Happy New Year, payment aficionados 🤗. And just like that, everywhere I look the world seems to be gearing up for a new chapter… or maybe not quite yet 🫣?!
I’m still very much in reflective mode, easing back into conversations, ideas, and unfinished threads from last year but one thought that keeps resurfacing is just how much of a topic payment has become and the role it now plays inside a business.
Barely four or five years ago, payments weren’t being discussed at this depth outside specialist circles. Today it sits much closer to the centre of business, product, and strategy conversations and that shift didn’t happen by accident.
Some thoughts:
◾ For many organisations, the payments stack has become more complex, and with that, more strategic. Where merchants once had a single PSP, a single acquirer, and a single routing path, today they are working with orchestration layers, multiple acquirers, token strategies, issuer and network interaction, and increasingly data-driven decisioning.
◾At the same time, there is a lot more visibility than before with richer data, signals points, performance dashboards, auth, risk, routing analytics and payments insights. However this either does not always filter down to merchants or is still a Pandora’s box to interpret even when the data is available. What I see in this is that people are starting to ask better questions and to build around what they can observe.
◾Payment ownership becomes more cross-functional to drive outcomes across different teams, that creates discussion, alignment work, and, importantly, strategic awareness. People realise payments are not a feature. They are infrastructure across the value chain.
◾And of course, the broader ecosystem has evolved. Regulation, scheme innovation, new rails and wallets, emerging capabilities have all contributed to payments becoming a space where technology, economics, behaviour, and policy intersect. Naturally, the conversation expanded with it.
Last year, after moderating the first payments track at the T2RL event, I sat down with Ian Tunnacliffe and we found ourselves reflecting on exactly that.
The airlines’ transformation journey around payments is a good example. It is a sector shaped by complex routes, volatile demand patterns, layered distribution, and a high dependency on operational resilience and yet, all of those elements converge through payments signals and systems that support routing, revenue protection, continuity, and day-to-day execution.
As organisations mature, it is not just visibility and capability that matter, but also a stronger, more aligned language around payments, so teams can engage with it at a truly strategic level.
Still reflecting… but that’s where my head is as the year begins. Somewhere between experience, curiosity, and a quiet sense that we are in for another interesting year ahead.
Paypr.work [ˈpeɪpəwəːk] Merchant Hub: Merchant Voice, Amplified! #payment #cardpayment #paymentstrategy #acquiring
T2RL reflections from Sandra Mianda, Paypr.work Founder on payment #payments @Paypr_work
Paypr.work blends payment knowledge and custom research into a simplified yet insightful narration. Our narratives feature visually engaging designs that break down both fundamental and complex payment jargons into bite-sized, repetitive micro-concepts to promote better comprehension and retention.
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You have provided so much light and knowledge in a fascinating world. You definitely bring the fun to Fintech like no one else and actually know what you are talking about! Thanks goodness for you😁!
Vice President Global Product Expansion, Shift4
Impressive, congratulations Sandra and Team Paypr.work. The detail in each of your 100+ infographics is outstanding and showcases your expertise well… Continued success for this remarkable work!
LinkedIn Strategist | Digital Transformation Leader
Host of Heads Talk
Your diagrams have the ability to explain the most complicated of topics in way that can be understood by anyone. Not many people have the ability to create self-explanatory visuals, so keep doing your magic 🔥🔥🔥!
CEO & Co Founder of CLOWD9
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B2B Marketing, Marqeta
The depth of Paypr.work knowledge and skill sets are truly impressive. Their ability to combine deep industry expertise with well-depicted visual is pretty unique. I strongly recommend Sandra and Paypr.work !
Director EMEA Payment Solutions, Marriott International
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Strategic Accounts Director, Truelayer | Payments and Fintech Geek
Merci Sandra pour ta facilité à vulgariser le paiement via de simples dessins, qui me surprendront toujours. Pour ceux qui ne connaissent pas son travail, je vous invite à suivre Paypr.work [ˈpeɪpəwəːk]!
Product Manager Paiement, Maisons du Monde
Your enthusiasm and ability to simplify Payments is so refreshing and literally shines through! Sandra and her team research, write content and create some stunning infographics for the payments industry….
Chief Operations Officer, Clowd9
Keep up the good work and know that your hard work and dedication is so inspiring for all of us. You are truly doing an incredible job and your consistent efforts don’t go unnoticed.
Chief Community Officer, NORBr | Redefining Payment Infrastructure | Linkedin Top Voice
Your posts are a masterclass in how payments have evolved from a basic utility to a strategic asset. Your ability to simplify this complexity and provide strategic direction along with implementation support is so invaluable. The clarity and depth you provide are exactly what this fast-evolving industry needs.
Chief Commercial and Operations Officer, Soffid
The mechanics of all things payment are a black box for most industry stakeholders. With the help of their well researched and designed infographics, Sandra and her team at Papr.work demystify complex flows and create awareness about the factors that play a role in the end to end processes.
Paul van Alfen | Managing Director Managing, Up in the Air - Travel Payment Consultancy
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