The Payments Shed

In the latest episode of The Payments Shed Podcast, Grant Evans and Justin Hanna are joined by Mesha Wright, Sales Director at Pareto Law, for something a little different, stepping away from payments infrastructure to explore the thing that underpins the growth of almost every business in the industry: sales. Mesha brings a front-row view of how sales teams and talent are evolving across the UK and US. They explore the differences between the two markets, from culture and intensity to the balance between quality and quantity, and what genuinely separates high-performing salespeople and teams from the rest. The conversation then turns to why traditional outbound is struggling. Buyers are more informed, harder to reach and exposed to more sales messages than ever before, yet many businesses are still relying on the same tactics they used a decade ago. Mesha explains what has changed, why simply increasing activity isn't necessarily the answer, and what salespeople need to deliver in that crucial first interaction to actually earn someone's attention. They also get into what it will take to stand out in 2027. From personalisation and personal brand to creativity and relevance, Mesha shares what she's seeing from the strongest candidates and salespeople in the market, alongside the outreach approaches that are still genuinely cutting through. For those looking to break into sales, Mesha explains what Pareto looks for when hiring and developing people with little or no previous experience, what candidates can do before they even apply, and the mistakes that can quickly take someone out of the running. They also discuss how leaders identify genuine potential, develop high performers and create environments where their best people actually want to stay. The conversation also tackles the experience of women in sales. Mesha shares her own perspective on the challenges she's encountered, where the industry has made progress and where gaps remain, as well as what businesses and male colleagues can do to better support and empower women building careers in sales. Plus, Mesha steps up for The Payments Shed's legendary Shelf of Shame to nominate one sales trend or tactic she'd happily banish forever. *** The Payments Shed Podcast is sponsored by Cyclops. Cyclops helps payments companies offer crypto acceptance, stablecoin settlement and payouts through one unified infrastructure platform. Find out more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://cyclops.finance/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** The Payments Shed Podcast is sponsored by Salesloft. Salesloft uses agentic AI to turn buyer, conversation, deal and forecast data into clear actions that help revenue teams sell smarter. Find out more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.salesloft.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** The Payments Shed Podcast is sponsored by Mastercard Open Finance. Mastercard Open Finance enables businesses to use consumer-permissioned financial data to create more connected and personalised financial experiences. Find out more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.mastercard.com/global/en/business/open-finance.html⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** The Payments Shed Podcast is partnered with PCN. PCN is a global boutique recruitment agency connecting leading talent and businesses across fintech, cybersecurity, SaaS, e-commerce and Salesforce. Find out more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://teampcn.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** Disclaimer: Views expressed are those of The Payments Shed Podcast hosts and guests, not their respective employers. Nothing discussed constitutes investment, legal, tax or financial advice.

In the latest episode of The Payments Shed Podcast, filmed live from New York City, Kara Parkey is joined by Jess Turner, EVP, Global Head of Open Finance & Developer Experience at Mastercard, for a conversation exploring why the future of open finance isn't simply about access to financial data, but about something far more fundamental: earning consumer trust and permission to use it. Drawing on nearly 20 years at Mastercard, Jess reflects on how the payments and financial services ecosystem has evolved, from traditional card infrastructure to a world increasingly shaped by connected data, personalisation and consumer control. They explore what has genuinely changed, how banks, fintechs and merchants are adapting, and why open finance represents a much bigger shift than simply introducing new technology. At the heart of the conversation is consent and the value exchange behind it. Kara and Jess unpack findings from Mastercard's 2026 State of Open Finance research, exploring why consumers are increasingly willing to share their financial data when they understand the benefits, and where providers continue to fall short. From user experience and brand trust to transparency and relevance, they discuss why designing for genuine consumer permission needs to go beyond simply meeting compliance requirements. The discussion also explores how open finance is reshaping credit decisioning, onboarding and customer relationships. Jess shares her perspective on the growing role of permissioned financial data alongside traditional credit reference agencies, and how different consumer attitudes towards data sharing should influence the way businesses design their propositions. They examine the opportunity to create a stronger relationship between consent, personalisation and ongoing customer value. The conversation then turns to AI and the emerging open finance control layer. As artificial intelligence increases the potential value of connected financial data, does consent become an even more important competitive differentiator? Kara and Jess explore the balance between innovation and transparency, who should control permissioned data, and whether AI will ultimately strengthen consumer trust through better financial experiences or introduce new challenges around accountability. Looking ahead, Jess shares what she believes will materially change in open finance over the next three to five years, where the industry may be getting ahead of itself, and what she would approach differently if building an open finance platform from scratch today. Plus, Jess steps up for The Payments Shed's legendary Shelf of Shame to nominate one payments or open finance narrative she'd happily banish forever. *** The Payments Shed Podcast is sponsored by Cyclops. Cyclops helps payments companies offer crypto acceptance, stablecoin settlement and payouts through one unified infrastructure platform. Find out more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://cyclops.finance/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** The Payments Shed Podcast is sponsored by Salesloft. Salesloft uses agentic AI to turn buyer, conversation, deal and forecast data into clear actions that help revenue teams sell smarter. Find out more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.salesloft.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** The Payments Shed Podcast is sponsored by Mastercard Open Finance. Mastercard Open Finance enables businesses to use consumer-permissioned financial data to create more connected and personalised financial experiences. Find out more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.mastercard.com/global/en/business/open-finance.html⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** The Payments Shed Podcast is partnered with PCN. PCN is a global boutique recruitment agency connecting leading talent and businesses across fintech, cybersecurity, SaaS, e-commerce and Salesforce. Find out more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://teampcn.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** Disclaimer: Views expressed are those of The Payments Shed Podcast hosts and guests, not their respective employers. Nothing discussed constitutes investment, legal, tax or financial advice.

