Voice of MPE

Hosted by Merchant Payments Ecosystem

Business Management

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Episodes

143

Latest episode

Oct 2026

Language

EN-US

About the show

Voice of MPE is the official community podcast of Merchant Payments Ecosystem - Europe’s largest merchant payments conference held annually in Berlin. Hosted by global industry leaders and professionals, Voice of MPE brings you the hottest buzz from merchant payments and card acquiring space. At MPE, payments are anything but boring.

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60 recent

October 12, 202633 min

From Acquiring to an Ecosystem: Why Payments Became So Complex

What should merchants own, and what should they outsource? It’s the million-dollar question, and it's answered in this special edition. Geoff Barraclough sits down with Hubert O'Donoghue and Roger Alexander, two payments experts and advisers who have helped lead and shape major businesses across the European payments landscape. ▶️ Listen to the full discussion to find out what will change the game hugely? And continue the conversation at 20 Years of MPE, taking place in Berlin, 9–11 March 2027. Learn from the best in payments, meet the people building what comes next, and be part of the next chapter of European merchant payments. https://www.merchantpaymentsecosystem.com Thanks for listening! Follow us on LinkedIn or find us on X and Instagram .

October 2, 202627 min

Merchant Payments Challenges 2026 w. Sandra, Vassilina & Veronica

🧊 The processing fee is just the tip of the iceberg. Where is your payment revenue really leaking? In this Voice of MPE episode, Sandra Mianda, Vassilina Lapteva Walford and Veronica Cuccu explain why the real cost of payments goes far beyond the rate on your contract, and what to do about it. 🎙️ What you'll learn: 🔹 Where revenue sneaks out of the payment flow 🔹 Why "cheapest offer" ≠ "lowest cost" 🔹 How false declines quietly eat your revenue 🔹 Why your payment provider should be a partner, not just a vendor 🔹 How to turn payments from a cost center into a growth story Ready to look below the surface? Come to MPE 2027 to uncover hidden fees and fix what's costing your business money. Join us: https://www.merchantpaymentsecosystem.com #VoiceOfMPE #MerchantPayments #PaymentStrategy #Fintech #MPE2027 Thanks for listening! Follow us on LinkedIn or find us on X and Instagram .

September 24, 202625 min

The business models that will shape merchant payments

Faheem Bakshi and Jayadeep Nair join Panagiotis Kriaris to explore how #merchant #payments are moving beyond processing. Takeaway: merchants are willing to pay more when providers deliver measurable outcomes, from higher conversion and faster onboarding to smarter risk management. Want to dive deeper? Listen to the full episode of the Voice of MPE podcast below. Your strategic conversation can happen at MPE. Join us in March 2027: https://www.merchantpaymentsecosystem.com Thanks for listening! Follow us on LinkedIn or find us on X and Instagram .

June 24, 202615 min

Payments infrastructure 2.0 w/ payabl.

The more money moves, the more money it costs. In this episode, Charlotte AI Usta sits down with Ugne Buraciene, Group CEO of payabl. for an insightful discussion on payment infrastructure, industry consolidation, and the future of digital payments. Together, they explore the challenges not only merchants face in today's fragmented payments ecosystem. Don't miss it. More discussions like this will take place at MPE 2027. Pre-register now to get exclusive early access: https://www.merchantpaymentsecosystem.com. Join Europe's largest merchant payments conference and be part of the conversations shaping the future of payments. Thanks for listening! Follow us on LinkedIn or find us on X and Instagram .

June 11, 202622 min

Fraud 3.0: From risk mitigation to revenue enablement

How can merchants avoid losing good customers? Find out in our latest podcast featuring Candice Pressinger from Elavon and Adam Davies, Director of AI at Forter. Together, they explore the evolving fraud landscape, the hidden cost of false declines, and how AI and network intelligence are reshaping fraud prevention and commerce. In this episode: ⏱️How has fraud prevention evolved over the last 10 years? ⏱️ What is the real cost of losing good customers? ⏱️ How has network intelligence fundamentally changed the way fraud decisions are made? ⏱️ In five years, will merchants look back and realize that fraud prevention was one of the most powerful and underutilized optimization capabilities they had? Want to hear more insights like these? Join us at MPE 2027: https://www.merchantpaymentsecosystem.com #podcast #fraudprevention #AI #agenticcommerce #payments #ecommerce Thanks for listening! Follow us on LinkedIn or find us on X and Instagram .

