Payments are entering a new phase of transformation. As real-time networks, digital banking platforms, and programmable money reshape how value moves, artificial intelligence is beginning to move beyond automation into systems that can coordinate and act within financial operations.

This convergence is giving rise to what he describes as the Agentic Bank, where humans and intelligent AI agents work together to orchestrate payments, manage liquidity, detect risk, and deliver financial services at machine speed. In the keynote, Temsamani will explore how the intersection of payments infrastructure, AI, and digital assets is reshaping the operating model of financial institutions and redefining how value moves across the economy.

Merchant payments are being reshaped by open-banking rails, embedded finance, and real-time settlement. As merchants demand faster, cheaper, and more integrated payments experiences, banks must rethink their role, from traditional acquirers to data-driven, platform-based partners. This panel unpacks the new economics of merchant payments: the rise of Pay-by-Bank, buy now, pay later (BNPL) regulation, AI-driven fraud management, and the expanding role of embedded finance. Hear from leading banks, fintech innovators, and merchants on how business models, infrastructure, and customer expectations are changing—and what strategies are required for banks to stay relevant in 2026 and beyond. The panel will discuss key factors transformation, including:

By 2027, payments will be instant, embedded, and largely invisible—shifting the competitive frontier away from access to rails and toward control of the intelligence layer that governs every transaction. As multi-rail complexity accelerates and AI enables real-time decisioning, the real value in payments is concentrating in how transactions are routed, funded, authenticated, and optimized.

This panel brings together senior banking leaders to examine how institutions can evolve from payment providers to orchestrators of money movement. The discussion will explore how banks can embed fraud and identity into the flow, dynamically manage liquidity, and deliver “best execution” across rails—while unlocking new revenue streams from data, insights, and programmable payments. At stake is a defining strategic question: will banks own the decisioning layer—or cede it to networks, fintechs, and platforms that sit closer to the customer?

The panel will explore:

Fraudsters are advancing faster than traditional defenses can adapt—leveraging AI, exploiting real-time rails, and capitalizing on consumer expectations for instant, frictionless payments. Meanwhile, real-time payments (RTP) present the lowest recoverability of any fraud channel, intensifying the stakes for providers, banks, and merchants. Consumers now expect not only seamless user experiences but also full protection and reimbursement—even in cases of authorized fraud. The pressure is mounting: Juniper Research estimates that online payments fraud will cost companies more than $362 billion between 2023 and 2028.

This panel explores how organizations can modernize their fraud management frameworks and take a proactive approach by orchestrating identity verification, risk scoring, and behavioral insights across every stage of the customer journey. Leaders will examine how to integrate reputational data to identify and reduce first-party fraud; how to design AI-based fraud models tailored to specific products, channels, and typologies; and how to expand KYC and due-diligence disciplines across the broader payments ecosystem. Panelists will discuss how to balance fraud losses, customer experience, and revenue/risk appetite to create a cohesive, resilient, multi-layered defense strategy for the real-time era.

Join American Banker and Fiserv for a discussion of new research quantifying the state of digital payments maturity across U.S. banks and credit unions. Based on a blind survey of 381 financial institution leaders, the study introduces a Digital Payments Maturity Index benchmarking institutions across 20 capabilities, from foundational services to instant payments, ISO 20022 compliance and stablecoin enablement.

The research shows clear differences in digital maturity across institution types and a strong link between higher maturity and improved outcomes in customer experience, fraud mitigation, compliance, revenue growth and efficiency.

This luncheon session will explore:

· What distinguishes Legacy Operators, Progressive Movers and Trailblazers.

· How instant payments (FedNow and RTP), ISO 20022 and stablecoins are reshaping competitive positioning.

· Where integration, legacy infrastructure and cybersecurity risks are creating friction.

· How leading institutions are structuring governance, vendor strategy and execution for measurable impact.

· Practical steps to accelerate progress along the digital payments maturity curve.