The Issuer Academy: Innovate. Scale. Impact
The Issuer Academy is a podcast by Paymentology focused on innovative card programmes and payment solutions. Each episode features interviews with industry leaders and explores real-world case studies and technical deep-dives. The show aims to help listeners understand emerging trends and overcome barriers in the payment industry. It is targeted at startup founders, retail banking executives, and fintech enthusiasts.
Episodes
The Next Wave of Profitable Digital Banking
Digital banking profitability and banking infrastructure modernization are entering a new phase. In this episode of The Issuer Academy podcast, host Merusha Naidu is joined by Keerthi Iyengar, Chief Operating Officer at Constantinople, and Jeff Parker, CEO of Paymentology. Together, they navigate how banking-as-a-service platforms and cloud-native infrastructure are fundamentally reshaping the fin
Boring is the Destination: Why Stablecoins Will Win When Nobody Notices Them
Stablecoins are no longer just a crypto conversation. They are becoming a practical layer of global payment infrastructure. In this episode of The Issuer Academy: Innovate. Scale. Impact, host Merusha Naidu is joined by Stefan Colins, COO at Venly Finance, and Tim Joslyn, CTO at Paymentology, to explore how stablecoins, cards, wallets, and traditional rails are converging to make payments faster,
Localisation as a Superpower: Building in South Africa’s Payments Market with Bank Zero
Digital banking, fintech innovation, and payments infrastructure are reshaping financial services worldwide. And South Africa is becoming one of the most interesting markets to watch. In this episode of The Issuer Academy podcast, host Merusha Naidu is joined by Lezanne Human, Co-founder at Bank Zero, and Jeff Parker, CEO of Paymentology. Together, they explore how a branchless, zero-fee digital b
How Chikwama Pay Is Building a Borderless Bank on WhatsApp
Cross-border payments remain one of the biggest barriers to financial inclusion across Africa. While people travel, trade, and work across borders every day, their money often doesn’t move as freely. In this episode of The Issuer Academy podcast, host Merusha Naidu is joined by Smangele Khumalo, Chief Operating Officer at Chikwama Pay. Together, they discuss how the company is building a borderles
Embedded Finance and Earned Wage Access: How Payroll Is Redefining Financial Wellness
Embedded finance, payroll-linked lending, and earned wage access are reshaping financial wellness across the GCC. In this episode of The Issuer Academy podcast, host Merusha Naidu is joined by Dr. Allan Villegas, Co-founder and CEO of Liabify, and Tim Joslyn, CTO of Paymentology. Together, they share insights on how earned wage access, alternative credit scoring, and financial wellness platforms a
Dignity by Design: How UnDosTres is Expanding Access to Credit Across Latin America
In this episode of The Issuer Academy podcast, host Merusha Naidu is joined by Arpit Gupta, Co-founder at UnDosTres, and Jeff Parker, CEO of Paymentology. Together, they dive into what it really takes to move a cash-first economy into digital-first behavior.
How Stablecoins Are Powering Everyday Payments
In this episode of The Issuer Academy podcast, host Merusha Naidu is joined by Jonathan Chan, Co-founder and Head of Partnership at RedotPay, and Minh Ha Truong, Head of Growth for APAC at Paymentology. Together, they explore why stablecoins are reshaping cross-border payments and how blockchain technology is driving real financial inclusion.
2025 Rewind: Lessons, Leaders & the Road to 2026
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.
Why Credit Is the Next Big Battleground for Digital Banks
In this episode of The Issuer Academy podcast, host Merusha Naidu is joined by David B. Shipper, a Strategic Advisor for Retail Banking and Payments at Datos Insights, and Rob Macmillan, the Group Product Manager for Credit at Paymentology. Together, they discuss how digital banks and fintechs are redefining credit, from instant approvals and hyper-personalization to embedded lending and next-gen
Inside Snappi, Greece's First Digital-Only Bank
In this episode of The Issuer Academy podcast, host Merusha Naidu is joined by Efi Chatziantoniou, Chief Operating Officer of Snappi; Leda Glyptis, a client-first executive, advisor, author, and speaker; and Julie Sutton, Head of Growth for Europe at Paymentology. Together, they break down how Snappi built trust, simplified banking, and leapfrogged legacy systems in one of Europe's most traditiona
Profit Meets Purpose: The New Era of Inclusive Finance
In this episode of The Issuer Academy podcast, host Merusha Naidu is joined by Adam Battersby, a Partner at Apis Partners, and Joy Macknight, a Financial Journalist, Editor, and Presenter. Together, they unpack how global investing is reshaping financial inclusion, from Buy-Now-Pay-Later innovations to AI-driven personalization.
Why Everyone Is Betting Big on Saudi Arabia’s Fintech Surge
In this episode of The Issuer Academy podcast, host Merusha Naidu is joined by Birce Arslan, the VP of Fintech and Business Development for EEMEA at Mastercard, and Jeff Parker, CEO of Paymentology. Together, they explore Saudi Arabia’s emerging fintech ecosystem, the key factors driving its explosive growth, and how Vision 2030 is creating unprecedented opportunities for payment solutions.
