Our Mainstage sessions will be presented by Adyen, dLocal, Ethoca, Mastercard, Optimized Payments, Visa, and WorldPay.
Session details will be posted soon.
*Please note the agenda is subject to change
8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
Merchant Only Payments 101
This beginner-friendly course introduces the basics of how payment transactions work—from the moment a customer pays to how the money moves behind the scenes. You’ll learn who’s involved, what makes up transaction fees including credit card interchange fees. We’ll also cover the importance of PCI compliance and explore key security tools like encryption, tokenization, and EMV that help protect merchants from fraud.
Matt Leman
Executive Director, J.P. Morgan Chase
Merchant Only Payments 201
Processing costs may be the most befuddling aspect of your payments operations. From flat fees to basis points, bundled pricing to interchange pass-through, join this session to get down and dirty in the fee details. Learn who gets paid what, when, and how – and get some tips and tools to help reduce your fees and measure your performance.
Chantal Gaspie
Executive Director, Product Delivery, J.P. Morgan Chase
10:00 a.m. – 10:50 a.m.
Merchant Only Fraud Prevention 101
Fraud is pervasive for card-not-present merchants, and the types of fraud are frequently changing. You may even be a victim of fraud without realizing it – until you see declining authorization rates or get a letter from the card schemes. Learn the ins and outs of the types of fraud you are likely to see and the best methods, tools, and tactics to combat this costly risk.
Pete Kovacks
Sr. Product Manager, Warner Bros. Discovery
Merchant Only Fraud Prevention 201
Fraud is pervasive for card-not-present merchants, and the types of fraud are frequently changing. You may even be a victim of fraud without realizing it – until you see declining authorization rates or get a letter from the card schemes. Learn the ins and outs of the types of fraud you are likely to see and the best methods, tools, and tactics to combat this costly risk.
Jay Matthews
Director, Global Payments and Subscriptions, Yahoo
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Payments Power Hour
Join members of the PaymentsEd Board for a 60-minute Session. This event is tailored to give attendees the advantage of organized discussions and flexibility to participate in multiple topics. It presents a fantastic chance to connect with other payment professionals and industry experts who share your interest and gain valuable insight.
Josh Mathers
Interim CEO, Rebar Technology
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
LUNCH
1:15 p.m. – 1:45 p.m. | Mainstage: Mastercard
The Passkey
The future of e-commerce is moving away from legacy manual card entry and SMS OTP to new seamless and secure consumer experiences. Learn how device-based biometrics with Passkeys and enhanced data sharing is being enabled for 3D Secure and tokenized transactions, to improve checkout performance, drive better transaction risk
Fred Tyler
VP Digital Authentication Products, Mastercard
1:45 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. | Mainstage: dLocal
Beyond Borders: How Alternative Payment Methods Drive Growth in Emerging Markets
Emerging markets present immense opportunities for businesses ready to leverage the power of Alternative Payment Methods (APMs). As younger, digitally-savvy populations drive demand for mobile money, bank transfers, and BNPL schemes, the future of payments is becoming more diverse and inclusive. This session will delve into how these rapidly evolving APMs are paving the way for deeper market penetration and how businesses can capitalize on trends like multi-country integrations, super-app ecosystems, and the broadening scope of mobile money solutions, which now include credit and investment products. Learn why APMs are no longer just a convenience but a necessity to unlock the potential of untapped regions and to drive exponential growth.
Sofia Posada Head of Growth APMs, dLocal
2:30 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. | Concurrent Sessions
Can AI Fix What’s Wrong in Payments, or Make Things Worse?
New AI- and machine learning-assisted services are springing up everywhere, including in the realm of payments. Promises of breakthroughs in risk management and fraud mitigation, payment optimization, customer service, and loyalty targeting abound. Payments users and providers are scurrying to figure out whether and where to invest in new approaches to payments efficiency and safety. On the surface, a number of inroads appear encouraging, including the possibility of combating the growing and thus far unabated scourge of consumer and payer scams. This session breaks down what’s real and what’s not so far, and lays out both the promise and peril that lies ahead in any of these innovations. The speaker fielded one of the longest sustaining AI applications in financial services more than 30 years. The lessons from that experience inform us today, and will help attendees gain an in-the-trenches perspective on the most interesting technology to affect digital transacting since the inception of the Internet.
