What we are reading, watching and thinking about.
Analysis, opinion and research from the Eris Intelligence team on the issues shaping Fintech.
Some AI success stories might just be wishful thinking
More than one recent report suggests leaders are investing heavily in AI but not seeing the benefits. Grace McNicholas says companies should stop issuing AI mandates and try…
Under the watchful eye of a Goddess, somehow we make it to our second birthday…
This week we celebrated Eris Intelligence’s second birthday. Two years ago, we came together as a team to deliver the highest quality content creation, market research, and design…
Frictionless Instant Payments: Trading Fraud Risk for Speed and Finality?
Last time, we looked at successful RTP schemes like UPI and Pix. Despite soaring adoption, the spectre of fraud is present, with more than 7 million fraud attempts…
MPE 2027 — Europe’s largest merchant payments conference
Eris Intelligence is proud to partner once again with MPE. Built on trust and designed for what’s next, 20 years of European merchant payments has established them as Europe’s #1 conference for the merchant…
Eris Intelligence Founder to moderate Silverflow Webinar on 8th October
Upcoming webinar featuring Silverflow and Solidgate examines how to reduce transaction declines, driving higher revenue and profitability. Register now here. Eris Intelligence Founder James Wood will moderate…
Transforming Acquirer Profitability: Our Collaboration with SRM.
A new report from SRM “Transforming Acquirer Profitability,” highlights the challenges faced by acquirers and reveals how a new solution from SRM and Torus delivers better data and management…
RTPs’ threat to cards is real, driven by regulation. But questions need answering.
In the first of a series on the growth of real-time payments, Grace McNicholas looks at how regulation has driven recent RTP growth – and how reports of…
Stop trying to be my main bank. Give me a reason to choose you.
By San Nakra-Shan, co-founder and managing partner at ChilliMint. Somewhere over the Channel this August, a few million debit cards are about to get their annual workout. You…
Taurus integrated the Hedera stack — is tokenisation another string to the RTP bow?
Real-time payments (RTP) are booming. Recent estimates say in 2024, one in five of all payments globally was via RTP, expected to reach 27% by 2028.[1] Good news…
We’re all using AI: so why can’t business maximise its potential?
For all the noise, AI is yet to be used companies beyond the automation of basic administrative tasks. New ONS data finds that while around a third of…
Payments leaders want real-time data. Most say they don’t have it.
More than 9 in 10 payments leaders determine real-time data access business critical, and yet, 1 in 3 simultaneously name it their biggest challenge. New research from Silverflow,…
Eris Partners with Financial Crime 360
Fraudsters are getting smarter. Deepfakes are fooling identity checks. AI is supercharging social engineering at a scale never seen before. In the payments industry, the question is no…
If Agentic AI is an Aston Martin, What Does That Make Banks?
Every vendor claims a different fix for the agentic transition, messaging formats, payments plumbing, data quality, but they all converge on the same diagnosis: UK banks aren't built…
You can't have it all — tension comes as the Bank of England changes regulations to make stablecoins "safe and mainstream"
The Bank of England has released a follow-up draft Code of Practice for systemic sterling stablecoins. The change comes after widespread industry pushback, including an 84,000-signature consumer petition…
A New Payments Scheme Launches in UK — For The First Time, A2A Transactions Get the Security Backing Needed for Success
UK banks and fintechs have launched UKPI (UK Payments Initiative); the first new payments scheme in Britain since Faster Payments in 2008. This is a significant step, as…
Agentic Winners Will Be Determined by Trust Not Tech: A Case Study on Our Work with Ecommpay
New white paper from Ecommpay brings merchant and consumer opinion on agentic commerce together for the first time. Read on for the results – and for more about…
Speedboats vs Cruise Ships: Can European Banks Break Free from US Tech?
Overnight, geopolitics has gone from a footnote to a board-level priority. New research from SaaScada reveals that 83% of UK banking innovation leaders say recent geopolitical shocks have…
We’ve Launched a New Website
At Eris, we have been a little busy behind the scenes. After rounds of tweaking and testing, we are excited to share the result. Our website has had…
Agent vs. Agent: The Missing Layer in Agentic Commerce
Agentic commerce promises frictionless consumption — AI systems that search, decide, and transact on our behalf. However, the removal of human action at the moment of purchase erodes…
From White Paper to Integrated Campaigns: Our Work with Ecommpay
Ecommpay is a payment ecosystem for e-commerce with full-stack payment solutions for high-growth, enterprise, and mid-sized businesses. Ecommpay initially retained Eris Intelligence to develop a single white paper.…
An Invitation to the Epicentre of Fintech Disruption: Money20/20.
