[Digital Today reporter Jae-won Choi (최재원)] Global fintech investment funds in the second half are expected to concentrate on stablecoin and digital-asset infrastructure, AI and agent commerce, an outlook showed. Funding is likely to flow to companies that have proven real profitability and scalability, rather than simple technology experiments, it said.

On Sept. 2 (local time), FintechNews Switzerland reported that KPMG, in its Pulse of Fintech H1 2026 report, cited financial infrastructure as a key investment area for the second half. As stablecoins and tokenised assets spread, the importance of payment and blockchain-based technologies that connect them to real financial services is growing. Demand from traditional financial institutions to modernise ageing core systems is also expected to support increased investment.

Blockchain firm Digital Asset, which serves financial institutions, raised $355 million in a funding round led by a16z Crypto in June. Its public layer-1 Canton Network includes BNP Paribas, CBOE and Deutsche Boerse as participants. Core banking provider 10x Banking also raised 40 million pounds in August.

Investment in AI is expected to continue, but the bar is likely to become tougher. KPMG said, "As awareness grows of AI buildout costs, AI-native startups that prove real value and have differentiated technology will draw attention rather than simple pilots." Credit information platform 9fin raised $170 million in March, and brokerage infrastructure firm Alpaca raised $135 million in July.

Agent commerce, in which AI selects products and makes payments on behalf of consumers, is also emerging as a new investment theme. With the need to verify transaction parties and prevent fraud, demand is expected to rise in tandem for digital identity, cybersecurity and payment infrastructure. Natual, a payments infrastructure firm for AI agents, secured $30 million in July.

Large M&A in the payments industry is also expected to continue. KPMG said, "Market consolidation will accelerate around operators that have secured competitiveness." Global fintech investment totalled $103.1 billion in the first half, up 42.8 percent from the previous half-year. The Americas accounted for most of the total with $86.9 billion, while Europe, the Middle East and Africa came in at $11.3 billion amid geopolitical and macroeconomic uncertainty.

Ultimately, the key issue for the fintech market in the second half is expected to be how quickly new technologies can be connected to financial infrastructure to create real value, rather than the technologies themselves.