Payments are essential to the UK’s economy. They underpin everyday transactions, support businesses and enable innovation across financial services. Yet the sector faces growing challenges, from fraud and fragmented infrastructure to the emergence of AI-driven commerce and new forms of digital money.

The Payments Manifesto 2027 sets out The Payments Association’s vision for addressing these challenges and strengthening the UK’s position as a global leader in payments by 2030.

Developed through industry engagement and reviewed by The Payments Association’s Advisory Board, the Manifesto establishes four strategic objectives and eight policy priorities to guide collaboration between industry, government and regulators.

What does the Manifesto cover?

The publication focuses on four interconnected objectives:

• Growth, Competitiveness and Resilience: Modernising payments infrastructure and enabling UK payments businesses to grow, invest and compete internationally.
• Trust, Security and Consumer Protection: Tackling fraud earlier, strengthening accountability and improving financial inclusion and payment choice.
• AI, Data and Digital Infrastructure: Establishing trusted rules for agentic payments and internationally interoperable standards for AI-driven commerce.
• The Future of Money and Payments: Supporting proportionate regulation and interoperability across existing and emerging forms of regulated money, including stablecoins and tokenised money.

Together, these objectives provide a shared agenda for practical policy development, industry collaboration and measurable progress towards 2030.