As digital transformation accelerates across Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (CEMEA), financial institutions face increasing pressure to modernize—reshaping their operations to become more agile, customer-centric, and innovation-ready.

In the latest episode of Visa Spotlights, Walter Lironi, Head of Value-Added Services for Visa in CEMEA, was joined by Vishal Dalal, CEO of Pismo. Together they unpack how Visa’s acquisition of Pismo is enabling banks and fintechs to leapfrog legacy constraints and build resilient, future-ready platforms that meet the demands of a digital-first world. 

For more podcasts by Visa, visit: https://km.visamiddleeast.com/en_KM/about-visa/cemea-podcast.html#1

In the latest episode of Visa Spotlights podcast, we're taking a closer look at the innovations unveiled at Visa's recent Global Product Drop on April 30 in San Francisco. This landmark event showcased a series of transformative solutions designed to reshape the future of payments.

A key theme emerging from the event was the growing influence of Agentic AI. Godfrey Sullivan, Visa's Head of Products & Solutions for Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (CEMEA), highlights how this next frontier of technology is reshaping the way people engage with commerce – and how Visa is uniquely positioned to lead this transformation. He also underscores the growing relevance of stablecoins, emphasizing their potential to modernize payment infrastructure and unlock new efficiencies in the payments ecosystem.

For more podcasts by Visa, visit: https://km.visamiddleeast.com/en_KM/about-visa/cemea-podcast.html#1

In an era where cyber threats are constantly evolving and AI-driven deception is becoming increasingly sophisticated, staying ahead of these challenges is more critical than ever. In a special episode of Visa Spotlights Charles Lobo, Regional Risk Officer for CEMEA at Visa, engages in a thought-provoking discussion with Theresa Payton, first female White House CIO, technology thought leader, AI strategist, and cybersecurity expert.

Theresa emphasizes the critical need to rethink the design, security, and protection of our digital world, prioritizing a people-centric approach. Reflecting on her tenure at the White House, she discusses the most relevant Reflecting on her tenure at the White House, she discusses the most relevant cybersecurity lessons and how they can be applied to current practices to enhance security measures. She also shares her bold predictions for technology and cybercrime in 2026, offering practical strategies to fortify our security and stay ahead of potential threats.

For more podcasts by Visa, visit: https://km.visamiddleeast.com/en_KM/about-visa/cemea-podcast.html#1

Join Visa's Ivan Ponomarov, Head of Money Movement Solutions for CEMEA and Hasan Jaber, CEO, AlfaNow, as they discuss the evolving landscape of the global payments and remittance industry, key trends, emerging challenges, and future opportunities. 

About AlfaNow

AlfaNow is the global cross-border payment solution arm of the Al Fardan Group, now setting the stage for global expansion. Through AlfaNow, the objective of the group is to expand globally and provide an inclusive cross-border payment solution brand to consumers and businesses.

For more podcasts by Visa, visit: https://km.visamiddleeast.com/en_KM/about-visa/cemea-podcast.html#1

In our latest episode of the Visa Spotlights podcast, Andrew Torre, Regional President for Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa, delves into the pivotal trends poised to redefine digital payments in 2025.

In 2024, the region surpassed over 370 million Visa credentials, highlighting a significant shift toward digital transactions—a trend that's been growing at an impressive compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 32% over the past four years. As we move into 2025, the payments landscape continues to evolve, prioritizing accessibility, simplicity, and affordability for everyone.

From the transformative potential of generative AI to the advent of seamless and secure transactions, and from the shift towards biometric authentication to the burgeoning proliferation of embedded finance, the conversation explores key drivers that are set to shape the future of payments.

For more podcasts by Visa, visit: https://km.visamiddleeast.com/en_KM/about-visa/cemea-podcast.html#1

In this episode of Visa Spotlights, join Visa's Ivan Ponomarov, Head of Money Movement Solutions for CEMEA and Maksym Kubrovskiy, Director, ProFix, as they discuss the dynamic world of money movement, how ProFix is empowering financial institutions to seamlessly move money, and how Visa + ProFix combined efforts are delivering best-in-class solutions.

About ProFix
ProFix is a key player in the world of money movement, offering innovative solutions to a vast network of over 250 banks and financial services companies spanning 30,000 locations across 55 countries.

For more podcasts by Visa, visit: https://km.visamiddleeast.com/en_KM/about-visa/cemea-podcast.html#1

In this episode of Visa Spotlights, Dan Baxter, Visa's Head of Corporate Communications for CEMEA, engages in a forward-looking conversation with Godfrey Sullivan, Visa's Head of Products & Solutions for CEMEA, to explore Visa's strategic efforts in driving fintech innovation across the Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa.

Godfrey Sullivan delves into the pivotal programs and initiatives that Visa has implemented to accelerate fintech development, highlighting their tangible impact across the region and the immense potential for fintech to empower societies. The discussion provides a compelling perspective on Visa's strategic investments, designed to cultivate the growth of fintech startups, advance financial inclusion, and revolutionize digital payment ecosystems.

For more podcasts by Visa, visit: https://km.visamiddleeast.com/en_KM/about-visa/cemea-podcast.html#1

In this episode of Visa Spotlights, Dan Baxter, Visa's Head of Corporate Communications for CEMEA, speaks with Charles Lobo, Visa's Regional Risk Officer for CEMEA, to explore Visa’s efforts to protect over 4.5 billion cards and $15 trillion in annual transactions through cutting-edge cybersecurity measures.

Charles Lobo reinforces findings from Visa’s 2023 Stay Secure campaign and shares new insights from Visa's latest. The discussion also explores trends such as the growing importance of digital identity authentication and the adoption of tokenization to secure payment data.

For more podcasts by Visa, visit: https://km.visamiddleeast.com/en_KM/about-visa/cemea-podcast.html#1

In this episode of Visa Spotlights, Dan Baxter, Visa's Vice President, Corporate Communications, CEMEA, is joined by Leila Serhan, SVP & Group Country Manager for North Africa, Levant and Pakistan (NALP), at Visa. Together, they explore the latest payment trends in the NALP region, the challenges and opportunities in advancing financial inclusion, and how Visa is working with government stakeholders to enable access for citizens. They also discuss Visa's role in supporting small businesses and emerging entrepreneurs in the region.  

For more podcasts by Visa, visit: https://km.visamiddleeast.com/en_KM/about-visa/cemea-podcast.html#1

Join Visa's Head of Visa Advisory for CEMEA Nicolas Khoury, and Simply's CEO Serhii Holovan, for an insightful discussion on the potential for banks and tech firms to enter the digital wallet industry. They will also dive deep into the dynamics and highlight some of the best practices in this space.

For more podcasts by Visa, visit: https://km.visamiddleeast.com/en_KM/about-visa/cemea-podcast.html#1