Fed's Waller Addresses AI Agents' Role in Modern Payments

Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller delivered remarks at Sibos 2026 in Miami, Florida, focusing on the intersection of artificial intelligence agents and the evolving global payments system. The speech comes as financial institutions and regulators worldwide grapple with the accelerating adoption of AI-driven automation across banking and transaction networks.

Waller's address to the Sibos audience — one of the financial industry's premier annual gatherings — signals growing attention from central bank officials to the operational and oversight challenges posed by autonomous AI systems conducting or facilitating payments on behalf of individuals and businesses. The implications span consumer protection, fraud risk, and the architecture of clearing and settlement infrastructure.

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The Federal Reserve has increasingly engaged with technology-driven shifts in payments, and Waller's appearance at Sibos 2026 underscores the central bank's interest in shaping policy frameworks before AI agent-mediated transactions become mainstream. Regulators are weighing how existing rules governing authorization, liability, and compliance apply when a software agent — rather than a human — initiates or approves a financial transaction.

The broader policy conversation around AI in payments involves questions of accountability, interoperability across borders, and the potential for systemic risk if widely used AI agents behave in correlated or unexpected ways. Central banks and international standard-setters are expected to play a key role in establishing guardrails as the technology matures.

Continue reading at FRB: Speeches.