Market Intelligence Analyst, Payments
American Banker
Megan Ryan is the Market Intelligence Analyst, Payments, for American Banker. Before joining American Banker, Megan served as a payments policy analyst for the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, where she translated complex technological and regulatory payment developments into practical insights for Fed stakeholders. Her work often focused on understanding the future of fintech, accelerating faster electronic payments across domestic and global networks, and researching developing technologies such as digital assets, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and digital identity. She also spent a year at the Board of Governors on the Digital Innovations Solutions team, conducting hands-on research into offline digital payments and crypto-asset market intelligence to support the Fed's understanding of payment technologies and development of policy views.
In this American Banker exclusive, we surveyed leaders across U.S. banks and credit unions to reveal how institutions are actually evaluating on-chain technology and digital assets—beyond the hype and pilot announcements. The research uncovers where adoption stands today, what value banks expect in the next 12–24 months versus the next 3–5 years, and which use cases are emerging as real priorities across consumer, small business and commercial segments. We also examine how organizations are structuring ownership of digital-asset strategy, what’s accelerating decision-making internally, and what’s still holding institutions back—from regulatory uncertainty and risk concerns to the growing pressure of competitors moving first. The result is a clear benchmark of where the market is leaning, why certain “lanes” are gaining momentum, and how financial institutions are positioning now for what could become the next foundational layer of money movement.