The Payments Shed

In the latest episode of The Payments Shed Podcast, filmed live from our London studio, Liam Gray and Justin Hanna are joined by Sami Doyle, CEO & Founder of TMU Management, for a conversation exploring why merchant risk management needs to change, how insurance could transform the acquiring industry and why traditional approaches to protecting against chargebacks may be holding good businesses back.

Sami takes us inside the hidden costs of traditional acquiring risk management, exploring why acquirers rely on rolling reserves, fixed deposits and delayed settlement to protect themselves against merchant failure. While these measures reduce exposure...

In the latest episode of The Payments Shed Podcast, filmed live from our London studio, Grant Evans and Justin Hanna are joined by Mike Walters, CEO of Form3, for a conversation exploring the invisible infrastructure powering the global financial system, why instant payments are becoming the new normal and how cloud technology, operational resilience and emerging payment rails are reshaping banking.

Mike takes us inside the engine room of modern payments, exploring the critical role Form3 plays in helping banks and fintechs move money securely and reliably at scale. While much of the industry's attention focuses on...

In the latest episode of The Payments Shed Podcast, filmed live from Money20/20 USA 2026 in Las Vegas, Justin Hanna is joined by Daniel Weiss, CEO of Highwater Bound Capital and Compliance, for a special conversation exploring the realities of fintech licensing and compliance, the lessons learned from building and selling a successful business, and what competing as a Team USA triathlete can teach you about leadership, resilience and entrepreneurship.

Daniel takes us inside the journey from founding Chartwell Compliance to building Highwater Bound, reflecting on what motivated him to return to entrepreneurship after successfully exiting his previous...

In the latest episode of The Payments Shed Podcast, Grant Evans and Jasmine Chana are joined by Conor Lyden, Founder & CEO of Trustap, for a conversation exploring why trust is becoming one of the most important foundations of modern commerce, how transaction protection is evolving beyond marketplaces and what happens when AI agents start buying and selling on our behalf.

Conor takes us inside the story behind Trustap and its journey from marketplace payments to global transaction protection. Built around solving the trust challenges that exist between buyers and sellers, Trustap now supports transactions across hundreds of...

Should you build your own payments stack?Merchants usually hear one of two answers. Use one big PSP for everything, or use an orchestrator with dozens of PSPs underneath.Shane Curran thinks more merchants should own it themselves.In this episode of The Payments Shed Podcast, Sarah Stapp is joined by Shane Curran, Founder and CEO at Evervault, to take the other side of the orchestration versus ownership debate.Shane explains why orchestrators struggle in smaller local markets, how cross-border fees can turn a few basis points into 2% or 3%, and why he would add PSPs one country at a...

In the latest episode of The Payments Shed Podcast, filmed live from Money20/20 USA 2026 in Las Vegas, Sarah Stapp is joined by Ugne Buraciene, Group CEO of payabl., for a special Walk & Talk exploring why payments have become increasingly complicated for merchants, how expectations of payment providers are evolving and why the next big opportunity in payments innovation could be everything that happens after checkout.

For years, merchants have been encouraged to adopt more payment methods, integrate additional providers and introduce new technologies to improve performance. But has all that choice actually made payments harder to manage...

In the latest episode of The Payments Shed Podcast, filmed live from Money20/20 USA 2026 in Las Vegas, Kara Parkey is joined by Dan Owens, Chief Strategy Officer at Oceanpayment, for a special Walk & Talk exploring how payment orchestration is reshaping the relationship between merchants and payment providers, why traditional merchant loyalty is being challenged and what it really takes to build a defensible payments business.

For years, payment service providers and acquirers have relied on deep technical integrations to build long-term merchant relationships. But as orchestration platforms make it easier for merchants to connect with multiple providers...

When did you first learn how money works?

For most of us it wasn't at school. Children pick up money habits early, yet many still leave school without being taught how to manage it.

And the first real lesson often comes on a credit card in their twenties.

So how do you teach a nine-year-old to earn, save, spend and give? In this episode of The Payments Shed Podcast, Grant Evans and Justin Hanna are joined by Louise Hill, Founder and CEO of GoHenry, to talk about building the youth fintech category and...

