Leaders In Payments and FinTech - The EDC Podcast

In this episode of the Leaders in Payments and Fintech podcast, host Beatrice Sava sits down with Sam Boboev, founder of Fintech Wrap Up, to cut through the hype around agentic commerce and get honest about where the technology actually stands. Sam draws on his background in product management and his ongoing work covering fintech and payments to separate what’s genuinely working from what’s still a demo.

Sam argues that the real bottleneck isn’t agent capability — it’s everything around it. Inconsistent data, unclear liability, and infrastructure built for humans rather than machines are the core friction points. The verticals best positioned to move first are those where decisions are already structured — particularly B2B payments, where policy constraints actually make it easier for agents to act reliably.

In this episode: 

Resources:

LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/sirojboboev  

Website: https://www.fintechwrapup.com 

Podcast: https://www.fintechwrapup.com/podcast

In this episode of the Leaders in Payments and Fintech podcast, host Greg Toussaint sits down with Antonio “Toni” Rami, co-founder of Kantox, to unpack why FX remains one of the most overlooked financial risks in global business — and what companies can do about it. Toni shares how Kantox grew from a two-person startup to nearly 300 people by helping corporates automate their FX processes, and why the travel industry, with its inherently cross-border nature, is both especially exposed and especially well-positioned to benefit.

With awareness still the biggest barrier, Toni argues that the cost of inaction is far higher than most CFOs realize. He walks through how a coordinated, cross-functional approach to FX can drive direct bookings, reduce acquiring costs, improve cash flow, and even protect company valuation in an M&A process. The companies that treat FX as a strategic lever, not a back-office nuisance, are the ones pulling ahead.

In this episode: 

Resources:

LinkedIn: https://sg.linkedin.com/in/antoniorami  

Website: https://www.kantox.com/ 

Davide Villa, Manager at EDC, sits down with Daniel Kalish, CEO and Co-Founder at Nilus, to discuss the evolution of treasury management, and the role that AI can play in innovating in the space.

In this episode of the Leaders in Payments and Fintech podcast, host Davide sits down with Daniel Kalish, co-founder and CEO of Nilus and former PayPal veteran, to explore how AI is reshaping corporate treasury management. Daniel shares why he founded Nilus after seeing firsthand how finance teams were struggling to manage cash across complex, global operations — and how agentic AI is finally replacing the side Excel files that have long driven treasury decisions.

With CFO expectations shifting fast and stablecoins beginning to enter the corporate treasury conversation, Daniel makes the case that the window to modernise is now — and that the companies who move early will have a significant edge. He also offers candid advice for fintech founders on what it truly means to build AI-native, both in product and in culture.

In this episode: 

Resources:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-kalish-74194768 

Website: https://www.nilus.com 

The payments industry is on the cusp of a major transformation as stablecoins emerge as alternatives to traditional payment rails. Stablecoins promise to revolutionize cross-border payments and micropayments through blockchain's native interoperability, but they face challenges around demonstrating clear advantages over existing instant payment networks and avoiding market fragmentation. This episode explores how stablecoins differ from volatile cryptocurrencies and CBDCs, examines real-world use cases from remittances to tokenized assets, and discusses where they're most likely to gain traction in a rapidly evolving regulatory landscape shaped by frameworks like Europe's MiCA.

In this episode of the Leaders in Payments and Fintech podcast, host Mark Beresford sits down with Diederick Langstraat and Thibault Pelé from Worldline, alongside Samee Zafar, CEO of Edgar, Dunn & Company, to explore the emerging world of stablecoins and central bank digital currencies (CBDCs). They discuss how stablecoins differ from volatile cryptocurrencies and traditional payment rails, and examine real-world use cases from cross-border payments to tokenized assets. 

The conversation covers blockchain's role in enabling native interoperability between payment systems, the regulatory frameworks shaping adoption like Europe's MiCA, and whether stablecoins offer genuine advantages over existing instant payment networks. They also explore emerging applications in gaming micropayments, social commerce, and agentic commerce.

In this episode: 

Resources:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/diederick-langstraat-212861/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thibaultpele/ 

Website: https://worldline.com/ 

The payments industry is on the cusp of a major transformation as AI agents evolve from helpful assistants to autonomous shoppers. Agentic commerce—where AI independently finds, compares, negotiates, and purchases products on behalf of consumers—promises to revolutionize e-commerce, but it also introduces complex challenges around fraud, authentication, and customer identity in a highly regulated industry. This episode explores how the industry is racing to establish standards and protocols to make agentic commerce both secure and seamless.

In this episode of the Leaders in Payments and Fintech podcast, host Mark Beresford sits down with Adam Davies, Payment Partnerships Lead at Forter, to explore how agentic commerce is coming to market and what it means for merchants, payment providers, and consumers. They discuss the shift from AI as a supportive tool to AI as an autonomous actor capable of completing entire shopping journeys without human intervention. Adam breaks down the three types of AI shopping flows—referral, hybrid, and fully autonomous—and explains why the past six months have seen a flurry of protocol announcements from major players like Google, OpenAI, Stripe, Visa, and Mastercard.

The conversation covers both sides of the agentic commerce coin: the risks fraudsters can exploit with scalable, untraceable AI-powered attacks, and the opportunities for merchants to serve customers in entirely new ways. They also tackle the shift from traditional SEO to GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) and share practical advice for merchants preparing for this new reality.

In this episode: 

Resources:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamrdavies  

Website: https://www.forter.com/  

Each year, our Advanced Payments and Fintech Report provides a comprehensive view of the latest trends defining the payments landscape. Now in its 18th edition, the report examines 14 themes across four domains, highlighting how innovation, evolving business models, and shifting consumer expectations are driving rapid industry change. In 2025, AI, digital identity, embedded finance, and emerging infrastructure are shaping how money moves, how businesses operate, and how consumers interact with financial services.

In this episode of the EDC Podcast, host Davide sits down with Tue To, head of Edgar, Dunn & Company’s Fintech practice, to explore the 18th edition of the Advanced Payments and Fintech Report. They dive into the trends reshaping payments and fintech, from AI-driven orchestration and agentic AI to subscription BNPL, connected car payments, and embedded finance. Tue explains how these innovations are making payments faster, smarter, and more seamless, and why consumer trust and convenience are now essential for business success.

They also unpack the big numbers behind these trends, including $6 trillion in retail stablecoin transactions and the $5.7 trillion SME financing gap, and what these mean for businesses and consumers. Tue shares how AI, biometrics, and digital IDs are transforming onboarding and fraud prevention, why collaboration between fintechs and banks is key, and how payments are evolving from a back-office utility into a strategic growth engine. Tune in for a forward-looking conversation on the future of payments and the trends shaping 2026.

In this episode: 

Resources:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tue-to-541a214 

Website: http://www.edgardunn.com/ 

Report: https://www.edgardunn.com/reports/advanced-payments-and-fintech-report 

In this episode, Samee Zafar from Edgar, Dunn & Company speaks with Amir Wain, CEO of i2c, about the transformative role of AI in financial services and payments. They discuss the definition of agentic AI versus generative AI, its benefits for businesses, and the importance of focusing on business objectives over technology. Amir shares insights on founding i2c to address complexity in financial platforms through a single customer-centric solution. The conversation also explores practical applications such as AI-powered customer service, the significance of tokenization for agentic commerce, and the potential of digital assistants.

Show Notes:

In this episode, Samee Zafar of Edgar, Dunn & Company talks with Amir Wain, CEO and founder of i2c, about how AI is reshaping financial services and what businesses should actually do about it. From customer service automation to agentic commerce, Amir explains why AI is both an existential threat and a massive opportunity—and how to focus on the latter by starting with business objectives, not technology.

They also explore how agentic AI goes beyond chatbots to take real actions, why legacy infrastructure often holds back AI implementation, and how digital assistants will change the way we shop and manage daily tasks. Amir shares how AI enables smaller players to compete with giants through 24/7 service and personalized experiences, and why tokenization is the right foundation for agentic commerce.

Join us as we explore the evolution from generative to agentic AI, practical applications in payments and commerce, and why the dust will settle on digital assistants just like it did with mobile operating systems—with AI becoming core infrastructure rather than standalone products.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

In this episode: 

Resources:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amirwain 

Website: https://www.i2cinc.com

In this episode, Davide Villa speaks with John Lunn, CEO of Gr4vy, about the transformative role of payment orchestration in the payments industry. They discuss the definition of payment orchestration, its benefits for merchants, and the importance of flexibility in payment systems. John shares insights on founding Gravy to address industry frustrations, the significance of tokenization, and the critiques surrounding payment orchestration. The conversation also explores future trends such as stable coins and agentic commerce, emphasizing the evolving role of payments in business.

Show Notes:

In this episode, Davide Villa of Edgar, Dunn & Company talks with John Lunn, CEO and founder of Gr4vy, about how payment orchestration is redefining the way merchants manage payments. From redundancy and scalability to tokenization and network tokens, John explains why orchestration is no longer just an optimization tool but a critical part of merchants’ infrastructure.

They also explore how global payment rails—from Brazil’s Pix to India’s UPI—are reshaping commerce, and why orchestration enables merchants to adapt quickly, test new methods, and negotiate better terms with PSPs. John shares how orchestration eliminates single points of failure, boosts flexibility, and even turns payments into a competitive advantage.

Join us as we explore how orchestration, new payment models, and emerging technologies like stablecoins and agentic commerce are transforming financial services worldwide.

In this episode: 

Resources:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnclunn 

Website: https://gr4vy.com 

In this episode, Mark Beresford and Amine Saidi of Edgar, Dunn & Company talk with Erich Litch, General Manager of Payments Software, and Phil Bruno, Chief Strategy and Growth Officer at ACI Worldwide, about how banks can modernize legacy platforms without risking a full-scale overhaul. From convergence across payment rails to the growing role of orchestration, they explain why modernization is no longer optional for financial institutions.

They also explore how real-time payments are reshaping global markets—from Brazil’s Pix to India’s UPI—while open banking creates new opportunities for value-added services. Erich and Phil share how AI and emerging agentic AI are being used to fight fraud, streamline transactions, and automate back-office tasks, helping banks compete with fintechs on speed and customer experience.

Join us as we explore how modernization, AI, and new payment models are redefining financial services worldwide.

In this episode: 

Resources:

LinkedIn (Erich Litch): https://www.linkedin.com/in/erich-litch-500548 

LinkedIn (Philip Bruno): https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-bruno 

Website: https://www.aciworldwide.com 

Jaya Vaidhyanathan, CEO of BCT Digital, and EDC Director Mark Beresford discuss the evolution of AI in financial services

In this episode, Mark Beresford, Director at Edgar, Dunn & Company, talks with Jaya Vaidhyanathan, CEO of BCT Digital, about how big data and AI are revolutionizing risk and compliance. From fraud prevention and real-time monitoring to climate risk modeling for insurers, Jaya explains how AI delivers insights beyond human capability and why it works best as a collaboration between machines and human judgment.

They also explore why we’re at an AI “inflection point,” what it means for the future of work, and how early adoption can keep you competitive. Jaya shares lessons from her own career—spanning investment banking, global consulting, and entrepreneurship—including navigating gender bias and building resilience in male-dominated industries.

Join us for a forward-looking conversation on AI’s role in reshaping financial services—and why the time to act is now.

In this episode: 

Resources:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaya-vaidhyanathan-26039510

Website: https://www.bctdigital.ai