Bitesize Payments

Welcome to Bitesize Payments where we discuss their history how they work and of course who does what. 

In today’s episode, we’ll unravel the fascinating world of Cross-Border Payments. With so many payment terms, brand names, and confusing jargon out there, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. But at its core, cross-border payments are actually a straightforward concept—and we’re here to simplify it for you.

Let’s start with the history of cross-border payments, which stretches all the way back to the time of the Silk Road. Back then, trade flourished across vast distances, and the challenge was figuring out how to exchange value between parties who didn’t know—or necessarily trust—each other.

This led to the creation of what we now call correspondent banking, a system built on a network of trust. Here’s an example:

If I wanted to trade with someone in China but didn’t know or trust them, I’d have a problem. But what if I trusted someone in France, who in turn trusted someone in Prussia, and they trusted the trader in China? This chain of trust created a secure way for value to flow between distant and unfamiliar parties—one of the earliest examples of how cross-border payments worked.

Fast forward to today, and cross-border payments are a cornerstone of global trade and commerce. Yet, the principles of trust and intermediaries remain at their heart.

To help us break this all down, I’m thrilled to be joined by my good friend Susan Hall, a seasoned expert in the field of cross-border payments. Susan has dedicated much of her career to understanding and explaining how these payments work, and I can’t wait to dive into her insights.

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Payments Industry Insights

History of Payments

Payment System Explained

Corporate Payments Strategy

Payment Regulations Impact

ISO20022 Standard

Digital Payments Evolution

CBDC Advancements

Cryptocurrency in Payments

Financial Technology Education

Welcome back to Bitesize Payments where we discuss their history, how they work and of course who does what…. 

Today we are looking at key stakeholder in payments, fintech's… The new young things of the industry or are they… ? 

So today we are discussing Fintech’s, and I am super pleased to be joined by Caleb, CEO of Tilled.

It was not long ago that the industry was the Fintech's were all tech and no fin….. not so sure that is true any longer … anyway we shall see ….. 

Hold on,  here we go……

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Payments Industry Insights

History of Payments

Payment System Explained

Corporate Payments Strategy

Payment Regulations Impact

ISO20022 Standard

Digital Payments Evolution

CBDC Advancements

Cryptocurrency in Payments

Financial Technology Education

Welcome to Bitesize Payments, where we discuss their history, how they work and of course who does what… Today we are going to discuss mobile payments…. 

Remember when losing your wallet was the ultimate nightmare? These days, losing your phone feels like losing your entire life—and your wallet’s just a passenger on that ride!

Let’s take a quick journey through time. Once upon a time, cash was king. Coins and notes ruled the economy for centuries. Then came the 20th century, bringing us credit and debit cards—plastic that allowed us to leave cash at home. But now, in the 21st century, we’re witnessing another major shift. This time, it’s digital, and it’s happening right in the palm of your hand—through your smartphone.

So grab your phone, because it’s not just playing this podcast—it might just be the future of how you pay for everything!

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Payments Industry Insights

History of Payments

Payment System Explained

Corporate Payments Strategy

Payment Regulations Impact

ISO20022 Standard

Digital Payments Evolution

CBDC Advancements

Cryptocurrency in Payments

Financial Technology Education

Welcome back to bitesize Payments, where we explain their history, how they work and of course who does what. Today we’re diving into a topic that has fascinated civilizations for thousands of years: gold. 

Did you know that all the gold ever mined would fit into a cube just 21 meters on each side?

All that Glitters is not Gold – comes from Shakespeare don’t you know!! But it's history and role in Payments is Pivotal from a currency to the gold standard.

Perhaps you’re now thinking of Fort Knocks or James Bonds Gold’s Finger ohhh and try not to think of Spandau Ballet … ahh too late… here we go…

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Payments Industry Insights

History of Payments

Payment System Explained

Corporate Payments Strategy

Payment Regulations Impact

ISO20022 Standard

Digital Payments Evolution

CBDC Advancements

Cryptocurrency in Payments

Financial Technology Education

Welcome back to Bitesize Payments. Where we discuss their history, how they work and who does what.

Today we are going to do the reverse of the last podcast with Eric Grover – we will be looking at Europe from an American's point of view.

We say Europe, but what do we mean? What’s the EU, SEPA, and EEA? We will walk you through that.

Obviously, European history is a little more complex as, among other things, we had nearly 30 different currencies and all that entails.

Last time Eric spoke, we discussed the USA from a European's point of view. Today we are going to do the reverse.

I have always been amused and confused by our differences. Mostly, we can sort out our language to smooth things over and understand each other, as at the end of the day, payments are just that – payments.

However, the EU has a few – well, maybe a lot – of complexities that are not always clear and frankly are a little fuzzy even for us. But it’s basically a lot of countries now trying to work together as a single (ish) entity.

I have spent a lot of my career working for US firms, and it became almost a second skill to try and speak Europe to my North American colleagues.

Let's dive down the rabbit hole. Here we go….

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Payments Industry Insights

History of Payments

Payment System Explained

Corporate Payments Strategy

Payment Regulations Impact

ISO20022 Standard

Digital Payments Evolution

CBDC Advancements

Cryptocurrency in Payments

Financial Technology Education

Welcome back to Bitesize Payments where we look at their history, how they work and who does what. 

