The Payments Shed

In the latest episode of The Payments Shed Podcast, filmed live from the world famous Nasdaq MarketSite in New York City's Times Square, Grant Evans and Justin Hanna are joined by Mauriceo Castanheiro, VP and Head of International Payments Fraud at Nasdaq Verafin, for a conversation exploring how financial institutions can fight fraud as payments, scams and financial crime increasingly operate at machine speed.
Drawing on more than 15 years of fraud prevention experience, including roles at RBC and BMO, Mau breaks down the changing financial crime landscape and why authorised fraud and scams are creating a very different challenge for banks. The discussion explores the growing role of AI on both sides of the equation, and whether financial services is entering an arms race between increasingly sophisticated fraudsters and AI-powered defence.
They also unpack why fighting modern financial crime requires moving beyond institution-level rules towards collaborative, network-level intelligence. Mau explains the importance of understanding both sides of a transaction, how consortium data can expose risks that individual institutions cannot see alone, and why cross-border payments become particularly vulnerable as fraudsters search for the path of least resistance.
The conversation then turns to the agentic era, including Nasdaq Verafin's Agentic AI Workforce and Agentic Fraud Analyst, how AI agents can support fraud and AML teams, and the entirely new risks created when legitimate AI agents begin initiating payments on behalf of customers. They also explore why national fraud strategies increasingly need collaboration beyond financial services, including technology platforms, social media and telecommunications.
Plus, Mau steps up for The Payments Shed's legendary Shelf of Shame to nominate one payments or fraud trend he'd happily banish forever.
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The Payments Shed Podcast is headline sponsored by Damisa.
Damisa is a regulated cross-border payments and treasury infrastructure provider. Using a blend of traditional banking rails and stablecoin technology, Damisa helps businesses move money faster, cheaper, and more transparently across global markets. Its platform supports collections, settlements, disbursements, and liquidity management, while maintaining a strong compliance-first approach. Damisa is building the next generation of global payment infrastructure.
Learn more at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.damisa.xyz/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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The Payments Shed Podcast is also 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.
Learn more at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://cyclops.finance/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
***
The Payments Shed Podcast is supported by 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.
Learn more at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠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.

In the latest episode of The Payments Shed Podcast, Grant Evans and Justin Hanna are joined by Gary Dempsey, VP Content & Event Director and Douglas Mackenzie, Head of Content, at Fintech Meetup Europe, for a conversation exploring how one of the fintech industry's biggest meetings-led events is taking its proven US model to Europe.
Gary and Douglas reflect on five years of Fintech Meetup in the US, including more than 50,000 meetings delivered and a 92% satisfaction rate, and share the lessons shaping the launch of its first European edition in Lisbon in October 2026. The discussion explores why now is the right time for the expansion, why Lisbon was chosen as its European home, and what needs to change when bringing a successful US event model into a very different fintech market.
They also unpack what makes Fintech Meetup's meetings-first format different, including the technology and matchmaking behind more than 25,000 pre-scheduled, double opt-in meetings planned for Lisbon, and why creating meaningful connections between buyers, fintechs and industry leaders has become such an important part of the modern event experience.
The conversation also goes behind the scenes of the content strategy, exploring how Gary and Douglas are building the European agenda, what attendees can expect from the speaker line-up, and how Fintech Meetup is balancing high-quality content with an event fundamentally designed to get people meeting, connecting and doing business.
Plus, Gary and Douglas step up for The Payments Shed's legendary Shelf of Shame to nominate an events-industry habit, assumption or piece of jargon they'd happily banish forever.
***
The Payments Shed Podcast is headline sponsored by Damisa.
Damisa is a regulated cross-border payments and treasury infrastructure provider. Using a blend of traditional banking rails and stablecoin technology, Damisa helps businesses move money faster, cheaper, and more transparently across global markets. Its platform supports collections, settlements, disbursements, and liquidity management, while maintaining a strong compliance-first approach. Damisa is building the next generation of global payment infrastructure.
Learn more at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.damisa.xyz/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
***
The Payments Shed Podcast is also 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.
Learn more at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://cyclops.finance/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
***
The Payments Shed Podcast is supported by 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.
Learn more at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠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.