Steve Mott
Principal, BetterBuyDesign, LLC
The Next Generation of Payments and Fraud Optimization: Enhanced Data Sharing Throughout the Payments Value Chain
While progress has been made in data collaboration, a significant “data divide” still exists in the payments ecosystem. This session will educate merchants on enhanced data-sharing options, approaches from providers, and how card networks are addressing challenges. We’ll profile efforts by risk management providers like Forter and Riskified, explore the nuances of enhanced authorization programs from Amex and Discover, profile Capital One’s unique data sharing offer, help demystify Stripe’s Enhanced Issuer Network, and dig into how Visa and Mastercard are evolving 3DS Data Only Rails to help facilitate data sharing. Merchants will receive insight from Glenbrook’s unique, independent industry view, as well as direct perspectives from a major merchant and fraud solution provider.
Drew Edmond
Associate Partner, Glenbrook Partners
Debit Optimization for Digital Merchants – PINless, Tokens, and Performance
It has been nearly two years since the U.S. Federal Reserve clarified that competitive network routing options must be available for all types of debit transactions, including card-not-present debit transactions. While merchants still face some challenges around partner solution timelines, internal roadmaps and prioritization, and some ongoing unpredictability about industry enablement, there have been some tremendous success stories. This session will follow up on CMSPI, Google, and Sony’s PINless optimization lab last year and dive deep into merchant case studies of digital debit routing partnerships and market-level insights into how merchants can seize this opportunity.
Christian Johnson
Global Director of Payments Public Policy and Public Affairs, CMSPI
Fireside Chat With Amex
Join us for an exclusive, merchant-focused conversation with leaders from American Express. This fireside chat will cover key trends in payments, Amex’s strategic priorities, and opportunities for merchants to optimize performance and deepen partnerships. Gain direct insights and ask questions in this open, collaborative session designed to foster transparency and shared growth.
Kristy Cook
VP Payments Consulting, Amex
3:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. | Best in Class Break
Unlocking Customer Lifetime Value: PayPal by Bank + Loyalty Hold the Keys to Success
In this session, we’ll explore how merchants can drive topline revenue by leveraging the savings from Pay by Bank alongside powerful loyalty incentives. Pay by Bank offers significantly lower transaction costs compared to card payments, enabling merchants to reinvest those savings into customer loyalty programs. By offering rewards, discounts, and other loyalty-based incentives, merchants can increase customer engagement and retention. This strategy not only reduces transaction fees but also improves operational efficiency and cash flow, allowing businesses to scale while enhancing customer satisfaction. Join us to discover how combining payment savings with loyalty programs can create a cycle of growth, retention, and profitability.
Ross McFerrin
VP of Enterprise Growth, Trustly
Tyler Huen
VP, Digital Payments, Adyen
4:00 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. | Concurrent Sessions
Building a High-Performance Payments Team: Key Strategies for Success
In the fast-changing landscape of payments, having a well-structured and efficient team is essential for keeping up with industry trends. This session will lead you through the vital steps to build and optimize a high-performing payments team. We will examine what to prioritize when assembling your team, focusing on the key skills and qualities that contribute to success in the payments sector. Discover how to organize your team for optimal efficiency, cultivate a culture of collaboration and innovation, and adopt best practices for continuous development and growth. Whether you’re starting anew or aiming to improve your current team, this session will equip you with practical insights and strategies to prepare your payments team for the challenges of both today and the future. Join us to learn how to create a team that not only meets but surpasses your organization’s payment objectives.
Shawn Studdard, Managing Director
Merchant Services Business Development and Relationship Management Payments Executive, Starbucks
Building Trust Through Identity: Strengthening Payment Fraud Prevention
Consumers demand secure and smooth experiences from the companies they engage with online. That means that businesses face the dual challenge of providing seamless user experiences while also protecting their revenue and their consumers from payment fraud. To effectively combat these threats, identity has emerged as a cornerstone of strong fraud prevention strategies, enabling businesses to quickly and accurately distinguish between legitimate users and fraudsters. In this session, Sift Trust and Safety Architect Alexander Hall will explore the critical role of identity in payment fraud prevention, highlighting how businesses can leverage identity signals to enhance security, reduce fraud losses, and build trust with their customers.
