Five Big Conversations Shaping the Future of Payments
Leaders across the payments space are grappling with how to scale, foster meaningful partnerships and deliver frictionless customer experiences – all while keeping pace with the next wave of innovation.
Taking inspiration from our Global Payments Report, our Chief Strategy Officer, Scott Harkey, and Chair of our Global Advisory Board, Alastair Lukies CBE sat down to discuss what payment leaders should prioritise in 2025 and beyond.
Expansion in a fragmented world
While 85% of payment leaders are looking to expand into new markets – most within just one to three years – doing so is rarely straightforward. Navigating new regulations, local infrastructure challenges and evolving consumer expectations requires deep adaptability. Success lies in embracing complexity, building region-specific strategies and understanding that growth will be partner-led, not platform-led.
“If you're going to expand globally, the only way you can possibly do that is partner.” - Alastair Lukies, CBE
Lessons in innovation from APAC
APAC continues to outpace other regions in deploying payments innovation. So, what sets it apart? A combination of consumer tech savviness, government-driven compliance and cultural acceptance of super-app ecosystems. But not all innovations export easily. The real takeaway is that infrastructure must be localised, interoperable and rooted in genuine user needs – not simply replicated across borders.
“You've got to understand the culture, you've got to understand the local drivers, you've got to understand the needs.” - Scott Harkey
Trust, data and the power of collaboration
Cybersecurity isn’t a competitive edge – it’s a shared responsibility. As scams grow more sophisticated and real-time systems raise the stakes, data sharing across the ecosystem becomes critical. Collective intelligence, anonymised pattern detection and a willingness to collaborate are the foundations of trust in an increasingly digital payments landscape.
Rethinking partnerships in a volatile market
82% of payments leaders say partnerships with external providers are vital for business, but instead of one-size-fits-all solutions, the focus is shifting to building a flexible ecosystem of collaborators. Organisations need partners who can pivot with them, adapt to market shifts and bring more than products to the table – they must bring purpose, commitment and cultural alignment.
The next generation of payments
The future of payments is invisible. Agentic AI and embedded commerce are pushing transactions further into the background, creating seamless experiences where the value lies not in the payment itself, but in what it enables. This shift from interface to infrastructure is redefining what’s possible across industries. It’s not about paying – it’s about enabling richer, faster, more human experiences.
“Experiential outcomes driven by a slick payments ecosystem is a super cool future.” - Alastair Lukies, CBE
For deeper insights into these trends and more, download our latest Global Payments Report.