Entering the final half of the year, there are plenty of payments conferences and trade shows still available for networking and learning in 2026.
The industry organization Nacha drew 2,300 industry professionals to San Diego for its Smarter Faster Payments conference in late April, with an exhibit hall floor showcasing about 100 booths,
Combatting fraud in the payments arena, preparing for agentic commerce and adapting to the ISO 20022 international standard were among the topics highlighted in presentations. There were plenty of receptions and swag to lighten the mood too. The organization is already readying next year’s annual event in Washington.
The events offer professionals “a chance to step back from day-to-day demands, see what’s ahead for the industry, and exchange ideas that help shape strategy for the future,” said Brian Tate, president and CEO of the Innovative Payments Association, which hosted its annual event in April.
While payments leaders remain focused on compliance, risk management and fraud prevention, “what’s changing is the context,” Tate said late last year in anticipation of this year’s events. These payments fundamentals now intersect with emerging issues, such as evolving regulations and advancing technology.
One such change is the growing number of use cases for artificial intelligence. Ken Musante, president of Napa Payments and Consulting, expects AI and its payments applications to be a hot topic at conferences.
AI is quickly gaining steam in the industry, with credit card firms and processors enabling AI agents for shopping, and tech giants jumping in to address online commerce challenges related to agentic AI.
Aside from sessions discussing news and trends in payments, Musante said networking is one of the biggest benefits for industry executives attending shows. “It is helpful to get the perspectives of the speakers and even more helpful to have access to the presenters and deep thinkers on topics,” Musante said late last year.
Below is a look at the biggest payments and fintech conferences for the remainder of 2026.
Top payments conferences in 2026
MWAA (Midwest Acquirers Association) 2026
July 22-23
Chicago
This will be MWAA’s 24th annual conference, a two-day event with educational and networking opportunities, speakers and an exhibit hall that showcases the latest payments products.
Regional shows, like the one hosted by SEAA, are affordable, accessible and “great for folks working directly with merchants,” Musante said.
MoneyLive North America
Sept. 14-15
Chicago
About 800 people are expected to attend MoneyLive next year, with 70% at the C-level, director, vice president or head-of level.
Speakers lined up for this event include Patricia Tripar, head of payments and channels, wealth management & personal banking at Northern Trust; Jo Davenport, fraud director at Third Coast Bank; and Christopher Ward, head of enterprise payments at Truist.
Merchant Advisory Group Payments Conference
Sept. 27-30
Nashville, Tennessee
MAG’s event aims to focus on the latest industry topics as well as provide an outlook on the future of payments.
Money 20/20
Oct. 18-21
Las Vegas
For payments professionals, the agenda promises to delve include advances in real-time payments and future-proofing payments for the modernization trend. It also teased a conversation with an unnamed former Visa CEO.
AFP 2026
Nov. 8-11
Las Vegas
This is the Association for Financial Professionals annual conference and it doesn’t skimp on payments material. The event has a payments stage that features payments topics throughout the conference and there are roundtable discussions and mixers also focused on payments.
FTT Fintech Festival North America
December 8-9
Austin
While this conference may have more of a banking tilt, it will also cover payments innovation and embedded finance. Some of the speakers will include Gali Heichal, buy now, pay later provider Klarna’s head of payments partnerships and Senthil Nathan, JPMorgan Chase’s global payment platform product lead, according to the conference website.
