Season 5 of The Payments Shed Podcast continues with one of the most influential voices in modern B2B marketing and personal branding.

Grant Evans is joined by Lara Acosta — entrepreneur, Forbes 30 Under 30 honouree, three-time founder, and the world's #1 ranked female creator on LinkedIn. Having built an audience of more than 340,000 followers and generated millions of content views, Lara has become one of the leading advocates for brand-led growth, helping entrepreneurs, creators, founders, and executives turn attention into commercial outcomes.

Lara shares why so many businesses still underestimate the commercial impact of brand, how content can become a genuine revenue driver, and why building trust before a buyer enters a sales process has become one of the biggest competitive advantages in modern B2B. Drawing on her experience building multiple businesses — including LA Digital, Literally Academy, and SaaS platform Kleo — she explains how personal brands are reshaping the way companies attract customers, talent, and opportunities.

The conversation explores the realities of building a business around audience and influence, the challenges and opportunities of female leadership in B2B, and why traditional sales and marketing playbooks are becoming increasingly outdated. They also unpack the evolving relationship between content and sales, how buyer behaviour continues to change, and where AI is genuinely helping businesses move faster versus where it's simply creating more noise.

Plus, Lara steps up for The Payments Shed’s legendary Shelf of Shame to nominate one B2B sales or marketing trend she'd happily banish forever.

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The Payments Shed Podcast is headline sponsored by Damisa.

Damisa is a regulated cross-border payments and treasury infrastructure provider. Using a blend of traditional banking rails and stablecoin technology, Damisa helps businesses move money faster, cheaper, and more transparently across global markets. Its platform supports collections, settlements, disbursements, and liquidity management, while maintaining a strong compliance-first approach. Damisa is building the next generation of global payment infrastructure.

Learn more at: https://www.damisa.xyz/

***

The Payments Shed Podcast is also sponsored by Cyclops.

Cyclops is a crypto and stablecoin infrastructure platform built for payments companies, enabling PSPs, acquirers and processors to offer crypto acceptance, stablecoin settlement and payouts without building their own blockchain stack. It provides a unified solution for pay-ins, pay-outs and fiat-to-digital asset conversion, with simple API or low-code integration.

Learn more at: https://cyclops.finance/

***

The Payments Shed Podcast is supported by PCN.

PCN is a boutique recruitment agency rooted in Amsterdam, driven by a singular mission: connecting top talent with industry leaders. PCN specialises in five core pillars — Fintech, Cybersecurity, SaaS, E-Commerce, and Salesforce — backed by a global network across borders.

Learn more at: https://teampcn.com/

***

Disclaimer: Any views or opinions referenced in this podcast episode are our own, or those of our respective guests, and they do not represent any views, opinions, or statements from our respective employers, or those of our guests. Additionally, any views expressed here are not intended as investment, legal, tax, or financial advice.

Season 5 of The Payments Shed Podcast kicks off with a conversation that goes far beyond social selling.

Justin Hanna is joined by Randy Petway, Senior Director and Head of Global Accounts EMEA & LATAM at LinkedIn Sales Solutions, to explore how B2B sales has fundamentally changed — and why so many organisations are still relying on outdated playbooks.

Randy shares why the future of sales is increasingly being driven by signal, relevance, and discoverability rather than pure outbound volume. The discussion explores how buyer behaviour has evolved, why data quality is becoming one of the biggest competitive advantages in modern sales, and what separates the businesses consistently winning on LinkedIn from those struggling to generate meaningful engagement.

They also unpack the shift from interruption-based selling to becoming discoverable by ideal customers, the biggest myths surrounding the LinkedIn algorithm, and why mindset often matters far more than tooling when building a successful sales strategy.

Plus, Randy steps up for The Payments Shed's legendary Shelf of Shame to nominate one B2B sales and LinkedIn trend he'd happily banish forever.

***

The Payments Shed Podcast is headline sponsored by Damisa.

Damisa is a regulated cross-border payments and treasury infrastructure provider. Using a blend of traditional banking rails and stablecoin technology, Damisa helps businesses move money faster, cheaper, and more transparently across global markets. Its platform supports collections, settlements, disbursements, and liquidity management, while maintaining a strong compliance-first approach. Damisa is building the next generation of global payment infrastructure.

