What’s Emerging Now: Technology Shaping the Next Phase of Payments

Today’s payments innovation is less about new rails and more about new ways payments are initiated, authorized, routed, and experienced. As instant payments like the RTP Network and the FedNow Service continue to mature, the focus has shifted to how emerging technologies are changing consumer behavior, risk decisions, and product design. This course explores trends such as embedded payments, evolving definitions of authorization, voice- and API-driven payment experiences, and automation in payment decisioning. Students will examine how these developments build on existing infrastructure while reshaping expectations for speed, control, and accountability.