In this episode of Made in Payment, we speak with Ronke Kuye, one of the key figures behind Nigeria’s payment system development. Ronke played a direct role in introducing and scaling card payments, ATMs, and POS infrastructure through her leadership at GTBank and later as CEO of SANEF, where agency banking became a practical channel for wider access. She shares first-hand insights into how these systems were built, adopted, and managed at scale. This conversation offers a clear, practical look at how national payment infrastructure takes shape, told by someone who helped build it from the ground up.

In this episode, we speak with Deji Oguntonade, one of the early builders of digital payments in Nigeria. With more than three decades in the industry, Deji has played a key role in shaping how payments evolved, from early card and mobile initiatives to large-scale fintech innovation. His experience spans leadership roles at major institutions, including driving innovation at GTBank, launching practical payment solutions at First Atlantic Bank, and working on payments and inclusion at a global level. Now as Managing Director of Digits & Data Limited, Deji shares clear, first-hand insight into how payments developed, what held progress back, and what matters most for the future of payment systems in Nigeria and beyond.

In this episode of Made in Payments, we speak with Curtis Vanderpuije, Co-Founder of expressPay, about what it truly takes to build payment infrastructure from the ground up. Curtis shares how expressPay started long before modern APIs were available, manually handling mobile airtime and building systems through trial, resilience, and sharp decision-making. The conversation offers a clear look at the realities behind early fintech growth, the thinking required to scale responsibly, and the practical lessons that still apply to payment businesses today.

In this final episode, we speak with Eduofon Japhet, Managing Director at HabariPay, about career growth, leadership, and owning every step of the journey. Starting out as a Software Developer, Eduofon shares how she moved into payments and gradually stepped into leadership by taking responsibility beyond her formal role. The conversation highlights how real growth comes from stretching yourself, learning continuously, and being open to change. This Women’s Edition closes with a clear message for anyone in the industry or considering a shift: building a strong career in payments is possible, and leadership is earned through action, not titles.

What happens when Gen Z doesn’t trust traditional lenders, and AI starts making credit decisions? In this episode, George Boot (Nomupay) sits down with Grant Evans (Nomupay) and Sam Goodacre (Lenvi) to unpack the radical changes in digital lending, AI adoption, and how Gen Z is reshaping the future of borrowing. From the rise of the “Bank of Mum & Dad” to embedded finance trends you can’t ignore in 2025. This is the conversation lenders didn’t know they needed, but absolutely do.

In this episode, we sit down with Justin Hanna (Head of Direct Sales) and Grant Evans (Head of Partnerships) to break down the hidden costs of FX fees in merchant acquiring, the impact of transaction acceptance rates, and why education is the real game-changer in payments.We also dive into the rise of QR codes in restaurants, the shift away from a race-to-the-bottom on pricing, and what the future of payments platforms could look like. It’s a no-fluff conversation on what merchants need to know to stay ahead.

The payments industry is evolving fast, prop firms are on the rise, AI is reshaping transactions, and cross-border payments are more complex than ever. Judith and George share insights on the trends driving change, the power of data in payments, and why strong relationships still matter in sales. If you’re in fintech, this is a conversation you don’t want to miss.

Ever wondered why payments get so complicated as businesses grow? In this episode, and from chat about the messy world of payouts, why platforms outgrow solutions, the hidden costs that kill margins, and how local partnerships make all the difference.

Open banking puts individuals in control of their data - deciding who can access it, for what purpose, and for how long. Instead of data being locked away or shared without consent, users can choose to use, trade, or protect it on their terms. In this episode, Eyal speaks with fintech leader Ghela Boskovich, Head of FData Europe and founder of FemTech Global, about how open banking enables people to benefit economically from their own data. They discuss the building blocks of this new data economy, how different countries are approaching it, and what a fairer digital future could look like.

Open banking is built on the idea that giving consumers full transparency and control over their data will help them make better decisions. But is that really the case? Behavioral economics suggests otherwise - people don’t always act rationally, even with the right tools. In this episode, Eyal speaks with renowned behavioral economist Dan Ariely to explore how insights into human behavior can improve open banking. They discuss the roots of behavioral economics, the role of paternalism, and how concepts like friction and motivation can help create financial services that truly benefit users.

Imagine a world where financial services are no longer separate, daunting entities but seamlessly integrated into the digital experiences you know and love. A world where buying a car, booking a trip, or even grabbing a coffee means having instant access to personalized financing options, secure payments, and innovative insurance solutions. This is Embedded Finance: an omnipresent, invisible hand guiding your financial decisions with unprecedented ease and intelligence, so that financial services are always there when you need them, and fade into the background when you don’t. In this episode, Eyal sits down with Simon Torrance, CEO and Founder of Embedded Finance & Insurance Strategies, to discuss how open banking, paired with real-time payments and agentic A.I., will help fill the gap between financial needs and financial services.

