It was that time of year again when the fintech world gathered in Amsterdam for Money20/20 Europe. But this year felt different. Conversations were less focused on hype and disruption, and far more centred on infrastructure, maturity and real-world deployment.
The buzz was still there, but the discussion around topics like AI and stablecoins has clearly entered a new phase, bringing a new set of communications considerations for fintech PR teams.
Stablecoins enter their second phase
At last year’s show, Nabil Manji, Enterprise Growth & Partnerships at Worldpay, now Global Payments, predicted this would be the year stablecoins went mainstream. If Money20/20 is any indication, he was right.
The first mainstage session saw MoneyGram launch its own stablecoin, MGUSD, setting the tone for the week. Stablecoins are no longer being discussed as an emerging trend but as a core piece of financial infrastructure. More importantly, the focus has shifted to practical applications. For MoneyGram, that means serving customers who have never had access to a stable dollar, whether that’s a local worker or a parent sending money home.
For fintechs communicating their position on stablecoins, the industry’s stance is largely settled. Stablecoins are increasingly viewed as part of the future financial system. As Luca Prosperi, CEO and Co-Founder of M0, put it, with regulatory clarity, a pro-innovation environment and backing from major payments players, we’re now in the “second phase of stablecoins”.
Communications need to evolve too. The conversation is no longer about what stablecoins are or why they matter, but how and when they will be adopted. Demonstrating real-world use cases will be key.
AI moves from novelty to normality
Unsurprisingly, AI remained a dominant theme. But much like stablecoins, the conversation has moved on.
The question is no longer whether AI will transform financial services, but how deeply embedded it will become. Speakers repeatedly described AI not as a standalone product but as part of the operational layer of financial services, spanning customer service, fraud prevention, onboarding, marketing and payments.
Much of the discussion centred on AI agents and the role they will play in everyday life. Kraken Co-CEO Arjun Sethi even suggested he expects 100% of his personal capital to be managed by agents in future.
As agent adoption grows, attention is shifting to the practical implications. Reshmi Suresh, Head of Agentic Commerce at Global Payments, explored some of the challenges this creates. In retail, for example, purchase intent becomes harder to determine when an agent acts on behalf of a customer, increasing the amount of data needed to assess a transaction.
We’re entering a new phase where agents support consumers and businesses across a growing range of use cases. For organisations building these technologies, communicating the safeguards, governance and controls behind them will be just as important as promoting their capabilities. As adoption accelerates, scrutiny from customers and regulators will only increase.
Teamwork makes the dream work
One theme echoed throughout the event: fintech growth is increasingly a team sport.
In a session on building the next $10bn fintech, Emily Turner, CEO of HSBC Innovation Banking UK, argued that choosing the right partners from day one is critical to scaling successfully.
The same message came from investors. Alex Marquez, Global Head at Experian Ventures, urged founders to focus less on valuation and more on the investor syndicate they build. Tamara Steffens, Managing Director at Thomson Reuters Ventures, reinforced the importance of who is sitting around the table with you.
Across the industry, collaboration with technology providers, investors, regulators and ecosystem partners is now seen as essential. The expectation of going it alone has faded, and partnership has become a core part of any growth story. That’s something communications programmes and narratives need to reflect.
This year’s Money20/20 highlighted a fintech industry moving into a more operational phase of transformation. The next generation of financial services is taking shape in real time, reshaping how money moves, how institutions operate and how consumers interact with finance. We’re already looking forward to seeing where the next 12 months take us.
