Revolutions on Deck: The Trends Poised to Define Fintech and Banking in 2026

In this edition of Leaders Lounge, we spoke to 17 fintech and banking experts about the major stories, opportunities and pitfalls that await the industry in 2026.

Daniel Grunstein, CEO, Co-Founder of Crowded Finance: We’re heading toward the death of fintech banking. Five years ago, neobanks introduced revolutionary yet horizontal offerings, transforming the banking industry. Then, neobanks began to specialize, with new ones emerging to address specific industry problems. Going into 2026, the next evolution is already happening; banking and fintech tools won’t exist as separate platforms. Banking and financial technology will be embedded directly into organization’s core systems.

Brandon Spear, CEO of TreviPay: I expect bank-issued trade credit to take on a bigger role in 2026 as more B2B spend moves off checks and manual invoicing. Banks have the relationships, expertise and tools—available through fintech partnerships—to offer flexible terms and tighter cash flow control to their commercial clients.

Luther Liang, SVP & Head of Product, Grasshopper Bank: The biggest change on the horizon is agentic commerce. AI agents will become a mainstream reality next year, with average, everyday people interacting with them as a part of their normal routines. As this shift accelerates, the fintech industry will begin learning not only how to engage with these agents, but also how people choose to use them.

Mamta Rodrigues, Chief Client Officer of Banking, Financial Services and Insurance at TP: Carl Jung said, ‘The brighter the light, the darker the shadow.’ This is becoming especially true in AI fraud. It is nascent today, but as AI-led fraud grows in 2026 and beyond, the industry must work faster to create fraud prevention tools that mitigate this risk and protect the customer.

Kelly Brown, CEO and Founder of Ampersand: The biggest change on the horizon is right-sized regulation. Making bank rules simpler and risk-based so supervisors focus on what can really hurt a bank (capital, liquidity, credit). Tailoring by size and complexity so smaller banks aren’t buried in one-size-fits-all paperwork.

Fiona Roach Canning, CEO of Pollinate: Economics are sharpening product focus, and battlegrounds like SMBs are clear. Banks see a right to win with capital-light, fee-heavy products, but only a few will become true ecosystem orchestrators. Others must choose to own the CX or supply top components as software-led non-banks grow.

Matthew Goldman, Founder of Totavi: Challenger credit will be a major theme in 2026. We’ve seen consumers adopting BNPL not just for big-ticket purchases, but also for everyday expenses like groceries, signaling continued stress over the cost of living. Also, as more individuals become freelancers without W-2s, we expect fintechs to fill the credit gap with smarter, more inclusive underwriting.

David McGibbon, Partner and Banking Expert, Baringa: We’ll see a renewed focus on branch expansion in strategic markets as banks advise customers across wealth, retirement, and insurance products beyond just deposits. This fight for customer loyalty and prime real estate will be accelerated by an influx of international entrants and M&A activity.

Kamran Ansari, Venture Partner at Infinity Ventures: The fintech landscape will look very different by year-end 2026. We’re absolutely in an AI bubble, but it’s uneven. This is a “haves and have-nots” bubble. The math is roughly 90% of AI companies are probably overvalued and 10% are undervalued. The challenge is identifying which is which. Not all AI investments are created equal.

Gates Little, CEO of altLINE and The Southern Bank Company: In 2026, banks will keep experimenting with AI to make routine tasks faster, and spot potential issues sooner. We may see more advanced digital tools involving mobile payments, personal budgeting apps, and automated savings features that give customers better control over their money.

Nikita Zelezkins, Chief Operating Officer at Noda: The biggest change will be instant payment regulation. With 2025 deadlines forcing industry-wide adoption, both consumers and businesses now expect real-time settlement as the default. In 2026, this expectation will intensify, putting pressure not only on banks but also linked third-party payment providers to accelerate money movement.

Julie Muckleroy, Global Banking Strategist, SAS: Hybrid quantum-classical computing will move from pilots to production, delivering breakthroughs in risk, fraud and capital optimization. Banks building early experience will see transformative gains in accuracy, agility and performance that deliver an outsized edge over the competition.

Steve Bledsoe, VP Solution Engineering, Entersekt: The biggest emerging technology will be AI-driven tools for fighting social engineering scams and account takeover. Fraud tactics are strong, forcing the industry’s hand to drastically improve fraud detection. Dynamic risk conditions will keep fraud out and maintain a user experience that builds trust, loyalty and a competitive advantage.

Lisa Pent, CEO of Pentedge: Core modernization becomes the biggest 2026 banking story. Banks that embrace modern APIs and flexible cores will gain speed and efficiency, while those stuck on legacy systems will struggle to compete.

Todd Robertson’s, SVP of Business Development at ARGO: In 2026, banks must have the ability to mine customer insights from their digital touchpoints. Institutions that successfully interpret these insights in real-time and adjust engagement accordingly will be best positioned to meet customer expectations.

Jessica Cheney, VP, Product Management & Strategic Solutions at Bottomline Technologies: 2026 marks a major shift in fraud liability. With Nacha’s new rules, US corporates must detect fraud before sending payments. Banks will push name-checking, positive pay, and upstream controls as real-time payments and rising fraud demand proactive prevention.

Nick Maynard, VP of Fintech, Juniper Research: Agentic commerce will hit banking in 2026 as AI agents begin making autonomous purchases and payments. Banks must enable secure, permissioned transactions for AI-driven buyers—pushing a major shift in fraud controls, payment flows, and customer experience.