In the latest episode of The Payments Shed Podcast, Grant Evans and Justin Hanna are joined by Tom Eyre, CEO and Co-Founder of Loqbox, for a conversation exploring why the traditional credit system continues to leave millions of consumers behind, and what needs to change if we want to build a fairer route into financial services. Tom takes us inside the story behind Loqbox and the problem the business originally set out to solve. From open banking and alternative data to new approaches to affordability and risk, they explore how much credit infrastructure has evolved, why progress still isn't reaching everyone, and just how difficult it is to change a system built around decades of established thinking. The conversation also tackles the challenge of reaching pre-prime and thin-file consumers before they actually need credit. Tom explains why many people only discover the importance of their credit history when they're rejected for something, and why financial education needs to become more practical, relevant and connected to the financial decisions people make in everyday life. Grant, Justin and Tom then explore whether credit needs to become less focused on someone's financial past and better at recognising behaviour, progress and future potential. They discuss how consumers with little or no traditional credit history can demonstrate financial reliability, what building trust should look like, and why renters, younger consumers and those with thin credit files can still struggle to access mainstream financial products. The discussion also looks at the commercial opportunity in serving these consumers earlier. Rather than simply avoiding customers who don't fit traditional risk models, could lenders build stronger long-term relationships by helping them develop their financial profile over time? Tom shares his perspective on where open banking and alternative data could take the industry next, and the roles fintechs, banks and regulators can play in reshaping consumer credit. Plus, Tom steps up for The Payments Shed's legendary Shelf of Shame to nominate one credit myth or industry assumption he'd happily banish forever. *** The Payments Shed Podcast is sponsored by Cyclops. Cyclops helps payments companies offer crypto acceptance, stablecoin settlement and payouts through one unified infrastructure platform. Find out more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://cyclops.finance/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** The Payments Shed Podcast is sponsored by Salesloft. Salesloft uses agentic AI to turn buyer, conversation, deal and forecast data into clear actions that help revenue teams sell smarter. Find out more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.salesloft.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** The Payments Shed Podcast is sponsored by Mastercard Open Finance. Mastercard Open Finance enables businesses to use consumer-permissioned financial data to create more connected and personalised financial experiences. Find out more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.mastercard.com/global/en/business/open-finance.html⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** The Payments Shed Podcast is partnered with PCN. PCN is a global boutique recruitment agency connecting leading talent and businesses across fintech, cybersecurity, SaaS, e-commerce and Salesforce. Find out more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://teampcn.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** Disclaimer: Views expressed are those of The Payments Shed Podcast hosts and guests, not their respective employers. Nothing discussed constitutes investment, legal, tax or financial advice.

