The UK Government’s National Payments Vision sets out an ambitious plan to modernise the country’s payments infrastructure. It aims to create a system that is faster, more resilient, and more inclusive – one that works for consumers, businesses, and the economy as a whole.

As part of this work, the Digital Trust Centre of Excellence is contributing to discussions around the Retail Payments Infrastructure, exploring how emerging technologies like distributed ledger technology, digital identity, and privacy-enhancing technologies can support the next generation of payment systems.

Why digital trust matters for payments

Every payment is fundamentally an act of trust. Whether tapping a card in a shop or authorising a bank transfer online, both parties need confidence that the transaction is secure, the identity of the counterparty is verified, and the system will work as expected.

As payment methods become more diverse and more digital, maintaining that trust becomes both more important and more complex. New technologies bring new capabilities – but also new risks. Deepfakes, synthetic identities, and sophisticated fraud schemes are all growing challenges that the payments industry must address.

Scotland is well positioned to contribute to this national effort

With world-class research in cryptography and distributed systems across Edinburgh Napier University, the University of Edinburgh, and the University of Glasgow, the Digital Trust Centre of Excellence brings together the academic expertise needed to develop robust, trustworthy payment solutions. Combined with Scotland’s thriving fintech ecosystem – supported by FinTech Scotland and Scottish Enterprise – there is a genuine opportunity to develop and test new approaches that could benefit the entire UK.

2026 – The year we take doubt out of digital

The Digital Trust Centre of Excellence’s message for 2026 is clear: this is the year to remove doubt from digital communications and transactions. Whether in payments, identity, or data sharing, the goal is to build systems where people can interact with confidence, knowing with certainty that the person or organisation on the other end is who they claim to be.

As the National Payments Vision takes shape, the Centre will continue to advocate for solutions that put trust, privacy, and security at the centre of the UK’s payment future.