Unlocking Real Value in Payment Leaders' Summit Roundtables

The Payments Leaders Summit (PLS) in London, October 2025, was packed with value. While the main stage presentations and panels offered truly unrivalled insights into the current and future payments landscape, the real highlight for me was the roundtables.

This is where the magic happens. Curated and led by experts, these sessions give attendees a dedicated hour to dive deep into specific, critical subjects. It's a unique opportunity to share your experiences, test your thinking, and crucially, learn from the collective expertise and knowledge of your peers.

The Power of Diverse Perspectives

What makes the PLS roundtables indispensable is the sheer breadth of attendees. We consistently attract leaders from diverse vertical sectors, and this October event seemed to pull an even wider range than ever before. This cross-industry participation is a fantastic driver for detailed, practical thinking on core challenges that affect us all.

Not every discussion point will apply directly to your unique business immediately, but hearing how others overcame their challenges, found unexpected remedies, and achieved success provides an immense value add that you simply can't get anywhere else.

Deep Dive: Seamless Payments and Global Reach

I had the privilege of moderating two sessions at this October's PLS: Seamless Payments for User Centricity and Global vs Local.

Seamless Payments for User Centricity

This session brought together leaders keen to move beyond just paying "lip service" to being customer-centric. The key theme was simple: How do you genuinely deliver on that promise?

We had an in-depth discussion on validating the entire end-to-end Customer Experience (CX) and the actual User Experience (UX). The consensus? Move beyond simple A/B testing. We explored in-depth measurement, often leveraging independent external third parties to bring clinical, unbiased insights into business processes and service delivery.

We also tackled the future of payments in the "post-card world", a shift towards customer-centric mobile and wearable payment service delivery. It was enlightening to discuss how many businesses built their payment systems before mobile commerce existed, leaving them unoptimised for this new era of "post physical cards," covering everything from Account to Account (A2A) / Open Banking to mobile wallets in various vertical markets.

Global vs Local

The Global vs Local roundtable featured an equally broad mix of sectors. We focused on the essential balancing act: how to effectively deliver to a local audience while seamlessly accepting international payment types. We unpacked the complexity but also underscored the clear benefits of partnering with local technology providers who can offer genuine insight into maximising acceptance while efficiently managing fee structures.

One major takeaway resonated strongly around the table: merchants should proactively seek direct help from card payment schemes. Don't rely solely on PSPs and merchant acquirers for support. As key stakeholders, retailers can tap into the schemes' enormous current knowledge and technical payments experience. Don't be afraid to demand this crucial help and support!

Your Action Plan: Getting the Most Out of PLS Roundtables

To maximise your investment and insight at the next PLS event, I offer these key takeaways and tips:

• Be Strategic: Attend the roundtables that truly interest you and challenge you, not only the ones where you already feel expert.

• Contribute: Speak up! Your unique perspective and experience add to the collective knowledge for everyone present.

• Listen Actively: There are always amazing, actionable nuggets of information and insights to learn and take away.

• Ask Fearlessly: Don't hesitate to ask questions - attendees and moderators are there to facilitate learning.

• Follow Up: Connect directly with fellow attendees and moderators afterward to gain more specific knowledge and understanding. We are all keen to help where we can!

Tim Jefferson - Senior Consultant at Firstpartner