In the latest episode of The Payments Shed Podcast, filmed live from Money20/20 USA 2026 in Las Vegas, Sarah Stapp is joined by Mike Ward, CEO of Mica, for a special conversation exploring why the payments industry continues to operate across fragmented rails, whether stablecoins really solve the problems they're promising to fix and why the future of payments could look very different if we rethink how transactions are authorised and priced.

From traditional cards and bank accounts to stablecoins, loyalty points and digital wallets, the payments ecosystem has become increasingly complex. Every new way to pay seems...

In the latest episode of The Payments Shed Podcast, filmed live from Money20/20 USA 2026 in Las Vegas, Sarah Stapp is joined by Klas Bäck, Co-Founder & CEO of Pagos, for a special Walk & Talk exploring how artificial intelligence is changing the way merchants manage payments, why better visibility into payment performance is becoming essential and how collaboration could help businesses solve some of the industry's most persistent challenges.

For years, payments teams have relied heavily on data analysts, technical specialists and complex reporting tools to understand what's happening across their payment infrastructure. Now, AI is beginning to c...

In the latest episode of The Payments Shed Podcast, filmed live from Money20/20 USA 2026 in Las Vegas, Svante Westerberg is joined by Brad Wiskirchen, Chief Commercial Officer at Chargebacks911 and CEO of Fi911, for a special Walk & Talk exploring the future of fraud prevention, the growing role of artificial intelligence in dispute management and why the payments industry's approach to risk and compliance is entering a new chapter.

Having previously served as the founding CEO of Kount, building the business through to its acquisition by Equifax, Brad is no stranger to scaling technology businesses in the payments...

In the latest episode of The Payments Shed Podcast, filmed live from Money20/20 USA 2026 in Las Vegas, Jason Heister is joined by Zor Gorelov, CEO of Blue Language Labs, for a special Walk & Talk exploring the next evolution of agentic commerce, where AI agents move beyond simply making payments to negotiating agreements, placing orders and conducting business on our behalf.

As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly capable of taking autonomous actions, the conversation around agentic commerce is moving beyond checkout. Zor takes us inside the emerging world of agent-to-agent transactions, exploring what happens when AI agents can make...

In the latest episode of The Payments Shed Podcast, filmed live from Money20/20 USA 2026 in Las Vegas, Kara Parkey is joined by Spencer Levitt, Co-Founder of Coast, for a special Walk & Talk exploring how artificial intelligence is transforming product demonstrations, why selling complex financial technology is becoming increasingly challenging and what it takes to build trust in an AI-driven software economy.

As banks, fintechs and technology providers accelerate their adoption of AI, the way businesses demonstrate and sell their products is changing. Spencer takes us inside Coast's approach to AI-powered product demos, explaining how the platform helps...

In the latest episode of The Payments Shed Podcast, filmed live from Money20/20 USA 2026 in Las Vegas, Jason Heister is joined by Pooja Shah, Head of Product at Rain, for a special Walk & Talk exploring how stablecoins are transforming card issuing, why traditional settlement infrastructure is holding businesses back and how Rain is building a new generation of global payments infrastructure.

For decades, card programmes have operated around settlement cycles that can leave significant amounts of money sitting idle while transactions clear. Pooja takes us inside the float problem and the opportunity for stablecoin-powered settlement, explaining how...

In the latest episode of The Payments Shed Podcast, filmed live from Money20/20 USA 2026 in Las Vegas, Svante Westerberg is joined by Stephano Maciel, Co-Founder & CEO of ATTRUS, for a special Walk & Talk exploring the challenges of cross-border payments, the rapid evolution of Latin America's financial infrastructure and how businesses can unlock growth across the Americas.

Every fintech has an origin story, and for ATTRUS, it began with a payment that technically worked but highlighted just how complicated moving money internationally could be. Stephano takes us inside the journey from one frustrating international wire transfer to building...

In the latest episode of The Payments Shed Podcast, filmed live from Money20/20 USA 2026 in Las Vegas, Jason Heister is joined by Jeff Hallenbeck, VP of Customer Advocacy at Adyen, for a special Walk & Talk exploring how AI agents are transforming commerce, why fraud is becoming increasingly complex and how payments data is creating new opportunities for merchants.

