Javier Rodríguez Soler: “Banks Have a Unique Opportunity to Help Shape the Future of Digital Finance”

Money is becoming programmable.

What began as a conversation about cryptocurrencies has evolved into something much broader: the modernization of financial infrastructure itself. From payments and Treasury management to artificial intelligence and digital wallets, banks are preparing for a future in which money moves faster, operates continuously and increasingly interacts with intelligent systems.

The rise of stablecoins, tokenized deposits and on-chain finance is often framed as a technology story. For Javier Rodríguez Soler, it is something much bigger: the next stage in the evolution of financial infrastructure.

Earlier this month, American Banker included Rodríguez Soler in its inaugural Most Innovative People in Finance list, recognizing leaders helping shape the future of financial services through innovation and transformation.

"The real innovation is not speed alone"

In his view, digital money represents far more than a technological innovation.

“The technology is available. The use cases are there. What matters now is how we organize around it. The question is no longer whether this will happen. The question is how we participate in it,” Rodríguez Soler said when discussing the industry's transition from experimentation to adoption.

The conversation around digital assets has matured significantly in recent years. What was once viewed primarily as a technology trend is increasingly becoming a discussion about the future of financial infrastructure and how financial institutions can create greater value for clients.

Money enters its next chapter

One of the central themes of the discussion was the growing role of stablecoins and tokenized deposits.

While often discussed together, he explained that they serve different purposes and are built on different foundations of trust. Stablecoins provide interoperability and efficiency across digital networks, while tokenized deposits maintain the protections and regulatory framework associated with traditional banking.

Rodríguez Soler noted that tokenized deposits preserve many of the characteristics clients already value in traditional banking relationships, while stablecoins can play an important role in facilitating the movement of money across digital ecosystems.

Rather than focusing on which model will ultimately prevail, he argued that the industry's priority should be creating a financial system where different forms of digital money can operate together seamlessly.

Developments such as Project Agora, which brings together the Bank for International Settlements, central banks and financial institutions, reflect the growing focus on interoperability across the financial sector.

Speaking about interoperability, Rodríguez Soler emphasized that the industry's long-term success will depend on the ability of different networks, institutions and forms of digital money to work together seamlessly.

Recent regulatory developments, including Europe's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) and the GENIUS Act in the United States, are also helping establish the foundations for broader institutional adoption.

Other panelists echoed the importance of interoperability and regulatory clarity, noting that the industry's focus has shifted from proving the technology works to creating the standards and frameworks necessary for large-scale adoption.

Turning innovation into efficiency

Beyond digital assets themselves, he believes the greatest opportunity lies in modernizing the infrastructure that supports financial activity.

Many banking processes still rely on complex reconciliation, multiple ledgers, delayed settlement cycles and operational workarounds developed for a different era. Digital financial infrastructure has the potential to simplify those processes while improving efficiency for both banks and clients.

“The real innovation is not speed alone. It is removing friction, simplifying processes and enabling more economic activity,” Rodríguez Soler observed during a discussion on how digital infrastructure can improve efficiency across the financial system.

This transformation is particularly relevant in treasury and liquidity management, where organizations increasingly expect real-time visibility and faster access to capital. As financial systems move toward 24/7 operation, businesses will have greater flexibility in how they manage liquidity, collateral and cash positions.

Drawing a comparison to previous technological advances that transformed entire industries, Rodríguez Soler noted that greater efficiency may compress some existing revenue streams while ultimately enabling significantly more economic activity, transaction volume and innovation.

Trust becomes a competitive advantage

While technology is accelerating change, he believes trust will become even more important.

As stablecoins, tokenized deposits and tokenized assets become more integrated into everyday financial services, customers will continue to rely on institutions that can provide security, regulatory certainty and strong customer relationships.

“Whatever technology sits underneath, customers still need someone they trust,” Rodríguez Soler said when discussing the role banks will continue to play in an increasingly digital financial ecosystem.

He also highlighted the growing convergence between artificial intelligence and digital money. As AI evolves from providing information to executing actions, financial infrastructure will need to support increasingly automated forms of commerce.

“Whatever technology sits underneath, customers still need someone they trust"

This emerging model, often referred to as agentic commerce, could enable AI systems to initiate and complete transactions within defined parameters, creating new opportunities for businesses and consumers alike.

Panelists broadly agreed that artificial intelligence and digital financial infrastructure are evolving in parallel, creating new opportunities for automation, payments and customer experiences that were difficult to achieve with legacy systems.

The transition to digital money is still in its early stages. Yet for Rodríguez Soler, the direction is increasingly clear.

Stablecoins, tokenized deposits, artificial intelligence and interoperable networks are not separate trends. Together, they point toward a financial system that is more connected, efficient and programmable than today's.

The challenge for banks is not whether that future will arrive, but how they help build it.