Many payments professionals will turn to conferences in 2027 to gain a deeper understanding of fast-evolving technologies and regulations shaping the payments sphere.
Artificial intelligence, real-time payments and stablecoins pose big unanswered questions for the industry, and events offer a venue to connect with industry peers and discuss solutions to tackle solutions head-on.
“Nothing replaces the in-person connections and relationships built at conferences,” said Lucas Timberlake, who became executive director of Fintech Sandbox this year. The organization, a nonprofit that provides data to fintech entrepreneurs and startups, hosts Boston Fintech Week annually. The conference will enter its tenth year in 2027.
One of the fastest-changing areas of payments and many other industries is AI.
As the technology develops, financial executives are exploring how to mitigate risks involved in agentic commerce, which is expected to eventually enable AI agents to make purchases on behalf of consumers. Payments players, alongside retail partners, are working to create standards and protocols around AI payments, and to determine who’s liable if something goes wrong.
“In an industry where change moves as fast as the payments themselves, developing an effective payments strategy in isolation is increasingly difficult,” said Stephanie Prebish, senior managing director of association services at Nacha.
AI was already a hot topic at this year’s conferences, and it’s expected to gain momentum as a major theme at next year’s events as well. Speakers and attendees have been open to sharing what they’re trying with AI, what’s working and what they’re still figuring out, said Theresa Freas, chief marketing officer of payment solutions company CheckAlt.
“There’s caution, but also a practical willingness to move forward and learn from one another,” Freas said.
Stablecoins are also expected to be timely topics for payments professionals and conference attendees, especially in light of the Federal Reserve’s proposed rules for stablecoin issuers published last week.
The Instant Payments Summit, scheduled for March in Atlanta, aims to home in on the future of U.S. money movement, including instant payments and stablecoins. Prebish said stablecoins will be among the topics covered in sessions during Nacha’s Smarter Faster Payments next year.
“AI, stablecoins, and new payment technologies are creating both opportunities and challenges,” Prebish said.
Instant and real-time payments have come to the forefront in the industry, with advances this year and next. The Clearing House plans to extend its real-time payments system, the RTP network, across international borders by the first half of next year. And the Federal Reserve Board has proposed amending FedNow to allow U.S. banks and credit unions to use intermediaries when transferring funds through the FedNow service, which could speed cross-border transactions and advance instant payments globally.
“Moving money and data faster and more efficiently is top of mind for us,” said Adam Kujawa, vice president of business development at Fidelity National Information Services in the payroll and payouts division.
Arpit Goel, CEO and founder of instant payment platform Root, said he will be on the hunt for conferences that address real-time payments and “how the U.S. is lagging the rest of the world.” He also hopes events will discuss regulations such as the Genius Act, the Clarity Act and open banking regulations. Money 20/20 USA and Nacha Smarter Faster Payments are among the events Goel plans to attend.
Next year, Nacha's Smarter Faster Payments will take place in National Harbor, Maryland, outside of Washington, D.C. The location of the conference “creates opportunities to bring more voices from the policy arena into the conversation,” said Prebish.
A few other organizations are hosting their conferences in the Washington, D.C., area, while several other events will take place in Las Vegas.
Below is a look at the biggest payments and fintech conferences coming up in 2027. And don’t forget there are still some conferences yet to occur this year if you still need to squeeze one in!
Top payments conferences in 2027
Payments MAGnified 27
Feb. 22-25
Dallas
The Merchant Advisory Group will host this conference, with speakers offering in-depth insights into payments industry challenges and opportunities.
Fintech Meetup
Feb. 22-24
Las Vegas
More than 700 financial institutions converge for Fintech Meetup. The theme for the 2027 event is “Built on Trust,” and speakers will include executives from the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, card network Mastercard and digital processor Stripe.
Timberlake plans to attend the Meetup to network with fintech founders and build new connections “that often turn into lifelong relationships,” he said.
BAFT International Trade and Payments Conference
Feb. 23-25
Brooklyn, New York
At the Bankers Association for Finance and Trade’s conference, sessions will cover what’s next for cross-border payments, liquidity in the always-on economy, agentic commerce and de-risking correspondent banking.
Women in Payments Symposium
Feb. 24-25
Tysons Corner, Virginia, near Washington, D.C.