What defines the value of a thing? Is it a question of utility, aesthetics, rarity, emotional connection, or a combination of all these aspects? When it comes to digital assets, this question becomes even more complex, as evidenced by the rise and subsequent fall of NFTs. Beyond just digital, The continued evolution of Web3 and DeFi has now set the physical world and the digital world on a collision course, changing perceptions of ownership, trade and value. To dig deeper into the philosophical question of digital value and its impact on the physical world, Eyal turns to Bianca Lopes, economist, serial entrepreneur, and international speaker on the subjects of data, identity, fintech and crypto.

Come along with us as we work through the challenges of the financial world alongside Viktoria Soltesz, author and 2023 Businesswoman of the Year. Viktoria’s storied transition from a Cyprus accountant to a payment processing guru forms the crux of our enlightening dialogue, highlighting her seminal work, “Moving Money: How Banks Think.” Her expertise illuminates the inner details of compliance, the challenges faced by high-risk clients, and the pivotal role of law, accounting, and technology in the dynamic payment industry.

If you’re a merchant and you want help with chargebacks, this episode is for you! Friendly fraud is anything but friendly for merchants. In this eye-opening discussion, expert payments attorneys Larry Haines and Bryce Van De Moere expose the growing epidemic of customers who receive goods or services, then fraudulently dispute legitimate charges with their credit card companies.  It’s chargebacks, baby – and they’re a growing problem.

The payment processing industry harbors a troubling secret: merchants are being placed on MasterCard’s Match List for simply possessing inventory of newly prohibited products—even when they’ve never processed a payment for these items. This enforcement approach contradicts the very purpose of Match, which was designed to punish actual payment processing violations, not potential ones. During this eye-opening conversation with Chris Dryden, Bryce Van De Moere, and Jeremy Stock, our payments experts reveal how merchants who immediately comply with bank requests to remove prohibited products are still being matched weeks later without justification.

Many merchants are completely unaware of the hidden traps in their processing agreements. The podcast unveils the often one-sided nature of merchant agreements and discusses essential strategies for protecting against unfair practices in the industry.Join in this lively discussion between attorneys Christopher Dryden and Bryce Van De Moere of Global Legal Law Firm.

Michael emphasizes the need to engage all relevant stakeholders early in the process to avoid friction and ensure a smooth integration. We also explore the evolving environment of e-commerce payments, the role of AI in certification processes, and the critical metrics for monitoring performance post-launch. The integration can go wrong for so many reasons. This is why in this episode we discuss the importance of pre-mortems, best practices, setting clear expectations, and establishing robust communication channels. 

In this episode, we sit down with Philip Pages, CEO of Redux Payments, to explore the issue of involuntary churn in subscription-based businesses. Why churn is a critical problem, the difference between voluntary and involuntary churn, and the need for intelligent retry logic to reduce churn rates. We dive into various retry strategies, the impact of new technologies like network tokens, and other methods to optimize payment recoveries. Additionally, Philip shares practical advice for merchants to improve their payments performance and underlines the significance of focusing on involuntary churn for exponential business growth.

In this episode of Payments.FM, Joshua Silver, the CEO of Rainforest, goes right into the challenges of payment integration models for software platforms. We discuss the two primary models: the integrated referral model and the embedded payments model. Joshua highlights the advantages and disadvantages of each approach and emphasizes the importance of service, technology, and commercials in selecting a payment provider. We also touch on the challenges of fraud and compliance, and how Rainforest's unique approach handles these risks while offering a seamless user experience. Tune in for actionable insights on improving your platform's payment performance and understanding the evolving landscape of the payments industry.

The Essential Guide to Payment Orchestration with Gr4vy's VP Commercial Zubin Vandrevala. Join us in this insightful episode as we jump into the world of payment orchestration with Zubin Vandrevala, VP Commercial at Gr4vy. Learn about the evolving needs of merchants in payment processing, the complexities they face, and how orchestration platforms can provide strategic advantages. Zubin shares his experiences and case studies, including a detailed look at how key merchants successfully integrated payments orchestration solutions.

In this episode of the Biz to Biz Podcast, we sit down with Don Apgar, a seasoned product leader with over 25 years of experience in the FinTech industry. As a senior product manager at Cross River, a $7B financial technology powerhouse, Don shares how he drives innovation, revenue growth, and go-to-market strategies across the organization.

In this episode of the Biz to Biz Podcast, we’re joined by Kevin Gaither - a seasoned sales leader with over 25 years of experience building, scaling, and fixing sales teams at high-growth startups. With eight startups under his belt, three successful liquidity events, and multiple companies reaching the Inc. 500 and Deloitte Fast 500 lists, Kevin has seen it all and made more than a few mistakes along the way.