Alexander Hall
Trust and Safety Architect, Sift
In-App Purchase Fundamentals
In this session, we’ll dive into in-app purchases (IAP) and how they differ from traditional web-based transactions. While both follow similar commerce principles, IAP introduces a “matchmaker” like Apple, Google, or Amazon, who helps streamline the customer acquisition process but also takes a fee. We’ll explore the features offered by App Store partners to enhance user acquisition, such as pre-download subscription purchasing and targeted promotions. On the retention side, we’ll discuss tools like grace periods, account holds, and installment billing. We’ll also examine challenges such as operating costs, testing complexities, and the IAP fee, helping you decide if IAP is the right fit for your business.
Isabella Fisher
Staff Technical Program Manager, Warner Brothers
Merchant-Only Round Table: (Agentic, eComm, card on file (CoF) – What Tokens are Right for Your Business)
Join fellow merchants for a candid, interactive discussion exploring tokenization strategies across Agentic commerce, eCommerce, and Card on File (CoF) use cases. This closed-door session dives into the pros and cons of different token types, helping you determine which tokenization approach best aligns with your business goals, customer experience, and security needs. Merchant-only, peer-driven insights—no vendors, just practical perspectives.
Melissa Shields
Senior Payments, Starbucks
5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Reception & Product Showcase
7:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.
Breakfast
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Keynote Speaker
Paul Rabil
10:30 a.m. –11:15 a.m. | Concurrent Sessions
Network Costs: What Really Makes a Difference?
Many of us have heard the basics of what might determine your network costs. We’ve heard things like MCC, card type, region, all matter for network costs, but what’s really having an impact on our bottom line? Have you ever wondered if it’s better to optimize your cross-border flows that might be a small portion of your payments, or is it better to spend time optimizing the minutiae of your transaction flows across your business?
Raymond Lee
Payments Performance, Stripe
Survey and Update on CNP Auto Renewal Laws and Regulations
This session will provide attendees with all the information and tools they need to know about automatic renewal laws and regulations and legal trends so they can develop and conduct compliant subscription marketing programs, as well as what to expect if faced with a regulatory investigation or consumer class action lawsuit.
Marc Roth
Partner, Cobalt LLP
Optimizing Payments Without Overwhelming Your Business: Practical Insights
With a growing number of payment providers, tools, and technologies available, merchants and businesses can feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of options for optimizing their payment stack. From tokenization and account updaters to smart routing, retry strategies, and fraud prevention, the array of optimization tools available can be daunting, leaving many businesses unsure about what to prioritize and how much optimization is “good enough” for their business. At what point does additional optimization provide diminishing returns? How do businesses know when they have reached the optimal balance? In this session, we will explore practical strategies for navigating the complex world of payment optimization, helping merchants and payment professionals find the right balance without falling into the trap of overcomplicating their payment systems.
Sana Haque
Head of Payment Optimization Strategy, PayPal
Fireside Chat With Visa
Join Visa leaders for an open conversation on the future of payments. This session will cover key priorities including tokenization, real-time payments, fraud trends, and how Visa is partnering with merchants to navigate an evolving digital ecosystem. Come ready for insights, innovation, and a look at what’s next in payments from one of the industry’s leading networks.
11:15 a.m. – 11:45 p.m. | Best in Class (BIC)
Next-Gen Dispute Management: AI and Automation in Action
Managing disputes and mitigating chargeback losses pose significant costs and challenges in managing disputes and mitigating chargeback losses. This session explores the latest tools and strategies in dispute management, focusing on how AI and automation can help recover chargeback revenue and aid in defending against both bad actors and “friendly” fraud.
