Robert Unger , Managing Director, ACH Network Development, Nacha
with Robert Unger, Nacha
At Smarter Faster Payments 2026, Robert Unger describes the event as the largest and most significant gathering the payments industry has seen to date. With fraud and AI dominating conversations across the conference floor, he explains how the focus has shifted from simply stopping fraud to building a more collaborative ecosystem capable of tackling it collectively.
Unger outlines what he calls the “four pillars” required to combat fraud effectively: data sharing, technology, legal frameworks and economic incentives. While progress is being made across all four areas, he notes that the US payments landscape remains highly fragmented, particularly compared with markets such as the UK, where open banking standards are more unified.
He also highlights Nacha’s latest mandatory rule changes designed to reduce ACH fraud by expanding responsibility across the entire payments ecosystem. Rather than focusing solely on payment origination, the new rules bring receiving institutions and account holders further into the fraud prevention process.
Throughout the conversation, Unger stresses that solving fraud requires industry-wide cooperation. Whether through better data sharing, clearer rules or stronger incentives, he believes the future of payments security depends on the community working together rather than in silos.
Aravind Narayan, Global Head of Proposition, Digital Identity and Fraud, LSEG Risk Intelligence
with Aravind Narayan, LSEG Risk Intelligence
As conversations continue, Aravind Narayan discusses how digital fraud has evolved from isolated scams into a highly organised global industry. As digital transactions accelerate, he explains that fraudsters are increasingly targeting transactional activity rather than simply stealing identities.
Narayan shares findings from recent research showing that fraud awareness is rising, yet many victims still fail to realise they have been scammed until months or even years later. Beyond financial loss, he highlights the deeper issue of declining trust in digital systems, with consumers becoming increasingly sceptical of emails, messages and official communications.
AI-powered fraud and deepfake technology are another major concern. Narayan explains that traditional “verify once, trust forever” identity models are no longer sufficient. Instead, organisations are moving towards continuous, multi-layered identity verification using biometrics, behavioural signals, device intelligence and risk scoring.
While fully autonomous AI payments are not yet mainstream, Narayan argues that identity and access management must be embedded into these systems from the outset to avoid creating new vulnerabilities.
Despite the challenges, he remains optimistic about the future of digital identity, particularly the potential for stronger collaboration, continuous verification and richer risk intelligence to create safer and more inclusive digital ecosystems.
Andrew Stache, SVP, Global Treasury Management, Wells Fargo
with Andrew Stache, Wells Fargo
Andrew Stache explains how payment choice has become a major strategic issue for both banks and corporate treasury teams. As customer expectations evolve, organisations are balancing speed, certainty, cost and user experience when deciding how payments should move.
Stache says the rise of real-time and instant payments in the US is forcing banks to rethink how they orchestrate payment experiences. The goal is increasingly about guiding customers towards the most appropriate option based on their needs and behaviour.
The discussion also explores how fintech partnerships are reshaping banking innovation. Larger banks are becoming more willing to collaborate with fintechs, particularly when it comes to improving customer-facing experiences.
Fraud prevention remains a major focus, particularly around push payment fraud and increasingly sophisticated social engineering attacks powered by generative AI. Stache explains that banks can no longer rely solely on post-transaction recovery. Instead, fraud detection must happen in real time through behavioural analytics, transaction intelligence and collaborative information sharing across the banking sector.
Looking ahead, he believes intelligent payment orchestration will become one of the industry’s biggest innovation areas, with data and AI helping banks personalise payment experiences and optimise outcomes for both businesses and consumers.
Lisa Shields, Founder & CEO, FISPAN
with Lisa Shields, FISPAN
Lisa Shields discusses how embedded banking and embedded intelligence are transforming treasury and payments workflows for mid-market businesses.
FISPAN’s latest launch focuses on embedded accounts receivable capabilities, allowing banks to integrate directly into enterprise resource planning (ERP) and accounting systems
AI is also helping banks bring traditionally enterprise-level treasury services, such as automated cash application and intelligent reconciliation, into the mid-market space. Shields says this dramatically reduces onboarding times and enables banks to deliver sophisticated services to a wider customer base more efficiently.
Fraud prevention is another major theme. Shields recalls how one of FISPAN’s first invoices as a start-up turned out to be fraudulent, underlining how pervasive invoice fraud and vendor impersonation remain. She warns that modern fraudsters are becoming increasingly sophisticated, often manipulating legitimate invoices and changing small details such as routing numbers to avoid detection.
Jaime Zetterstrom, Vice President of Product and Innovation, Somos Inc.
with Jaime Zetterstrom, Somos Inc.
Drawing on research into scam behaviour, Zetterstrom says most fraud originates through communication channels such as phone calls, text messages and emails. Fraudsters increasingly move between platforms during scams, making detection more difficult and creating complex, multi-channel attacks.
She also breaks down the growing threat landscape around phishing, smishing and vishing, all of which exploit telecommunications networks to manipulate victims into taking action.
As the administrator of phone numbers across North America, Somos is heavily focused on rebuilding trust within the communications ecosystem. Zetterstrom argues that consumers increasingly struggle to trust phone calls, text messages and even familiar voices due to the rise of spoofing and AI-generated impersonation.
The discussion also examines how payment systems can balance speed with security. While instant payments are becoming more common, she believes friction still has an important role to play, particularly for high-value or unusual transactions.
Ultimately, Zetterstrom sees collaboration between telecoms providers, banks, fintechs and regulators as essential to tackling fraud effectively and protecting consumers.
Steve Kramer, VP of Product, Paynearme
with Steve Kramer, Paynearme
Steve Kramer discusses how payment experiences are evolving beyond speed alone, with customer experience now becoming equally important.
Kramer explains that consumers increasingly expect payment journeys to feel effortless and intuitive. Offering multiple payment methods is no longer enough; organisations must also help users resolve issues quickly and avoid unnecessary friction.
He says the biggest challenge in payments is no longer moving money itself, but managing the exceptions and edge cases that occur throughout the payment journey.
AI is playing a growing role across the payment lifecycle, from fraud prevention and reconciliation to intelligent virtual agents that guide consumers through payment issues using natural language. Kramer emphasises that AI should solve genuine business problems rather than simply acting as a buzzword.
For Kramer, the future of payments lies in creating seamless, intelligent experiences that quietly guide consumers towards successful outcomes without them even noticing the complexity behind the scenes.
Summary
Across Smarter Faster Payments 2026, one message emerges consistently: fraud, AI and customer experience are reshaping the future of payments. Industry leaders from banks, fintechs, fraud specialists and telecoms providers all highlight the growing sophistication of scams, particularly as real-time payments, generative AI and digital communication channels accelerate fraud risks.
