2026 Strategic Record • Authority Asset
M
MerchantUK
Post-Cash Intelligence
Infrastructure Analysis 2026-2030

THE POST-CASH
Authority.

As physical currency enters its sunset phase as a design assumption, MerchantUK defines the new standard for stablecoin settlement and institutional B2B rails.

2.1T+
Digital Volume (Est.)
9%
Cash Threshold
2025
Regulation EOY
20yr
Continuous Domain Record

The Three Pillars.

The foundational framework for the post-physical economy.

Source: MerchantUK Intel

Digital Rails

The migration from legacy hardware to Open Banking and instant account-to-account (A2A) settlement.

  • Pay-by-Bank (A2A)
  • Request-to-Pay
  • Variable Recurring Payments

Stablecoin Settlement

Institutional adoption of tokenised sterling instruments and the regulatory framework for UK on-ramps.

  • Liquidity Optimization
  • Lightning Network Rails
  • FCA Compliance Framework

Commerce Intel

Proprietary risk analysis and fee optimization for high-volume cross-border merchants.

  • IC++ Fee Auditing
  • Processor Risk Scoring
  • Sentinel AI Monitoring

The Sunset Timeline.

Phase One: 2020 - 2024

The Contactless Surge

Pandemic-driven adoption of digital taps. Cash-in-circulation drops below sustainable levels for physical retail.

Phase Two: 2025 - 2026 (Present)

The Regulation Peak

Formalization of stablecoin infrastructure. Merchant banks begin testing 'Digital Sterling' rails.

Phase Three: 2027 - 2030

Institutional Dominance

Digital-first commerce becomes the regulatory and operational baseline. Physical cash exists as a high-cost legacy commodity.