In this powerful episode of the Biz to Biz Podcast, we welcome Josh Basile - a C4-5 quadriplegic, disability rights advocate, lawyer, and changemaker. After a life-altering beach accident in 2004 left him paralyzed below the shoulders, Josh turned personal tragedy into purpose, dedicating his life to empowering others with disabilities.

In this inspiring episode, host Allen Kopelman sits down with Jonathan Sessa: a proud veteran, successful business owner, and passionate mental health advocate. Jonathan opens up about his journey from military service to entrepreneurship, sharing how discipline, resilience, and purpose have shaped his path.

In this episode, David sits down with Rob from Online Payment Platform to look at how marketplaces grow from the early Amazon style models to today’s specialised platforms. The conversation shows how trust, payments, and buyer protection shape real growth, and how strong payment foundations support a stable user experience across every transaction. They also review how new regulations influence the way platforms manage incoming and outgoing payments, and what this means for operators planning to scale in the long term. Rob explains how payment service providers support marketplaces with practical solutions for compliance, split payments, and dispute handling, creating a smoother and safer process for both sellers and buyers.

In this episode, David speaks with Bart, Chief Revenue Officer at ChargebackHelp, to walk through how online transactions expose merchants to risks that often stay hidden until a dispute or loss appears. The discussion explains the rise of first-party, often called friendly fraud, and how it affects both growing and established businesses. Bart also outlines the main chargeback prevention methods that help merchants handle disputes with far more confidence and stability. Listeners ranging from startup founders to payment specialists and online retailers will gain clear, practical insights and a stronger understanding of where digital payments are heading.

In this episode, David speaks with Roenen, Chief Risk Officer and co-founder at Justt, to look at how artificial intelligence and data-driven systems support the manual work behind building evidence for chargebacks. The conversation walks through the full chargeback lifecycle and the decision process, showing how each stage shapes the final outcome for both merchants and issuers. Roenen also shares practical ways merchants can reduce disputes and create a much stronger defence across their operations.

This episode focuses on strategies for transitioning from Direct Carrier Billing (DCB) to more modern payment methods like credit cards, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. It targets online merchants in sectors like premium content and digital goods, discussing how to overcome DCB's limitations (e.g., high carrier fees up to 70%, payment delays up to a year, and non-payment risks) and leverage the advantages of credit cards, such as lower fees, faster settlements (weekly or bi-weekly), higher average transaction values, and better cash flow.

In this episode of The Payments Shed Podcast, recorded live at Money20/20 USA 2025, Grant Evans and Justin Hanna speak with Ranjita Iyer, EVP of Services for North America at Mastercard. They discuss how AI reshapes today’s cyber threat landscape, how Mastercard protects over 143 billion transactions a year through layered, AI-driven security, and why collective resilience between banks, fintechs, governments, and merchants stays essential. Ranjita also shares Mastercard’s vision for building security into every product and making advanced cyber protection accessible to all businesses. And of course, The Shelf of Shame makes a return with her nomination for what should disappear from the industry.

In this episode of The Payments Shed Podcast, recorded live at Money20/20 USA 2025, Grant Evans and Justin Hanna speak with Lauren Langbridge, Commercial Director for Wise Platform in the Americas. They discuss how Wise Platform drives its mission of money without borders across the region, how it builds trust and competes in one of fintech’s toughest markets, and how major partnerships with institutions like Morgan Stanley and Nubank scale the model across the Americas. Lauren also covers regulatory and market realities, Wise’s long-term growth priorities, and what success means beyond revenue, from trust to adoption and impact. As always, The Shelf of Shame returns with her pick for what should disappear from the industry.

In this episode of The Payments Shed Podcast, Grant Evans and Justin Hanna speak with Jack Mangnall, Co-Founder of Shape Technologies, about one of fintech’s biggest races right now: embedded payments. They unpack what truly defines embedded payments, how they reshape monetisation and user experience, and how Shape helps software companies create new revenue streams through seamless payment integration. Jack also shares which sectors lead the way, why many ISVs still hesitate, and how future innovations will drive the next wave of growth. He reflects on Shape’s selection for the JPMorgan Chase Fintech Forward Programme and closes with his pick for the Shelf of Shame.

In this episode of The Payments Shed Podcast, Grant Evans and Justin Hanna speak with Alexander (Xander) Hastings, Head of Channel Partnerships at Rail, about how Rail is reshaping cross-border payments by connecting traditional banking with stablecoin networks. Xander explains how Rail powers faster and more transparent global transactions, how it now processes around ten percent of global B2B stablecoin payments, and why stablecoins are shifting from speculative assets to true payment rails. They also discuss Rail’s hybrid infrastructure, multi-bank redundancy, and how Ripple’s investment supports new corridors and liquidity access. Xander closes the episode with his pick for the Shelf of Shame.