2026 FinTech Predictions: Insights from Bjarni Thor Sigurdsson of PAYSTRAX

I spoke with Bjarni Thor Sigurdsson, Chief Commercial Officer at PAYSTRAX, the leading innovative and technology-driven payment processing solution provider in the EEA and UK. As the payments landscape rapidly evolves with programmable money and autonomous agents, Bjarni shares his perspective on the practical implications for banks, fintechs, and consumers alike.

Over to you Bjarni - my questions are in bold:

What's the biggest shift you expect across financial services in 2026?

One of the biggest shifts I'm watching is how quickly payments are becoming automated and intelligent. Stablecoins and tokenised deposits are moving from niche experiments into real commercial pilots, and regulators in the UK are bringing new clarity around how these technologies fit into the regulated financial system. At the same time, consumers are increasingly signalling their openness to autonomous tools making routine transaction decisions on their behalf. Recent research shows that 40 per cent of UK consumers would be comfortable letting an AI agent handle everyday purchases like groceries or bills, especially when the task feels repetitive or "boring."

These trends point toward a future where payments happen more automatically, more intelligently and with far less manual intervention than we are used to. In previous years, discussions around "the future of money" were mostly theoretical. In 2026, we will start to see this future expressed in products and behaviours that millions of people interact with every day.

Which emerging technology will have the most practical impact on banks and the FinTechs that support them?

Tokenised money will have the most immediate impact, particularly when combined with programmability. Tokenisation has already proven its value in card payments by improving security and reliability at scale. Extending that same approach to deposits and settlement gives banks and fintechs a way to modernise how money moves without rebuilding everything from scratch.

Where this becomes especially powerful is when tokenised money interacts with intelligent systems. If an AI agent can trigger a payment and the underlying money is programmable, you reduce friction at multiple points in the chain. That's why this technology feels practical rather than futuristic. It improves existing processes while quietly enabling new ones.

What customer behaviours or expectations will most challenge banks and financial service providers?

One of the most significant challenges for banks will be customers' growing demand for greater flexibility in how payments are made, managed, and reversed, while still expecting absolute clarity and transparency from providers. Automation is accelerating this uneasy balance. While automated and "set-and-forget" payments offer convenience, they also increase the likelihood of confusion when customers try to track, understand, or dispute transactions.

As the economy becomes increasingly digitalised, disputing payments is likely to become a major pain point for consumers and a growing operational challenge for payment providers. Customers will expect seamless automation without sacrificing visibility or control. If banks fail to provide sufficient context, intent, and real-time clarity around transactions, disputes will rise even as payment technology itself continues to improve.

What risks or blind spots do you think the industry is underestimating as we move into 2026?

One underestimated risk is how automation amplifies existing weaknesses in payment processes. Friendly fraud is a good example. It's already a major issue, but as payments become more seamless and less visible to the end user, disputes driven by confusion rather than criminal intent are likely to increase.

Another blind spot is governance. We are very focused on what programmable money and AI agents can do, but less focused on how responsibility is shared when things go wrong. If a payment is triggered automatically, intent becomes harder to define. Without clearer frameworks, banks and merchants risk absorbing reputational and financial damage that isn't truly reflective of bad behaviour on either side.

If you were advising a bank's leadership team today, what strategic priority should they focus on to stay competitive in 2026 and beyond?

I would say the priority is preparing for a world where automation is normal, but trust is still earned. That doesn't require bold promises or radical reinvention. It requires getting the fundamentals right as payments become more intelligent.

That means thinking carefully about how programmable money is introduced, how automated decisions are communicated to customers, and how disputes are handled when no one person explicitly pressed a button. The banks that do well will be those that make advanced technology feel understandable and fair. In a highly automated system, clarity becomes just as important as speed.

Thank you Bjarni! You can connect with Bjarni on his LinkedIn Profile and find out more about the company at paystrax.com/company.