Ashley Eknaian

Drawing on research of U.S. consumers conducted by American Banker’s Market Intelligence team, the panel discussion examines whether on-chain payment capabilities solve real problems—or introduce new ones.

The panel discussion explores a central tension in modern payments: consumers don’t care about rails, but they care deeply about outcomes—speed, transparency, control, and certainty. The study identifies where current payment experiences fall short, how users define “better,” and whether on-chain technologies—particularly stablecoins—align with those expectations. Ultimately, it evaluates whether on-chain payments represent a meaningful evolution in financial services or a solution still searching for a problem.

The conversation will include:

• Demand for on-chain consumer payments is clearest where people already experience payment friction, especially among younger and more digitally active consumers.
• Most U.S. consumers are unfamiliar with stablecoins, and awareness is concentrated among younger, higher-income, and more digitally active people.
• U.S. consumers use P2P apps routinely, but they are frustrated mainly by fees, speed, and app fragmentation.
• Cross-border transfers are still niche for most consumers, and the main frictions are fees, delays, and service clarity.
• Consumers want faster access to wages more than they want new back-end payment features.
• Consumers are moderately open to digital currency pay, but most want safety, instant conversion, and fit with existing bank habits.

Digital finance strategies are still too often organized around products and rails rather than customer behavior and intent. This session explores how fraud, payments, identity, and digital assets are converging—and why banks must shift toward customer-centric architectures and intelligence models to compete, protect trust, and manage risk in real time.