In the latest episode of The Payments Shed Podcast, Grant Evans and Justin Hanna are joined by Peter Daunton, Chief Product Officer at Sokin, for a conversation exploring what happens when AI moves beyond productivity and starts actively running financial and treasury operations.
Peter explains why much of today's agentic conversation is focused on the intelligence of the agent, while overlooking the payments, treasury and regulated infrastructure underneath it. The discussion explores what happens when AI agents need to move money autonomously, why infrastructure built around human operators may struggle in a machine-driven world, and what businesses should actually be looking for when choosing the financial rails their agents will run on.
They also unpack the convergence of fiat and stablecoin infrastructure, the importance of APIs built for machine consumers, and why licensing, FX, liquidity, cash visibility and treasury capabilities become even more critical when transactions need to happen around the clock. Peter also shares how Sokin's partnerships and infrastructure strategy are helping the business build towards this next generation of global money movement.
The conversation also explores Peter's own journey, from studying mechanical and electrical engineering at Oxford to roles at Currencycloud and Visa, before joining Sokin as Chief Product Officer, and how those experiences have shaped his approach to building payments products at scale.
Looking ahead, Peter shares his vision for AI-driven treasury over the next three years, where stablecoins fit alongside traditional rails, and what global financial operations could look like when businesses increasingly hand execution over to intelligent systems.
Plus, Peter steps up for The Payments Shed's legendary Shelf of Shame with his nomination for something he'd happily banish forever.
***
The Payments Shed Podcast is headline sponsored by Damisa.
Damisa is a regulated cross-border payments and treasury infrastructure provider. Using a blend of traditional banking rails and stablecoin technology, Damisa helps businesses move money faster, cheaper, and more transparently across global markets. Its platform supports collections, settlements, disbursements, and liquidity management, while maintaining a strong compliance-first approach. Damisa is building the next generation of global payment infrastructure.
Learn more at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.damisa.xyz/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
***
The Payments Shed Podcast is also 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.
Learn more at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://cyclops.finance/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
***
The Payments Shed Podcast is supported by 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.
Learn more at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠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.

In the latest episode of The Payments Shed Podcast, Grant Evans is joined by Marco Conte, SVP Product, Payments Intelligence at IXOPAY, for a conversation exploring how AI could fundamentally change the way merchants build, manage and optimise their payments infrastructure.
Marco breaks down the limitations of today's enterprise payment stacks, from static routing rules and retry logic to fragmented data and infrastructure that can leave revenue on the table. The discussion explores what happens when payments move from rule-based decisioning towards adaptive systems capable of continuously learning and optimising performance.
They also unpack where LLMs and AI can genuinely deliver value in payments today, what an AI Payments Assistant could actually do for a large merchant, and why the role of the payment manager could look very different by 2030. Rather than manually operating payment systems, could the next generation of payments leaders become system designers, setting objectives and constraints while AI handles more of the execution?
The conversation then turns to agentic commerce and machine-to-machine payments, including who controls payment decisions when AI agents transact autonomously, how risk changes when the buyer isn't human, and whether orchestration becomes more important, rather than less, as payments become increasingly intelligent.
Plus, Marco steps up for The Payments Shed's legendary Shelf of Shame to nominate one thing in payments he'd happily banish forever.
***
The Payments Shed Podcast is headline sponsored by Damisa.
Damisa is a regulated cross-border payments and treasury infrastructure provider. Using a blend of traditional banking rails and stablecoin technology, Damisa helps businesses move money faster, cheaper, and more transparently across global markets. Its platform supports collections, settlements, disbursements, and liquidity management, while maintaining a strong compliance-first approach. Damisa is building the next generation of global payment infrastructure.
Learn more at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.damisa.xyz/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
***
The Payments Shed Podcast is also 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.
Learn more at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://cyclops.finance/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
***
The Payments Shed Podcast is supported by 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.
Learn more at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠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.

In the latest episode of The Payments Shed Podcast, Grant Evans and Justin Hanna are joined by Anna Kratky Strebl, CEO of Confirmo, for a conversation exploring the convergence of traditional finance and crypto, and what it means for the future of global money movement.
Anna shares the story behind Confirmo and how the business has evolved alongside the crypto payments industry, from the earlier days of digital assets to a market increasingly focused on real-world utility. The discussion explores what is really driving adoption, the balance between regulation and innovation, and how approaches to digital assets continue to differ across Europe, the US and emerging markets.
They also unpack the growing convergence between DeFi and traditional financial services, whether these two worlds will eventually become one interconnected ecosystem, and where banks and other established financial institutions fit into that transition.
The conversation then turns to stablecoins, exploring where genuine adoption is happening today, why cross-border payments remain one of the biggest opportunities, and what still needs to change before stablecoin infrastructure becomes truly mainstream.
Looking ahead, Anna shares what she believes the industry is overhyping, what it is underestimating, and whether crypto will eventually disappear into the background as simply another layer of global financial infrastructure.
Plus, Anna steps up for The Payments Shed's legendary Shelf of Shame to nominate one crypto or payments trend she'd happily banish forever.

***
The Payments Shed Podcast is headline sponsored by Damisa.
Damisa is a regulated cross-border payments and treasury infrastructure provider. Using a blend of traditional banking rails and stablecoin technology, Damisa helps businesses move money faster, cheaper, and more transparently across global markets. Its platform supports collections, settlements, disbursements, and liquidity management, while maintaining a strong compliance-first approach. Damisa is building the next generation of global payment infrastructure.
Learn more at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.damisa.xyz/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
***
The Payments Shed Podcast is also 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.
Learn more at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://cyclops.finance/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
***
The Payments Shed Podcast is supported by 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.
Learn more at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠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.