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ARTICLE · 28 APRIL 2026

Stablecoins, AI Agents And Open Banking: The UK's Vision For Payment Services Regulation

Lewis Silkin
Lewis Silkin
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Lewis Silkin

Lewis Silkin

Joint managing partners: Jo Farmer, Richard Miskella International offices: Dublin, Hong Kong...

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The UK government has unveiled a comprehensive package of reforms to modernise payment services regulation, introducing a unified framework that encompasses traditional payments alongside emerging technologies like stablecoins and AI-driven transactions.

United KingdomTechnology
Paul Caddy
Paul Caddy
Wendy Saunders
Wendy Saunders
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As we noted in our Commercial, Technology & Regulatory Handbook, "2026 isn't just another year, it's a turning point" for financial services. So it has proved.

Last week, the Innovate Finance Global Summit – the flagship event at UK FinTech Week 2026 – descended on the historic Guildhall in London, drawing 1,500 fintech experts from around the globe.

It was an occasion for the UK to burnish its credentials in a sector it's long claimed to lead. That, no doubt, is why the government chose 21 April 2026 to unveil a new package of measures aimed at modernising payment services regulation.

A formal consultation with the payments sector will follow shortly:

"we will soon consult on how to reform the regulation of payment services and electronic money, ensuring the framework is ready to support tokenised payments such as stablecoins, unlock the full potential of Open Banking, and explore how to enable the safe adoption of AI agents to conduct payments on behalf of consumers and

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