With Adyen processing over $1.6 trillion in annual payment volume, Jeff brings a unique perspective on the challenges facing some of the world's largest merchants. From changing consumer behaviour to the rapid evolution of AI, Jason and Jeff explore what...

In the latest episode of The Payments Shed Podcast, filmed live from Money20/20 USA 2026 in Las Vegas, Svante Westerberg is joined by Michael (Mike) Corigliano, US Team Lead, Partnerships at adjoe, for a special Walk & Talk exploring how fintech businesses can drive growth beyond transactions, build stronger customer relationships and unlock new revenue opportunities through engagement and rewards.

With millions of consumers using fintech apps to manage their money, the challenge is no longer simply acquiring customers. It's giving them a reason to keep coming back. Mike takes us inside the next phase of fintech growth, exploring...

In the latest episode of The Payments Shed Podcast, filmed live from Money20/20 USA in Las Vegas, Sarah Stapp is joined by Joe Dowd, Principal Partner & VP, Americas, for a special Walk & Talk exploring what's really happening behind the scenes in payments recruitment, which businesses are winning the talent race and how emerging technologies are reshaping the industry's hiring priorities.

After several turbulent years for the payments and fintech sector, from tightening investment conditions to major industry players restructuring and others continuing to scale, Joe shares his perspective on which businesses are positioning themselves for growth and...

In the latest episode of The Payments Shed Podcast, filmed live from Money20/20 USA in Las Vegas, Jason Heister is joined by Matt Wren, Managing Consultant specialising in Fintech, for a special Walk & Talk exploring what it really takes for fintech businesses to win banking customers, navigate lengthy enterprise sales cycles and build the right teams to support international growth.

With thousands of fintechs competing to sell technology into financial institutions, getting a foot in the door is only the beginning. Matt takes us inside the realities of selling into Tier 1 and Tier 2 banks, exploring why some...

In the latest episode of The Payments Shed Podcast, filmed live from Money20/20 USA in Las Vegas, Grant Evans is joined by Jakob Pethick, Chief Commercial Officer at YouLend, for a special Walk & Talk exploring how modular embedded finance is helping software platforms unlock new revenue opportunities, expand their financial services propositions and support merchant growth.

Jakob takes us inside YouLend's modular approach to embedded finance, explaining why flexibility is becoming increasingly important for platforms looking to introduce financial products without the complexity of building everything themselves. They explore how businesses can start with a simple proposition...

In the latest episode of The Payments Shed Podcast, filmed live from Money20/20 USA in Las Vegas, Justin Hanna is joined by Alexander Rea, CEO & Founder of Fyntek, for a conversation exploring one of the most complex and challenging sectors in US payments: gaming and sweepstakes.

Alexander takes us inside the realities of gaming payments, explaining why processing transactions in this sector presents challenges that traditional ecommerce businesses rarely encounter. From declining card acceptance rates and complex transaction flows to the difficulties of securing reliable banking relationships, they explore why gaming operators need payment infrastructure specifically designed...

In the latest episode of The Payments Shed Podcast, recorded live from Money20/20 USA in Las Vegas, Sarah Stapp is joined by Francesco Simoneschi, Co-Founder & CEO of TrueLayer, for a conversation exploring whether the payments industry is finally approaching a tipping point where Pay by Bank can genuinely challenge the dominance of cards in online commerce.

For decades, card networks have been the backbone of digital payments, but growing pressure from regulators, politicians and merchants is raising questions about whether that dominance can continue indefinitely. Francesco shares his perspective on what's changing, why merchants are increasingly questioning...

In this breaking news special of The Payments Shed Podcast, filmed live from Money20/20 USA in Las Vegas, Grant Evans is joined by Shane Curran, Co-Founder & CEO of Evervault, for an exclusive conversation exploring the launch of Browser Tokens and what it could mean for the future of AI-powered commerce.

As AI agents increasingly move beyond searching and recommending products to actually completing purchases on behalf of consumers, a fundamental challenge is emerging: how do you let an AI agent pay without giving it access to your sensitive card details?

Shane takes us inside Evervault's...

