Visa Spotlights

In this episode we explore how policy, technology, and public‑private partnerships are reshaping financial inclusion as we move deeper into 2026. Host Dan Baxter, Vice President of Corporate Communications for Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East & Africa (CEMEA), sits down with Joanne Kubba, Visa’s SVP & Head of Government Affairs for CEMEA, to unpack the frameworks, regulatory models, and emerging technologies accelerating inclusive economic growth.Together, they dive into how financial inclusion has shifted from a philanthropic aspiration to a cornerstone of global economic stability — and what it takes to scale it responsibly. Joanne breaks down the critical role of harmonized regulation, modern infrastructure, and cross‑sector collaboration in unlocking equitable access to financial services across diverse markets.You’ll hear how Visa is:• Enabling digital transformation through public‑private partnerships• Modernizing cross‑border money movement through Visa Direct and regulated, payment‑grade stablecoin settlement• Powering AI‑enabled opportunities for MSMEs through Visa Intelligent Commerce and the Trusted Agent Protocol• Supporting government adoption of modern payment technologies while balancing innovation, interoperability, and consumer protection• Strengthening ecosystem resilience with tokenization, digital identity, and global policy collaborationSUBSCRIBEApple Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3NSt0LzSpotify: https://bit.ly/3YNIz9SYouTube: https://bit.ly/4rt38V5For more podcasts by Visa, visit: https://km.visamiddleeast.com/en_KM/about-visa/cemea-podcast.html#1

Visa Spotlights returns with a deep dive into the fast‑evolving world of payments as we enter 2026. In this episode, host Dan Baxter, Vice President of Corporate Communications for Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East & Africa (CEMEA), sits down with Tareq Muhmood, Visa’s Regional President for CEMEA, to unpack the forces reshaping how people pay, shop, and interact with money across one of the world’s most dynamic regions.Together, they explore the state of the digital economy across CEMEA, the rapid acceleration of cash displacement, the rise of tokenization, and a fast‑maturing financial ecosystem. Looking ahead, Tareq breaks down six major trends defining 2026—from stablecoins moving into real‑world utility, to AI‑driven agentic commerce, to hyper‑personalized financial experiences built on trust and agility.You will hear how Visa is: • Expanding stablecoin settlement and enabling 7‑day‑a‑week cross‑border movement• Building the trust framework for agentic commerce and next‑gen AI‑protected payments• Fighting evolving fraud threats through biometrics, Visa Protect AI models, and Passkeys• Powering the era beyond OTPs, manual guest checkout, and friction-heavy online purchases• Accelerating financial inclusion through local partnerships across Africa, Central Asia, and South Asia• Helping banks and merchants unlock “Segment of One” personalization with modular, data-rich systemsA forward-looking, insight-packed conversation for anyone interested in the future of payments — and how innovation, trust, and inclusion will shape the next wave of digital commerce in 2026 and beyond.SUBSCRIBE Apple Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3NSt0LzSpotify: https://bit.ly/3YNIz9SYouTube: https://bit.ly/4qCTEa8For more podcasts by Visa, visit: https://km.visamiddleeast.com/en_KM/about-visa/cemea-podcast.html#1

In this episode of Visa Spotlights, Reem Asaad, Visa’s SVP & Head of Client Services for Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa (CEMEA), joins host Dan Baxter, Visa’s Vice President and Head of Corporate Communications for CEMEA, for a deep dive into how Visa is redefining client partnership in a fast-moving digital payments ecosystem.Reem shares how Client Services supports every stage of the client journey – from pre‑launch readiness and implementation to long-term optimization through advisory, managed services, and continuous performance reviews. She discusses how her team stays ahead of rapid innovation, why agility matters more than ever, and how Visa ensures clients can adopt new capabilities securely and confidently.The conversation also explores the transformative role of AI in payments, from predictive systems to new frontiers like agentic commerce. Reem highlights Visa’s investments in AI infrastructure, the rise of intelligent commerce, and how tools like Visa’s AI Onboarding Buddy are reshaping internal efficiency and client-facing value.The discussion further highlights how Client Services partners closely with sales, product, and global teams to deliver unified client experiences – and why proactive engagement is essential for building trust and unlocking long-term success.For more podcasts by Visa, visit: https://km.visamiddleeast.com/en_KM/about-visa/cemea-podcast.html#1

In the latest episode of Visa Spotlights, Walter Lironi, Visa’s Head of Value-Added Services for Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa (CEMEA), sits down with James Mirfin, Global Head of Risk and Identity Solutions at Visa, to explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping the fraud landscape — and what it means for the future of trust in payments.For more podcasts by Visa, visit: https://km.visamiddleeast.com/en_KM/about-visa/cemea-podcast.html#1

