Solutions
Digital & Emerging
Advice on new technologies and business models in payments, from CBDCs and tokenised settlement to agentic commerce and open banking.
← All SolutionsCBDC Advisory
Most of the world's central banks are researching or piloting a central bank digital currency (CBDC). The ECB's digital euro, the multi-CBDC platform mBridge (run by its member central banks since the BIS withdrew in 2024) and the Bank of England's digital pound work all raise commercial questions for banks, processors and merchants. The European Parliament's economic affairs committee approved the digital euro regulation in June 2026, and negotiations with EU member states follow; the final text will set the distribution model, holding limits and how the digital euro relates to bank deposits. We advise payment service providers on positioning, commercial impact and technical preparation.
Tokenised Settlement
Tokenisation records rights to assets such as bonds, equities, real estate or commodities as digital tokens on a distributed ledger. Tokenised deposits, regulated stablecoins and wholesale CBDC are competing to settle these assets faster and with fewer intermediaries, and the ECB is working on settling ledger-based transactions in central bank money. We advise on the commercial implications, interoperability and regulatory treatment of tokenised securities and payments.
Open Banking and A2A Payments
Account-to-account (A2A) payments move money directly between bank accounts without a card network. In the EU, the Payment Services Regulation and the proposed Financial Data Access (FiDA) regulation will shape open banking; in the UK, commercial variable recurring payments are being introduced; and several GCC regulators now license open banking providers. We advise acquirers and merchants on where A2A improves the economics and where cards remain the better choice, and on how acquirers can offer A2A alongside card acceptance.
Agentic Commerce
Agentic commerce means AI agents that search, choose and pay on a user's behalf without a person approving each step. Visa Intelligent Commerce and its Trusted Agent Protocol, Mastercard Agent Pay, Google's Agent Payments Protocol (AP2) and Stripe's Machine Payments Protocol are the first infrastructure for this. Authorisation logic, fraud liability and authentication were not designed for payments started by software agents, so acquirers, issuers and processors need to plan for the change. We advise payment institutions on readiness and positioning.
Discuss your requirements
Speak directly with a specialist in any of these areas.