Laura Varela
Sr Manager, Enterprise GTM, PayPal
12:00 p.m. – 12:45 p.m. | Concurrent Sessions
The Fed, a Merchant, and a Bank Step into the World of the FedNow Service
With the era of instant payments upon us, over 1000 diverse payments ecosystem players from all 50 states have stepped up to enable the FedNow Service to meet this increasing demand and capitalize on the ever-evolving possibilities. Join the Federal Reserve, and US Bank to hear how they have built their business cases for the FedNow Service and the lessons they have learned on their journey towards implementation
Dan Gonzalez
Vice President and National Account Director, Federal Reserve Financial Services
The Digital Divide: Growing Costs in Card-Not-Present Service
This session will unpack the growing fee differential between card-present and card-not-present environments. This session will review the latest cost trends in interchange and network card fees and explore what features may be driving such disparities around the globe. Today’s digital merchant is very different from card-not-present merchants twenty and even ten years ago where fax, mail, and phone orders have largely been replaced by connected commerce and 21st century verification technologies like Face ID. This session will unpack industry dynamics and policy issues perpetuating the digital divide.
Martha Southall
Chief of Staff, CMSPI
What Goes Up Must Go Down… Yes, This Applies to Chargebacks, Too
In this session, Scott E. Adams, a fraud industry expert with over 20 years of experience and a multimillion-dollar eCommerce merchant, will guide you through the new Visa Acquirer Monitoring Program and how it impacts merchants. Scott will share his unique methodology, honed over years of working with high-risk eCommerce merchants, to help reduce chargebacks and increase lifetime value. You’ll learn how the Acquirer Monitoring Program applies to merchants, how to track key rate changes, calculate and monitor rates, and discover proven strategies to lower chargebacks while boosting customer retention and value.
Scott Adams
CEO/Co-Founder, Fraud Deflect
Fireside Chat With Discover
Hear directly from Discover leaders as they share their vision for the future of payments, including innovations in customer experience, fraud prevention, and network growth. This engaging conversation will provide valuable insights into how Discover is evolving to meet merchant needs and driving progress in an increasingly digital landscape.
Kathleen Butler
Client Development and Relationship Manager, Discover
12:45 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Lunch
1:30 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. | Concurrent Sessions
Network Tokens: Myth vs. Reality
Visa has reported that network tokenization can improve authorization rates by 4% or more and reduce fraud by 28%, making it an important tool for online businesses. But what about the fine print? Can you just provision a network token, and voilà—you reap all the benefits of fraud reduction, higher approval rates, and up-to-date card data?
John Noltensmeyer
Chief Information Security Officer, IXOPAY
From Swipe to Tap to Wallets: Navigating the Dawn of the Cardless Era
With the era of instant payments upon us, over 1000 diverse payments ecosystem players from all 50 states have stepped up to enable the FedNow Service to meet this increasing demand and capitalize on the ever-evolving possibilities. Join the Federal Reserve, Starbucks, and US Bank to hear how they have built their business cases for the FedNow Service and the lessons they have learned on their journey towards implementation.
Arthur Bedel
Global Director of Revenue, VGS
3DS Data Only: Optimize Approvals and Minimize False Declines Without the Friction
In this session, we’ll explore the challenges and opportunities surrounding 3DS in the U.S., where it’s often seen as a conversion barrier due to issues like step-up challenges and high checkout drop-out rates. While 3DS offers fraud chargeback liability shift and reduced false declines, these benefits are not always realized in regions where it’s not mandated, such as the U.S. and non-EEA areas. To address these challenges, EMVCo has introduced 3DS Data Only, which captures enhanced cardholder data (e.g., IP address, email) and sends it to the issuer for better risk-based decision-making—without friction at checkout. Early results show a 65% reduction in false declines and a 2.1% increase in approval rates. We’ll discuss how Data Only works, its pros and cons, and how merchants can begin implementing this frictionless solution to improve authorization rates and customer experience.
Jeremy Bellino
Senior Product Manager, Fraud and Authentication, Worldpay
Merchant-Only Round Table – Strategies to Offset the Rising Cost of Payments
Join fellow merchants for an open, vendor-free discussion focused on practical strategies to manage and reduce payment costs. Explore tactics around routing, surcharge programs, interchange optimization, and more. Share challenges, successes, and insights in this collaborative session designed to help merchants protect margins in an increasingly complex payments environment.
