Payments Benchmarks 2026 report – upgrades and alignment
Many payments upgrades are in the pipeline as central banks look for efficiency and interoperability
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Payments are undergoing a rapid process of evolution worldwide. While the benchmarks highlight some central banks working on cutting-edge technology like atomic settlement, it is more standard forms of payment where some of the most significant gains are being realised.
The Payments Benchmarks 2026 show that over 70% of jurisdictions now have an instant retail payment system, up from 56.4% two years ago and 51.4% in 2022, the first year that
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Payments Benchmarks 2026 Charts
Take a deep dive into the Payments Benchmarks charts, which have just been released for 2026
Central banks laying ground for multi-currency settlement
Africa leads as region with most RTGS systems able to settle multiple currencies
Over 70% of jurisdictions now have an instant payments system
Nearly a fifth of central banks plan to launch a system in the future
AML/CFT seen as biggest barrier to improving cross-border payments
All African central banks say AML/CFT compliance is a major challenge
Three in 10 instant payment systems built in-house
Montran is most widely-used commercial partner for development
One in five central banks regulates stablecoins
Most respondents are indifferent on use of stablecoins for payment
Number of unplanned outages in RTGS systems doubles
Central banks with longest average downtime typically plan to upgrade system within a year
Two-thirds of RTGS systems now aligned with ISO 20022
Over 80% of central banks aligned with CPMI harmonised standards