Solutions
Digital & Emerging
Expert guidance on the emerging technologies and business models reshaping the payments industry: from CBDCs and tokenised settlement to agentic commerce and open banking A2A.
← All SolutionsCBDC Advisory
114 countries representing 95% of global GDP are exploring CBDC projects. Initiatives including the ECB's digital euro, the BIS mBridge cross-border CBDC platform, and the Bank of England's digital pound raise immediate commercial and strategic questions for banks, payment processors and companies. The ECB completed its preparatory phase in late 2025; the enabling regulation is expected to define the distribution model, holding limits and the relationship between the digital euro and commercial bank deposits. We advise payment service providers on positioning, commercial impact modelling and technical preparation for CBDC environments.
Tokenised Settlement
Tokenisation represents the conversion of asset rights: real estate, bonds, equities, commodities, into digital tokens on blockchain networks. ISO 20022 standardisation and SWIFT deadlines provide the infrastructure for near-instant cross-border settlement that reduces reliance on intermediaries. The ECB's planned experiment linking trading platforms and TARGET services in Q3 2026 marks a significant step toward tokenised settlement as operational infrastructure. We advise on the commercial implications, interoperability challenges and regulatory treatment of tokenised securities and payments.
Open Banking and A2A Payments
Account-to-account payment enables direct bank-to-bank transfers bypassing traditional card networks. The EU Open Banking Regulation and FiDA, the UK's VRP commercial programme, and regulatory mandates across GCC markets are driving A2A adoption in both e-commerce and point of sale. We advise acquirers and merchants on where A2A genuinely improves economics versus where cards remain the better option, and on the strategic positioning for acquirers integrating A2A alongside card acceptance.
Agentic Commerce
Agentic commerce describes AI systems that execute purchasing decisions on behalf of users: searching, selecting, authorising and completing transactions without real-time human intervention. Visa's Trusted protocol, Mastercard's Agent Pay, Google's AP2 standard and Stripe's Machine Payments Protocol represent the emerging infrastructure layer. The commercial and risk implications for acquirers, issuers and payment processors are material: authorisation logic, fraud liability and authentication frameworks were not designed for agent-initiated transaction volumes. We advise payment institutions on readiness assessment and strategic positioning for agentic payment flows.
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