ANZ staff head to Sibos 2026 in Miami, USA with one thing in mind, ANZ’s Jenny Hutchings says: customers.
The Sibos Financial Services conference kicks off in late September, bringing the best payments experts in the world together in one place. With $US2 quadrillion in value flowing across 3.6 trillion transactions, according to McKinsey, the payments sector is big and, thanks to the rate of evolution in technology, always changing.
As a leader in the space, Sibos helps groups like ANZ stay on top of that change, so it can provide the best possible experience to its stakeholders. That involves spending time at Sibos “comparing notes” with clients, competitors and others, according to Hutchings, ANZ’s General Manager, Transaction Banking Financial Institutions.
“Sibos provides us insight into what we’re thinking about our offering to customers, what our peers are thinking about, what our clients want, and what is best practice,” she told bluenotes ahead of the event. “That’s why we’re there.”
ANZ will take a small contingent to Miami, where staff will look to learn how the bank can “improve our propositions for customers, get money moving around faster, and deliver services in a more efficient and transparent manner,” Hutchings says.
“And how do we then flip that and think, well, how do we make Australia and New Zealand relevant in a global payments market?”
The diversity of financial services groups at Sibos, banks and non-banks included, means the conversations and presentations remain at the forefront of innovation, Hutchings says. “We're looking forward to hearing some of those different perspectives from different banks about the world,” she says. “And hearing ideas we might not have thought of we can bring back home to explore.”
Sibos time is here again. On September 28, the world’s premier financial services conference will bring the best minds in payments together in one place: Miami, USA.
ANZ experts will be among 8,000 expected attendees sharing the newest ideas and trends that will shape the future of payments, banking and beyond.
In the lead up to the event, ANZ Institutional will bring you insights from offer unique insight into the future of the industry. You can read more here.
On the ground at Sibos
Sibos formally kicks off on September 28, a Monday, but Hutchings says for ANZ’s attendees, it “really starts on the Saturday, with staff briefings, and a number of meetings ahead of the event itself”.
From there, the conference days consist of “meetings at 8am Monday morning all the way through to 6pm, and then some networking in the evenings as well” ensuring valued clients are given adequate facetime with senior ANZ representatives.
ANZ will have a physical presence at the event in the form of a stand, one of just two local banks to do so, according to Hutchings.
“We really value having the physical space to actually talk to our customers”,” she says.
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ANZ’s Sibos booth in 2025. PIC: supplied.
At the stand and beyond, ANZ’s team will reflect its presence around the globe, bringing a breadth of experts from various markets and disciplines.
“We have representation from Australia, New Zealand the UK, and the US, and across FIG, our relationships teams, transaction banking, technology and beyond, including our digital assets team. Its’ the first time we probably get together for the year as an entire group, as it’s such a broad group.”
AI and the next wave of change
Uniting those groups will be the questions other attendees will ask them. For Hutchings, the key topic of discussion will be the march of artificial intelligence.
“The key theme will very much be how is AI reshaping financial services,” she says. “Across not just payments but securities, trade finance, digital assets and more.”
“One of the pieces we’re seeing is not just how are [financial institutions] are using AI internally, but AI-powered decision making for payments. What kind of impact with agentic payments and automation have on spending behaviours?”
Just as critical to the opportunities of AI are the risks, Hutchings says, and the conversation around security in payments will be a significant one at Sibos.
“With more real-time payment (RTP) markets being connected internationally, we know that means fraudsters and scamsters also have the opportunity to move funds at greater pace than ever before,” she says. “Ensuring we have great connections with offshore banks, which we can build on at Sibos, is one of the best lines of defence we can offer our customers.”
Also on the table will be the shift from domestic RTP networks to international ones, according to Hutchings. For banks like ANZ, an important part of that transition will be ensuring this doesn’t disrupt the user experience – for institutional and retail customers.
“In an era of convenience, users don’t want complexity, multiple fees, tracking speed of payment processing,” Hutchings says. “In an uncertain world, what our customer wants is consistency and personalised service.”
Shane White is Editor of ANZ Institutional Insights