Stablecoins and Instant Settlement Shape Future of Payment System

Source: Coinspaidmedia Original Title: Stablecoins and Instant Settlement Shape Future of Payment System Original Link: In 2026, the payments industry is entering a phase of deep transformation, driven by regulated stablecoins, instant settlement infrastructure, and autonomous solutions powered by artificial intelligence (AI).

A new Deloitte study notes that the payments market in general, and the U.S. market in particular, is changing under the influence of regulatory reforms, technological progress, and rising demands from businesses and consumers. Regulation is no longer holding back innovation. Instead, it’s becoming its catalyst, shaping new payment rails and monetization models.

Stablecoins as Key Catalyst

One of the key drivers of change is stablecoins. Following the adoption of the GENIUS Act in the U.S. in July 2025, the market received a unified regulatory framework for fiat-pegged digital currencies, including mandatory 100% reserves and strict reporting requirements. This significantly increased trust from banks and corporations. According to Deloitte, the total market cap of regulated stablecoins already exceeds $250 billion, while fees for cross-border transfers using them make it possible to reduce costs compared to traditional channels, where the average transfer fee still exceeds 6%.

Acceleration of Instant Payments

At the same time, the shift toward instant payments is accelerating. The launch of the FedNow system in 2023 and the expansion of the RTP network led to the widespread adoption of 24/7/365 real-time settlements. JPMorgan analysts forecast that the volume of real-time transactions will grow by 289% between 2023 and 2030. In just one year, from Q2 2024 to Q2 2025, FedNow transaction volumes increased 20-fold, while their total value grew 500-fold, reaching $245 trillion.

ISO 20022: The New Standard

The report also pays special attention to the ISO 20022 standard, which is becoming mandatory for key payment systems. As of July 2025, Fedwire fully migrated to this standard, and SWIFT completed its transition period in November 2025. Deloitte estimates that previously more than 72% of data in payment messages was transmitted in an unstructured format, requiring manual review. The adoption of ISO 20022 enables the automation of compliance, fraud prevention, and analytics, turning data into a competitive advantage.

AI Agents: The Next Frontier

Another turning point will be the development of autonomous payments based on agentic AI. Unlike generative models, AI agents are capable of independently performing multi-step operations, from invoice processing to liquidity management. Deloitte predicts that AI agents won’t only initiate payments but also optimize cash flows without human involvement, while employees’ roles will shift toward oversight and strategic decision-making.

The Fraud Challenge

As digitalization accelerates, pressure from fraud is also increasing. Visa already uses systems that analyze over 500 parameters for each transaction, helping to prevent up to $28 billion in scam transactions annually. However, experts warn that as generative AI evolves, financial losses from fraud will continue to grow, and the market’s success will depend on balancing security with user convenience.

The Road Ahead

Deloitte emphasizes that in 2026, the winners will be companies that abandon legacy infrastructure, adopt instant payments, stablecoins, and neural networks, and turn regulatory requirements into a source of strategic advantage. In the new environment, compliance will be only a starting point, while the key success factors will be the speed and quality of innovation adoption.