent and fostering excellence in teaching, research, and curriculum innovation. He is also an emeritus board member of Treehouse for Kids, a Washington State nonprofit supporting foster youth through education, and he volunteers with Operation Nightwatch in Seattle, which serves the local homeless community. Outside of his community work, Tim enjoys hiking year-round on the many trails across the Pacific Northwest.

Allysun Fleming is Executive Vice President, Executive Director of Payments for Comerica Bank. She is a member of Comerica’s Management Executive Committee.

In her role, Fleming provides strategic direction, financial management, and leadership for all aspects of the Treasury Management, Deposit, Digital, and Payments businesses. She remains focused on leading with client experience and driving growth across all customer segments.

Fleming’s career has included more than 20 years in the financial services industry. She joined Comerica in August 2022 from Wells Fargo in Charlotte, North Carolina, where she delivered customer improvements as Head of Customer Transformation for Commercial Banking. Fleming continued to climb the ladder during her 12 years with the organization, serving in a variety of roles across Treasury Management including managing TM Client Delivery – comprised of implementation, commercial account opening, and enrollment and automation tools teams – driving digital transformation and product simplification initiatives, and global product management experience. Coupled with her Treasury Management knowledge, Fleming garnered consumer and small business banking experience through Business Deposit product management and finance roles for the Consumer Bank.

Prior to Wells, Fleming held a variety of international assignments at HSBC, including Commercial Banking Relationship Management in Buffalo, New York; Strategy and Business Development for M&S Money in the United Kingdom; digital product management for Internet and Self-Service Banking in Hong Kong; and Human Resources in New York, New York.

Fleming earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and political science from the State University of New York at Buffalo. She currently serves on The Clearing House’s PayCo Board of Directors. In 2024, she was named one of American Banker’s Most Influential Women in Payments.

Umar Farooq is the Global Co-Head of J.P. Morgan Payments. A business in the Commercial & Investment Bank, J.P. Morgan Payments enables organizations of all sizes to execute transactions efficiently and securely, transforming the movement of information, money, and assets. The team of experts tackles complex challenges at every stage of the payment lifecycle. And its industry-leading solutions facilitate seamless transactions across borders, industries, and platforms.

Operating in over 160 countries and handling more than 120 currencies, J.P. Morgan Payments division is the largest processor of USD payments, with a daily transaction volume of more than $10 trillion.

Before stepping into his current role, Umar was the Global Head of Financial Institution Payments Sales and CEO of Kinexys by J.P. Morgan, where he leveraged cutting-edge technologies like blockchain to create innovative products, platforms, and marketplaces. His previous roles include Global Head of Digital Wholesale Payments and Head of FinTech for the Corporate and Investment Bank, along with leadership positions in Chase Business Banking.

Umar’s academic background includes a B.S. in Computer Science, a B.S. in Economics, and an M.Eng. in Computer Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as well as a J.D. from Yale Law School.

Leigh Amaro is Swift’s Chief Executive for the Americas region. With over 20 years of banking industry leadership and experience, Leigh brings deep expertise in emerging payments technology and e-commerce. She has a proven track record of building breakthrough partnerships and leading cross-functional, global teams to deliver significant business results. Leigh previously held executive positions at Mastercard and Visa and is part of BAFT’s Women in Transaction Banking Council. She graduated from Cornell University.

Amit Dhingra joined Huntington in 2015 and is responsible for the Enterprise Payments Business which comprises of Retail Payments (Consumer and Business Debit and Credit Cards), Treasury Management (Payables, Receivables including Merchant and Liquidity management solutions), Huntington ChoicePay® B2C Payments and Payment Platforms/ Emerging Payments solutions.

Prior to his current position, Dhingra held roles including Retail Payments and Unsecured Consumer Lending Director and Managing Director Corporate Strategy and Optimal Customer Relationships (OCR). Before joining Huntington, he served in leadership roles at US Bank and spent seven years as a Strategy Consultant and was an Associate Partner with McKinsey & Company, working across their London, Chicago and Minneapolis offices within the Financial Services practice. He started his career with Procter & Gamble in the Finance and Accounting function, working across Asia and Europe.

He currently serves on the Leadership Council for Forge North which is a coalition of entrepreneurs, investors and business leaders focused on advancing the startup eco-system in Minneapolis-Saint Paul and is a board director for The Clearing House (TCH) Payment Company. He was also a former board member at FinTech71; Ohio’s non-profit FinTech accelerator.

Dhingra received his MBA from INSEAD in France, post-graduate with concentration in Finance from the Indian Institute of Management and Bachelor of Technology in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology.