LHV Bank: Moving from Theory to Practical Innovation
with Macs Dickinson, LHV Bank
The episode opens with Macs Dickinson, Director of Engineering at LHV Bank, who reflects on how industry conversations have evolved over the past year.
While themes such as stablecoins, digital assets and AI continue to dominate discussions at Money20/20, Macs explains that the focus has shifted from theory to real-world implementation. Businesses are no longer talking about what these technologies might achieve in the future. Instead, they are sharing practical examples of how they are already being used.
Stablecoins remain a major area of interest for LHV Bank, particularly in relation to cross-border payments. Macs discusses how stablecoins could help make international transactions faster, simpler and more cost effective while also creating new opportunities around yield generation. He also highlights the importance of regulatory clarity and points to LHV’s recent MiCA licence approval as an important milestone in its digital asset journey.
Looking ahead, Macs explains that events such as Money20/20 provide valuable opportunities to better understand customer challenges and identify where financial infrastructure providers can create meaningful value.
Buckaroo: The Continued Evolution of Payment Service Providers
Paul Scholten, Buckaroo
Paul Scholten, Chief Executive Officer of Buckaroo, explores how the role of payment service providers continues to expand.
Drawing on Buckaroo’s experience as an omnichannel payments provider serving businesses across the Benelux region, Paul explains how the industry has already moved beyond simply connecting online and offline payments. Increasingly, merchants are looking for integrated financial services that combine payments with solutions such as credit management, subscriptions, invoicing and financial products.
Paul also discusses the emergence of Wero and its potential impact on the European payments landscape. While acknowledging the success of iDEAL in the Netherlands, he believes Wero represents an opportunity to introduce new functionality and broader cross-border interoperability.
When considering the future of payments, Paul identifies data and artificial intelligence as key differentiators. While AI is already being used to improve operational efficiency, he believes the greatest opportunity lies in enhancing customer experience through more intuitive and intelligent interactions.
Acquired: Reinventing Recurring Payments Through Open Banking and AI
with Eline Blomme, Acquired
Eline Blomme, Chief Product and Marketing Officer at Acquired discusses significant developments in the open banking ecosystem.
She highlights the launch of the UK Payments Initiative as a major milestone for variable recurring payments, bringing industry participants together around a common framework and creating momentum for wider adoption. Eline reflects on the years of work that have gone into bringing this vision closer to reality and the importance of industry collaboration in achieving progress.
The conversation also explores the role of AI in recurring payments. Acquired focuses heavily on payment approval rates and customer retention, particularly in subscription and financial services sectors. Eline explains how AI can help merchants recover failed payments by interpreting multiple payment signals and automatically determining the most effective recovery actions.
She argues that merchants should not need to manage payment complexity themselves. Instead, modern payment providers should help businesses focus on their core offerings while delivering intelligent payment optimisation behind the scenes.
Eline also outlines why Acquired is investing in the combination of billing and payments, believing that greater integration between the two creates new opportunities to improve customer retention and operational efficiency.
DECTA: Rising Expectations and the Future of Settlement
Scott Dawson, DECTA UK
Scott Dawson, Director and CEO UK at DECTA, examines how consumer expectations continue to rise as technology advances.
He argues that AI may transform processes and experiences, but it will not make customers more patient. Instead, consumers increasingly compare every interaction to the best experience they have ever had, raising expectations across all sectors.
Scott also shares insights from DECTA’s latest research into merchant priorities. The findings reveal strong alignment between businesses and consumers, with both groups seeking secure, seamless and cost effective payment experiences. Despite ongoing economic uncertainty, the research also highlighted a surprising level of optimism among businesses.
Looking ahead, Scott discusses the growing role of stablecoins in cross-border payments and predicts that future settlement infrastructure will rely on intelligent orchestration across multiple payment rails. Rather than replacing existing systems, businesses will benefit from technologies that intelligently route transactions behind the scenes, creating faster and more efficient settlement experiences.
Plaid: Open Finance, AI and the Next Generation of Financial Experiences
with Chris Corbett, Plaid
Chris Corbett, Product Lead at Plaid, discusses how open banking has laid the foundations for the future of open finance.
Drawing parallels between the two movements, Chris explains that while open banking APIs have become increasingly reliable and scalable over time, a similar journey is now beginning for open finance. As more financial data becomes accessible, the quality of connectivity and trust in the underlying infrastructure will remain essential.
The discussion also focuses heavily on AI. Chris notes that hundreds of Plaid’s customers are already building AI-powered financial products, with consumers increasingly using AI tools to understand and manage their finances.
One area attracting particular attention is agentic payments, where AI systems can act on behalf of users. Chris explains that successful implementation requires secure payment rails, human oversight and real-time transaction capabilities. He also stresses the importance of balancing innovation with existing regulatory requirements, particularly around transparency and explainability in financial decision making.
Affirm: Consumer-Centric Lending in an Agentic Future
Alexander de Ràfols, Affirm
Alexander de Ràfols, Head of Europe Product at Affirm, closes the episode with a discussion on lending, regulation and the rise of agentic commerce.
Affirm’s mission is centred around providing transparent and consumer-friendly financial products, and Alexander explains how this philosophy aligns closely with emerging regulatory frameworks across Europe. Because the company already prioritises transparency, predictable pricing and consumer outcomes, it views regulatory developments as an opportunity rather than a challenge.
The conversation also explores how AI agents could reshape purchasing behaviour. As consumers increasingly rely on AI tools to research products and make decisions, payment providers will need to integrate into these new digital journeys. Alexander highlights Affirm’s partnerships with Google and Stripe as examples of how the company is preparing for this shift.
Looking further ahead, he believes agentic commerce could fundamentally alter the lending landscape. AI systems acting on behalf of consumers are likely to favour transparent and customer-friendly products, potentially accelerating the move away from traditional lending models built around hidden fees, complex terms and high interest charges.
For Alexander, the future of lending belongs to businesses that put consumer outcomes first, and emerging technologies may help reinforce that transition.
