The People Making Payments Podcast

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Welcome to The People Making Payments Podcast - a show designed to help people working in payments identify the most significant developments shaping the industry and understand how to best anticipate, and act, on them. In each episode Shona Sabah will be sitting down with a senior payments leader for an honest and open conversation about how they’re interpreting key shifts and trends, the impact they’re seeing in their roles, and the practical advice and they'd give to others in similar positions. Recorded in our Central London studio, every conversation will balance professional insight with candid personal perspective and aims to be inspiring, educational and insightful in equal measure. Enjoy!

  1. 4d ago

    Evolving merchant needs & how providers can price the services they want w/ Arnaud Le Saouter (KAE)

    In this episode of The People Making Payments Podcast, Shona sits down with Arnaud Le Saouter (Client Director at KAE) - a payments industry veteran with over 30 years of experience - about how merchant needs have evolved, and what that means for how payment providers should be thinking about pricing their services today. With three decades of perspective to draw on, Arnaud and Shona start with how the merchant landscape has changed 👇 ➡️ How the merchant payments landscape has transformed from simple POS and payment gateways to a complex, omni-channel world with hundreds of competing providers ➡️ Why the core tension for merchants today is wanting simplicity and sophistication at the same time and why so few providers are managing to deliver both ➡️ How the most sophisticated merchants are now building portfolios of payment providers rather than relying on one and what that means for providers trying to grow their share of wallet ➡️ Why so many payment brands still look the same to merchants and why that's actually a massive opportunity ➡️ And why helping merchants grow their business is fast becoming the most important thing a payment provider can offer From there, the conversation moves into how to price those services💰 ➡️ Why payments is moving away from being a cost centre and why savvier merchants are increasingly willing to pay more if the value case is clear ➡️ How to approach pricing value-added services, including AI, in a market where merchants have historically expected them for free ➡️ The full range of pricing models in use across the industry, from simple blended rates to interchange-plus, and why the right model depends on merchant size, market maturity, and regulation ➡️ Why transparency in pricing is a delicate balance - too little loses trust, too much creates overwhelm ➡️ And why the providers who crack the link between pricing and a clear, demonstrable value proposition will be the ones that win Plus, we discover what Arnaud would love to be doing if he wasn't working in payments 📰 If you work in payments, this episode is a masterclass in how the industry has evolved and where the real commercial opportunities lie right now.

    49 min

  2. Jun 22

    Engaging multi-banked customers & how to differentiate in a new market w/ Keiti Kirt (LHV Bank)

    In this episode of The People Making Payments Podcast, Shona speaks with Keiti Kirt (Marketing Specialist at LHV Bank) about two topics at the heart of modern banking: how to engage and retain customers in a multi-banked world, and what it really takes to differentiate when you enter a brand new market. They start by unpacking multi-banking 👇 ➡️ Why "financial polyamory" is the new normal and what it means for banks trying to build loyalty ➡️ How customers are building their own financial toolkits and why primacy may no longer be the right goal ➡️ The danger of chasing everyone and why being crystal clear on who you're not for can be your greatest strength ➡️ And practical advice for marketers navigating the noise of a crowded, multi-banked market From there, the conversation moves into market expansion 🌍 ➡️ What it's really like to take an established brand from Estonia into the UK and why reputation doesn't travel ➡️ Why the biggest risk in a new market isn't rejection but being ignored ➡️ How LHV approached brand consistency versus localisation when entering a completely different competitive landscape ➡️ And why finding the right creative and media partners is critical to landing a brand in a new market Plus, Keiti takes on the quickfire round ⚡ If you work in banking, payments, or fintech marketing, this episode is full of sharp, honest thinking on how to cut through the noise, own a clear position, and build a brand that actually means something to the right people.

    33 min

  3. Jun 15

    Compliance as a competitive advantage & real financial inclusion w/ Willem Wellinghoff (Ecommpay)

    In this episode of The People Making Payments Podcast, Shona speaks with Willem Wellinghoff (UK Chair and Chief Compliance Officer at Ecommpay) about two topics very close to his heart: how compliance can drive true innovation, and why financial inclusion should be high on the agendas of payment companies across the world.  They start by rethinking the role of compliance 👇 ➡️ Why compliance shouldn’t be seen as a blocker, but as an enabler of growth ➡️ How regulation can act as a catalyst for innovation by forcing quick and creative action ➡️ The commercial benefits of engaging with compliance and regulation in a different way ➡️ And some practical advice for how to turn this approach into a competitive advantage From there, we move into financial inclusion 🌍 ➡️ What financial inclusion really means in practice and why it goes beyond just offering more payment methods ➡️ How designing for accessibility (including disabilities) opens up entirely new opportunities ➡️ The commercial upside of inclusion, from improving conversion to unlocking underserved markets ➡️ And why an “inclusive by design” mindset is becoming a key differentiator for payment providers Plus, Willem takes on the quickfire round ⚡ If you work in payments, fintech, or financial services, this episode offers a fresh perspective on how two often-overlooked areas can actually drive innovation, growth, and better customer and commercial outcomes.