Learn more at: https://www.damisa.xyz/

***

The Payments Shed Podcast is sponsored by Cyclops.

Cyclops is a crypto and stablecoin infrastructure platform built for payments companies, enabling PSPs, acquirers and processors to offer crypto acceptance, stablecoin settlement and payouts without building their own blockchain stack. It provides a unified solution for pay-ins, pay-outs and fiat-to-digital asset conversion, with simple API or low-code integration.

Learn more at: https://cyclops.finance/

***

The Payments Shed Podcast is supported by PCN.

PCN is a boutique recruitment agency rooted in Amsterdam, driven by a singular mission: connecting top talent with industry leaders. PCN specialises in five core pillars — Fintech, Cybersecurity, SaaS, E-Commerce, and Salesforce — backed by a global network across borders.

Learn more at: https://teampcn.com/

***

Disclaimer: Any views or opinions referenced in this podcast episode are our own, or those of our respective guests, and they do not represent any views, opinions, or statements from our respective employers, or those of our guests. Additionally, any views expressed here are not intended as investment, legal, tax, or financial advice.

Recorded live from Money20/20 Europe in Amsterdam, Grant Evans is joined by Ian White, Senior Vice President, Open Finance Europe at Mastercard, for a conversation exploring how one of the world's largest payments companies is helping shape the next generation of financial services.

Ian shares Mastercard's perspective on the evolution of open banking, the growing convergence of payments and data, and why account-to-account payments are becoming an increasingly important part of the global commerce landscape. The discussion explores how consumer expectations are changing, the opportunities and challenges surrounding open finance, and why connectivity between financial institutions, merchants, and consumers is becoming more valuable than ever.

They also unpack the role AI is beginning to play across payments and financial services, how Mastercard views the future of digital identity and trust, and why collaboration between banks, fintechs, and technology providers will be critical to unlocking the next phase of innovation.

Plus, Ian steps up for The Payments Shed’s legendary Shelf of Shame to nominate one thing in payments he'd happily banish forever.

***

The Payments Shed Podcast is headline sponsored by Damisa.

Damisa is a regulated cross-border payments and treasury infrastructure provider. Using a blend of traditional banking rails and stablecoin technology, Damisa helps businesses move money faster, cheaper, and more transparently across global markets. Its platform supports collections, settlements, disbursements, and liquidity management, while maintaining a strong compliance-first approach. Damisa is building the next generation of global payment infrastructure.

Learn more at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.damisa.xyz/⁠⁠⁠⁠

***

The Payments Shed Podcast is supported by PCN.

PCN is a boutique recruitment agency rooted in Amsterdam, driven by a singular mission: connecting top talent with industry leaders. PCN specialises in five core pillars — Fintech, Cybersecurity, SaaS, E-Commerce, and Salesforce — backed by a global network across borders.

Learn more at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://teampcn.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠

***

Disclaimer: Any views or opinions referenced in this podcast episode are our own, or those of our respective guests, and they do not represent any views, opinions, or statements from our respective employers, or those of our guests. Additionally, any views expressed here are not intended as investment, legal, tax, or financial advice.

Recorded live from Money20/20 Europe in Amsterdam, Grant Evans is joined by Ian White, Senior Vice President, Open Finance Europe at Mastercard, and Nikogiannis (John) Karantzis, CEO of Xryma, to discuss one of the event's major announcements: a new partnership designed to accelerate cross-border account-to-account payments.

The conversation explores why A2A payments have historically struggled to scale beyond domestic markets, despite years of industry excitement around open banking and real-time payments. Ian and John unpack the challenges around settlement, currency conversion, reconciliation, and refunds that have limited broader adoption, and explain why the market is finally ready for a more seamless cross-border approach.

They also dive into what Mastercard and Xryma are each bringing to the partnership, how the solution is designed to simplify cross-border payment experiences for merchants and platforms, and whether A2A can genuinely emerge as a viable alternative to traditional payment rails for global commerce.

***

The Payments Shed Podcast is headline sponsored by Damisa.

Damisa is a regulated cross-border payments and treasury infrastructure provider. Using a blend of traditional banking rails and stablecoin technology, Damisa helps businesses move money faster, cheaper, and more transparently across global markets. Its platform supports collections, settlements, disbursements, and liquidity management, while maintaining a strong compliance-first approach. Damisa is building the next generation of global payment infrastructure.

