2025 Tech & Infrastructure Trends

In 2025, Javelin Strategy and Research expects a continuation of the change and disruption that defined this past year, with one important change. Banks that have sought to reimagine themselves in the image of technology companies will firmly embrace the collaborative ethos that has supported previous advancements in the tech space. Partnerships—through vendors or outside developers—will drive much of the change occurring across front-, middle-, and back-office functions at FIs. Turning to a more open ecosystem will certainly introduce some new challenges for banks, but collaboration will be the binding agent that strengthens the foundation atop which the payments solutions of the future will be built. 

After a decade of fintechs largely focusing on the user and digital transformation of the payment experience, the next generation of payment transformation will bring more attention to behind-the-scenes products and services. Financial institutions will need to make crucial upgrades to core platforms, adopt AI technology to churn through increasing amounts of data, and foster vibrant and engaged developer communities to build the open ecosystems on which the future of payments will rest. Consumers will certainly feel the effect of the changes, with more efficient processes, faster settlement, new payment options, and better security, but the big trends, the disruptions that will make these changes happen, will be in the middle- and back-office functions that have long been underappreciated.