ACI Worldwide Inc., in collaboration with Globant, has released a new market analysis highlighting a widening gap between confidence and readiness among payments industry leaders. The report, based on a survey of 500 executives across financial institutions, merchants, and service providers worldwide, reveals that while 69% of executives view their organizations as payments leaders, less than half prioritize payments innovation at the C-suite level. Key findings indicate that only 36% of organizations have a clear long-term roadmap for payments modernization, and just 25% are actively retiring legacy systems. Fraud and cybersecurity risks are seen as the top barriers to innovation by 77% of respondents, while 63% cite regulatory complexity as a significant obstacle. The report urges payments leaders to accelerate modernization efforts, including infrastructure upgrades and compliance with upcoming regulatory changes such as ISO 20022 and open banking, to remain competitive in 2026 and beyond.