Accenture Study: Up to USD 13 Trillion Could Shift to New Forms of Payments, Accelerating the Transformation of the Banking Industry

Up to USD 13 trillion in global transaction value could migrate to new forms of payments by the end of this decade, as the banking industry enters a new phase of evolution, according to the Accenture report Top Trends for Banking in 2026 – The Era of Unconstrained Banking.

The banking sector is undergoing a period of profound transformation. Barriers that for decades have constrained scale, speed of innovation, and operational flexibility are fading, driven by rapid advances in artificial intelligence, the digitization of money, and the modernization of technology platforms. These changes are moving banking from a world of deferred decisions to one of immediate action.

The report highlights six major trends that will shape how banks create value, manage risk, and compete in 2026 and beyond.

1. The Future of Money: Value Becomes Intelligent

Money is entering a new phase, defined by how it moves and operates on behalf of its holders. Stablecoins, central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), and tokenized deposits are progressing from pilot initiatives to large-scale adoption. Programmable payments enable the integration of data, rules, and context, transforming transactions into dynamic and autonomous processes. The study shows that the absence of a clear strategy in this area could expose banks to significant revenue losses.

2. The Future of Experience: Banking Present Where It Matters

As AI interfaces evolve into conversational assistants capable of understanding context, customer expectations are changing fundamentally. The relationship with the bank is expanding beyond traditional channels to digital platforms and AI-driven ecosystems. Fragmented experiences become a major risk, and differentiation will depend on banks’ ability to recognize and coherently manage customer intent across all touchpoints, combining technological efficiency with human interaction.

3. The Future of Work: Agentic AI Redefines Productivity

AI agents are driving a fundamental rethink of how work is organized in banking. Emerging models show how employees can orchestrate AI agents to achieve significantly greater impact in areas such as software development, know-your-customer (KYC) processes, and risk assessment. The report emphasizes that maximum value is achieved when technology is supported by leadership, role redesign, and the development of skills required for effective human–AI collaboration.

4. The Future of Technology: Modernization Becomes Essential

Delayed investments in core systems have created technological complexity and high operating costs. The study shows that new capabilities enabled by generative AI, modular architectures, and open platforms make it possible, for the first time, to modernize infrastructure at the pace and efficiency required by industry. In an environment where resilience and adaptability are critical, technology modernization becomes a central pillar of business strategy.

5. The Future of Risk: An Integrated Perspective

Financial, operational, cyber, and geopolitical risks are increasingly interconnected. While organizations invest heavily in compliance and controls, the report shows that fragmented approaches limit predictive capability. The next level of maturity requires enterprise-wide data connectivity, the use of AI to identify patterns in real time, and the development of a culture where risk management is a shared responsibility.

6. The Future of Competition: Growing Pressure on the Balance Sheet

New players, from payment providers and fintechs to crypto companies and private credit firms, are directly targeting traditional banking segments. The study indicates that more than $200 trillion in deposits and loans are exposed to these transformations. The ability to create integrated value propositions that combine technology, data, and customer relationships will be essential to maintaining competitiveness.

The trends shaping in 2026 point to a clear inflection point for the banking industry. For some institutions, change will feel abrupt. For those that choose to lead the transformation, however, this moment represents a rare opportunity to redefine the future of the sector.

Given the scale of change, the report emphasizes that the decisive competitive advantage may come from culture, rather than technology or balance-sheet size alone. Banks that successfully balance curiosity with execution, innovation with resilience, and automation with empathy will be the ones that look back on 2026 as a defining moment for their long-term success.

About Accenture

Accenture is a global professional services company that helps the world’s leading organizations reinvent themselves by building their digital core and harnessing the power of artificial intelligence to create value quickly, at scale, across the enterprise. Accenture brings together the talent of approximately 784,000 people, proprietary assets and platforms, and strong ecosystem partnerships. Accenture’s strategy is to be its clients’ preferred reinvention partner and one of the most client-centric, AI-enabled, and attractive companies for talent globally.

Through its reinvention services, Accenture combines capabilities across strategy, consulting, technology, operations, Accenture Song, and Industry X, supported by deep industry expertise, to deliver solutions and services for clients. Accenture’s purpose is to deliver on the promise of technology and human ingenuity, and its success is measured by the 360° value it creates for all stakeholders.