FX markets are shifting to round-the-clock operation, and treasury management is expected to keep pace. At the same time, geopolitical and macroeconomic shifts are redirecting global trade flows, creating new routes that existing infrastructure has yet to adapt to. How do CFOs and treasurers build always-on infrastructure without expanding operational risk?

A new treasury infrastructure is taking shape, one that maintains real-time liquidity visibility across digital and traditional assets, manages counterparty risk around the clock, and integrates digital asset settlement into existing workflows. The operational models are still being written.

A significant share of European cloud services is concentrated among a small number of non-European providers. In response, the EU is deploying substantial investment through InvestAI and proposing the Cloud and AI Development Act to triple data centre capacity. Yet European startups continue to face a significant scaling gap compared with their US counterparts.

The path forward requires more than funding. It demands clarity on what sovereign infrastructure actually looks like, which dependencies are acceptable, and how to close the scaling gap before market structures become permanent.

The technologies that institutions have been piloting for years are now moving into production. AI deployments are outpacing the governance frameworks meant to oversee them. Stablecoin supply has crossed $300 billion, processing trillions in transactions annually. Quantum simulation is already delivering results that classical computing cannot match at speed. The challenge has shifted from proving these technologies work to building the infrastructure that makes them operational, interoperable, and secure at institutional scale.

The conversation has moved beyond proof of concept. It now centres on which architectures enable interoperability across chains, how governance frameworks can keep pace with deployment speed, and what it takes to make quantum simulation accessible without waiting for fault-tolerant hardware.

A wave of new regulation is moving from drafting to enforcement. MiCA implementation is underway across Europe. The EU AI Act's high-risk provisions take effect in 2026. The GENIUS Act in the US is set to follow. And new governance frameworks are emerging for autonomous systems that operate without human oversight. The rules are being written. Now comes enforcement.

This is a rare moment when alignment can still be shaped, on standards, timelines, and operational expectations, before enforcement begins. What gets agreed now will determine how smoothly these transitions unfold.

New investment highways are opening. Sovereign wealth funds are deploying capital globally at record levels, prioritising AI, fintech, and digital infrastructure. Emerging EU-India partnerships are creating new opportunities in manufacturing and technology, and ASEAN markets are emerging as critical nodes in global fintech scaling. These corridors require more than capital. Regulatory alignment, digital infrastructure, and frameworks for cross-border scaling will determine which routes become durable and which remain aspirational.