Payments on Fire™

In this episode, Yvette Bohanan and Ashley Lannquist welcome Scott Southall, Head of BaaS, and Will Artingstall, Head of Digital Assets Payments and e-Commerce at Citi, to dig into what recent stablecoin regulatory changes mean for the future of banking, how U.S. institutions are mobilizing behind digital dollars, why clients are asking about new forms of money, and what's next as stablecoins potentially go mainstream in the American financial system.

In this engaging conversation, Ran Goldi, Senior VP of Payments at Fireblocks and a digital currency expert, dives into the fascinating world of stablecoins and their crucial role in the blockchain ecosystem. He discusses the lifecycle of stablecoin transactions, the transparency of blockchain, and contrasts stablecoins with tokenized deposits. Goldi shares real-world use cases and highlights the importance of strategy for businesses in adapting to this evolving landscape. His insights extend to how banks and regulations are reshaping the narrative around stablecoins.

Bryan Derman, Russ Jones, and Chris Uriarte dive into the proposed settlement of an antitrust case involving Visa and Mastercard. They break down the settlement's three-part structure, including selective card acceptance and interchange changes. Merchants' initial reactions reveal skepticism about the actual savings. The discussion touches on e-commerce challenges and how small merchants might be impacted. With potential judicial approval looming, the hosts emphasize the need for merchant education on the complex new landscape.

David Maimon, Head of Fraud Insights at SentiLink, examines the evolving landscape of fraud as 2025 approaches. He discusses the challenges in measuring identity theft due to underreporting, highlighting alarming trends with synthetic identities exploited by fraud rings. Maimon reveals dark-web pricing for stolen identities and warns about the risks of insider threats in remote hiring. They also explore the impact of agentic AI tools on fraud, advocating for stronger industry collaboration and clearer regulations to combat these growing risks.

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!