FStech brought together senior leaders from across banking, payments and technology at The Future of FinTech 2026 conference in London, exploring the forces reshaping financial services and the strategies institutions are adopting to remain competitive in an era defined by AI, digital transformation and operational resilience.

Held at the Hilton London Tower Bridge, the event examined how financial institutions are responding to rising customer expectations, increasing regulatory scrutiny and the growing convergence of technology and business strategy.

Opening the conference, Dr Chris Bailey, senior digital accessibility manager at HSBC, highlighted the strategic importance of digital accessibility, arguing that inclusive design should be viewed not merely as a compliance requirement but as a driver of customer experience, innovation and growth. He was joined by accessibility consultant Adi Latiff who presented a live demo of the bank’s accessible web design in action and the user experience for a blind customer on mobile.

Artificial intelligence featured prominently throughout the agenda. Adam Desmond, vice president EMEA at Transmit Security, explored the emergence of AI-enabled consumers and the implications for customer engagement, trust and digital identity. Later discussions considered how organisations can harness AI responsibly while ensuring resilience and accountability remain front and centre.

Payments innovation was another major theme. A panel sponsored by ACI Worldwide brought together Vijay Lulla, executive director and EMEA head of cross-border payments at JPMorgan Payments, Vibhor Narang, lead of payment and treasury solutions for Transaction Banking Europe at Standard Chartered, and Jeremy McDougall of ACI Worldwide. The discussion focused on cross-border instant payments, ISO 20022, payment programmability and the future of interoperable payment ecosystems.

Operational resilience and transformation also featured heavily on the agenda. Matthew Gardner of Cockroach Labs examined resilience in increasingly interconnected technology environments, while a dedicated panel explored how institutions can align operating models, governance and culture to deliver transformation at scale.

The afternoon programme turned its attention to the future shape of banking, with senior leaders from Allica Bank, NatWest, First Direct and Rackspace Technology discussing how banks can balance innovation, customer trust and sustainable growth. Sessions on tokenisation, diversity in technology teams and digital skills development rounded out the day, with contributions from Imperial College Business School, Women in Banking and Finance, and the City of London Corporation.

Jonathan Easton, Editor of FStech, said: “The conversations throughout the day demonstrated that the industry's biggest challenges can no longer be viewed in isolation. Whether discussing AI, payments, resilience or talent, success increasingly depends on organisations' ability to connect technology, culture and execution.

“The Future of FinTech 2026 showcased both the scale of change facing the sector and the quality of leadership driving that transformation.”

FStech's next conference, The Future of AI in Financial Services, takes place on October 6, 2026 at the Hilton London Tower Bridge. Click here for more information.

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