Ahead of the MRC Vegas 2026 conference, we interviewed Julie Fergerson, CEO and Co-Founder of the MRC, about the main topics tackled, and why the event is a must for solution providers, merchants, and industry peers in payments and fraud.
MRC Vegas 2026 is just around the corner, running from 16 to 19 March. What are the primary benefits for a merchant or solution provider attending the conference?
For merchants, it's education — learning the latest and greatest of what's going on in the industry as it relates to payments and fraud, and networking with their peers.
One of the most wonderful things about the MRC is if you're facing a problem, chances are you will meet somebody who has already solved it or is facing the same thing. Hence, a lot of people claim they found ‘their village’ or ‘their people’, when attending MRC Vegas. For solution providers, the event represents a great way to kick off the new calendar year, filling their pipelines and learning the challenges that merchants have while booking plenty of meetings.
From the rise of agentic AI and deepfake fraud to the shifting landscape of global payment regulations, the industry seems to be moving very fast right now. Which specific trends and topics do you believe will dominate the conversation in 2026?
I don't think any specific trend is going to dominate the conversation. As I have been traveling around the world, it's been different in each region — and topics differ depending on what a merchant is selling, or a solution provider offers. So, for some folks, agentic AI is everything and top of mind. For others, return fraud abuse and loyalty fraud are hot topics, or account takeovers are the number one problem. Tossing in the current geopolitical climate, and travelling outside the US and even in Europe, there's conversations about creating more independence from the US in terms of infrastructure. So, I'm not sure that there's going to be any one thing that's going to dominate in 2026.
Keynote sessions often set the tone for the entire event. What was the strategy behind this year’s lineup, and what is the one main point you want every attendee to leave with after attending these discussions?
When we're looking at payment declines and fraud — whether it’s a declined transaction or someone discovering they have become a victim because their credit card has been compromised — we tend to focus on the numbers and forget the human behind them. The takeaway, especially when people like Becky Holmes speak, is that there is a strong human component behind each type of fraud and there is a human behind all our data. And when we hear Kathy Stokes, the complementary message is that even the smartest among us are still human — we make mistakes, and we can all fall victim to fraud.
Thus, in addition to the merchants and solution providers building great tools, we must remember that education is a core part of the solution. When a merchant has a customer on the phone who has experienced fraud, in addition to being compassionate — which is what I hope they will learn from Becky, I hope they can also be educational, which is what they should take away from Kathy’s keynote.
Beyond the keynotes, what are some of the other highlights of the four-day programme that you are most excited about?
I am really excited about the AI workshop on the first day. There’s a lot of merchants who are already testing, so this will be the first time we will get together to see how things are working (or not working), and some of the crazy things that are happening.
I'm also excited to hear about what's going on in terms of advocacy around the globe. There are plenty of different things, especially as it relates to AI and it seems like every day, we hear about a new AI regulation or law going into effect. There is also an interesting presentation about stablecoins that I am looking forward to attend, as some of our members are already rolling out stablecoins to use for payouts in the marketplaces. Finally, the merchant roundtables at the end are always one of my favourite parts of the conference.
Looking ahead, what is your long-term vision for the MRC community, and what’s on the roadmap for the rest of 2026?
The long-term vision is to continue growing our organisation. We've made a large investment in education, and our members are starting to leverage it — pursuing certification, earning their CPFPP, and embedding some of our e-learning courses in their onboarding processes. As we focus on 2026, we will continue to promote the educational programmes we offer to meet evolving member needs. One thing our members should not miss is our monthly community calls. Our payments and fraud-prevention calls keep getting better and regularly draw 200–300 participants. With more than 12,000 members overall, a key strategic priority is increasing engagement so more members can participate and benefit from these conversations.
About the author
Julie Fergerson, CEO and Co-Founder of the Merchant Risk Council, has 25+ years of experience developing, delivering, and promoting Internet-based technologies. She has a proven track record of bringing key stakeholders together to solve difficult problems and positioning existing technology to meet the needs of an audience, without changing the fundamental value of that technology. Prior to her appointment as CEO of the MRC, Julie was Senior Vice President of Industry Solutions at Ethoca.
About the Merchant Risk Council (MRC)
The Merchant Risk Council (MRC) is a global non-profit membership organization connecting payments and fraud prevention professionals to share insights, strengthen risk strategies, and drive safer, more profitable eCommerce. With 780+ member companies and more than 12,500 professionals worldwide, MRC delivers industry-leading events, education, CPFPP certification, member-only networking, and advocacy that amplify real-world merchant and issuer perspectives while advancing best practices across the payments ecosystem. For more information visit MRC.