May 27, 202618 min

What happens to commerce and payments in a programmable world?

A major shift in commerce behavior is closer than many think, and businesses exploring agentic commerce now will be best positioned for what’s next. Dive into the #podcast discussion with Ruth Wandhöfer and Mathieu Altwegg from Visa on how agentic commerce is set to transform the payments ecosystem. ⏱️ Chapters: What happens to payments when things become programmable? Why is this shift happening now? What were the accelerators for this shift? Orchestration in the agentic commerce + identification of the agent Where should merchants start exploring agentic commerce? What will be the clear sign that commerce is becoming programmable? These are the conversations shaping the future of payments and commerce. Be part of it. See you at MPE 2027 → https://www.merchantpaymentsecosystem.com #merchantpayments #AIcommerce #AgenticCommerce #payments #fintech Thanks for listening! Follow us on LinkedIn or find us on X and Instagram .

May 19, 202612 min

Commerce is changing. What merchants expect? Podcast w/Shopify.

In this episode, we dive into the rise of AI-powered commerce and explore what happens when agents start shopping on behalf of consumers. From payment orchestration to merchant readiness, we unpack the infrastructure being built right now to support this new era. We also explore the UCP protocol launched with Google, designed to translate the “language of payments” between all parties involved, and how Shopify is building the orchestration layer that could connect countless AI agents across commerce ecosystems. These are the conversations shaping the future of payments and commerce. See you at MPE 2027 → https://www.merchantpaymentsecosystem.com #merchantpayments #AIcommerce #AgenticCommerce #payments #fintech Thanks for listening! Follow us on LinkedIn or find us on X and Instagram .

May 12, 202615 min

Orchestration layer: Controlling complexity w/Payrails

This is an extra honest podcast about payment orchestration with Andree Moeller from Volkswagen Group Charging and Alex Dorobantu from Payrails. Discover why this conversation is so honest: How should merchants stop seeing payment orchestration as “just another cost”? How do you find a truly competent payment orchestrator? This episode explores what merchants actually expect from payment orchestrators and how to solve the payment headaches that almost every merchant struggles with. Dive deeper into this discussion and find out more! Payment orchestration is a key topic discussed at MPE conference. Pre-save your spot at Europe’s largest merchant payments conference next year and get front-row access to insider payment trends, strategies, and industry news every merchant should know. 👇👇 https://www.merchantpaymentsecosystem.com Thanks for listening! Follow us on LinkedIn or find us on X and Instagram .

May 6, 202618 min

How AI is shaping merchant payments in 2026 w/Mastercard

Consumer behavior is changing fast and AI is becoming part of the shopping journey sooner than many expected. In this episode, we discuss how AI assistants may influence the way consumers discover, compare, and buy products, and what this means for merchants, PSPs, and the wider payments ecosystem. 💡 Topics include: The rise of agentic commerce How shopping behavior is evolving The growing role of AI in consumer journeys Why data matters How merchants can stay relevant and increase their chances of being recommended in AI-driven experiences A sharp conversation on where commerce is heading next. #MPE2026 Thanks for listening! Follow us on LinkedIn or find us on X and Instagram .

April 28, 202612 min

Reinventing acquiring model in 2026

Francesco Burelli (Arkwright Consulting) sits down with Marco Conte (IXOPAY & Congrify) to unpack the evolving world of acquiring — from today’s realities to what’s quietly reshaping tomorrow. Here’s what you’ll discover: ⏱ How the acquiring landscape is shifting and what merchants & acquirers should really focus on ⏱ What is the most critical capability for success? ⏱ Common pitfalls (and how to avoid them) ⏱ Agentic commerce: hype or real disruption? ⏱ How MPE 2026 supports IXOPAY & Congrify Enjoy the full episode. Thanks for listening! Follow us on LinkedIn or find us on X and Instagram .