Each year, the symposium features female leaders in the payments industry and works to support diversity and gender parity.
ePayConnect
March 1-3
San Antonio
Session tracks at this event include, operations and compliance, fraud and risk, and innovation and technology. Attendees can also earn continuing education credits when they go to the general sessions and workshops.
ICBA Live 2027
March 1-4
Las Vegas
Independent Community Bankers of America said its event is the largest gathering of community bankers in the world. ICBA expects more than 2,500 people to attend next year’s event, with 57% of attendees having roles in the C-suite.
FPC Spring Member Meeting
March 3-5
San Antonio
The Faster Payments Council focuses on issues that inhibit the adoption of speedy payments and fast funds transfers within the U.S.
Instant Payments Summit
March 11
Atlanta
Next year’s summit will be the 12th one in the U.S. The event focuses on the future of U.S. money movement, including instant payments and stablecoins.
MRC Vegas 2027
March 15-18
Las Vegas
The Merchant Risk Council’s event focuses on fraud prevention for merchants, solution providers, financial institutions and industry experts in the payment processing industry.
Fintech Americas Miami 2027
March 16-18
Miami Beach, Florida
Fintech Americas convenes banks, fintechs, payments providers and insurers from the U.S., Latin America and the Caribbean. More than 2,000 participants attend, with 44% at the C-level.
Innovative Payments Conference
April 5-7
Washington, D.C.
The conference is hosted by the Innovative Payments Association. The 2026 event featured speakers from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, neobank Chime and card network behemoth Visa.
Nacha's Smarter Faster Payments
April 11-14
National Harbor, Maryland, near Washington, D.C.
Sessions during the 2027 event will focus on the intersection of AI and agentic commerce, stablecoins, regulatory and compliance developments, and the continuing evolution of the ACH network, Prebish said.One goal for the event is to ensure attendees are more actively involved in sessions, versus being passive audience members, Prebish said “so everyone can share perspectives, ask questions and learn from one another.”
Association of Payment Professionals’ Level Up 27
April 12-14
Las Vegas
The three-day conference will take a deep dive into risk and compliance related to payments issues during some 20 sessions.
Electronic Transactions Association’s Transact 2027
April 19-21
Las Vegas
The event will cover timely topics such as innovation in payments; growth and commerce; infrastructure; and trust, risk and fraud related to payments plays.
NEAA (Northeast Acquirers Association) 2027
May 5-6
Niagara Falls, New York
This year, the regional association’s conference will take place on the U.S. side of Niagara Falls. NEAA says no need to choose between a productive conference and a trip to remember — the location offers both.
Concepts 2027
May 11-13
Plymouth, Michigan
The Clearing House’s event will cover topics such as financial institution and fintech partnerships, AI in payments, and digital assets.
MWAA (Midwest Acquirers Association) 2027
July 20-22
Chicago
This will be MWAA’s 25th annual conference, a three-day event with educational and networking opportunities, speakers and an exhibit hall that showcases the latest payments products.
MoneyLive North America
September
Atlanta
About 900 people attend MoneyLive each year, with 70% at the C-level, director, vice president or head-of level. Speakers from the 2026 event included executives from Bank of America, The Clearing House and fintech Plaid.
Boston Fintech Week
September
Boston
The conference will enter its tenth year in 2027 and bring in speakers from around the world. The event “offers attendees the opportunity to build meaningful connections with the innovators, regulators, and investors building the future of financial services,” Timberlake said.
Merchant Advisory Group Payments Conference
Sept. 19-22
Orlando
MAG’s event aims to focus on the latest industry topics, as well as provide an outlook on the future of payments. For 2026, the confab addressed agentic commerce, real-time payments and fraud threats, among other payments issues, according to the agenda.
WSAA (Western States Acquirers Association) 2027
Oct. 19-21
San Diego
This regional event brings together more than 1,500 attendees and 550 companies involved on the acquiring side of merchant transactions. They include point-of-sale vendors, fintechs, law firms and other market participants.
Money20/20 USA
Oct. 19-21
Las Vegas
“Money 20/20 USA has grown exponentially over the past five years,” Fintech Sandbox’s Timberlake said. The event often brings in global companies and founders, which helps bring an international perspective to the U.S. event, he added.
Kujawa and his team at FIS typically attend about 30 events each year, with Money20/20 being one of them. “We choose conferences that give us a clear view of where payments operations are moving,” Kujawa said.
