As dynamic technologies continue to revolutionize the payments space, conferences have become a critical way for payments professionals to stay informed and share their expertise. One of the signature events of the payments space is Nacha’s Smarter Faster Payments 2026, which will take place in San Diego from April 26-29, 2026.



In a recent PaymentsJournal podcast, Stephanie Prebish, AAP, AFPP, APRP, CTP, Senior Managing Director of Association Services at Nacha, and Brian Riley, Director of Credit and Co-Head of Payments at Javelin Strategy & Research, discussed the wide range of educational tracks and networking opportunities available at the conference—and how attendees can accomplish months’ worth of business in just a few days at Smarter Faster Payments 2026.





The Four Pillars



Nacha’s conference has become one of the most recognized events in the industry, thanks in part to its educational offerings, which provide an in-depth look at the timeliest topics in financial services.



“Our Payments conference is known in the industry as one of the best conferences out there and we're planning another excellent year of education and networking and fun,” Prebish said. “We're really just looking forward to it.”



With such a full event calendar, it is essential for attendees to come prepared with a plan. That plan should make room not only for networking opportunities and keynote speakers, but also for conversations with vendors on the exhibitor floor.



Amid all the activity—and the splendors of San Diego—there is more than enough to keep payments professionals engaged. Still, it is critical for attendees to review the agenda in advance and prioritize the educational sessions that matter most to them.



“We just finished up our first-round selections, and the sessions next year are going to be fantastic,” Prebish said. “We are on top of all the big, new, exciting changes that are coming to payments. We're going to be talking about stablecoins; we're going to be talking about fraud monitoring; we're going to be talking about everything that's happening with ISO 20022. It's going to be an amazing conference.”



Defining the Audience



The tracks were carefully curated to span the full spectrum of the payments industry, highlight emerging innovations, shifting regulations, and strategies for mitigating fraud and risk.



New next year is a track dedicated to one of the industry’s most talked-about technologies: stablecoins. This track provides a detailed exploration of the opportunities stablecoins present for financial institutions, along with strategies organizations can adopt to harness their potential.



There is also a dedicated legal track designed specifically for attorneys working in the payments space. Additional tracks focus on artificial intelligence, compliance and regulations, cybersecurity, and ACH.



With such a comprehensive agenda, it can be challenging for attendees to identify the sessions most relevant to their role. To help, Nacha has developed a system designed to guide participants in mapping out the sessions that will deliver the greatest impact.



“We're going to have personas dedicated to who you are in the payments industry, and with every session it will be indicated which persona will be the best choice for you,” Prebish said.