In the latest episode of The Payments Shed Podcast, recorded in London, Grant Evans and Jasmine Chana are joined by Brian Cleary, CEO of payUnite, part of Fexco, for a conversation exploring why payments orchestration is moving from a specialist capability to a mission-critical part of the enterprise payments stack. Brian breaks down what orchestration actually solves and why more merchants are looking for a control layer above their existing payments infrastructure. They explore what happens as businesses outgrow fragmented integrations, multiple acquirers and payment methods, and why having greater control over routing, reporting and performance is becoming increasingly important as payment environments grow more complex. A major focus of the conversation is independence. Brian explains why payUnite's acquirer-agnostic approach matters, how embedded commercial interests can potentially influence routing decisions, and what good optimisation should actually consider across approval rates, cost, geography and customer experience. They also discuss the operational and reporting challenges that can emerge as merchants add more providers to their payments stack. The conversation then turns to FX, DCC and the commercial opportunity within orchestration. Drawing on Fexco's 45-year heritage in foreign exchange, Brian explains how multi-currency capabilities can go beyond reducing payment costs and potentially unlock additional revenue for merchants. They also tackle some of the misconceptions surrounding DCC and where businesses can miss opportunities when managing international payments. Grant and Jasmine also explore some of the complex environments where payUnite operates, including cruise, hospitality and retail. With payUnite powering more than 40% of global cruise payments, Brian explains what makes the sector such a demanding payments environment and how lessons learned there can translate into other large, international merchant verticals. Looking ahead, they discuss what a well-orchestrated payments stack should look like in 2026, the metrics merchants should be optimising, where consolidation and M&A could take the orchestration market, and Brian's ambitions for the next stage of payUnite's growth. Plus, Brian steps up for The Payments Shed's legendary Shelf of Shame to nominate one payments trend or piece of infrastructure he'd happily banish. *** The Payments Shed Podcast is sponsored by Cyclops. Cyclops helps payments companies offer crypto acceptance, stablecoin settlement and payouts through one unified infrastructure platform. Find out more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://cyclops.finance/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** The Payments Shed Podcast is sponsored by Salesloft. Salesloft uses agentic AI to turn buyer, conversation, deal and forecast data into clear actions that help revenue teams sell smarter. Find out more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.salesloft.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** The Payments Shed Podcast is sponsored by Mastercard Open Finance. Mastercard Open Finance enables businesses to use consumer-permissioned financial data to create more connected and personalised financial experiences. Find out more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.mastercard.com/global/en/business/open-finance.html⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** The Payments Shed Podcast is partnered with PCN. PCN is a global boutique recruitment agency connecting leading talent and businesses across fintech, cybersecurity, SaaS, e-commerce and Salesforce. Find out more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://teampcn.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** Disclaimer: Views expressed are those of The Payments Shed Podcast hosts and guests, not their respective employers. Nothing discussed constitutes investment, legal, tax or financial advice.

In the latest episode of The Payments Shed Podcast, recorded live from New York City, host Kara Parkey is joined by Justin Grooms, President at Hello Clever, for a conversation exploring why the US could be approaching a major shift in how payments work, and why the future of checkout may be less about processing transactions and more about intelligently matching them to the right payment method, currency and rail. Fresh from his time at Bolt, Justin shares what brought him into the world of real-time payments and why he has joined Hello Clever to lead its US expansion. They explore why the timing matters, with infrastructure such as FedNow and RTP already established, and what still needs to happen for real-time payments and greater payment choice to translate into meaningful adoption at checkout. At the heart of the conversation is Hello Clever's idea of "the exchange, not the processor." Justin challenges the traditional view of payments as plumbing and explains what could change if the point of purchase behaves more like an exchange, dynamically matching transactions with different payment types and rails in real time. They unpack whether the limitations of today's model are driven by technology, incentives or a combination of both. Kara and Justin also get into Clever Connect, how it fits into this exchange model and what happens behind the scenes when payment routing becomes more intelligent. The discussion explores why checkout has arguably remained one of the less dynamic parts of digital commerce, the potential cost of that to merchants, and how data and infrastructure could create a more intelligent point of purchase. Looking ahead to 2031, Justin shares his view on what pay-by-bank at scale could look like in the US, why trust could become an increasingly important competitive differentiator, what greater routing choice could mean for existing payment rails, and where Hello Clever wants to sit as the market evolves. Plus, Justin steps up for The Payments Shed's legendary Shelf of Shame to nominate one payments habit or assumption he'd happily put straight on the shelf. *** The Payments Shed Podcast is sponsored by Cyclops. Cyclops helps payments companies offer crypto acceptance, stablecoin settlement and payouts through one unified infrastructure platform. Find out more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://cyclops.finance/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** The Payments Shed Podcast is sponsored by Salesloft. Salesloft uses agentic AI to turn buyer, conversation, deal and forecast data into clear actions that help revenue teams sell smarter. Find out more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.salesloft.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** The Payments Shed Podcast is sponsored by Mastercard Open Finance. Mastercard Open Finance enables businesses to use consumer-permissioned financial data to create more connected and personalised financial experiences. Find out more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.mastercard.com/global/en/business/open-finance.html⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** The Payments Shed Podcast is partnered with PCN. PCN is a global boutique recruitment agency connecting leading talent and businesses across fintech, cybersecurity, SaaS, e-commerce and Salesforce. Find out more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://teampcn.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** Disclaimer: Views expressed are those of The Payments Shed Podcast hosts and guests, not their respective employers. Nothing discussed constitutes investment, legal, tax or financial advice.