In this special year-end episode of The Issuer Academy podcast, host Merusha Naidu looks back at the standout moments that defined 2025 for issuers, digital banks, and fintechs. From bold predictions on the end of plastic cards to the rise of agentic AI, this best-of compilation brings together the sharpest insights from leaders at Mastercard, Visa, Paymentology, Apis Partners, Snappi, and more.

What You’ll Learn:

Why card payments are more omnipresent than ever
How AI will democratize finance for the underserved
The SME market is massively underserved
Why hyper-personalization wins where loyalty programs fail
Open finance and digital identity as the next frontiers for inclusion

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Episode Resources:

Christian Rau on LinkedIn
Birce Arslan on LinkedIn
Michael Galvin on LinkedIn
Ignacio Gironella Merino on LinkedIn
Efi Chatziantoniou on LinkedIn
Leda Glyptis on LinkedIn
Pauline Molloyi on LinkedIn
Carl Raven on LinkedIn
Thomas Benjaminsen Normann on LinkedIn
Anna Porra on LinkedIn
Minh Ha Truong on LinkedIn
Julie Sutton on LinkedIn
Adam Battersby on LinkedIn
Joy Macknight on LinkedIn
Jeff Parker on LinkedIn
Paul Trueman on LinkedIn
Stephen Bowe on LinkedIn
Godfrey Sullivan on LinkedIn
David B. Shipper on LinkedIn
Rob Macmillan on LinkedIn
Nauman Hassan on LinkedIn
Alejandro del Río on LinkedIn
Merusha Naidu on LinkedIn
Paymentology Website