ATTENTION TO THE TENANTS AND PARTNERS OF THE FINTECH STATION
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September 14 & 15, 2026 · Montréal

2026: a decisive moment for Canadian fintech

 

Four transformations are unfolding simultaneously in Canada's financial sector: geopolitical uncertainty that is fostering new alliances, a regulatory overhaul opening up market access, a massive deployment of artificial intelligence in critical functions, and the rollout of a new payment infrastructure across the country. Taken individually, each of these forces would be significant. Their convergence in 2026 makes this year a tipping point for the entire ecosystem.

Montréal skyline seen from the lookout

A regulatory overhaul opening up market access

 

On March 26, 2026, Bill C-15 received royal assent, completing Canada's consumer-driven banking framework and establishing the first federal regime governing stablecoins. Three distinct workstreams (open finance, stablecoins, and payments) now fall under a single regulator, the Bank of Canada.

The stakes go beyond compliance: Canada's banking market remains one of the most concentrated in the industrialized world, with more than 85 % of assets held by six institutions, a structure virtually unchanged for two decades. The new legislation tackles this lock directly by reducing the cost of switching institutions and giving new players progressive access to financial data, then to payment initiation.

85 %

of Canadian banking assets held by six institutions

A massive deployment of artificial intelligence in critical functions

 

Artificial intelligence is no longer a pilot project in Canadian financial institutions. More than 90 % of sector leaders now view it as a decisive competitive advantage, according to KPMG. Banks and insurers are investing simultaneously in talent (47 %) and technology platforms (44 %), while 60 % of organizations are modernizing their core systems to integrate generative AI into day-to-day operations.

Risk management leaders surveyed by the Bank of Canada as part of its 2026 survey confirm this trajectory: they plan to extend the use of AI to investment analysis, financial crime prevention and customer service, while identifying concrete risks: data bias, cybersecurity, and the difficulty of explaining models. AI is taking hold in institutions' decision-making apparatus at the very moment their regulatory architecture is being transformed.

90 %+

of leaders see it as a decisive competitive advantage

47 %

are investing in talent; 44 % in platforms

60 %

are modernizing core systems to integrate generative AI

Canada FinTech Forum, on-stage presentation

A payment infrastructure put to the test

 

The fourth workstream is the infrastructure itself. With the technical build of the real-time payment system completed in the third quarter of 2025, Payments Canada entered the industry testing phase in 2026: user acceptance testing, performance testing, security and operational readiness testing. This new infrastructure, built on the international ISO 20022 standard, must support systems that already clear and settle more than $411 billion every business day.

It also conditions the most competitive phase of the open banking framework: payment initiation by third parties. Since January 2026, Payments Canada has also admitted several non-bank providers (Wise, Float, KOHO, Paramount Commerce, Brim, and others since), which will be able to connect to it directly, without going through an established banking institution.

$411B

cleared and settled every business day by current systems

What this means for capital allocation

 

Investors are already adjusting their read of the market. After a peak of US$9.9 billion in 2024, driven by a few megadeals, Canadian fintech investment steadied at US$2.4 billion across 113 deals in 2025, according to KPMG. Capital is being redeployed toward companies with established traction rather than the promise of future growth, a discipline that directly reflects geopolitical uncertainty and the increased selectivity of funding markets.

In Québec, this discipline is already producing measurable results: the province's fintechs raised $161.3 million across 14 financing rounds in 2025, a record, with a marked concentration in regtech, ESG and operational efficiency: the very capabilities required by the new regulatory architecture.

US$2.4B

invested in Canadian fintechs in 2025, across 113 deals

$161.3M

raised by Québec fintechs in 2025 (a record), across 14 rounds

The Forum as a space for strategic dialogue

 

It is at the intersection of these transformations that the 2026 Canada FinTech Forum takes place, an initiative of Finance Montréal, Québec's financial services cluster, presented by Portage, on September 14 and 15. The first day focuses on open and embedded finance; the second, on enterprise infrastructure and artificial intelligence. The full program will be unveiled in the coming weeks and may evolve between now and the event.

None of these transformations has run its course. That is precisely what justifies bringing everyone together: leaders from financial institutions, fintechs, regulators and investors will confront their readings of the situation and the decisions it demands, before most of the impact materializes in 2027.

Day 1 · September 14

Open and embedded finance

Day 2 · September 15

Enterprise infrastructure and artificial intelligence

Networking at the Canada FinTech Forum, attendees in conversation Plenary session at the Canada FinTech Forum, speakers on stage

Full program coming soon

Join leaders from financial institutions, fintechs, regulators and investors on September 14 and 15, 2026, in Montréal.

Register for the Canada FinTech Forum →

Sources

 
Canada FinTech Forum
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