Fed's Waller Addresses AI Agents' Role in Future Payments
Fed Governor Waller spoke at Sibos 2026 in Miami on how artificial intelligence agents are reshaping the payments landscape.
Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller delivered remarks at Sibos 2026 in Miami, Florida, addressing the growing intersection of artificial intelligence and the global payments system. The speech placed the Fed squarely in an ongoing international conversation about how autonomous AI systems may transform financial transactions in the years ahead.
Waller's appearance at Sibos — one of the financial industry's premier annual gatherings — signals the central bank's recognition that AI-driven automation is no longer a distant concern for payment infrastructure. Regulators and industry participants alike are grappling with questions about how systems that can act, negotiate, and transact without direct human instruction should be governed and supervised.
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The core policy challenge involves reconciling the speed and efficiency that AI agents could bring to payments with the risk management, accountability, and compliance frameworks that underpin the existing financial system. Central banks and standard-setting bodies worldwide are weighing how legacy rules designed for human decision-makers apply when machines initiate transactions autonomously.
While the full details of Waller's remarks were not disclosed in the source material, the choice of venue and topic reflects a broader Fed interest in shaping norms around emerging payment technologies before they become embedded in critical financial infrastructure. The central bank has historically played an active role in payment system oversight and standard-setting.
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