Wearables, Stablecoins and the Future of Autonomy

At Money20/20 USA 2025, the “60 Seconds” question — What big bets in fintech will define the future? — sparked a set of answers that captured the industry’s accelerating shift toward frictionless experiences, autonomous systems, and next-generation payment rails. What emerged was a picture of a financial ecosystem moving far beyond apps and cards, into a world where money flows through devices, networks, and algorithms with unprecedented ease.

One standout theme was the rise of wearables as mainstream payment interfaces. Rings, watches, glasses, and other body-worn technology are quickly becoming not just novelties but serious contenders for the future of authentication and transaction approval. As one participant put it, wearables are no longer a futuristic add-on — they’re becoming a primary payment channel as biometrics and tokenisation reach maturity. The long-promised world where “you are your ID” is now materialising through the devices we already wear.

Another attendee spotlighted the shift in global consumer behaviour: local payments are no longer the alternative — they’ve become the default. From instant bank transfers to digital wallets, domestic rails now outperform traditional card networks in speed, adoption, and cost efficiency. This shift is influencing how merchants and fintechs build their payment stacks, rebalancing power across the ecosystem.

Fraud prevention also surfaced as a strategic bet, not just a defensive measure. With fraud attacks rising alongside digital adoption, investing in smarter detection systems is no longer optional. As someone noted, “You can bet on fraud prevention — it will save you money.” Modern AI-driven fraud tools are becoming both cost-saving and revenue-protecting engines.

One of the most compelling insights centred on stablecoins for cross-border payments, which are gaining momentum as institutions begin piloting tokenised international transfers. Stablecoins promise near-instant settlement, lower fees, and 24/7 operability — all of which challenge slow, expensive legacy correspondent banking processes.

Finally, one participant highlighted Strive, a transatlantic fintech success story operating between San Francisco and Dublin, as an example of where the industry is headed: highly automated financial experiences with the human in the loop, ensuring oversight, nuance, and trust while machines handle the heavy lifting.

Taken together, the responses reveal an industry moving toward a future where payments are more wearable, money is more programmable, fraud is more preventable, and cross-border flows are finally becoming friction-light.