In the latest episode of The Payments Shed Podcast, Justin Hanna and Liam Gray are joined by Joanne Lawrence, Head of Customer Success Services at Tribe Payments, for a conversation exploring what it really takes to build lasting relationships in payments, champion women across the industry and balance the demands of senior leadership with life outside work.

Jo takes us through her career in payments, reflecting on the experiences that have shaped her approach to leadership, customer success and building meaningful partnerships. She also shares a personal perspective on balancing a demanding career with raising two young...

What does it take to recognise a company that could still matter 100 years from now? And how do you back a founder with an extraordinary vision when everyone else is passing on the opportunity? From helping launch Google Analytics to investing in the next generation of ambitious founders, Wesley Chan has experienced both sides of building a company: creating products from the inside and supporting entrepreneurs from the outside.

In this episode of The Payments Shed Podcast, Grant Evans sits down with Wesley Chan, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at FPV Ventures, to explore the lessons behind his...

More platforms are offering financing directly to their customers. But behind every embedded finance product is a major decision: build the infrastructure yourself or partner with someone who already has it? And while embedded finance promises new revenue opportunities, stronger customer relationships and better access to capital, how much of that potential actually translates into measurable business results?

Recorded live at Fintech Meetup Europe in Lisbon, Jasmine Chana is joined by Luke Trayfoot, Head of Partnerships at YouLend, to explore the economics behind embedded finance, why platforms are increasingly choosing partnerships over in-house development and what it...

Stablecoins are moving trillions of dollars every year. But how much of that activity actually involves people buying something? Despite an estimated $46 trillion in annual stablecoin transaction volume, less than 2% is attributed to retail payments. So if stablecoins are already moving so much money, why aren't more people using them at checkout?

Recorded live at Fintech Meetup Europe in Lisbon, Liam Gray is joined by Jess Houlgrave, CEO of WalletConnect, to explore the gap between stablecoin transaction volumes and real-world commerce, the barriers holding back adoption and what it will take to make paying with stablecoins feel...

Sending money domestically can take seconds. But send that same payment across a border, and suddenly things become a lot more complicated. Despite major advances in payment technology, the global financial system remains fragmented. Banks, mobile wallets and emerging digital payment networks don't always connect seamlessly, creating delays, higher costs and barriers to financial access.

So why does moving money internationally still feel so different from making a payment at home? Recorded live at Fintech Meetup Europe in Lisbon, Grant Evans is joined by Alex Young, Chief Network Officer at Thunes, to explore what's holding back global...

The payments industry is evolving quickly. Open banking, stablecoins and real-time payment networks are creating new ways to move money, but for merchants operating internationally, more options don't always mean less complexity. So what if businesses didn't have to worry about which payment rail their money travels on?

And what does it take to build a payments platform that can support different technologies and markets without adding unnecessary friction?Recorded live at Fintech Meetup Europe in Lisbon, Jasmine Chana is joined by Elaine Smith, VP of Partnerships at Volt, to explore the rise of rail-agnostic money movement...

Commerce is getting more complicated. Businesses are expanding across borders, transactions increasingly involve multiple parties, and AI agents are beginning to change how purchases are made. But is today's payments infrastructure actually built for any of this? And what happens when the systems designed to protect online transactions start treating legitimate AI agents like potential threats?

Recorded live at Fintech Meetup Europe in Lisbon, Justin Hanna is joined by Sadra Hosseini, Co-Founder & CEO of Ryft, to explore how payments infrastructure needs to evolve to support a new generation of global commerce. Following Ryft's £20 million funding raise, the c...

What happens when your customers have AI doing the research, comparing financial products and finding better deals for them?For years, banks have built their business models around customer relationships, trust and loyalty. But as AI gives consumers more information and greater control over their financial decisions, those traditional advantages could start to look very different.

If switching providers becomes easier than ever, what will make customers stay? Recorded live at Fintech Meetup Europe in Lisbon, Justin Hanna is joined by Theodora Lau, Founder of Unconventional Ventures, to explore how AI is changing consumer behaviour and why...

Every fintech wants to stand out. But when everyone is promising to revolutionise finance, transform payments and change the industry, how do you actually get noticed? And is spending more money on PR really the answer?

