This week has seen much of the payments industry descend on Las Vegas for Money20/20 USA, one of the biggest industry events on the calendar, where we had the opportunity to catch up with many of you in person. The latest event was the usual packed schedule of networking and talks, and as always there were a number of consistent themes that emerged from both our conversations and many of the sessions.

Here are our key takeaways from Money20/20 USA in 2024:

• Generative AI was the buzzword of the conference. Anyone who could highlight it, did so, with the term visible all over stands, in marketing materials and in many of the panels and discussions. This was especially true among startups and other companies who provide services to the payment space, rather than handling payments themselves, particularly among those who provide fraud, compliance and marketing solutions. However, how much AI is actually being used materially within the industry, and in particular among these types of companies, is less clear.
• Cross-border payments is becoming a larger focus. Some of the largest advertisers and booths were cross-border payments network providers, with standouts including Mastercard Move, Thunes, Dandelion and Convera. The topic also saw considerable discussion across many of the sessions, with conversations around interoperability, instant payments, working capital, blockchain and inclusion among some of the highlights.
• Crypto continues to edge back into the discussion. Much of the focus this year has been around the use of stablecoins for settlement and treasury solutions, which also reflects a number of high-profile stablecoin announcements from players such as Ripple and Stripe in recent months. At the conference, several payment providers discussed recent use and integration of stablecoins into their treasury functions, and Ripple and Stellar were among those with large, attention-grabbing booths. 
• Banks were present, but their booths were rarer. While we spoke to lots of people from banks attending the conference, many had opted to spend less on their presence at the event by deciding to forgo booths this year. There were some notable exceptions to this, however, most notably Standard Chartered and Silicon Valley Bank.

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Cameron Graham

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Cameron is Head of Platform Products at FXC Intelligence, where he focuses on pricing data within the FX and payments industry. He has written comprehensive reports about trends within the money transfer industry, and has previous experience with equity research and microfinance. Cameron has a MA in International Political Economy from King’s College London, and a BA in Political Science from The University of the South.