Technology

Tokenisation is moving beyond experimentation with digital assets toward more practical applications in financial-market infrastructure. Financial institutions and central banks are testing whether commercial bank deposits and central bank money can be represented digitally on programmable platforms, allowing payment...

The digital euro is moving from a central-bank research project toward a more defined phase of technical preparation, market participation and regulatory development. The Eurosystem completed its initial investigation phase in 2023 and moved into a preparation phase later...

Bank accounts are increasingly becoming accessible through digital services outside the traditional banking application. Open banking has enabled customers to give authorised third parties access to account information and, increasingly, initiate payments directly from those accounts. Combined with faster...

Banking is moving toward a model in which payments are expected to work continuously rather than within the operating windows of traditional clearing systems. Fast-payment infrastructure now allows funds to become available almost immediately, including outside conventional banking hours....

The expansion of instant payments is changing the way financial institutions approach fraud. When funds can move and become available within seconds, the window between detecting suspicious activity and taking action becomes substantially smaller. Fraud controls that depend primarily...

Corporate treasury is traditionally built around forecasting cash requirements, scheduling transfers and managing liquidity across accounts and banking relationships. The growing availability of instant payments is beginning to change that operating model by allowing companies to move funds continuously...

Ant International, Visa and Mastercard have announced a collaboration to co-develop an AI payment standard designed to improve fraud detection, strengthen security and support interoperability across global payment networks. The initiative, reported by CNBC on September 10, 2026, represents...