Ahead of Merchants Payments Ecosystem (MPE) tomorrow (17 March), José Luis Arias, Managing Director of Europe, Middle East and Africa at Ingenico, breaks down some of the latest innovations and challenges facing merchants in an age of emerging technologies, payment methods and digital currencies.
What were some of the major trends shaping the retail payments space, both physically and digitally, last year?
I would highlight three major trends shaping retail payments:
First is the growing role of AI, which is helping deliver faster, more seamless, and more secure payment experiences for both merchants and consumers.
Second is the expansion of biometric authentication in payments. Biometric technologies are helping make transactions both safer and more convenient.
Third is mobility, particularly the rise of SoftPOS, which turns a mobile phone into a device capable of accepting and processing payments.
More broadly, payment terminals themselves are evolving. They are no longer just transactional devices but interactive touchpoints that can integrate loyalty programs, buy now, pay later (BNPL) options, and promotions, helping merchants strengthen customer relationships directly at checkout.
At the point-of-sale, how adaptive have merchants been to accepting emerging payment methods such as Pay by Bank and/or other account-to-account methods?
Merchants typically adopt new payment methods when two factors align, customer demand and the potential to lower the cost of acceptance.
As consumers become more familiar with the benefit, particularly speed, simplicity, and transparency, adoption gains momentum. In markets like Brazil, we have seen how quickly these solutions can scale once customers recognise their value.
Looking ahead, the payments landscape will continue to evolve as new technologies mature.
Payment rails are also shifting. Can you explain why it is important for a merchant to understand what payment rail is best for them in order to scale business?
Understanding payment rails is increasingly important for merchants because it directly affects their ability to grow and operate efficiently.
Offering multiple payment options helps increase conversion and sales. Customers have different payment preferences, and providing a range of methods also helps ensure transactions can still be completed if technical issues arise.
Payment rails also have a direct impact on the cost of acceptance. Some alternative payment methods offer lower processing costs than traditional rails, which can influence which options merchants prioritise depending on the market.
They can also affect cash flow. Certain rails enable faster or near-instant settlement, allowing merchants to access funds more quickly.
What are some of the latest requirements from merchants when embedding software-as-a-service (SaaS) in 2026?
Merchants understand the value of SaaS because their needs evolve faster than internal teams can support. They want software that stays current without heavy upgrades or storelevel maintenance. In 2026, they expect SaaS solutions that are simple to onboard, easy to integrate, and updated continuously in small, safe increments.
They also want platforms that work with their existing systems so new capabilities can be adopted without disrupting operations. This is one of the reasons merchants value solutions like Ingenico 360, which delivers continuous improvements across devices, payments, and instore services through the cloud. It gives them the benefits of SaaS while reducing operational complexity and ensuring they are always running the latest features and security updates.
Overall, merchants choose SaaS because it helps them move faster and stay focused on running their business while value is delivered steadily in the background.
As the customer experience has become increasingly personalised, how far has this personalisation aspect spread to merchants and do they now have more input in how their payment stack is tailored to their needs?
Leading merchants are increasingly looking to personalise the payment experience in the same way they personalise other parts of the customer journey. They understand which payment methods their customers prefer and aim to make those options as simple and frictionless as possible.
Technologies such as tokenisation and advanced fraud prevention play an important role in this evolution, helping reduce friction while maintaining strong security. Stored payment credentials and customer payment preferences also make the experience smoother for returning users.
At the same time, new innovations are expanding what personalisation can look like at checkout. Merchants also now have greater control over how their payment stack is configured.This allows them to centrally manage their payments infrastructure, tailor the checkout experience to their customers, and scale their ecosystem with greater flexibility.
Fraud is constantly evolving, so how should payment service providers educate and inform merchants of these new developing threats?
Payment service providers need to strike the right balance between informing merchants and not overwhelming them. The goal is to raise awareness while providing practical guidance on how to manage risk.
The most effective PSPs support merchants not only through education, but also by providing tools and best practices that help minimise fraud while avoiding unnecessary friction that could lead to lost sales.
AI is becoming an increasingly important part of this effort. It can help detect suspicious behavior more quickly and adapt to new fraud patterns, while also helping providers understand how emerging technologies may be used by fraudsters themselves. Staying ahead of these developments is essential to protecting both merchants and consumers.
How can AI be further developed to accelerate and automate the payment lifecycle to not just customers, but merchants and orchestrators?
AI speeds the payment lifecycle by improving the decisions that shape each step. Customers get faster approvals and smoother flows. Merchants reduce friction with predicted device issues, smarter routing, and earlier fraud detection.
For orchestration, the real gain comes from using shared signals, so more routing, authentication, and risk checks run automatically and improve over time. The impact is highest when intelligence runs in the right place. Some decisions belong in the cloud. Others, like proof of presence and device health, need to happen at the terminal.
What are some of the key topics and themes you are looking forward to taking from Merchant Payment Ecosystem (MPE) this year?
I am very interested in the growing role of AI in payments, from fraud prevention to operational efficiency and customer experience. I’m also looking forward to discussions around biometric authentication, which is opening new possibilities to make payments both more secure and more seamless.
Another key area is SoftPOS – turning mobile devices into payment acceptance points is expanding how and where merchants can accept payments.
Finally, payment orchestration is an important topic. While it is well established in e-commerce, in-store orchestration is still in its early stages, and I’m keen to exchange perspectives on how it will evolve.
José Luis Arias has served as Ingenico’s Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) Managing Director since 2019. He first joined Ingenico in 2010 and has over 30 years of professional experience in technology, consulting and payments. This includes holding full P&L responsibility for more than 20 years in a range of countries across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America.
A Spanish national with extensive international experience, Arias possesses a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in European Business Administration from Middlesex University (London) as well as a degree in International Business Administration from Universidad Pontificia Comillas (Madrid).