As digital transformation accelerates across Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (CEMEA), financial institutions face increasing pressure to modernize—reshaping their operations to become more agile, customer-centric, and innovation-ready.In the latest episode of Visa Spotlights, Walter Lironi, Head of Value-Added Services for Visa in CEMEA, was joined by Vishal Dalal, CEO of Pismo. Together they unpack how Visa’s acquisition of Pismo is enabling banks and fintechs to leapfrog legacy constraints and build resilient, future-ready platforms that meet the demands of a digital-first world. For more podcasts by Visa, visit: https://km.visamiddleeast.com/en_KM/about-visa/cemea-podcast.html#1

In the latest episode of Visa Spotlights podcast, we're taking a closer look at the innovations unveiled at Visa's recent Global Product Drop on April 30 in San Francisco. This landmark event showcased a series of transformative solutions designed to reshape the future of payments.A key theme emerging from the event was the growing influence of Agentic AI. Godfrey Sullivan, Visa's Head of Products & Solutions for Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (CEMEA), highlights how this next frontier of technology is reshaping the way people engage with commerce – and how Visa is uniquely positioned to lead this transformation. He also underscores the growing relevance of stablecoins, emphasizing their potential to modernize payment infrastructure and unlock new efficiencies in the payments ecosystem.For more podcasts by Visa, visit: https://km.visamiddleeast.com/en_KM/about-visa/cemea-podcast.html#1

In an era where cyber threats are constantly evolving and AI-driven deception is becoming increasingly sophisticated, staying ahead of these challenges is more critical than ever. In a special episode of Visa Spotlights Charles Lobo, Regional Risk Officer for CEMEA at Visa, engages in a thought-provoking discussion with Theresa Payton, first female White House CIO, technology thought leader, AI strategist, and cybersecurity expert.Theresa emphasizes the critical need to rethink the design, security, and protection of our digital world, prioritizing a people-centric approach. Reflecting on her tenure at the White House, she discusses the most relevant Reflecting on her tenure at the White House, she discusses the most relevant cybersecurity lessons and how they can be applied to current practices to enhance security measures. She also shares her bold predictions for technology and cybercrime in 2026, offering practical strategies to fortify our security and stay ahead of potential threats.For more podcasts by Visa, visit: https://km.visamiddleeast.com/en_KM/about-visa/cemea-podcast.html#1

Join Visa's Ivan Ponomarov, Head of Money Movement Solutions for CEMEA and Hasan Jaber, CEO, AlfaNow, as they discuss the evolving landscape of the global payments and remittance industry, key trends, emerging challenges, and future opportunities. About AlfaNowAlfaNow is the global cross-border payment solution arm of the Al Fardan Group, now setting the stage for global expansion. Through AlfaNow, the objective of the group is to expand globally and provide an inclusive cross-border payment solution brand to consumers and businesses.For more podcasts by Visa, visit: https://km.visamiddleeast.com/en_KM/about-visa/cemea-podcast.html#1

In our latest episode of the Visa Spotlights podcast, Andrew Torre, Regional President for Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa, delves into the pivotal trends poised to redefine digital payments in 2025.In 2024, the region surpassed over 370 million Visa credentials, highlighting a significant shift toward digital transactions—a trend that's been growing at an impressive compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 32% over the past four years. As we move into 2025, the payments landscape continues to evolve, prioritizing accessibility, simplicity, and affordability for everyone.From the transformative potential of generative AI to the advent of seamless and secure transactions, and from the shift towards biometric authentication to the burgeoning proliferation of embedded finance, the conversation explores key drivers that are set to shape the future of payments.For more podcasts by Visa, visit: https://km.visamiddleeast.com/en_KM/about-visa/cemea-podcast.html#1

In this episode of Visa Spotlights, join Visa's Ivan Ponomarov, Head of Money Movement Solutions for CEMEA and Maksym Kubrovskiy, Director, ProFix, as they discuss the dynamic world of money movement, how ProFix is empowering financial institutions to seamlessly move money, and how Visa + ProFix combined efforts are delivering best-in-class solutions.About ProFixProFix is a key player in the world of money movement, offering innovative solutions to a vast network of over 250 banks and financial services companies spanning 30,000 locations across 55 countries.For more podcasts by Visa, visit: https://km.visamiddleeast.com/en_KM/about-visa/cemea-podcast.html#1

