Qulix at the Payments Forum in San Francisco: Key Takeaways

Hosted by American Banker, the 2025 Payments Forum is a focused industry event that brings together financial institution leaders, card issuers, payment processors, merchants, retailers, investors, and technology providers.

This year’s program covered major shifts shaping payments today, including the impact of AI on operations and employment, the growing role of cross-border payments and cryptocurrencies, and the latest progress in real-time payment processing. The forum also gathered a broad group of industry sponsors and participants, including ServiceNow, Cognizant, DailyPay, FIS, TruStage, and others.

Kate returned from the conference with practical observations, new professional connections, and key insights from panel discussions. Below are the main takeaways.

Key takeaways

1. Stablecoin regulation is moving closer to a federal framework in the U.S. Industry participants closely followed developments around legislation aiming to establish a federal regulatory framework for U.S. payment stablecoins (the GENIUS Act). Many leaders expect clearer crypto compliance requirements and anticipate deeper integration of digital banking and stablecoins within the next 2–3 years.

2. Cross-border simplification and wider crypto adoption are seen as major inclusion drivers A recurring theme was that faster, cheaper cross-border payments—supported by modern payment rails and cryptocurrency infrastructure—could expand access to essential financial services for underserved populations and unlock new economic opportunities.

3. AI is accelerating dispute resolution and operational efficiency ServiceNow and Visa were highlighted as a notable example of AI automation applied to payments operations. Their efforts focus on streamlining payment dispute resolution for banks, strengthening security with Skyflow, reducing resolution time, supporting compliance, and improving the cardholder experience.

4. Strong execution and community-building remain differentiators for industry forums Beyond content, the conference stood out for its organization, high-quality networking, and an award ceremony recognizing “The Most Influential Women in Payments.” Overall, the event reinforced that Qulix’s direction aligns with current fintech priorities—and strengthened our motivation to translate these insights into client impact.