Europe isn’t one payments market; it’s dozens of overlapping preferences, currencies, and rails that can make cross‑border growth feel like threading a needle. We sit down with David Rintel, CEO of Finby, to explore how a one‑stop, proprietary stack can tame that complexity while giving merchants real control over speed, features, and cost. From rebranding TrustPay to Finby to securing a new European license, David shares why staking out a distinct identity matters when your strategy is to build infrastructure, not just resell it.

We dig into what merchants actually need to win in new countries: curated payment methods that fit both their target market and their business model. David breaks down where cards still win, where local methods like BLIK and iDEAL dominate, and how recurring billing, chargeback rules, and settlement flows shape conversion and risk. He explains why direct scheme memberships beyond cards unlock first‑mile access to features, lower latency, and better product roadmaps and how a unified API can turn new market launches into configuration rather than fresh builds.

Regulation gets real, too. EU‑level rules rarely land uniformly; national transpositions drive edge‑case complexity, while mandates like SCA and instant payments remake the pipes. David’s advice is blunt and useful: stop trying to predict the winning rail and instead design for adaptability - teams, partners, and tech that bend without breaking. If you’re leading payments for a cross‑border brand, you’ll leave with a clearer playbook for method selection, integration depth, compliance guardrails, and the mindset to stay ahead of constant change.