Forty Under 40 Excited About Payments Technology Future

Digital payments technology is emerging as the key trend that the 2022 Forty Under 40 find most exciting about the payments industry, according to interviews conducted with the 2022 class. In fact, more than half of the respondents (53%) cited fast-growing technologies, including cryptocurrencies, mobile wallets, BNPL, and how these alternative methods are changing consumer experiences and payments ecosystem business practices.

Here is a sampling of responses to the question, what’s the payments trend that you’re most excited about?

Alexandra (Lexy) Prodromos, Head of Blockchain and Digital Currency Strategy for Discover Global Network said, “The payments trend I am most excited about is the potential increased integration of blockchain and digital currency with traditional payments. Digital currency, which broadly includes stablecoins, CBDCs, cryptocurrency, and blockchain based tokens, is a burgeoning new space which has the potential to change the way we transact items of value (not just currency) in a fully digitized manner, worldwide. I am excited to explore new options for customers to be able to use digital currency in ecommerce settings, or even to use blockchain based tokens to represent forms of digital identity to make transactions easier to track and more secure, for example.”

Stephen Walcheck, EVP and Chief Innovation Officer for FIS said, “Stable coins and central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) have can deliver substantially more cost-effective payment solutions to merchants, improve cross border money movement, and ensure government entitlements get into the hands of those who need them most, whether or not they have a bank account. All with greater transparency, speed, and security.”

Jennifer Cunningham, Director of Sales for First American by Deluxe said, “One trend? How about the ever-evolving technology enhancements within the payments industry? I am constantly amazed at how rapidly we can both respond and adapt to consumer behaviors, competitive pressures and regulatory changes. As someone who’s always learning and who wants to make the lives of my customers better, I thrive on the convenience, speed, and vertical-specific solutions—just to name a few—that this industry is creating.”