In the latest episode of The Payments Shed Podcast, recorded in New York City, Grant Evans and Justin Hanna are joined by Casey Bullock, CEO of Citcon, for a conversation exploring how global commerce is moving beyond a card-first world and why alternative payment methods are becoming increasingly important for merchants looking to grow internationally. Casey shares how Citcon is helping merchants navigate an increasingly fragmented payments landscape, enabling access to more than 150 payment methods through a single integration. The discussion explores why the way consumers pay varies so significantly between markets, what merchants risk by relying too heavily on cards, and why offering the right local payment methods can have a direct impact on conversion and international growth. They also unpack the rise of digital wallets, BNPL, pay by bank and other alternative payment methods, including why options such as PIX, WeChat Pay and Naver Pay can unlock entirely new customer bases. Casey explains why payments are becoming an increasingly important part of market-entry strategy, and how merchants need to balance global infrastructure with genuinely local payment experiences. The conversation then moves beyond acceptance to the wider movement of money. Casey shares how payments platforms are evolving to support both pay-ins and payouts, alongside FX and treasury capabilities, and why the next generation of providers could play a much broader role across the entire money lifecycle. Looking ahead, they explore what borderless commerce could really look like, whether cards will remain the dominant global payment method, and why simplifying complexity behind the scenes could be key to making international expansion easier for merchants. Plus, Casey steps up for The Payments Shed's legendary Shelf of Shame to nominate one global payments trend he'd happily banish forever. *** The Payments Shed Podcast is sponsored by Cyclops. Cyclops is a crypto and stablecoin infrastructure platform built for payments companies, enabling PSPs, acquirers and processors to offer crypto acceptance, stablecoin settlement and payouts without building their own blockchain stack. It provides a unified solution for pay-ins, pay-outs and fiat-to-digital asset conversion, with simple API or low-code integration. W: https://cyclops.finance/ *** The Payments Shed Podcast is sponsored by Salesloft Powered by agentic AI, Salesloft's Predictive Revenue System connects live signals from buyer engagement, conversations, deals, and forecast data, turning intelligence into clear, prioritized action. Trusted by more than 4,000 organizations including Adobe, 3M, IBM, and Zoom, Salesloft helps revenue teams move from guesswork to confidence, quarter after quarter. W: https://www.salesloft.com *** The Payments Shed Podcast is sponsored by Mastercard Open Finance Mastercard Open Finance helps businesses and financial institutions securely access and use consumer-permissioned financial data to build more connected, personalisedfinancial experiences, spanning payments, account opening, credit decisioning and beyond. W: https://www.mastercard.com/global/en/business/open-finance.html *** The Payments Shed Podcast is partnered with PCN. PCN is a boutique recruitment agency rooted in Amsterdam, driven by a singular mission: connecting top talent with industry leaders. PCN specialises in five core pillars: Fintech, Cybersecurity, SaaS, E-Commerce, and Salesforce, backed by a global network across borders. W: https://teampcn.com/ *** Disclaimer: Any views or opinions referenced in this podcast episode are our own, or those of our respective guests, and they do not represent any views, opinions, or statements from our respective employers, or those of our guests. Additionally, any views expressed here are not intended as investment, legal, tax, or financial advice.
