AI agents are beginning to execute payments, regulators are establishing new rules for stablecoins, and financial institutions are rethinking how they manage customer relationships, risk, and competition. As we head into 2027, developments like these are raising new questions about the future of banking and financial services.
These are also the questions shaping the conversations at FinovateSpring 2027. From the implications of agentic commerce to the evolving role of stablecoins, the event’s newly released agenda reflects many of the developments making headlines today. Here are four recent trends that offer a preview of the discussions taking center stage at FinovateSpring, which takes place May 3 through 5 in San Diego, California.
Agentic commerce becomes reality
The news
In October, Visa, BILL, and Billtrust launched a live pilot allowing AI agents to initiate and complete approved B2B invoice payments through supplier portals. Earlier this month, Google expanded its agentic checkout capabilities to Canada, enabling shoppers to purchase directly from eligible retailers through AI Mode in Google Search and the Gemini app.
The conversation at FinovateSpring
These developments demonstrate how agentic commerce is quickly becoming reality. As AI agents begin initiating payments on behalf of consumers and businesses, questions arise about who controls the transaction, how payments are secured, and who is responsible when something goes wrong.
These questions will be central to FinovateSpring’s keynote, “The Checkout Is Disappearing: Payments in an Agentic Economy. Who Is Liable if There Is a Problem?” The event will also feature a panel discussion, “Who Will Own the Next Generation of Payment Relationships?” exploring how banks can address payment fraud, adapt to new approaches to money movement, and capitalize on opportunities in programmable payments.
Stablecoins are a strategic banking question
The news
The US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency released the final rule implementing major provisions of the GENIUS Act in October. The rule stipulates various regulatory and licensing requirements for permitted payment stablecoin issuers and foreign payment stablecoin issuers. Over the past few months, we’ve also seen a small surge in digital asset trust bank applications. Fintechs including Modern Treasury, Rain, Ramp, and Galaxy are seeking to own both fiat and stablecoin rails and custody solutions.
The conversation at FinovateSpring
These two announcements further muddy the waters of whether and how banks will eventually work with stablecoin issuers. Banks have the choice to partner with stablecoin issuers, compete with them, or to develop their own digital currency infrastructure.
This topic appears multiple times throughout the FinovateSpring agenda, including in a fireside chat on the first day titled, “Fireside Chat: Are stablecoins banks’ biggest threat? Will they upend the status quo in financial services?” Stablecoins will also be addressed in two sessions on day three, including a keynote address titled, “Stablecoins vs. tokenised deposits–who wins which use case?” and a fireside chat titled, “The battle for deposits: stablecoins, rewards, and how GENIUS & CLARITY will create new rules for digital money.”
AI innovation is raising new questions about trust and accountability
The news
Earlier this month, Visa released its Agentic Commerce Benchmark, which found that AI models failed 42.8% of simulated shopping tasks. The findings highlight the challenges of ensuring AI agents can accurately interpret consumer intent and execute purchases. In September, Mastercard introduced new trust and intelligence services for its Agent Pay platform, designed to help merchants and financial institutions evaluate AI-initiated transactions using identity, behavioral, and fraud signals.
The conversation at FinovateSpring
Because banks are expanding their use of AI across multiple facets of their organization, they are facing new challenges of deploying it safely and reliably. Banks need to consider how to authenticate AI agents, protect customer information, and establish accountability when automated decisions lead to errors or fraud.
These issues will be explored at FinovateSpring in a keynote on day three titled, “How to innovate responsibly, protect customers and turn trust into a commercial advantage,” as well as in another keynote titled, “Operational resilience—keeping customers served and the institution operating when a critical provider fails.”
The battle for the banking relationship intensifies
The news
In October, JPMorgan Chase raised concerns about third-party AI agents accessing customer bank accounts, highlighting the potential security and data privacy risks associated with autonomous financial tools. Meanwhile, earlier this month, Chime expanded its partnership with Workday to make it easier for employees to direct their paychecks into Chime accounts through their employer’s payroll platform.
The conversation at FinovateSpring
While these announcements involve different technologies, both point to a shift in how consumers access financial services. AI agents and third-party LLM platforms are becoming intermediaries between banks and their customers, which requires traditional banks to face new questions about who controls customer data, how financial products are distributed, and who ultimately owns the customer relationship.
FinovateSpring will explore these challenges in a panel discussion titled, “When Your Customer Has an Agent: Who Owns the Banking Relationship?” Another debate, “Open Banking Meets AI—Who Controls the Customer’s Data in an Agentic World?” will examine how banks and fintechs can navigate the changing dynamics of data access and customer control.
Where will the news take us?
As these developments demonstrate, the financial services industry is entering a period of change that brings both opportunities and new challenges. From navigating emerging regulations to rethinking customer relationships, banks and fintechs have important decisions ahead.
At FinovateSpring 2027, industry leaders, innovators, and financial institutions will come together to explore these challenges, exchange perspectives, and discuss what’s next. Explore the full agenda and join us May 3 through 5 in San Diego to be part of the conversation.
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