When we look at the payment systems of another region, they often seem impenetrable due to different brand names, terminologies, use cases, and cultural nuances.

You might be thinking, aren’t payments just payments around the world? Well, yes and no. While there are common elements like high-value payments, ACHs, and cards, you need to peel back a few layers to find the similarities.

There are several aspects that might trip you up, and not just while you’re on holiday.

In the next two episodes, we will examine the USA payment systems from a European perspective, and then the European systems from an American point of view.

Joining me for this discussion is my good friend, Eric Grover. Eric is a keen observer of both European and American payment activities, making this an exciting and insightful conversation.

So, let's dive into part 1 and understand how US payments work. This is going to be fun…. Here we go….

Send us Fan Mail

Payments Industry Insights

History of Payments

Payment System Explained

Corporate Payments Strategy

Payment Regulations Impact

ISO20022 Standard

Digital Payments Evolution

CBDC Advancements

Cryptocurrency in Payments

Financial Technology Education

Welcome back to bitesize payments where we discuss the history, how they work and who does what? 

Today we are going to discuss banks, what do they do? We have discussed a little of their history in previous episodes, we talk through them as key stakeholders as well,  banks are right at the top of the list.   

So we're zooming in on banks - institutions as ancient as civilization yet as contemporary as the latest fintech news.

It may well seem obvious what they do but as I think you will see it both much simpler than you think and much much more complex than you think! Well we’ll see…

Today I am super please to be with my good friend Vincent Brennan ex Head of Payments at BOI amongst his many other roles, I have also been lucky enough to work with Vincent on Industry issues and at the EBA.

Lets discuss banks, the invisible network. 

Hold on to your hats,  here we go…. 

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Payments Industry Insights

History of Payments

Payment System Explained

Corporate Payments Strategy

Payment Regulations Impact

ISO20022 Standard

Digital Payments Evolution

CBDC Advancements

Cryptocurrency in Payments

Financial Technology Education

Welcome back to bitesize Payments were we discuss their history, how they work and of course who does what.  In this episode we're discussing Clearings.

Clearings what are they?  Well, they are sometimes called rails, schemes or the last mile either way there are a lot and I mean a lot, as I have mentioned before there is a clearing for every type of payment – RTGS, IP etc for every country.  Not only that but they are different in every country even though they do effectively the same thing.  

The first clearing was probably the format defined by Western Union in 1872 for what we now call wires.  When we have electronic payments methods, we need these standards as we discussed in a previous episode.

When I said a lot how many is a lot.  Well there are 195 countries in the world with electronic payment, there are ACHs, IP, hi value, Cards – credit and debit, x border etc so for the sake of argument at least 7 formats so there are up wards of 1,365 different file formats….  So a lot :-) 

Today I am joined by Heike from Unifits and ex Vocalink etc to help me explain them, here we go….

Send us Fan Mail

Payments Industry Insights

History of Payments

Payment System Explained

Corporate Payments Strategy

Payment Regulations Impact

ISO20022 Standard

Digital Payments Evolution

CBDC Advancements

Cryptocurrency in Payments

Financial Technology Education

Welcome back to Bitesize Payments, in today's episode we dive into the murky waters of payment fraud and scams. From ancient swindlers to modern-day cybercriminals, we're charting the course of deceptive practices that have evolved alongside our financial systems. 

Fraud is a personal and often distressing experience, and while we won't dwell on the emotional aspects, it's important to recognise its impact. 

Our story begins in ancient civilisations, where currency first sparked opportunistic deceit. Recall the bustling marketplaces of Lydia, the cradle of coinage we discussed in episode one, where fraudsters first exchanged counterfeit coins for genuine ones, setting the stage for an enduring struggle between trust and deception.

 So, let's set sail on this journey through time and technology and the dark underbelly of payments.

Send us Fan Mail

Payments Industry Insights

History of Payments

Payment System Explained

Corporate Payments Strategy

Payment Regulations Impact

ISO20022 Standard

Digital Payments Evolution

CBDC Advancements

Cryptocurrency in Payments

Financial Technology Education

Welcome back to Bitesize Payments, in this episode we are going to discuss a Major Stakeholder that is not always discussed as much as they should have.  As an example, when the EU asked for feedback in preparation for PSD2 the “corporates” gave more feedback than all the other groups put together, yet we seem to put them in a distant place. 

While we think of us citizens as the super user, as we discussed in episode 8, but much of the tools or networks, have been set up specifically for Corporates. 

Corporates they are the big boys or girls of payments they move the real bucks around and as you will see they have the most complex requirements of all the stakeholders.  So much so that generally banks have a whole division set up to service their needs.

Today I am joined by my good friend Roy Marsh to help walk through Corporates and understand their history, how they work and who does what.   

So let dive into their history, how they work and who does what. Buckle up here we go. Let go all corporate…..

Send us Fan Mail

Payments Industry Insights

History of Payments

Payment System Explained

Corporate Payments Strategy

Payment Regulations Impact

ISO20022 Standard

Digital Payments Evolution

CBDC Advancements

Cryptocurrency in Payments

Financial Technology Education