Payments on Fire™

In this discussion, insights from Money 20/20 are revealed, including standout themes like agentic commerce and stablecoins. Hear about the striking announcements, such as Western Union's collaboration with Solana and PayPal's new integrations. The conversation also tackles privacy concerns surrounding transaction data and the evolving landscape of fintech. Tips for maximizing the conference experience are shared, alongside thoughts on the event's logistics and its shift towards a more mature industry.

Mouloukou Sanoh, CEO and co-founder of MANSA, dives into the intricacies of cross-border payments and liquidity challenges in emerging markets. He discusses how pre-funding hinders global flows, locking up $4 trillion and creating significant opportunity costs. Mouloukou reveals MANSA's innovative use of stablecoins, particularly USDT on Tron, to improve liquidity and reduce costs. He also explores the potential of local stablecoins to enhance on-chain FX and describes a forward-looking vision for a more efficient payment infrastructure.

We joke that all conversations should be recorded at Glenbrook because they often lead to some interesting podcast episodes. If you have 15 mins, tune in for a fly-on-the-wall perspective in this bonus Fanning the Flames on recent developments in agent protocols. Russ Jones and Yvette Bohanan reflect on the history of the Secure Electronic Transaction (SET) protocol and how it compares to modern protocols being developed for agentic commerce by companies like Google, Stripe, and Basis Theory. They explore why protocols and standards are important, what makes them take hold or "get off the ground like a lead balloon", and how recent announcements in this space are shaping our current view on agentic payments.

Russ Jones, a payments industry expert and Glenbrook contributor, dives into the fascinating world of stablecoins. He discusses their core promises of speed, global reach, and low costs while questioning the economic fundamentals behind these claims. Russ explores key monetization points like transaction fees and on-ramps, and highlights revenue streams such as gas fees and issuer yields. The conversation touches on the competitive landscape, examining how incumbents are adapting to stablecoin innovations and what the future holds for this evolving sector.

In this episode of Payments on Fire, Chris Uriarte welcomes Anne Hay, Chief Marketing Officer, and Mike Kaplan, Chief Revenue Officer, from PayNearMe to discuss the evolution and optimization of the payments experience. They explore the broader concept of payments optimization and how improvements and customization in all aspects of the payments journey can lead to organizations getting paid faster and with a lower total cost of acceptance. Listen in as they highlight the challenges faced by billers in sectors like healthcare and utilities, and provide insights on the growing importance of alternative payment methods and meeting customers where they are.

In this engaging discussion, Timothy Chiodo, a payments and fintech expert at UBS, and Christopher Kim, a savvy investor at Capital Group, dive into the current landscape of payments and investing. They dissect the enduring value of Visa and Mastercard, explore the regulatory challenges surrounding debit interchange, and analyze the promising role of stablecoins. The duo also shares insights on digital wallets’ growing dominance, the dynamics of merchant acquiring, and under-the-radar investment opportunities in fintech. A must-listen for finance enthusiasts!

"97.0% for those whose full personal information was freely available on the darknet" experienced identity theft attempts, according to a key finding in SentiLink's recent report on the probability of loss. In part three of our series on payments fraud trends and tactics, we welcome back David Maimon, Head of Fraud Insights at SentiLink, to dive into how David and his team use a "data-driven" approach in their investigations and how they have applied their research to predict the fraudulent use of identity information. Tune in to hear how an evidence-based approach can help your team engage in effective fraud prevention.

In this discussion, payments industry expert Chris Uriarte and practitioner Drew Edmond dive into crucial trends shaping the future of payments. They explore the recent regulatory changes, including the Durbin Amendment and FTC's click-to-cancel rule. The duo examines the rising interest in stablecoins and agentic commerce, along with the pivotal role of tokenization. The conversation also highlights advancements in fraud prevention and secure payment authentication, featuring Visa's VAMP and the significance of passkeys. Tune in for insights that keep you ahead in the fast-evolving payments landscape.

Chanan Lavi, CEO and Co-founder of Kipp, dives into the pressing issue of non-sufficient funds (NSF) declines affecting transactions. He discusses innovative strategies that allow merchants to influence authorization decisions, enhancing approval rates. The conversation also covers the evolving landscape of overdraft experiences, with banks moving toward fee elimination. Lavi emphasizes collaboration between merchants and issuers to improve payment solutions and shares insights on customer behavior shifts with debit cards, driven by apps like Venmo and Cash App.

Is the U.S. fast enough? The podcast dives into the lagging performance of U.S. instant payments compared to global trends. It challenges traditional views by including popular P2P apps in the discussion. Obstacles to adoption are explored, including the allure of credit card rewards and the need for reforms. The hosts also analyze the complexity of the U.S. payments landscape, emphasizing the importance of fraud prevention and interoperability. Could there be a more advanced ecosystem under the surface? Tune in to find out!