Banks face 2026 readiness test as digital money rails advance

Banks are being pressed to assess their operating readiness for digital money as stablecoin networks, tokenised-deposit projects and central bank digital currency initiatives move closer to live use. Finextra Research and RedCompass Labs have scheduled an online webinar for 15 September 2026 to examine how financial institutions are adapting and where gaps remain.

The session, set for 15:00 BST, 16:00 CEST and 10:00 EDT, will draw on new RedCompass Labs data, according to Finextra. Scott Hamilton, global payments and liquidity expert and contributing editor at Finextra, is listed as moderator.

Finextra said the discussion will focus on three layers of digital money: stablecoins, tokenised deposits and CBDCs. The agenda includes which layer banks are prioritising, how each may fit cross-border and business-to-business payments, and what the implications are for payment hubs and bank deposit bases.

Stablecoin and tokenised-deposit projects gather pace

Finextra pointed to several developments in June 2026 as evidence that digital-money infrastructure is moving beyond isolated experiments. A consortium of 140 participants, including Visa, Mastercard, BlackRock and Stripe, launched Open USD, a shared stablecoin network intended to compete with Tether and Circle, according to Finextra.

In the same month, JPMorgan, Citi, Bank of America and Wells Fargo were among the banks that announced plans for a bank-led tokenised-deposit network through The Clearing House, Finextra reported. The network is slated for release in 2027, according to that announcement.

Stablecoins and tokenised deposits raise different operating questions for banks. Finextra’s webinar agenda frames stablecoins, tokenised deposits and CBDCs as distinct layers, each with separate effects on payments infrastructure and funding. The session will examine what implementation looks like for banks that want to work with more than one layer.

Consumer and remittance use cases are also advancing. SoFi became the first US national bank to add a USD stablecoin to its own banking app, according to Finextra. Western Union said it launched USDPT on Solana for global payments infrastructure, while Finextra reported that MoneyGram had launched a stablecoin across its remittance network.

Central bank money and regulation enter the debate

The European Central Bank is also moving central bank money onto distributed ledger technology. Finextra cited the ECB’s wholesale settlement solution, Pontos, which is due to launch in the current quarter. The retail digital euro is moving toward a 2027 pilot, according to Finextra.

Regulatory rulebooks are part of the shift. Finextra listed the GENIUS Act in the US, the Markets in Crypto-Assets framework in Europe and the UK’s systemic stablecoin regime among the live or imminent structures shaping digital-money deployment.

For banks, the practical questions extend beyond token issuance. The webinar will consider rail selection for cross-border and B2B payments, the integration burden on payment hubs, and the possible impact on deposit bases, according to Finextra. Those issues determine whether digital-money products can be supported within existing bank architecture or require new systems and governance.

Finextra said the session is intended to provide a 2026 state-of-play assessment of digital-money readiness, using RedCompass Labs data and industry discussion. Registration is being offered through Finextra’s event page.

This story draws on original reporting from Finextra Research.