Money20/20 Europe is not just another industry event — it is where the entire fintech ecosystem converges to make things happen. Bringing together the most influential voices across…
Payments Leaders Outline Key Challenges Facing Merchants This Year – and Look Ahead to 2027
The most recent MPE Berlin was, as ever, an intense and productive affair. Over three days in March, more than 1,600 participants, including over 400 merchants, gathered in…
MPE: Editorial for Europe’s Top Payments Event
Sharing insights into our partnership with MPE. Merchant Payments Ecosystem (MPE) is Europe’s top event for merchants and payments professionals, attracting a global audience of more than 1,600…
KoreFusion – support for fast-growing strategic consultancy
How our partnership with KoreFusion turned original research into a global content programme. KoreFusion develops payments strategies for global clients across industries. A founding client for Eris Intelligence,…
Finance teams say every employee spends six hours a week on accounts admin: is automation always the answer?
The latest research from Corpay, a global S&P corporate payments company, reveals the pressure UK businesses feel to automate. While Corpay’s research framesBut with inefficiency framed as the…
Failed payments cost SMEs £159,500 a year — is this AI’s moment?
New data from Access PaySuite highlights that payments failure remains a persistent source of lost revenue for SMEs. Until businesses are able to process transaction data with accuracy…
As Zilch acquires Fjord Bank and $172m in new funding, will “conscious shopping” continue to erode?
UK fintech Zilch’s recent expansion hints at where payments are headed. Its platform now combines payments, credit, and data-driven commerce into a single layer. The company claims it…
Mambu partners with Nyla: the start of African neo-banking?
Mambu has announced a partnership with Nyla, a Ghana-founded fintech with ambitions to launch Africa’s first digital Islamic neobank later this year. On the surface, this move appears…
Silverflow leads the way with transformational reboot of payments infrastructure, following $40 million investment, in which data is the most valuable player.
The recent $40 million Series B raised by Silverflow, while indicating the company’s growth and future potential, also points to a quieter but more structural shift underway in…
Women Shaping the Future of Payments: Perspectives from Silverflow
Kardelen Hatun, VP of Engineering, and Sharon Ehigiene, Strategic Programs Lead at Silverflow reflect on the importance of International Women’s Day. Ahead of International Women’s Day, conversations across…
Stablecoins as a parallel currency in North Africa and South America: lifeline or time bomb?
It is no surprise that stablecoins have seen high adoption rates in countries facing economic instability or with weak local currencies. But in countries where USD-linked instruments create…
Eris Intelligence launches webinar and podcast services
Eris Intelligence is expanding its content capabilities with the introduction of fully-managed webinar and podcast services. This format will enable our clients to deliver long-form, high-value content to targeted…
Mark the Date: Eris Intelligence Partners with PAY360 2026
We are delighted to announce our partnership with PAY360 2026 and invite the followers of Eris to register today for largest event dedicated to the global payments ecosystem.…
MPE 2026 - Europe’s home for merchant payments
For nearly two decades, MPE has grown into Europe's #1 Conference for the merchant payments ecosystem, uniting merchants, acquirers, innovators, Fintech's, and regulators to tackle what drives the…
Good News for the MPE Community: Awards Deadline Extended
Following multiple requests from the community, the MPE Awards 2026 submission deadline has been extended. New deadline: February 13 (EoB) If you’re still refining your entry or deciding…
Eris — the goddess of disruption. Yes, the one who kicked off the Trojan War.
Founded in mid-2024, Eris Intelligence takes its name from the goddess who loved to stir things up. Famously, Eris threw a golden apple inscribed “to the fairest” into a room…
AI is reshaping payment systems — but without ‘handmade’ finance, trust is a pipe dream
AI is becoming foundational to modern payment infrastructure, enabling massive computational problems to be solved in a fraction of the time previously required. Speed and scale are now…
Merchant payments in 2026: insights from MPE industry experts
On behalf of the Merchant Payments Ecosystem, James Wood, Founder of Eris Intelligence, shares merchant payments insights for 2026. Danish Nobel laureate Nils Bohr famously noted that ‘predictions…
An Interview with Chris Mason on Where Stablecoins Really Work
As stablecoins move beyond crypto trading into mainstream payments, their role in cross-border commerce, remittances, and decentralised finance is coming into sharper focus. Whilst it is clear that…
Eris Interviews Masha Cilliers on Why B2B Marketplaces Are Soaring
The volume of Business to Business (B2B) payments globally is four times higher than consumer payments. Until recently, B2B attracted little attention from investors and the media –…
Wendy Sanders Joins Eris Intelligence as Director, Business Development
Monday 12 January, 2026: Eris Intelligence UK Ltd announced today that Wendy Sanders has joined the company as Director, Business Development. She joins Founder James Wood and Denise…
Happy Holidays and Best Wishes for 2026 from Eris Intelligence!
On behalf of Eris Intelligence Limited, we’d like to thank our clients most sincerely for trusting us with their business this year, and to wish you all…
What price Modernisation? A round-up of 2026 predictions.
