Executives from the country’s banking giants will meet this week on the project, driven by fears that the U.S. could shut off access to American payment systems. While the initiative—funded by the city of London and backed by the U.K. government—has been talked about for years, President Donald Trump’s recent clash with NATO over Greenland has exacerbated worries. Roughly 95% of card transactions in the U.K. are made with Mastercard/Visa-owned systems. That dominance has grown much more relevant as the U.K. becomes less dependent on hard currency.