Acting as a symbol of the financial ecosystem’s inflection point, the Intersection Stage provided a constant stream of convergence-fuelled conversations.
In a shift from previous years, panels at Money20/20 USA 2025 openly addressed cryptocurrency, stablecoins and blockchain, with explicit references to TradFi-DeFi collaboration woven throughout the agenda.
TradFi leaders shared the stage with digital-native firms, reflecting an industry increasingly willing to explore partnerships and shared infrastructure rather than viewing innovation solely as competition.
JP Morgan’s digital assets arm, Kinexys, and Mastercard highlighted tokenisation’s transformative potential for payments, liquidity and multi-currency interoperability.
Naveen Mallela, global co-head at Kinexys, said just-in-time liquidity enabled by tokenisation could reshape cross-border money movement, while Raj Dhamodharan, EVP at Mastercard, emphasised that convergence “isn’t about competition; it’s about orchestration across ecosystems.”
Artificial intelligence was another hot topic at the conference, positioned as a tool for security, compliance, and operational efficiency.
Standard Chartered introduced an AI council to vet new products for regulatory alignment, while iBusiness launched its “iBuild platform,” enabling production-ready software deployment without coding expertise.
Joanne Hannaford, CIO and CPO at Deutsche Bank, noted AI’s impact on workplace efficiency, and Greg Ulrich, chief AI and data officer at Mastercard, highlighted the importance of training and engagement.
Kash Razzaghi, chief commercial officer at Circle, added that broad blockchain adoption hinges on simplifying technology for end users.
North America’s payments landscape also drew attention, with real-time settlement, stablecoins, and instant payments poised to reshape the region.
From showcase to speaker to summit, this year’s event highlighted that conversations have shifted, signalling a new era of collaboration and innovation across the global financial ecosystem.
