Real-time payments, stablecoins and AI use cases are expected to be among the hot topics at next year’s industry events.

Many payments professionals will turn to conferences in 2027 to gain a deeper understanding of fast-evolving technologies and regulations shaping the payments sphere.

Artificial intelligence, real-time payments and stablecoins pose big unanswered questions for the industry, and events offer a venue to connect with industry peers and discuss solutions to tackle solutions head-on.

“Nothing replaces the in-person connections and relationships built at conferences,” said Lucas Timberlake, who became executive director of Fintech Sandbox this year. The organization, a nonprofit that provides data to fintech entrepreneurs and startups, hosts Boston Fintech Week annually. The conference will enter its tenth year in 2027.

One of the fastest-changing areas of payments and many other industries is AI.

As the technology develops, financial executives are exploring how to mitigate risks involved in agentic commerce, which is expected to eventually enable AI agents to make purchases on behalf of consumers. Payments players, alongside retail partners, are working to create standards and protocols around AI payments, and to determine who’s liable if something goes wrong.

“In an industry where change moves as fast as the payments themselves, developing an effective payments strategy in isolation is increasingly difficult,” said Stephanie Prebish, senior managing director of association services at Nacha.

AI was already a hot topic at this year’s conferences, and it’s expected to gain momentum as a major theme at next year’s events as well. Speakers and attendees have been open to sharing what they’re trying with AI, what’s working and what they’re still figuring out, said Theresa Freas, chief marketing officer of payment solutions company CheckAlt.

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