Learn more at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.damisa.xyz/⁠⁠⁠⁠

***

The Payments Shed Podcast is supported by PCN.

PCN is a boutique recruitment agency rooted in Amsterdam, driven by a singular mission: connecting top talent with industry leaders. PCN specialises in five core pillars — Fintech, Cybersecurity, SaaS, E-Commerce, and Salesforce — backed by a global network across borders.

Learn more at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://teampcn.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠

***

Disclaimer: Any views or opinions referenced in this podcast episode are our own, or those of our respective guests, and they do not represent any views, opinions, or statements from our respective employers, or those of our guests. Additionally, any views expressed here are not intended as investment, legal, tax, or financial advice.

Recorded live from Money20/20 Europe in Amsterdam, Justin Hanna is joined by Mark McNulty, Head of UK & Europe Payments at Citi, for a conversation exploring how global businesses are managing liquidity, treasury, and payments in an increasingly complex economic environment.

Mark shares how large multinational organisations are rethinking cash management, cross-border payments, and working capital strategies as expectations for speed, visibility, and efficiency continue to rise. The discussion explores real-time payments, treasury transformation, and the growing importance of integrated financial infrastructure in supporting global commerce.

They also unpack the role of emerging technologies, the impact of changing regulatory frameworks, and how banks and corporates are adapting to a world where money is expected to move faster than ever before. Plus, Mark steps up for The Payments Shed’s legendary Shelf of Shame to nominate one thing in banking and payments he'd happily banish forever.

***

The Payments Shed Podcast is headline sponsored by Damisa.

Damisa is a regulated cross-border payments and treasury infrastructure provider. Using a blend of traditional banking rails and stablecoin technology, Damisa helps businesses move money faster, cheaper, and more transparently across global markets. Its platform supports collections, settlements, disbursements, and liquidity management, while maintaining a strong compliance-first approach. Damisa is building the next generation of global payment infrastructure.

Learn more at: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.damisa.xyz/⁠⁠⁠

***

The Payments Shed Podcast is supported by PCN.

PCN is a boutique recruitment agency rooted in Amsterdam, driven by a singular mission: connecting top talent with industry leaders. PCN specialises in five core pillars — Fintech, Cybersecurity, SaaS, E-Commerce, and Salesforce — backed by a global network across borders.

Learn more at: ⁠⁠⁠https://teampcn.com/⁠⁠⁠

***

Disclaimer: Any views or opinions referenced in this podcast episode are our own, or those of our respective guests, and they do not represent any views, opinions, or statements from our respective employers, or those of our guests. Additionally, any views expressed here are not intended as investment, legal, tax, or financial advice.

Recorded live from the Equals stand at Money20/20 Amsterdam, Justin Hanna is joined by Jim McCarthy, CEO of Thredd, for a conversation exploring how card issuing infrastructure is evolving to support the next generation of fintechs, banks, and embedded finance providers.

Jim shares his perspective on the transformation of the issuing landscape, why legacy technology continues to hold many organisations back, and how modern issuer processors are helping businesses launch and scale innovative payment experiences faster than ever before. The discussion explores embedded finance, programme management, global expansion, and the growing demand for flexibility across issuing and payment products.

They also discuss the role of AI in financial services, the importance of resilient infrastructure in an increasingly real-time world, and how fintechs can balance innovation, compliance, and customer experience as they scale globally. Plus, Jim steps up for The Payments Shed’s legendary Shelf of Shame to nominate one thing in payments he'd happily banish forever.

***

The Payments Shed Podcast is headline sponsored by Damisa.

Damisa is a regulated cross-border payments and treasury infrastructure provider. Using a blend of traditional banking rails and stablecoin technology, Damisa helps businesses move money faster, cheaper, and more transparently across global markets. Its platform supports collections, settlements, disbursements, and liquidity management, while maintaining a strong compliance-first approach. Damisa is building the next generation of global payment infrastructure.

Learn more at: ⁠⁠https://www.damisa.xyz/⁠⁠

***

The Payments Shed Podcast is supported by PCN.

PCN is a boutique recruitment agency rooted in Amsterdam, driven by a singular mission: connecting top talent with industry leaders. PCN specialises in five core pillars — Fintech, Cybersecurity, SaaS, E-Commerce, and Salesforce — backed by a global network across borders.

