Payments on Fire™

In our third episode in a series to spotlight the latest in global developments in payment systems from a financial inclusion lens, Sonja Kelly, Global Head of Women's World Banking Institute, joins Joanna Wisniecka to dive into design principles for inclusive digital financial systems and how all end users benefit when design considers the specific needs of women. Listen in as they discuss barriers to women's financial inclusion, the critical importance of addressing safety and trust issues, and potential benefits and risks associated with emerging technologies like AI and CBDCs.

Rehman Baig, Chief Product Officer at FlexFactor, dives into innovative strategies for payment optimization with a fresh take on the Merchant of Record model. He discusses how this model can tackle challenges like failed payments and auth rates that often leave merchants stumped. Baig shares insights from his journey through the payments industry, emphasizing the role of AI-driven solutions and real-time decision-making in enhancing transaction efficiency. His perspectives are essential for anyone grappling with improving payment systems and driving success.

Russ Jones, a partner at Glenbrook, dives into the intriguing world of agentic commerce and payments. He discusses the rise of AI agents that could handle purchases autonomously, raising questions about consumer trust and merchant recognition. The conversation covers the impact on vacation planning, balancing automation with personal choice. Additionally, they explore the challenges of customer authentication and how new technologies must adapt to evolving regulations. Join them as they navigate this transformative landscape in the payment ecosystem.

In a series of episodes, Glenbrook's Joanna Wisniecka will to bring you up to speed on what's happening globally as countries modernize payment networks and reach individuals and businesses through faster payment systems. In this episode, Joanna welcomes Sabine Mensah, Deputy CEO of AfricaNenda, a leader in financial inclusion, to explore Africa's dynamic path towards inclusive instant payment systems and the need for continued innovation and collaboration to enable access to financial services for all Africans on the continent by 2030.

Here's a payments conundrum for you: We now have more ways to authenticate access to an online account or app than ever before. And yet, account takeover (ATO) - basically unauthorized access to an account - is at record levels. In this episode, Glenbrook's Yvette Bohanan and Chris Uriarte are joined by Rocky Scales, CEO of IDgo, to explore this multifaceted problem. Tune in as they discuss the vulnerabilities in authentication techniques, the need for better consumer education, and how financial institutions and businesses can implement more secure and user-friendly authentication systems to counteract evolving threats from sophisticated fraud methods.

Brant Peterson, Head of Enterprise Product at Worldpay, brings his vast payment optimization expertise to the discussion. They dive into key reasons for failed payments, the importance of fraud management in boosting approval rates, and the recent acquisition of Ravelin for enhanced fraud solutions. Brant also shares insights on utilizing AI and machine learning for smarter payment processing and the future potential of identity and authenticated tokens in building trust. Tune in for valuable strategies from a leader in the payments industry!

With this episode, we are launching a series to explore the current state of global financial inclusion efforts from a payments perspective. Joanna Wisniecka joins Yvette Bohanan to chat with Michael Wiegand, Director of Inclusive Financial Systems at the Gates Foundation, about the work the Foundation is doing globally and the transformative impact of digital financial inclusion on economies and societies.

Spec co-founder and CEO Nate Kharrl joins Yvette Bohanan on Payments on Fire to dig into some of the tactics and tech that is enabling today's fraud schemes, and how GenAI is redefining the payments risk landscape.

Glenbrook partners Bryan Derman, Chris Uriarte, and Simon Skinner jump on a special Fanning the Flames episode of Payments on Fire to give a first take on the Global Payments acquisition of Worldpay. Tune in to hear their strategic perspective on the deal.

David Maimon, head of Fraud Insights at SentiLink, joins Yvette Bohanan for another episode to raise awareness about different fraud tactics and their impacts. In this conversation, Yvette and David explore the intricacies and implications of Credit Profile Numbers (CPNs) and synthetic identity fraud, as well as "zombie debt" and assumed identity fraud. Listen in to hear the implications of these fraud schemes and how industry professionals can get ahead of them.