All articles by Douglas Blakey

Douglas Blakey

Why the digital euro must be an open platform, not a closed shop

James Simcox explains why the ECB’s rush to compete with “Big Tech” must not come at the expense of Europe’s fintech ecosystem and why fintechs need a seat at the design and planning table

Agentic payments: European first for Mastercard Agent Pay and Santander

Agent Pay is Mastercard’s pitch to tap into the potentially lucrative agentic payments arena

Interview: Unlimit’s Yulia Shevchenko on the regulatory reality behind global fintech expansion

Fintechs often describe themselves as “global” – but few understand what it truly takes to operate globally at scale. Yulia Shevchenko, Head of Authorisations at Unlimit, does

Why the best payment systems depend on the right partners

Melinda Roylett explores the anatomy of a strong payment partnership and how these partnerships support business growth

Beyond the stablecoin debate: why banks must prepare for execution

Vijay Oddiraju discusses what it will take to move stablecoins from pilots into live banking environments and explains that stablecoins only succeed when supported as another rail within existing payment architectures

Deferred Payment Credit comes within the FCA’s perimeter

Ben Player sets out compliance issues that may arise from regulation of BNPL providers, how added regulatory scrutiny will affect the sector and how the UK’s approach to BNPL regulation compares to other jurisdictions

Is Europe ready to reduce its reliance on Visa and Mastercard?

Blandina Szalay assesses the prospects for alternative settlement mechanisms to the Mastercard, Visa duopoly in the UK and the eurozone

From final whistle to first tap: How fans turn hospitality into the home crowd

Sport continues to be one of the strongest catalysts for hospitality growth and venues that invest in reliable payment technology optimise the customer experience, explains Melinda Roylett

Embedded payments are the antidote to soaring cart abandonment

Hemlata Narasimhan discusses why traditional checkout processes are failing modern consumers – specifically Gen Z and millennials who expect frictionless digital experiences

Unlocking payment revenue for EU fintechs: Acquiring BIN sponsorship – owning your payments

Philip Harding examines the unique challenges and opportunities in the European market and highlights potential new revenue streams