Melanie Stout
Payments, McAfee
2:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. | Mainstage: Ethoca
Taking control: The Future of Subscriptions
Subscription economy revenue will reach nearly $1 trillion by 2028, and the business model is finding favor across many sectors. But the experience of managing subscriptions, including modifying, extending or canceling them, is often less than ideal — and we sometimes don’t realize how many subscriptions we’ve even signed up for. This means there is a growing number of payment disputes related to subscriptions. In a recent survey more than 61 % of consumers said they would like to be able to view and manage their subscriptions directly in their banking app.
Join us to learn how Ethoca and Mastercard are simplifying subscription management, helping merchants remove unnecessary payment stops and retain and acquire new customers.
Karim Bishara
Director of Product, Ethoca
3:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. | Mainstage: Worldpay
Navigating Regulations and Optimization Strategies for US Debit Routing
Recent federal regulations have reshaped the US Debit payments landscape, giving merchants unprecedented control, flexibility, and choice in their routing strategies. This session will explore the opportunities created by such changes, the potential risks and tradeoffs with different approaches, and recommended strategies for optimizing debit transactions.
Brant Peterson
Senior Product Director, Worldpay
3:45 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. | Concurrent Sessions
Bridging the Gap: PSP and Issuer Collaboration for Payment Success
In this session, we’ll explore how strategic partnerships between PSPs and issuers can drive growth, reduce declines, and create seamless payment experiences for customers. With declining payment success rates costing merchants billions annually and increasing friction at checkout, it’s crucial to foster collaboration across the payments ecosystem. We’ll discuss how PSPs can bridge gaps between merchants and issuers, sharing risk scores, addressing policy-related declines, and driving network token adoption. Attendees will gain actionable strategies to optimize fraud, improve payment success rates, and reduce revenue leakage, ensuring stronger ecosystem collaboration and better performance in today’s competitive payments landscape.
Matthew Baum
Senior Manager, Financials Partnerships, Checkout.com
Hypothesizing, Experimenting, Testing and Iterating in Payments
All merchants are motivated to optimize acceptance while managing the cost of doing so. At the same time, they need to both retain loyal customers and further grow their customer bases. How to achieve these outcomes depends on many different factors for each merchant, and deciding what variables to change—small or large—needs to be considered carefully. For example, a merchant may introduce a local entity in specific markets, add new payment methods, refine its risk/acceptance rules for certain card types, or pursue a plethora of other options to reach its key objectives.
In this session, we’ll outline the multitude of factors that impact a merchant’s payments business, and provide a framework for A/B testing new strategies that’s measurable and supported by data every step of the way
Mina Deegan
Solutions Engineering, Pagos
Fraud Teams: More Than Just Chargeback Fighters
In this session, Steve and Vikram will discuss the critical role of fraud teams in managing not only direct fraud costs like chargebacks and refunds, but also the often-overlooked indirect costs of falsely declined payments, which are 3-4 times higher. They’ll share insights on best practices for managing fraud, how banks’ fraud reduction efforts can unintentionally harm merchants, and why fraud teams are uniquely positioned to address failed payments. Key takeaways include understanding the deep connection between fraud and failed payments, how to structure fraud teams to manage both direct and indirect costs, and how top-performing companies prioritize resolving failed payments to boost customer retention, revenue, and profits.
Steve Arentzoff
SVP of Marketing, Pagos
Fireside Chat With Mastercard
Join Mastercard leaders for an insightful discussion on the latest trends shaping the payments industry. From advancements in digital identity and security to evolving network strategies and merchant engagement, this fireside chat will offer a forward-looking perspective on how Mastercard is partnering with businesses to navigate change and unlock new opportunities in the payments ecosystem.
Lam Van
Merchant Support, Mastercard
4:45 p.m. – 5:15 p.m. | Mainstage: Visa
Economic Update
As the U.S. economy faces challenges like sweeping tariffs and heightened uncertainty, understanding the landscape is crucial for merchants.
Join us at the 2025 PaymentsEd Annual Forum to hear from Michael A. Brown, Principal U.S. Economist at Visa Business & Economic Insights, as he delves into the latest growth projections and economic outlook. Want a preview? Check out this recent post from Visa Consulting & Analytics on LinkedIn for additional insights from Michael and his team.
