2026 FinTech Predictions: Insights from Chris Mason of Orbital

I spoke with Chris, Co-founder and CEO of Orbital, a global cross-border payment orchestration platform specialised in delivering secure, seamless and compliant stablecoin and traditional payments for enterprises.

Chris shares his perspective on how interoperability will define stablecoin success, and why banks need to embrace collaboration to stay competitive in the evolving payments landscape.

Over to you Chris - my questions are in bold:

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

While there appears to be a payments revolution in the making, 2026 will be the year in which interoperability will define stablecoin success. Real scale for stablecoins will only come from the network effect we see in existing payment systems. If this is to be achieved, it will require industry collaboration at a time when different power players are jostling for market position. That said, I expect the industry to prioritise shared standards, connectivity and interoperability over fragmentation, laying the groundwork for stablecoins to achieve real scale in 2026.

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

Stablecoins will have the most practical impact on supporting banks and fintechs, not as a speculative asset, but as a trusted payments and settlement infrastructure. For banks and fintechs, stablecoins have the potential to dramatically reduce friction in cross-border payments by enabling near-instant settlement, lower costs, and real-time availability.

Since the Genius Act was signed into law last summer, stablecoins have surged in usage by some of the globe's leading financial institutions and fintech's such as JP Morgan, Citi and Klarna. As more companies like these seize the opportunity to integrate payment rails that support stablecoin-based cross-border transactions in 2026, stablecoins will deliver faster, more transparent, and more efficient settlement for their customers.

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

Today, customers expect cross-border payments to feel like domestic ones: near-instant, affordable and frictionless. The greatest challenge for banks will be meeting these expectations while operating in an ecosystem that's shaped by competition and closed-loop systems.

Customers assume that new payment methods will work seamlessly and provide immediate global reach. So, banks and financial service providers will be forced to collaborate on shared standards and networks at a time when major players are competing for control. Those that fail to prioritise interoperability and network effects risk being seen as blockers, while customers gravitate toward banks, fintechs and payment networks that deliver simplicity, speed, and scale.

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

While issuing money is the easier part, making it useful is much harder. Today, many stablecoins and blockchains operate in silos, unable to interact or transact with one another. These closed-loop tokens may function well as internal ledgers, but they lack the connectivity needed to support broad, real-world commerce. Without interoperability, stablecoins struggle to deliver the network effects required for mass adoption.

As we move into 2026, industry leaders could fall foul of focusing too much on issuing tokens when their efforts should be concentrated on making sure that they facilitate transactions. Real scale will only emerge if competitors collaborate on shared standards, settlement frameworks, and interoperability layers.

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

To stay competitive in 2026 and beyond, the strategic question is whether banks plan for the wider adoption of stablecoins in a way that plays to their strengths. As banks already operate at a massive scale and have an established track record of having high regulatory standards, banks should focus on working closely with regulators, payment networks and fintechs to help establish common standards for compliance and risk management, bringing institutional-level trust to blockchain-based transactions.

As questions around trust continue to shape perceptions of DeFi, banks that use their regulatory credibility and existing customer base to shape open, widely adopted payment infrastructure will be integral to cross-border flows, much as Visa and Mastercard did for card networks.

Disclaimer: The views and information shared here are for general informational purposes only and do not constitute financial, investment, legal, or other professional advice. Authors do not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the content. Products and services mentioned may not be available in all jurisdictions and are subject to applicable regulations. Orbital does not recommend buying or selling any particular digital assets and makes no representation on the suitability or reliability of any such asset. Readers should conduct their own due diligence and consult with a qualified advisor before making any financial decisions.

Thank you Chris! You can connect with Chris on his LinkedIn Profile and find out more about the company at www.getorbital.com.