Virtual payments industry events to attend in 2021

Until we can enjoy a post-pandemic era, the knowledge sharing and networking in the payments industry will happen online, so we have outlined several virtual events worth attending this year.

MPE 2021 (22-25 February)

Merchant Payment Ecosystem gathers every year a large number of industry players – payment solution providers, merchants, regulators, card networks, acquirers, industry experts – that share their expertise on the latest trends in payments and technologies to drive the industry forward. After MPE Summer Week 2020 online conference in September, this year, MPE organizes the annual event online for the first time. The discussions will revolve around topics such as:

• What opportunities might 2021 bring: new strategies for a successful recovery, emerging customer behaviours, card rails vs banks rails, new initiatives: EPI, CBDC, Libra (now Diem);
• Regulations and compliance: open banking and PSD2 in 2021, CBDCs and merchant payments, schemes new rulebook developments, post-SCA stories;
• Contactless payments: digital wallets, integration and new functionalities, mobile technology, personalized services;
• Omnichannel payments;
• Blockchain and cryptocurrencies;
• Payment technologies: Big Techs, PaaS, M&As.

MPE Awards program is still on, so for companies interested in participating, there’s still time to join the competition by 31 January. Moreover, startups are once again invited to showcase their unique solutions in the Innovation Corner Competition.

Paris Fintech Forum

There is no specific date for this event, as it’s planned to be broadcasted throughout the year, and the organizers assured us that Paris Fintech Forum will keep the same high standards as before when it comes to topics and speakers.

The sessions will be organized across six thematic streams:

• The ‘Global’ stream aims to discuss the evolution of the world of finance with and through digital, from retail banking to insurance, including all trades in the value chain;
• The "Payment" stream will showcase international innovations in the payments field;
• The "Open Banking & Platform" stream will explore this topic at the heart of all the transformations in the sector;
• The "Beyond finance" stream will focus on new business models enabled by the digitization of finance.

Apart from these sessions, the event will host an award programme, PFF Fintech Award, where young companies can exhibit in the startup village, and the Women in Finance Lunch.

MRC Spring (27-29 April)

With a large community of fraud prevention solution providers, payment service providers and merchants, Merchant Risk Council organizes events with a focus on ecommerce fraud and payments. MRC Spring is now looking for speakers to address topics such as:

• Fraud trends: ATO prevention strategies, chargebacks, gift card fraud, international fraud (MIST, BRIC, LATAM, or APAC countries/regions), unexpected business impacts from COVID-19;
• Authentication: EMV 3D Secure, update on the first three months of PSD2 enforcement;
• Technology: managing risk operations teams remotely – key challenges and learnings in working from home, understanding card schemes and issuer data to prevent fraud, case studies and experiences using machine learning for big data;
• Innovation in payments: alternative payment method trends in the global market, biometrics in payments, Buy Now, Pay Later,EMVCo Secure Remote Commerce (SRC)/Click to Pay,Open banking and new payment interactions PSD2 will make possible between European consumers and merchants;
• Payments strategy: consumer engagement and future trends, including buying behaviour of Millennials and Generation Z, interchange cap fees, surcharging;
• Security/Law enforcement: PCI and security, data important to collect for law enforcement cases, actions must merchants take if they are victims of a data breach.

The above themes are just a few examples to understand the overall direction of the event, but there is a comprehensive list of topics on the event’s website.

MoneyLive Summit

The format of this event is also different than the classic setup. The organizers have three main channels to share their content throughout March and April via MoneyLive TV. They will broadcast 10 episodes with speakers discussing topics such as:

• The new role of banks;
• Financial inclusion strategies;
• The future of platform economy;
• Competing with BigTechs and Super apps;
• Marketplace banking;
• Going beyond regulatory requirements of PSD2: the next stage for open banking;
• Instant payments and instant fraud: collaborating and embracing technology to combat this threat;
• Digital IDs and digital wallets;
• The Pan-European Payments System Initiative;
• A focus on CDBCs: what role will central banks and regulators play moving forward.

Other relevant topics for payments and banking will be found at MoneyLive Content Corner that will feature on-demand videos, podcasts, and report, and MoneyLive Connect, a networking virtual place with including 1-1 connections, drop in discussions, roundtables, meet the speaker sessions, and more.

PAYMENTSFN 2021 (12-13 May)

This is a free-access conference for payments professionals organized by Spreedly, a payments orchestration solution provider. The key themes are international payments, payments innovation and ROI in payments, but an agenda is not available yet. However, the 2020 event is a good example of what we could expect this year in terms of quality and topics. The content was mostly educational split into keynotes, panels and fireside chats, and focused on payment strategies and innovation, customer experience, and compliance. The event is mostly dedicated to merchants, platforms, marketplaces, and solutions providers, but the informative presentations are suited for anyone interested in learning more about the payment’s ecosystem worldwide.

Money20/20

This year, Money20/20 celebrates their 10^th anniversary, and the plan is to organize the event on-site in Europe and  the US, however, the evolution of the pandemic is still uncertain, even with the existing COVID-19 vaccine programme. Therefore, we don’t know where the event will take place, but we can easily anticipate that somehow Money20/20 will happen, and they will surely address the same inclusive format that covers everything related to payments, fintech, and banking. Until further notice on the Money20/20 location and agenda for this year, they have several educational series available on demand – MoneyTalks, MoneyFest, and MoneyPot – very helpful for anyone interested in how the industry looked in 2020, and what are some of the future perspectives.

And many more?

For the first half of 2021, we should definitely expect only virtual events, and it is very likely to have the same pattern for the rest of the year. But regardless of the circumstances, we should ultimately take the best out of what these virtual conferences can offer, which is the knowledge.

Apart from the ones listed above, you could also check eCommerce Expo, PayExpo, Seamless events by Terrapin, Global Payments Summit, Trustech to name a few.

About Anda Kania

Anda is doctor in Political Sciences, currently exploring her research skills to discover the latest trends in the payment and commerce industry. Anda has used her position of senior editor at The Paypers to analyse the hottest topics, and to discuss them with thought leaders in order to get the pulse of the payments environment.