Michael Brown
Economic Analyst, Visa
7:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.
Breakfast
8:45 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. | Mainstage: Optimized Payments
Leveraging Risk Data to Minimize Losses
Understanding and acting on risk data is critical to protecting revenue and minimizing losses. In this session, Optimized Payments will explore how merchants can harness risk and fraud data more effectively—identifying patterns, improving authorization rates, and reducing chargebacks. Learn actionable strategies and data-driven approaches to strengthen your fraud defenses while maintaining a seamless customer experience.
Kristen Umana
Merchant Services, Optimized Payments
9:30 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. | Concurrent Sessions
Risk, Disputes, and Identity – How Data Can Bridge the Gap
In today’s fast-paced digital economy, understanding and managing payment risks is crucial for businesses to thrive. This session delves into the intricacies of payment risk, chargebacks, and cardholder identity, offering comprehensive insights into how data can bridge the gap between secure transactions and reduced risk. We will explore the multifaceted nature of payment risk, highlighting the common causes and impacts of chargebacks on merchants. By leveraging transaction, merchant, and cardholder data, businesses can enhance their risk management strategies, reduce chargeback occurrences, and improve overall transaction security.
Katie Craven
Senior Director, Acceptance Risk Solutions Management, NA, Visa
Embracing the Cloud: How Technologies Are Shaping the Future of Payments
The payments industry is undergoing a technological transformation as businesses adopt emerging technologies to stay ahead in an increasingly competitive and global market. Cloud computing, particularly the use of single-instance cloud architecture, has emerged as a game-changer, offering unparalleled flexibility, scalability, and security. However, transitioning to the cloud presents unique challenges, from legacy system integration to ensuring compliance and minimizing disruptions.
Colin Luce
CEO & Founder, Basis Theory
Fighting Digital Fraud and Collaboration With Law Enforcement
Digital fraud continues to evolve, impacting all types of merchants. This session explores the growing trend of suspects using stolen credit card data through sophisticated scams involving synthetic identities, account takeovers, and POS terminal manipulation. These scams frequently result in chargebacks, financial loss, and reputational damage for the merchant. Join us as we examine real-world case patterns and discuss how law enforcement and the PaymentsEd Forum can strengthen collaboration to investigate, disrupt, and prevent these digital fraud schemes.
Detective Mark Hwang
Anaheim Police Department, Tourist Oriented Policing Team
Merchant-Only Roundtable: How to Approach Sizing a New Payment Method Opportunity
Evaluating new payment methods can be complex—how do you determine if it’s worth the investment? In this merchant-only session, peers will share frameworks, data points, and lessons learned when assessing emerging payment options. Discuss how to size the opportunity, forecast adoption, and align internal stakeholders around a go/no-go decision. No vendors—just real-world insights from fellow merchants.
Melissa Shields
Senior Payments, Starbucks
10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. | Best in Class (BIC)
VAMP
Merchant-Only Round Table:
Discover how leading merchants are using Visa’s Account Management Platform (VAMP) to streamline dispute management, enhance visibility, and reduce operational friction. This Best in Class session showcases real-world examples of how VAMP drives efficiency and improves the chargeback experience. Learn best practices, implementation tips, and how to maximize the platform’s capabilities for your organization.
Erich Franken
Sales, Visa
11:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. | Mainstaige: Adyen
Open Banking Myth Busting
Is Open Banking a payment method? Is Pay by Bank an instant settlement payment rail? Is it true that there is no fraud if Pay by Bank is the method of payment? In this session Tyler Heun will remove the veil of confusion and dispel common myths while sharing the value to both merchants and consumers.
Tyler Huen
VP, Digital Payments, Adyen
11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Merchant Panel Session
The Future of AI
AI is rapidly transforming the payments ecosystem—from fraud prevention and customer support to personalization and operational efficiency. In this dynamic panel, leading merchants will share how they’re leveraging AI today, what challenges they’re navigating, and where they see the greatest potential ahead. Gain practical insights and real-world perspectives on how AI is shaping the future of commerce.
Kristian Hansen
Director of Products, Asurion
