In my 16 years with Jack Henry™, I’ve seen plenty of “disruptions” come and go, but the shift we’re seeing right now feels different – it’s more of an evolution than a trend. As 2026 brings rapid shifts in payments, AI, lending, and security, financial institutions have a unique window to turn disruption into opportunity.
Executive Summary
- Secure top-of-wallet status with mobile-first, personalized experiences as digital wallets dominate global payments.
- Strategies for digital currency, AI-driven lending, and fraud resilience are essential to unlocking growth, trust, and a competitive advantage.
- Utilize payment data for personalization and understand compliance as AI and open banking make data strategy critical.
Digital Wallets and Mobile‑First Payments Shaping New Consumer Behavior
Digital wallets drive over 80% of global payments, shifting loyalty from physical cards to wallet ecosystems led by fintech brands.
Gen Z – key to near-term payment growth – expects mobile-first, seamless experiences. Issuers risk losing visibility as wallets control the interface, capture data, and share transaction revenue. To stay relevant, banks and credit unions can go beyond basic money movement by delivering personalized, life-stage financial content.
This means securing top-of-wallet status, enabling flexible payment options, simplifying financial decisions with actionable insights, and empowering accountholders through transparency – all within a single, integrated platform designed for mobile-first engagement.
Future of Banking Innovations: Stablecoins and Tokenized Deposits
Traditional banking and decentralized finance (DeFi) are merging.
This shift is powered by distributed ledger technology, which allows for digital currencies and tokenized deposits. These tools make global transactions instant and transparent, changing what accountholders expect from their financial institutions. As stablecoins become more common, banks and credit unions have an opportunity to lead with a digital currency strategy.
By defining approaches for stablecoins, tokenized deposits, wallets, custody, and compliance, your financial institution can deliver secure, real-time payments and liquidity solutions. Together, DeFi and banking unlock innovation, accountholder growth, and competitive advantage – as rules are being written.
AI‑Driven Lending and Modern Deposit Strategies Transforming Financial Services
Lending is being reshaped by several factors: economic pressures, a rising demand for short-term loans like BNPL and earned wage access, and businesses looking for smaller-dollar financing.
Consumers and businesses now expect digital-first solutions. Meanwhile, competitive deposit rates offer temporary wins, but fintechs and large banks are pulling younger generations – and their deposits – away. It’s time to embrace AI-powered lending tools, unify front- and back-end systems, and transform the loan lifecycle into a growth engine. Success requires enhancing deposit strategies to become the mobile-first hub for Gen Z and Millennials, integrating investments, stablecoins, and tokenized deposits.
Start with modern account origination to capture the Great Wealth Transfer and future-ready engagement.
Fraud Prevention in Payments and Evolving Security Strategies
Cyber threats and fraud are evolving fast.
Economic strain and social normalization of scams are fueling first-party fraud, while generative AI drives synthetic identities and document forgery. At the same time, regulators emphasize resilience over prevention, spotlighting vendor risk and recovery readiness. Banks and credit unions can strengthen credibility through layered defenses, tested recovery plans, and behavioral analytics. Embed fraud detection into lending workflows, integrate third-party risk controls, and join sector-wide intelligence networks.
Financial institutions who combine resilience with proactive fraud culture strategies will earn trust and competitive advantage.
Open Banking Data Strategy as a Competitive Advantage in Banking
Agent-assisted shopping and autonomous payments are changing consumer behavior – with most consumers (76%) wanting AI-powered shopping assistants. The shift is leading to intelligent payment routing and rule-driven transactions. As agentic AI emerges, data becomes the battleground. With open banking accelerating – amid unclear regulations – banks and credit union leaders should act now.
Success depends on a clear payments data strategy: assess current data, identify gaps, and leverage open banking to capture external sources. Prioritize payment transaction data, including flows from fintechs and wallets, and embed cash flow forecasting, decisioning logic, risk scoring, and compliance.
Those who master data will lead in delivering seamless, personalized, and secure payment experiences.
Stay ahead of disruption with data strategies for 2026 and beyond. Download the White Paper.
Ready to take the next step? Connect with a Jack Henry expert to elevate your success.
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