Theo Bowden, Senior Product Manager, LSEG Risk Intelligence
Theo Bowden, LSEG Risk Intelligence
Theo Bowden explored the rapid evolution of digital identity and the role it will play in transforming customer onboarding and fraud prevention.
He explained how regulatory developments, including eIDAS 2 and the forthcoming EU Digital Identity Wallet, are accelerating adoption across Europe. While digital identity has existed for many years in different markets, the next phase will see organisations integrate these solutions more widely into regulated customer journeys.
Theo highlighted how digital identities can simplify onboarding by reducing reliance on traditional document and biometric verification. As AI makes deepfakes and synthetic identities increasingly convincing, digital identity offers a more secure and efficient alternative while improving the customer experience.
The discussion also focused on LSEG Risk Intelligence’s approach to helping multinational organisations. Rather than requiring businesses to integrate with multiple national identity schemes individually, LSEG aims to provide a single gateway that simplifies both the technical integration and legal complexities of working across different jurisdictions.
Looking ahead, Theo expects adoption to continue growing globally, with digital identity becoming an increasingly important tool for reducing fraud while making it easier for consumers to prove who they are online.
Marjan Delatinne, Managing Director, Sales and Business Development Europe, Eastnets
with Marjan Delatinne, Eastnets
Marjan Delatinne discussed how the move towards real time, borderless payments is changing the role of digital identity.
She explained that identity verification can no longer be viewed as a one off compliance exercise completed during onboarding. Instead, identity must become an ongoing layer of trust that moves alongside payments, data and digital assets throughout the customer journey.
The conversation explored the fragmented nature of today’s compliance landscape, where identity verification, sanctions screening and transaction monitoring often operate independently. Marjan argued that organisations need more integrated approaches that allow risk decisions to be made continuously and in real time.
She also examined the role of initiatives such as eIDAS 2 and verifiable credentials. These technologies have the potential to improve privacy while allowing individuals to share only the information required for a specific transaction, reducing unnecessary data exposure and creating more efficient digital experiences.
Looking ahead, Marjan believes interoperability will be the key challenge. While a single global identity model is unlikely to emerge, common frameworks and shared standards could enable trusted digital identities to work seamlessly across borders.
Bankole Falade, Chief Legal, Regulatory Affairs and Public Policy Officer, Flutterwave
Bankole Falade, Flutterwave
Bankole Falade shared his perspective on the changing relationship between fintech companies and central banks across Africa.
He explained that regulators increasingly view fintech businesses as partners in innovation rather than simply organisations to supervise. This closer collaboration is helping shape more effective payment ecosystems while supporting financial inclusion and economic growth.
A major focus of the discussion was interoperability. Bankole argued that fragmented payment systems and inconsistent regulation continue to slow cross border payments across Africa. Greater alignment between payment standards, licensing frameworks and regulatory requirements would allow businesses to expand more easily across multiple markets.
The conversation also examined the importance of balancing innovation with regulation. Rather than regulating technology itself, Bankole believes regulators should focus on desired outcomes while adopting risk based approaches that reflect the value and complexity of individual transactions.
Looking ahead, he highlighted the opportunities presented by the African Continental Free Trade Area. Creating an interoperable payments infrastructure supported by common standards, licensing and fraud controls will be essential to unlocking greater trade across the continent.
Todd Clyde, Chief Executive Officer, Token.io
with Todd Clyde, Token.io
Todd Clyde discussed how open finance regulation is creating new opportunities for payment providers and financial institutions.
He explained that organisations which engage with regulation early can help shape future frameworks while gaining valuable first mover advantages. Token.io has taken this approach through its work on open banking payment initiatives, helping establish new payment propositions while supporting wider industry adoption.
The conversation also explored the growing importance of trust within account to account payments. Todd highlighted how familiar payment branding and authentication directly through a customer’s bank help build confidence while reducing issues such as false declines and chargebacks.
As Token.io continues expanding across Europe, harmonising different payment schemes, regulatory requirements and technical standards remains a key priority. By providing a unified infrastructure layer, the company aims to simplify integration for payment providers operating across multiple markets.
Looking ahead, Todd expects payment experiences to become increasingly invisible as embedded finance continues to evolve. Trust will remain fundamental, ensuring customers have confidence in payment methods even as transactions become more seamless and automated.
Kevin Burke, Head of Strategic Partnerships, Mangopay
Kevin Burke, Mangopay
Kevin Burke examined the growing complexity of onboarding across digital platforms and online marketplaces.
Mangopay supports a wide range of customer types, including platforms, businesses and consumers, each with different onboarding and identity verification requirements. Kevin explained that successful onboarding requires balancing speed with appropriate fraud controls while protecting the reputation of the platforms using Mangopay’s services.
Rather than removing friction entirely, he argued that organisations should introduce verification at the most appropriate stages of the customer lifecycle. This approach allows businesses to reduce unnecessary delays while ensuring additional checks are applied when customer behaviour or transaction values require greater scrutiny.
The discussion also explored the future role of digital identity. Initiatives such as eIDAS and browser based identity solutions could significantly simplify identity verification, particularly for consumers. However, Kevin noted that business verification remains more complex, particularly when company ownership structures change over time.
Operating across nearly 200 countries also presents significant operational challenges. Mangopay must navigate different regulatory environments, document requirements and local identity standards while maintaining consistent customer experiences across international markets.
Gordon Stuart, SVP, Embedded Services, Sage
with Gordon Stuart, Sage
Gordon Stuart discussed the financial challenges facing small businesses and the growing role of embedded financial services.
He explained that late payments, tax administration and manual financial processes continue to consume valuable time for business owners. While digital tools have improved significantly, many organisations still struggle to simplify these everyday tasks.
Sage is increasingly embedding its accounting capabilities into banking platforms and other business applications, allowing customers to manage finances within the systems they already use rather than requiring them to adopt entirely new software.
The conversation also explored the impact of initiatives such as Making Tax Digital. Although many businesses remain apprehensive about regulatory change, Gordon believes the right technology can simplify compliance while helping organisations manage their finances more effectively.
Looking ahead, he suggested that banks will continue to own the customer relationship while specialist providers such as Sage deliver financial services behind the scenes. By combining banking experiences with embedded accounting capabilities, businesses can benefit from more seamless and efficient financial management.
Key Themes Across the Discussions
Several themes emerged consistently throughout the episode. Digital identity is rapidly evolving beyond a simple onboarding tool and becoming a continuous layer of trust that supports payments, fraud prevention and customer verification throughout the entire customer journey.
Regulation continues to play a major role in shaping innovation. Whether through digital identity frameworks, open finance, payment interoperability or cross border trade, speakers highlighted the importance of collaboration between regulators and industry to support innovation while maintaining security and trust.
Embedded finance also featured prominently throughout the discussions. Organisations are increasingly focused on integrating financial services directly into the platforms customers already use, reducing friction while delivering more seamless user experiences.
Across every conversation, trust remained the common thread. As payments become faster, more connected and increasingly digital, organisations will need to balance convenience, security and regulatory compliance to create financial experiences that customers can rely on.