    46 min

  4. Jun 8

    Embedded finance & AI in payments w/ Ruwani Hewa (Starling) | PMP S1 E2

    In this episode of The People Making Payments Podcast, Shona sits down with Ruwani Hewa, Director of Payments at Starling, to explore two themes reshaping how payments are being built and delivered today: embedded finance and AI. They start with embedded finance 👇 ➡️ What it actually means and why it’s been around longer than most people think ➡️ How it has evolved from simple use cases into more sophisticated, data-driven propositions ➡️ Where it’s creating real value today, from consumer experiences through to SME financing ➡️ And what this shift means for how providers differentiate in an increasingly competitive market From there, they move into AI in payments 🤖 ➡️ Where AI has already been delivering value behind the scenes ➡️ How it’s now moving closer to the customer experience ➡️ The emerging role of AI in areas like fraud, decisioning, and financial management ➡️ And why the real challenge isn’t the technology but identifying the problems it should solve Plus, we learn what Ruwani would be doing if she wasn't in payments 🕵️‍♀️ If you work in payments, fintech, or financial services,  this episode offers a clear, practical perspective on where these trends are genuinely delivering impact, and where the industry still has work to do.

    40 min

  5. May 18

    Digital currencies & the developing payments ecosystem dynamics w/ Andrea Cillara Rossi (Mastercard) | PMP S1 E1

    In this episode of The People Making Payments Podcast, Shona sits down with Andrea Cillara Rossi, VP Consumer Products and Processing at Mastercard, to unpack two of the biggest forces shaping the future of payments: digital currencies and the evolving ecosystem dynamics. We start by exploring the reality behind digital currencies 👇 ➡️ What we actually mean by digital currencies ➡️ Where real-world use cases are emerging today ➡️ The biggest barriers to adoption — and what needs to change ➡️ How to cut through the hype and focus on what really matters From there, we zoom out to look at the payments ecosystem 🌍 ➡️ How collaboration and competition are reshaping the industry ➡️ Whether fintechs have truly disrupted traditional players ➡️ What the ecosystem could look like in five years ➡️ Practical advice for navigating and succeeding in this space Plus, we get to know Andrea a little better in our quickfire round ⚡ If you work in payments, fintech, or financial services — this episode is packed with insight to help you make better decisions in a rapidly changing landscape.

    43 min
  6. INTRODUCING...The People Making Payments Podcast 🎤

    May 13

    INTRODUCING...The People Making Payments Podcast 🎤

    Welcome to The People Making Payments Podcast - a brand-new show designed to help people working in payments identify the most significant developments shaping the industry and understand how to best anticipate, and act, on them. In each episode Shona Sabah will be sitting down with a senior payments leader for an honest and open conversation about how they’re interpreting key shifts and trends, the impact they’re seeing in their roles, and the practical advice and they'd give to others in similar positions. Recorded in our Central London studio, every conversation will balance professional insight with candid personal perspective and aims to be inspiring, educational and insightful in equal measure... Episode 1 is coming soon 👀

    1 min

  7. 11/10/2025

    How insights teams can deliver at speed without sacrificing quality.

    In today’s episode — originally written as an article by Prithweesh De — we’re talking about one of the biggest challenges facing insight teams inside banks and payments companies: delivering fast without sacrificing quality.

    7 min

  8. 11/03/2025

    2026 and beyond: What does agentic AI mean for the future of payments orchestration?

    In today’s episode — which was originally written as an article by Shona Sabah — we’re exploring one of the most important and fast-moving developments in the payments industry: how agentic AI is changing the way transactions are routed, approved, and optimised, and what it means for merchants, consumers, and payment providers.

    13 min
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Welcome to The People Making Payments Podcast - a show designed to help people working in payments identify the most significant developments shaping the industry and understand how to best anticipate, and act, on them. In each episode Shona Sabah will be sitting down with a senior payments leader for an honest and open conversation about how they’re interpreting key shifts and trends, the impact they’re seeing in their roles, and the practical advice and they'd give to others in similar positions. Recorded in our Central London studio, every conversation will balance professional insight with candid personal perspective and aims to be inspiring, educational and insightful in equal measure. Enjoy!

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