Efficiency is the aim of the game across the entire ecosystem, but that is arguably of critical importance when it comes to the payments space.
Seamless transactions simply have to be smooth and free of friction, with it crucial to eliminate any barriers or interruptions that could ultimately affect the customer experience.
Finera Chief Marketing Officer, Ofir Peretz, tells Payment Expert about the current obstacles that the payments landscape currently faces, and how the company helps clients overcome these to achieve their ultimate ambitions.
What are the major global obstacles the industry faces when it comes to payments?
One of the biggest challenges is fragmentation. Payment ecosystems differ significantly across regions, from local regulations to preferred payment methods and acquiring structures, whether that is global schemes like Visa, local APMs, or emerging options such as crypto wallets.
What works in one market often fails in another.
At the same time, merchants are under pressure to optimise approval rates, manage fraud, and control costs, all while expanding internationally. Relying on a single provider or static setup is increasingly challenging where performance, uptime, and localisation directly impact revenue.
Another major obstacle is balancing compliance and conversion. Strong controls are necessary, but poorly implemented risk systems can create friction and unnecessary declines.
What are the most common pain points that drive customers away?
The most common issue is payment failure. Declines, timeouts, and unclear error messages immediately erode trust. In high-intent environments such as online gaming or travel, users rarely retry multiple times. They move to a competitor.
Other frequent pain points include:
- Unstable providers.
- Low approval rates.
- Limited local payment options.
- Slow confirmation or delayed payouts.
- Overly complex checkout flows.
- Friction caused by unnecessary authentication.
When payments feel unreliable or unfamiliar, customer confidence drops quickly.
What is the ultimate power of seamless payments, and what drives retention?
Seamless payments remove doubt. When deposits confirm instantly, when checkouts feel natural and familiar, and when payouts arrive quickly, trust is reinforced.
The core elements that drive user experience and retention include:
- Localised payment options.
- High approval rates through smart routing.
- Real-time confirmations.
- Fast and reliable payouts.
- Consistent performance during peak traffic.
In sectors like online gaming, the payment experience is part of the product. If the financial interaction is smooth, users are more likely to return.
What key trends are shaping the space right now?
Several trends are redefining the payments landscape:
- Growth of real-time payment systems globally.
- Increased demand for local payment methods, open banking, and crypto wallet adoption.
- Mobile-first transaction behaviour.
- Greater focus on performance optimisation and approval rate management.
- The rise of payment orchestration as a strategic infrastructure layer.
Merchants are moving away from static, single-provider models toward flexible, performance-driven payment ecosystems.
How does finera ensure client expectations are met?
OP: Finera focuses on control, performance, and reliability. Through payment orchestration, we allow merchants to manage multiple providers, acquirers, and payment methods through a single point of integration. Smart routing helps optimise transaction flows based on performance signals.
Smart routing helps optimise transaction flows based on performance signals.
Local acquiring and APM coverage support regional relevance and higher approval rates.
Equally important is our operational approach.
We provide dedicated account management and 24/7 support to ensure that merchants have both the technology and the human partnership required to scale with confidence.
Our goal is simple: to deliver peace of mind from payments, so our clients can focus on growth rather than infrastructure concerns.
Ofir Peretz is Chief Marketing Officer at finera. With over 15 years of experience in building tech startups and fintech brands, he leads the business’ global go-to-market strategies and drives innovation in digital commerce.