Learn more at: ⁠⁠https://teampcn.com/⁠⁠

***

Disclaimer: Any views or opinions referenced in this podcast episode are our own, or those of our respective guests, and they do not represent any views, opinions, or statements from our respective employers, or those of our guests. Additionally, any views expressed here are not intended as investment, legal, tax, or financial advice.

Recorded live from the Equals stand at Money20/20 Amsterdam, Grant Evans is joined by Harry Maurice, Director at Visa Consulting & Analytics, to unpack new industry research into embedded finance and what businesses really need from their financial services partners.

Harry shares why embedded finance has moved from innovation project to boardroom priority, and why many providers are still overlooking one of the biggest differentiators in the market — service. The discussion explores how onboarding, implementation, customer support, and long-term account management are becoming just as important as product functionality when businesses evaluate embedded finance providers.

They also discuss the balance between all-in-one platforms and best-of-breed solutions, where businesses are experiencing the biggest pain points today, and why great technology alone is no longer enough to drive long-term success. Plus, Harry steps up for The Payments Shed’s legendary Shelf of Shame to nominate one thing in payments he'd happily banish forever.

***

The Payments Shed Podcast is headline sponsored by Damisa.

Damisa is a regulated cross-border payments and treasury infrastructure provider. Using a blend of traditional banking rails and stablecoin technology, Damisa helps businesses move money faster, cheaper, and more transparently across global markets. Its platform supports collections, settlements, disbursements, and liquidity management, while maintaining a strong compliance-first approach. Damisa is building the next generation of global payment infrastructure.

Learn more at: ⁠https://www.damisa.xyz/⁠

***

The Payments Shed Podcast is supported by PCN.

PCN is a boutique recruitment agency rooted in Amsterdam, driven by a singular mission: connecting top talent with industry leaders. PCN specialises in five core pillars — Fintech, Cybersecurity, SaaS, E-Commerce, and Salesforce — backed by a global network across borders.

Learn more at: ⁠https://teampcn.com/⁠

***

Disclaimer: Any views or opinions referenced in this podcast episode are our own, or those of our respective guests, and they do not represent any views, opinions, or statements from our respective employers, or those of our guests. Additionally, any views expressed here are not intended as investment, legal, tax, or financial advice.

In this episode Grant Evans and Justin Hanna are joined by Thomas 'Hal' Robson-Kanu, former Premier League footballer, Wales international, and founder of The Turmeric Co, for a conversation exploring the remarkable journey from elite sport to building one of the UK's fastest-growing wellness brands.

Thomas shares how a homemade turmeric remedy, originally created to aid his own recovery during his playing career, became the foundation for a business with a mission far bigger than selling wellness products. The discussion explores the challenge of building credibility in the healthcare sector, why prevention should play a much greater role in modern healthcare, and his ambition to see natural health solutions become a more recognised part of everyday treatment.

They also unpack what it really takes to scale a challenger brand, from securing listings with major retailers including Tesco, Boots, Sainsbury's and Ocado, to building a high-performing team while maintaining quality and customer trust. Along the way, Thomas reflects on the mindset shift from professional athlete to entrepreneur, the lessons he's learned as a founder, and what it takes to build a business capable of changing an entire category.

Plus, Thomas steps up for The Payments Shed's legendary Shelf of Shame to nominate one health and wellness trend he'd happily banish forever.

***

The Payments Shed Podcast is also sponsored by Cyclops.

Cyclops is a crypto and stablecoin infrastructure platform built for payments companies, enabling PSPs, acquirers and processors to offer crypto acceptance, stablecoin settlement and payouts without building their own blockchain stack. It provides a unified solution for pay-ins, pay-outs and fiat-to-digital asset conversion, with simple API or low-code integration.

Learn more at: ⁠⁠https://cyclops.finance/⁠⁠

***

The Payments Shed Podcast is supported by PCN.

PCN is a boutique recruitment agency rooted in Amsterdam, driven by a singular mission: connecting top talent with industry leaders. PCN specialises in five core pillars — Fintech, Cybersecurity, SaaS, E-Commerce, and Salesforce — backed by a global network across borders.