In this episode of Visa Spotlights, Dan Baxter, Visa's Head of Corporate Communications for CEMEA, engages in a forward-looking conversation with Godfrey Sullivan, Visa's Head of Products & Solutions for CEMEA, to explore Visa's strategic efforts in driving fintech innovation across the Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa. Godfrey Sullivan delves into the pivotal programs and initiatives that Visa has implemented to accelerate fintech development, highlighting their tangible impact across the region and the immense potential for fintech to empower societies. The discussion provides a compelling perspective on Visa's strategic investments, designed to cultivate the growth of fintech startups, advance financial inclusion, and revolutionize digital payment ecosystems.For more podcasts by Visa, visit: https://km.visamiddleeast.com/en_KM/about-visa/cemea-podcast.html#1

In this episode of Visa Spotlights, Dan Baxter, Visa's Head of Corporate Communications for CEMEA, speaks with Charles Lobo, Visa's Regional Risk Officer for CEMEA, to explore Visa’s efforts to protect over 4.5 billion cards and $15 trillion in annual transactions through cutting-edge cybersecurity measures.Charles Lobo reinforces findings from Visa’s 2023 Stay Secure campaign and shares new insights from Visa's latest. The discussion also explores trends such as the growing importance of digital identity authentication and the adoption of tokenization to secure payment data.For more podcasts by Visa, visit: https://km.visamiddleeast.com/en_KM/about-visa/cemea-podcast.html#1

In this episode of Visa Spotlights, Dan Baxter, Visa's Vice President, Corporate Communications, CEMEA, is joined by Leila Serhan, SVP & Group Country Manager for North Africa, Levant and Pakistan (NALP), at Visa. Together, they explore the latest payment trends in the NALP region, the challenges and opportunities in advancing financial inclusion, and how Visa is working with government stakeholders to enable access for citizens. They also discuss Visa's role in supporting small businesses and emerging entrepreneurs in the region.  For more podcasts by Visa, visit: https://km.visamiddleeast.com/en_KM/about-visa/cemea-podcast.html#1

Join Visa's Head of Visa Advisory for CEMEA Nicolas Khoury, and Simply's CEO Serhii Holovan, for an insightful discussion on the potential for banks and tech firms to enter the digital wallet industry. They will also dive deep into the dynamics and highlight some of the best practices in this space.For more podcasts by Visa, visit: https://km.visamiddleeast.com/en_KM/about-visa/cemea-podcast.html#1

In this special episode of Visa Spotlights, Walter Lironi, Head of Visa Value Added Services for CEMEA, is joined by James Mirfin, Global Head of Risk and Identity Solutions, Visa. James Mirfin highlights key emerging themes in payments security, provides insights on security dynamics in the ecommerce space –  and outlines the most in demand Visa Risk and Identity Solutions. He also discusses some of Visa's recent and most advanced solutions powered by AI. For more podcasts by Visa, visit: https://km.visamiddleeast.com/en_KM/about-visa/cemea-podcast.html#1

In this episode of Visa Spotlights, Dan Baxter, Visa's Vice President, Corporate Communications, CEMEA, is joined by Mohamed Bardastani, Economist for CEMEA, Visa. Together they discuss the current state of the global travel and tourism industry, highlight post-pandemic travel trends such as the rise of 'slow travel,' and how they are set to shape the future trajectory of travel and tourism.For more podcasts by Visa, visit: https://km.visamiddleeast.com/en_KM/about-visa/cemea-podcast.html#1

In this episode of Visa Spotlights, Dan Baxter, Visa's Vice President, Corporate Communications, CEMEA, is joined by Godfrey Sullivan, Head of CEMEA Product, Solutions and Digital Partnerships. Together they highlight Visa's latest product innovations, including Payment Passkeys, Click to Pay, and Visa Flex Credentials – and how these innovations are transforming the payment landscape by enhancing security, convenience, and flexibility for both consumers and merchants. They also discuss Visa's efforts in fraud prevention with Visa A2A Protect and the launch of Visa Pay, a new digital payment-as-a-service platform. For more podcasts by Visa, visit: https://km.visamiddleeast.com/en_KM/about-visa/cemea-podcast.html#1

Join Visa's Michael Berner and littlefish's Founder & CEO Brandon Roberts for an insightful discussion on the fintech landscape in SouthAfrica. Key highlights in the episode:How littlefish is revolutionizing commerce for smallbusinesses.Challenges and opportunities of digitalpayments adoption for SMBs.The pivotal role of fintechs in advancing financialinclusion and #economic empowerment in the region.About littlefishlittlefish is an innovative platform that offers dynamic insights, enabling you to tailor experiences for merchants of any size, in any industry, in any market.For more podcasts by Visa, visit: https://km.visamiddleeast.com/en_KM/about-visa/cemea-podcast.html#1