Recorded live at Fintech Meetup Europe in Lisbon, Justin Hanna is joined by Kimberley Waldron, Founder of Starter PR, to explore why so much fintech communication sounds the same, what makes a story genuinely newsworthy and how companies can build credibility beyond the usual industry buzzwords.

From the growing demand for real evidence behind AI claims to the challenges...

Europe has made significant progress towards creating a more connected financial market. But when it comes to SME lending, the rules can still look very different from one country to the next. For small businesses trying to access finance, that fragmentation can create unnecessary complexity. And for lenders looking to expand across borders, it presents an entirely different set of challenges.

So why has SME lending been so difficult to harmonise across Europe, and what would it take to change that?Recorded live at Fintech Meetup Europe in Lisbon, Jasmine Chana is joined by Thorsten Seeger, Member...

AI is transforming industries across the board, and B2B payments are no exception.But beyond the headlines and promises of automation, what's actually changing in the infrastructure businesses rely on to move money?And how do you balance the opportunities AI creates with the risks of introducing it into systems where accuracy, security and trust are essential?

Recorded live at Fintech Meetup Europe in Lisbon, Justin Hanna is joined by Malte Rau, Co-Founder & CEO of Pliant, to explore the real impact of artificial intelligence on B2B payments infrastructure, from the changes happening today to the...

What happens when the person making a payment isn't a person at all?AI agents are moving beyond recommendations and assistance. They're beginning to take action, including initiating transactions and making financial decisions on behalf of businesses.

But if an AI agent makes a payment it shouldn't have, who's responsible?And how do you build a payments system that can keep up when decisions are being made by software, continuously and at scale?

Recorded live at Fintech Meetup Europe in Lisbon, Justin Hanna is joined by Tony Ferguson, CEO of Penny International, to explore how...

Building something new in fintech doesn't always mean building everything from scratch.Yet many fintech companies spend valuable time and resources developing infrastructure that already exists, when the smarter approach might be to connect with the right partners instead.

So how do you know what to build, what to integrate and when to rely on the existing payments ecosystem? Recorded live at Fintech Meetup Europe in Lisbon, Liam Gray is joined by Luc Gueriane, CEO of Moorwand, to explore why sustainable fintech innovation is often about making better use of existing infrastructure rather than replacing it.

AI is making identity fraud more sophisticated. European regulations are evolving. And banks and fintechs are facing growing pressure to make identity verification both more secure and more seamless.

But with major changes to Europe's digital identity landscape approaching, are financial institutions actually prepared?

Recorded live at Fintech Meetup Europe in Lisbon, Justin Hanna is joined by Marc Sabadí, Identity Innovation Lead at Mitek Systems, to explore the growing threat of AI-driven identity fraud, the changing regulatory environment and what the future of digital identity could look like across Europe.

From deepfakes and s...

Digital banking has transformed how people manage their money. Opening accounts, making payments and accessing financial services has become faster and easier than ever.

But there's one problem the digital banking revolution hasn't fully solved: borders. Moving money internationally, accessing foreign currency accounts and navigating traditional banking networks can still be complicated, expensive and slow. So could stablecoins finally make global banking as seamless as domestic banking?

Recorded live at Fintech Meetup Europe in Lisbon, Liam Gray is joined by Bivu Das, General Manager of PWS Payments and UK CEO of Kraken (Payward), to explore...

What if improving someone's financial wellbeing required more than just better banking products? Financial services, government, energy and technology all play a role in people's everyday lives.

Yet these sectors often operate independently, even when the challenges they're trying to solve are deeply connected.So what could happen if they started working together?

Recorded live at Fintech Meetup Europe in Lisbon, Justin Hanna is joined by Heather Xiao, Founder & CEO of Horizon Zero, to explore why the future of financial wellbeing depends on collaboration across industries, responsible data sharing and putting people's needs ahead of...

For years, the promise of AI in financial services has been simple: let technology do the work, while humans stay in control.But what if having a human approve every AI decision isn't actually making things safer?

And what if the copilot model that's become so popular is also limiting what AI can really achieve? Recorded live at Fintech Meetup Europe in Lisbon, Liam Gray is joined by Dimitri Massin, CEO & Co-Founder of Gradient Labs, to explore why the future of AI in financial services could belong to autonomous agents rather than traditional AI assistants.

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