At Eris Intelligence, we’ve analysed predictions from a wide range of industry sources to give readers an overview of what experts think is going to happen next year.…
Eris Intelligence followers get 10% off MPE conference if registered before 28 January
As merchant payments continue to evolve at speed, from AI-driven optimisation and fraud prevention to Stablecoins and open-banking, the need for informed, critical discussion has never been greater.…
Grace McNicholas strengthens Editorial and Content at Eris
Grace McNicholas has joined Eris Intelligence as an Editorial Assistant, supporting the growth of our readership within the news function of Eris. A literature graduate, Grace brings content…
Eris Intelligence achieves GDPR compliance!
Some good news from Eris Intelligence - our website is now GDPR compliant. While at one level this simply means we seek visitor consent for cookies, it also…
Eris Intelligence is proud to partner with MPE.
“One of the best, if not the best, payments conferences globally. An absolute must for any serious merchants looking to expand their payment horizons!” Andrew Cullen, Global Strategic Account…
Entrust reveals a global fraud night shift.
As conversations around fraud increasingly fixate on advancing AI threats and the rise of ‘deepfakes,’ Entrust’s annual identity fraud report has revealed a far more grounded and alarming…
Denise Gee joins Eris Intelligence!
Denise Gee, a fintech veteran of 25 years and founder of marketing consultancy MagnaCarta Communications and Findexable, a global research house, has joined Eris Intelligence to provide strategic…
Is AI in payments a hammer without a nail?
With AI-driven retail traffic soaring – even as the stock market AI bubble is bursting – where will payments and banking AI go next? Helped by industry experts,…
This week, a true revolution in cross-border banking happened … but who noticed?
While the industry’s eyes are on agentic (is that even a word?) commerce, fraud and a range of other “hot topics”, something happened this week that will revolutionise…
No simple task: the challenges of introducing stablecoin and crypto payments
As crypto and stablecoin transactions for everyday payments become the subject of growing media interest, we spoke to Paul Rodgers, Founder and Chairman of Vendorcom, about the implications…
Why merchants expect more from payments technology
Today, we're delighted to feature a guest post from our friends at Silverflow, creators of next generation payment technology. We welcome pitches for guest posts, which are free…
As sFOX hits $600B in transaction volume, we ask: are crypto and stablecoins really essential to modern finance?
sFOX recently announced that its Connect platform has surpassed $600 billion in transaction volume, a milestone that they say shows how crypto and stablecoins are moving from niche experiments…
Thunes launches real-time cross-border payments in Colombia via Bre-B: will Latin America get the better of Europe?
Earlier this month, Thunes launched real-time cross-border payments to and from Colombia via Bre-B, the country’s new national instant payment system operated by Banco de la República, Colombia’s Central Bank. This marked…
Keeper Security offers solutions to the NCSC’s report, but it is enough?
The National Cyber Security Centre’s (NCSC) recently reported that ‘highly significant’ cyber attacks have risen by 50% over the last year, a clear indication of both the scale…
Despite Global Headwinds, Absa projects a bright future for Africa
In a year marked by difficult macroeconomic conditions, turbulent trade environments, and mounting geopolitical tensions, Africa’s financial markets continue to demonstrate resilience and adaptability. The 2025 Absa Africa…
Payabl. becomes one of the first licensed members of the EPI
On 2nd October payabl. became a licensed member of the European Payments initiative (EPI) and a direct acquirer participant. The move will give merchants access to instant, secure…
Klarna and Google Cloud Partner on AI-driven shopper experience.
Klarna has joined forces with Google cloud in a new partnership which aims to reshape online shopping through hyper-personalisation and creative automation. . The global digital bank and…
Europe delivers on the SEPA Instant deadline - but are banks ready?
Today marks the deadline for banks to be ready to both send and receive SEPA Instant Payments under the Instant Payment Regulation from the EU, with the go-live…
Visa announces good news on fraud prevention
Yesterday's news that Visa's Scam Disruption Practice has identified over $1 billion in fraud attempts since its inception just a year ago is good news indeed. In an…
Welcoming Grace, our new intern!
Grace McNicholas has joined as our new intern, working on news stories for our new blogging function. Grace is a recent graduate of Durham University, where she read…
Will stablecoins transform cross-border remittances?
This year’s Money2020 Europe featured a range of companies offering cross-border remittance solutions based on stablecoins. Global banks are also developing their own super-fast cross-border solutions, claiming…
Eris Intelligence is a Media Partner for MPE 2026!
We're excited to announce our first media partnership - with MPE, one of Europe's most important payments conferences. Founded almost 20 years ago, MPE has become Europe's #1…
A new website for Eris Intelligence Limited!
Having been trading for a year, we thought it was time for an update… I founded Eris Intelligence a year ago to deliver high quality market research, content…