As we enter the fourth and final quarter of the year, many executives in the payments and fintech industries are looking ahead to the networking and learning opportunities to come in 2025. Industry experts anticipate a handful of topics will rise to the top of agendas at these upcoming events.

Among the most pressing subjects will be ISO 20022, the standard which creates a common payments language. “The deadline is looming,” said Erika Baumann, director of commercial banking and payments at Datos Insights. Firms have until November 2025 to implement a permanent translation solution that complies with the standard.

Baumann also expects real-time payments, including those offered by the Federal Reserve’s FedNow system, as well as artificial intelligence, to be hot themes at next year’s events. 

“The conversation around AI and generative AI in financial services is shifting from theoretical possibilities to real-world applications,” said Tracey Davies, president of Money20/20, which has its annual conference this month. 

Digital currencies, buy now, pay later and in-house banking payments will likely be on the docket, including at the Association for Financial Professionals’ annual event in October, said Melissa Rawak, AFP’s managing director of membership, marketing communications and events. 

Overall, event conversations will be present and forward-looking, including discussions about “the future of payments, which lies at the heart of the industry,” Davies said. 

Aside from speakers and panels discussing the biggest trends in payments, “the networking and connections are invaluable” at conferences, Baumann said. Below is a look at the biggest payments and fintech conferences coming up in 2025.

Women in Payments Symposium

Feb. 12-13 Washington, DC

Each year, the symposium features female leaders in the payments industry and works to support diversity and gender parity. The theme for 2025 is "Inspiration, Innovation, Inclusivity, Intention.”

Identity and Payments Summit

Feb. 24-26 San Diego

The annual event, hosted by the Secure Technology Alliance, brings together leaders from companies focused on identity, access and payments. The 2024 lineup had speakers from Amazon, the Department of Homeland Security and Mastercard.

Fintech Meetup

March 10-13 Las Vegas

More than 6,000 leaders from fintech, banking, payments and lending converge for the Fintech Meetup. The event features five themes, ranging from banking & payments to fraud, identity & risk.

NEAA (Northeast Acquirers Association) 2025

March 18-19 Atlantic City, New Jersey

The regional association’s yearly event is “filled with networking opportunities, insightful sessions, and exciting exhibitions,” according to its website. 

Electronic Transactions Association’s Transact

April 2-4 Las Vegas

ETA describes its event as the place “where payments meets business.” The 2024 event, which also took place in Las Vegas, featured payments processing executives as speakers, including NMI CEO Vijay Sondhi, Fortis CEO Greg Cohen and Global Payments CEO Cameron Bready. 

Nacha's Smarter Faster Payments

April 27-30 New Orleans

Baumann named Nacha’s conference as one of the events she finds most valuable. The event provides education, an exhibit hall and networking opportunities. Real-time payments, FedNow and check fraud were big topics at 2024’s conference.

Innovative Payments Conference

April 29-May 1 Washington, DC

The conference, hosted by the Innovative Payments Association, focuses on the future and next generation of payment solutions. 

2025 SEAA (Southeast Acquirers Association) Annual Conference

June 2-4 Orlando

This summer’s event featured sessions on independent software vendors, biometrics in payments and how to use AI as a competitive advantage. 

Datos' Retail Bank Transformation Americas

June 16-18 Atlanta

The event is geared toward senior retail banking and payments leaders focused on customer experience and product or service delivery.

MWAA (Midwest Acquirers Association) 2025

July 30-31 Chicago

This will be MWAA’s 23rd annual conference, a two-day event with educational and networking opportunities, speakers and an exhibit hall that showcases the latest payments products.

Merchant Advisory Group Payments Conference

Sept. 8-11 San Antonio, Texas

MAG’s event aims to focus on the latest industry topics as well as provide an outlook on the future of payments. 

WSAA (Western States Acquirers Association) 2025

Sept. 8-10 Scottsdale, Arizona

Like the other regional acquirers associations, WSAA will hold a multi-day conference with education sessions and networking. The association recently wrapped up its 2024 event, which featured presentations on independent software vendors, commerce trends and major credit cards. 

MoneyLive North America

Sept. 15-16 Chicago

About 800 people are expected to attend MoneyLive in 2025, with 60% at the C-level, director, vice president or head-of level. This year’s speakers included executives from Barclays, TD Bank and Old National Bank. 

Datos’ Commercial and Small Business Banking Forum

October New York

“What is great about the Datos event is that … we have the top 100 banks there with limited vendors,” Baumann said. Key topics typically include embedded banking, treasury onboarding and sustainability. 

AFP (Association of Financial Professionals) 2025

Oct. 26-29 Boston

AFP’s annual conference will take place just before Halloween next year, with 130 educational sessions, roundtables and keynote speakers. Payments “is one of our most popular tracks,” and topics may include the paper to digital transition, digital currency and buy now pay later, Rawak said.

“AFP 2025 is an opportunity to gain practical knowledge, discover innovative solutions, validate best practices and ultimately, benefit your organization,” Rawak said. 

Money20/20 USA

Oct. 26-29 Las Vegas

Last but certainly not least, Money20/20 is among the largest gatherings of AI and finance leaders. This year’s event will feature speakers from IBM, OpenAI, Oracle, NVIDIA and many more. The sessions explore how incumbent players, as well as disruptors and innovators, are using technology to modernize payments. 

Payments and fintech leaders “attend because we’re the place where they can meet with every key stakeholder in the global money ecosystem,” Davies said. “We’re the place to find partners, investors and customers - all under one roof.”