Fintech Built for Saudi, Connected to the World
In this episode of The Issuer Academy podcast, host Merusha Naidu is joined by Bassam Aleidy, CEO of Enjaz, Ibrahim Farag, Chief Product and Growth Officer at Enjaz, and Jeff Parker, CEO of Paymentology. Together, they dive into how Saudi Arabia is revolutionizing digital payments, with 79% of retail transactions now being cashless, and examine how companies like Enjaz are building innovative solu
Innovation, Inclusion, and Impact: The Future of MENA Finance
In this episode of The Issuer Academy, host Merusha Naidu is joined by Godfrey Sullivan, SVP of Products & Solutions at Visa CEMEA, and Jeff Parker, CEO of Paymentology. Together, they explore why MENA is emerging as the world’s next fintech powerhouse, how innovation in remittances, credit, and stablecoins is transforming financial access, and why collaboration between global networks and agile p
Fraud vs Innovation: The Thin Line in Digital Banking
In this episode of The Issuer Academy podcast, host Merusha Naidu is joined by Paul Trueman, Executive Vice President of Cyber and Intelligence at Mastercard, and Stephen Bowe, Chief Product Officer at Paymentology. Together, they unpack the fine line where innovation meets fraud, revealing how scams are becoming hyper-personalised, why tokenisation and one-time-use cards are game-changers, and ho
How Word-of-Mouth Built South Africa's First Black-Owned Unicorn Bank
In this episode of The Issuer Academy podcast, host Merusha Naidu is joined by Rohit Subramanian, Chief Strategy Officer at TymeBank, and Jeff Parker, CEO of Paymentology. Together, they explore how TymeBank became South Africa's first black-owned digital bank to achieve unicorn status.
Go Global, Think Local: Why Winning in Payments Is a Regional Game
In this special edition of The Issuer Academy, host Merusha Naidu brings together Paymentology’s regional leaders and Chief Revenue Officer Anna Porra for a rare behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to scale card programs globally. From APAC’s super app ecosystem to Latin America’s fast-paced fintech growth, the Middle East’s compliance-first innovation, and Europe’s cash-to-contactless transfo
The Rise of the Companion Card: Powering Africa’s Mobile-First Economy
In this episode of The Issuer Academy podcast, host Julius Abuje is joined by Alfred Mukudu, a Financial Services Go-To-Market Leader at Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Naima Yusuf, Head of Business Payments at M-Pesa Africa. Together, they dive into the growing role of companion cards in Africa's mobile money ecosystem.
Beyond Access: Can Tech Raise a Financially Empowered Generation?
In this episode of The Issuer Academy podcast, host Merusha Naidu is joined by Theo Kitshoff, CEO and Co-founder of Sticitt, and Drisha Kirkman, Head of Programme Management and Sustainability (MD South Africa) for Paymentology. Together, they explore the intersection of financial literacy and technological innovation.
Smarter Cards, Simpler Stacks: Innovating at the Infrastructure Layer
In this episode of The Issuer Academy podcast, host Merusha Naidu is joined by Carl Raven, Head of Issuer Enablers at Visa, and Thomas Benjaminsen Normann, Product Director of Digital Services at Paymentology. Together, they dive into what it really means to innovate in issuing, from AI agents and tokenization to flex cards, cloud-first infrastructure, subscription managers, and ecosystem partners
![In the AI Stampede, Who’s Stopping to Ask the Right Questions? [LIVE FROM MONEY 2020]](https://content.fameapp.so/uploads/j0qj6p2q/e65bfa50-4586-11f0-a56f-9f7a667dbb24/e65bfb40-4586-11f0-a615-0f8c19f25a09.png)
In the AI Stampede, Who’s Stopping to Ask the Right Questions? [LIVE FROM MONEY 2020]
In this special live episode from Money 2020 Europe in Amsterdam, host Merusha Naidu explores the AI revolution in payments with Theodora Lau, founder of Unconventional Ventures and author of "Banking on Artificial Intelligence," and Tim Joslyn, CTO at Paymentology. Together, they unpack the realities of AI in financial services, what’s working, what’s performative, and what’s missing the mark. Th
The Change Beneath the Change: What’s Driving Real Financial Transformation?
In this episode of The Issuer Academy podcast, host Merusha Naidu is joined by Leda Glyptis, Author, Advisor, Chair of Bourn AI and Professor at the University of Loughborough, Pauline Molloyi, Acting COO at OM Bank, South Africa's newest digital bank, and Anna Porra, CRO at Paymentology. Together, they navigate redesigning financial systems for true inclusion and impact in South Africa and beyond
Wallets Are Being Rewritten: Tokenization, Embedded Finance & the Future of Payments
In this episode of The Issuer Academy podcast, host Merusha Naidu is joined by Michael Galvin, Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer at Toqio, and Ignacio Gironella Merino, Head of Sales Europe at Paymentology and Global Sales Director at MeaWallet. Together, they discuss how tokenization is revolutionising payment security, why cards are becoming the backbone of embedded finance platforms, and
Forget Cards—Here's What You'll Be Using to Pay in 2030
In this episode of The Issuer Academy podcast, host Merusha Naidu is joined by Jeff Parker, CEO of Paymentology, and Christian Rau, Senior Vice President of Global Partnerships, Digital Assets, Blockchain, and Fintech Enablement at Mastercard. Together, they explore the evolving payments landscape, from the future of cash and plastic cards to the transformative impact of tokenization and cloud-fir
The Issuer Academy Podcast is going live on Wednesday!
Are you ready to transform your payments strategy? The Issuer Academy, brought to you by Paymentology, is your new go-to podcast for insights, innovation, and impact in the world of digital payments.
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