Fed's Waller Addresses AI Agents' Role in Payment Systems
Fed Governor Waller spoke at Sibos 2026 in Miami on how AI agents are reshaping payments infrastructure and oversight.
Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller addressed an international audience at Sibos 2026 in Miami, Florida, focusing on the growing influence of artificial intelligence agents on modern payment systems and the regulatory questions they raise for central banks and financial institutions alike.
The speech comes at a moment when AI-driven automation is increasingly embedded in financial services, with autonomous agents capable of initiating, routing, and settling transactions with minimal human intervention. Waller's remarks signal that the Federal Reserve is closely monitoring how these technologies interact with existing payment rails and compliance frameworks.
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While the full text of the remarks was not reproduced here, the venue — Sibos, one of the world's leading financial services conferences — underscores the global dimension of the challenge. Policymakers and industry leaders gathered in Miami were confronted with questions about accountability, security, and systemic risk as AI agents assume more active roles in payment workflows.
The Fed's engagement on this topic reflects broader regulatory momentum. Central banks and supervisory bodies worldwide have been working to understand whether current legal and operational frameworks are adequate to govern transactions executed or facilitated by non-human actors, particularly as the speed and complexity of AI-mediated payments outpace traditional oversight mechanisms.
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