Our Head of Product, Euan Ballantyne recently moderated a panel discussion that explored the importance of payments in delivering superior retail services to both consumers and businesses at the FTT Payments conference in London.
Representatives from across the payments ecosystem gathered for the one-day event, ‘Navigating complexity and charting a pathway to the future of payments’, to explore key themes impacting the rapidly-evolving payments landscape, including digital currencies, regulation and compliance, and the changing needs of consumers and businesses.
During the session, called ‘Payments – A gateway to better services’, the panel of industry experts shared their perspectives on:
Checkout innovation – The speakers discussed how bank-branded checkout options can build trust in Pay by Bank style payments (where consumers pay directly from their bank accounts), and confirmed that this is primarily due to the fact that consumers tend to have greater confidence in their own banks and feel at ease with the security and convenience of their bank’s online services for transactions. The panel also discussed how some organisations are now recommending simplified payment options at checkout, such as instant bank payments, cashback, or loyalty points, based on transaction size and customer data, depending on the best option for the customer.
Simplifying the user experience – The panellists agreed that payment processes should be frictionless, ideally with no logins, minimal clicks, and instant authentication.
Online retailer perspectives – Some merchants overload online checkout options due to the fear of missing customer preferences. The panellists proposed that the solution is to provide intelligent, curated payment options based on user behaviour and the context of the transaction.
The future vision –The panel agreed that the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and data will help consumers decide how, where, and with what to pay, and noted that agentic-AI shopping tools could have a big impact on customer experience over the medium term. The speakers also predicted the increasing use of subscriptions, cryptocurrency, and loyalty models as part of the broader payments ecosystem.
Conclusion
Overall, the panellists agreed that as consumer and business expectations evolve and digital commerce accelerates, the need for smarter, faster, and more intuitive payment solutions is critical. By bridging the gap between traditional banking and modern fintech, we are uniquely positioned to support the transformation of checkout experiences in the UK. With a powerful combination of embedded finance, personalised AI-driven recommendations, and loyalty-enhancing capabilities, meaningful value can be created for both merchants and consumers. This is not just about payment processing, it’s about building the future of financial engagement, where every checkout is a strategic opportunity.