Digital payments are often associated with the physical card in our wallet or the digital credential on our phones. This seamless experience is made possible by an expansive acceptance network that spans the globe. Visa has more than a 150M merchant locations worldwide. Whether it’s a large airline or a small store, more and more merchants are finding the benefits of digital payments in their business. In this episode of Visa Spotlights, Dan Baxter, Visa's Vice President, Corporate Communications, CEMEA, is joined by Michael Berner, Head of Merchant Sales & Acquiring, CEMEA, Visa. Together, they explore the latest trends in the Acceptance landscape, how Visa has been expanding its acceptance network and what are the benefits for merchants and consumers.For more podcasts by Visa, visit: https://km.visamiddleeast.com/en_KM/about-visa/cemea-podcast.html#1

In this episode of Visa Spotlights, Dan Baxter, Visa's Vice President, Corporate Communications, CEMEA, is joined by Cristina Doros, Group Country Manager CISSEE, Visa. Together, they explore the latest payment trends in the CISSEE region, the role of public and private sector in enhancing cross-border remittances, and how Visa is working with government stakeholders to enable access for citizens. They also discuss Visa's role in transforming commerce, and driving women entrepreneurship through the She’s Next initiative. For more podcasts by Visa, visit: https://km.visamiddleeast.com/en_KM/about-visa/cemea-podcast.html#1

In this episode of Visa Spotlights, Dan Baxter, Visa's Vice President, Corporate Communications, CEMEA, is joined by Tarek Abdalla, Chief Marketing Officer, CEMEA, Visa . Together, they explore the evolution of the Visa brand and outline consumer expectations reshaping how brands are built today. They also discuss Visa’s efforts to maintain relevance among younger generations. For more podcasts by Visa, visit: https://km.visamiddleeast.com/en_KM/about-visa/cemea-podcast.html#1

In this episode of Visa Spotlights, our host, Dan Baxter, Visa's Vice President, Corporate Communications, CEMEA, is joined by Shahebaz Khan, Head of Commercial and Money Movement Solutions, CEMEA, Visa . Together, they explore the latest trends shaping the SME sector in Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa. SMEs are the backbone of the economy, contributing to more than half of the GDP and employment in the region. Despite their critical role, they face significant obstacles, including difficulty accessing financial resources and fully leveraging the digital economy.For more podcasts by Visa, visit: https://km.visamiddleeast.com/en_KM/about-visa/cemea-podcast.html#1

In this episode of Visa Spotlights, our host, Dan Baxter, Visa's Vice President, Corporate Communications, CEMEA, is joined by Walter Lironi, Visa's Head of Advisory & Value-Added Services, CEMEA. Together, they explore the evolving landscape of digital commerce and payments which expand beyond transactions, delving into the growing trend of Value-Added Services and examine how they cater to the novel needs of digital native consumers. They also discuss how Visa is championing the aspirations of its clients and partners, fostering tech innovation and trust.For more podcasts by Visa, visit: https://km.visamiddleeast.com/en_KM/about-visa/cemea-podcast.html#1

In this episode of Visa Spotlights, host, Dan Baxter, Visa's Vice President, Corporate Communications, CEMEA, is joined by Godfrey Sullivan, Visa's Head of Strategy & Product, Partnerships and Digital Solutions, CEMEA. Together they share insights and perspectives on the trends shaping the future of commerce, the implications for our clients and partners, and how Visa is supporting them with best-in-class solutions and expertise.For more podcasts by Visa, visit: https://km.visamiddleeast.com/en_KM/about-visa/cemea-podcast.html#1

In this episode of Visa Spotlights, host, Dan Baxter, Visa's Vice President, Corporate Communications, CEMEA, is joined by Charles Lobo, Visa's Senior Vice President and Regional Risk Officer, CEMEA. Together, they explore the concept of the new security paradigm and its implications for each of us. They also discuss pressing payment threats and how to implement the best security posture to fully harness the potential of emerging digital technologies.For more podcasts by Visa, visit: https://km.visamiddleeast.com/en_KM/about-visa/cemea-podcast.html#1

In the first episode of Visa Spotlights, Andrew Torre, Visa's Regional President for CEMEA, discusses key economic shifts in the region – and how Gen Z is significantly poised to influence spending patterns in the coming years. For more podcasts by Visa, visit: https://km.visamiddleeast.com/en_KM/about-visa/cemea-podcast.html#1