Learn more at: ⁠⁠https://teampcn.com/⁠⁠

***

Disclaimer: Any views or opinions referenced in this podcast episode are our own, or those of our respective guests, and they do not represent any views, opinions, or statements from our respective employers, or those of our guests. Additionally, any views expressed here are not intended as investment, legal, tax, or financial advice.

Recorded live from Money20/20 Europe in Amsterdam, Justin Hanna is joined by Luis Lancos, Founder and CEO of DataWhisper, for a conversation exploring how businesses can unlock more value from their payments and financial data.

Luis shares why many organisations are sitting on vast amounts of data but still struggle to turn it into meaningful insights, and how advances in AI are creating new opportunities to automate analysis, uncover trends, and improve decision-making. The discussion explores the growing importance of data quality, the challenges of fragmented information across payment systems, and why better intelligence can often be a bigger competitive advantage than better technology.

They also unpack the role of AI in financial services, how businesses can move beyond dashboards and reporting towards actionable insights, and what the future of data-driven decision-making looks like across payments, banking, and fintech. Plus, Luis steps up for The Payments Shed’s legendary Shelf of Shame to nominate one thing in fintech he'd happily banish forever.

***

The Payments Shed Podcast is headline sponsored by Damisa.

Damisa is a regulated cross-border payments and treasury infrastructure provider. Using a blend of traditional banking rails and stablecoin technology, Damisa helps businesses move money faster, cheaper, and more transparently across global markets. Its platform supports collections, settlements, disbursements, and liquidity management, while maintaining a strong compliance-first approach. Damisa is building the next generation of global payment infrastructure.

Learn more at: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.damisa.xyz/⁠⁠⁠

***

The Payments Shed Podcast is supported by PCN.

PCN is a boutique recruitment agency rooted in Amsterdam, driven by a singular mission: connecting top talent with industry leaders. PCN specialises in five core pillars — Fintech, Cybersecurity, SaaS, E-Commerce, and Salesforce — backed by a global network across borders.

Learn more at: ⁠⁠⁠https://teampcn.com/⁠⁠⁠

***

Disclaimer: Any views or opinions referenced in this podcast episode are our own, or those of our respective guests, and they do not represent any views, opinions, or statements from our respective employers, or those of our guests. Additionally, any views expressed here are not intended as investment, legal, tax, or financial advice.

Recorded live from Money20/20 Europe in Amsterdam, Justin Hanna is joined by Rogier Rouppe van der Voort, CEO at PCN, for a conversation exploring how recruitment, talent, and hiring strategies are evolving across payments, fintech, cybersecurity, and SaaS.

Rogier shares his perspective on the talent challenges facing fintech businesses today, why attracting and retaining the right people has become one of the biggest competitive advantages in the industry, and how hiring priorities have shifted as the market has matured. The discussion explores the changing expectations of both employers and candidates, the rise of skills-based hiring, and what businesses are getting right — and wrong — when it comes to building high-performing teams.

They also unpack the impact of AI on recruitment, the importance of employer branding, and why specialist networks continue to play a critical role in connecting top talent with some of the industry's fastest-growing companies. Plus, Rogier steps up for The Payments Shed’s legendary Shelf of Shame to nominate one thing in recruitment and fintech he'd happily banish forever.

***

The Payments Shed Podcast is headline sponsored by Damisa.

Damisa is a regulated cross-border payments and treasury infrastructure provider. Using a blend of traditional banking rails and stablecoin technology, Damisa helps businesses move money faster, cheaper, and more transparently across global markets. Its platform supports collections, settlements, disbursements, and liquidity management, while maintaining a strong compliance-first approach. Damisa is building the next generation of global payment infrastructure.

Learn more at: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.damisa.xyz/⁠⁠⁠

***

The Payments Shed Podcast is supported by PCN.

PCN is a boutique recruitment agency rooted in Amsterdam, driven by a singular mission: connecting top talent with industry leaders. PCN specialises in five core pillars — Fintech, Cybersecurity, SaaS, E-Commerce, and Salesforce — backed by a global network across borders.

Learn more at: ⁠⁠⁠https://teampcn.com/⁠⁠⁠

***

Disclaimer: Any views or opinions referenced in this podcast episode are our own, or those of our respective guests, and they do not represent any views, opinions, or statements from our respective employers, or those of our guests. Additionally, any views expressed here are not intended as investment, legal, tax, or financial advice.