Voice of MPE

In this episode of the Voice of MPE podcast, Panagiotis Kriaris sits down with Abhi Kumar, Strategic Partnerships Lead at Thunes, to discuss the evolving landscape of global payments.

Whether you are a merchant looking to scale globally or a fintech professional staying ahead of the curve, this conversation provides a deep dive into the infrastructure driving today's digital economy.

This episode of the MPE Podcast is brought to you by Thunes – the Smart Superhighway to move money around the world.

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What happens when payments disappear into the experience—and become the engine behind it?

In this insightful panel from MPE 2026, moderator 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗮 𝗖𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗿𝘀 (Independent Expert) brings together industry leaders to explore how embedded payments are evolving into a powerful growth driver across ecosystems.

𝗙𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴:
• Charlotte Al Usta, Flagship Advisory Partners
• Ondřej Buben, Shoptet
• Hemlata Narasimhan, Elavon
• Sarel Tal, Rapyd

𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗰𝘀:
• What embedded payments really mean today—and where they’re headed
• Why software platforms are becoming financial ecosystems
• The rise of embedded lending, instant settlement & value-added services
• How data, onboarding speed, and user experience drive adoption
• The shift from payments → full embedded finance

“𝘌𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘰𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦. 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘦.”

From SMEs to enterprises, from APIs to full ecosystems—this session breaks down how embedded finance is reshaping the payments landscape.

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In this episode, we explore Wero – Europe’s bold move toward a unified, instant payment solution designed to simplify how money flows across borders. 🌍💸

What exactly is Wero? How is it connected to Worldline? And what vision is shaping its role in the future of payments?

Join us for an insightful conversation with Laura McCracken and Antonio Soares from Worldline. 

👉 Learn more: https://www.merchantpaymentsecosystem.com

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What does it really take to convert a customer at the final moment?

In this MPE panel, 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗝𝗮𝗰𝗼𝗯 (Arkwright Consulting) and leaders from Tipico, Wolt, Commerz Globalpay, Revolut, and Stripe unpack the reality behind checkout performance—where user intent meets execution.

From payment method strategy to UX optimisation, this session explores how merchants can remove friction, increase conversion, and design checkout experiences that simply… disappear.

𝗙𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴:
• Vishal Shukla, Tipico
• Danish Kanojia, Wolt
• Christian von Hammel-Bonten, Commerz Globalpay
• Anton Hellkvist, Revolut
• Julius Danek, Stripe

𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻:
• Why the best checkout is invisible
• How payment methods impact conversion across markets
• The role of wallets, instant transfers, and localisation
• Why UX decisions outside payments often matter more
• How A/B testing and data shape high-performing checkouts
• The balance between control, data, and pre-built solutions

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The acquiring landscape is evolving—fast.

In this expert panel moderated by 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗼 𝗕𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶, leaders from Mastercard, Finby, G+D Netcetera, and Yellow Ladder Coffee explore how merchants and payment providers can navigate increasing complexity, fragmentation, and rapid technological change.

𝗙𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴:
• David Rintel / Finby
• Ivan Vukelikj / G+D Netcetera
• Anne-Marie Dentz / Mastercard
• Gyuzala Muzafar / Yellow Ladder Coffee

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻:
• Why the payments ecosystem is evolving at an unprecedented speed
• How merchants can stay competitive in a fragmented landscape
• The real pain points merchants face today (reliability, consolidation, complexity)
• Why payments must “just work”—like electricity
• The role of embedded payments in simplifying the ecosystem
• How tokenisation underpins future commerce and security

𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆:
Complexity isn’t going away—but it must be simplified.

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The future of commerce is being rewritten—by agents.

In this high-impact panel moderated by Neira Jones, industry leaders from Visa, Stripe, Checkout.com, OpenAI, and Ixopay unpack one of the most important questions in payments today:

Is agentic commerce the next frontier—or just hype?

Featuring:

• Marco Conte / Ixopay
• Ashley Paulus / Checkout.com
• Eddie Onaga / Visa
• Julius Danek / Stripe
• Niklas Harzheim /OpenAI

What you’ll learn:

• Where agent-driven transactions are already happening today
• Why “human-in-the-loop” still dominates—for now
• How trust, identity, and governance will define the ecosystem
• What merchants must do today to stay visible in an AI-driven world
• The rise of agents as a new commerce channel
• The battle between brand power vs. algorithmic discovery

Key takeaway:
Agentic commerce isn’t a future concept—it’s already here.
But the rules? Still being written.

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𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝘆𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱—𝗼𝗿 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗱?

In this insightful panel moderated by 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗼 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗮, leading experts from across the payments ecosystem break down one of the industry’s biggest misconceptions:

Payments are not complicated—they are complex.
And that complexity? It’s what drives innovation.

What you’ll learn in this session:
✔️ The difference between complexity and complication in payments
✔️ Where complexity truly lives in the merchant payments ecosystem
✔️ How merchants can turn complexity into a competitive advantage
✔️ Why local payment methods are not “alternative”—they are essential
✔️ The hidden challenges of cross-border commerce
✔️ How fraud, identity, and data shape payment decisions

𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦.
𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭.

The future of payments belongs to those who can 𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆.

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What will redefine merchant payments by 2026?

At MPE 2026 in Berlin, 1,600+ industry leaders came together to explore exactly that.

The discussions went beyond hype:
– Agentic commerce and AI
– Payment orchestration and data
– Fraud and cyber risk
– Regulation and resilience
– Cross-border complexity

The conclusion? The future of payments isn’t one shift — it’s many, happening at once.

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Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping the payments industry—but the real question is: 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸?

In this episode of 𝗩𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗠𝗣𝗘, 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗺 𝗩𝗿𝗲𝘂𝗴𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗵𝗶𝗹 and 𝗔𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗻 𝗞𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗹𝗼𝘃 unpack how AI is transforming payments organisations.

From operational efficiency to leadership evolution, this conversation explores how companies can move beyond AI hype and create 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁.

We discuss:
• Why trust remains the core product of payments
• The growing gap between AI promises and real business value
• How leadership roles are evolving in AI-driven organisations
• The skills payments professionals need to stay relevant
• Why human judgment, relationships, and accountability matter more than ever
• The emerging roles shaping the future of payments

As AI moves beyond fraud detection and automation into commercial and strategic roles, organisations must rethink talent strategy, governance, and culture to stay competitive.

Tune in to hear how payments leaders can balance technology innovation with human leadership.

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Fundraising in 2026? Watch this first.

The market has shifted — quietly, strategically, permanently.

𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗲 𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝗨𝘀𝘁𝗮 | Flagship Advisory Partners speaks with:
⚡ 𝗠𝗮𝘅 𝗕𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗿𝗱 | Financial Technology Partners
⚡ 𝗠𝗮𝘅𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻 | BlackFin Capital Partners

Here’s what founders 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁:
• 2021 was the anomaly — not your benchmark
• AI isn’t a bonus — it’s a filter
• Fraud, AML, identity & embedded finance = capital magnets
• M&A is accelerating; PE exits are coming
• The #1 mistake? Waiting until the inbound email arrives

The deals that won in 2025? They were ready 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗱.

Berlin is calling. Are you ready?

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