Money 2020 Recap: Agentic Payments and the Future of FX

Last year, coming off the passage of the GENIUS Act and similar frameworks across the globe, conversations were laser-focused on how to use stablecoins to recreate cross-border FX. Much of the discussion circled the problems that still needed to be solved, particularly around compliance and last-mile delivery.

Those questions are still top of mind, but the temperature of the room is that stablecoin's position is mostly settled, it is only a matter of time before tokenized assets are seen as the foundational technology of modern FX.

The center of gravity has moved towards building machinery that ensures fiat can move end-to-end as efficiently as possible.

Which is probably why so much of the conversation was about AI, and agentic payments in particular. People are trying to understand where these systems fit in the payment stack, and how to use them safely without losing control over transaction provenance or stepping outside existing compliance frameworks.

We think there is enormous opportunity here, but also enormous amounts of hype, which is why our approach at OpenFX has always been process-first. We look for places where a model can materially remove friction or improve the result for our team and our clients. Like stablecoins before them, agents are just a tool, the goal is a better product.

Otherwise, the conference itself went extremely well. If you missed us at the Liquidity Lounge, here is your catch-up:

• We launched our quarterly report on FX liquidity called The FX Iceberg. You can still get a copy for free here.

• We reopened the waitlist for Global Accounts, which gives our clients USD named accounts they can use to facilitate cross-border money movement. Early access is here.

• The Liquidity Lounge itself was a huge hit. Nothing like a cold matcha to keep you moving through a long day in the desert.

• Our founder Prabhakar and our Head of Latin America, Catherine Kaupert, both did a fantastic job on their panels. Prabhakar spoke how to build FX infrastructure that can stand up to an increasingly volatile world while Catherine moderated a conversation about what comes after instant payments in LATAM. Be sure to drop by their Linkedin to offer a congratulation.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by for a conversation. If you have additional questions, you can always set up some time for a demo.