Technology moves fast; ecosystems don't
Technology moves fast. Ecosystems don't. I've seen cards evolve from simple magstripe to chip and then beyond, but the underlying flows of authorisation and settlement have barely changed. Only the data has grown. That's why my focus is on helping clients see past the buzzwords to the structures that really matter.
Seeing beyond the buzzwords
After many years in payments and security, I've worked across banks, retailers, networks, and regulators, helping them navigate waves of change that often looked revolutionary on the surface but were, in reality, new building blocks on old foundations.
That perspective, the ability to distinguish between what's genuinely transformative and what's simply rebranded technology, is what my clients rely on. It means I can give them clarity in a landscape that all too often feels overcomplicated, and direction when they need to know which changes truly matter.
Two projects show this thinking in practice: building PayPoint at Nexus, and leading Chip & PIN at the Halifax. Read the case studies.
When models don't fit: Open Banking in retail
More recently, I've been asked about Open Banking as a retail payment solution. On the surface, it promises a revolution: direct account-to-account payments that bypass the card networks entirely, and it's cheap. But after a long time in this industry, I can say with conviction that Open Banking doesn't fit the established retail payment logic. It was never meant to, and that's why I believe it will struggle to succeed.
Retail payments have always been built around a consistent model: a logically simple ecosystem that establishes a link between two unrelated parties for the duration of a transaction, which is then dropped. This logic has held true from zip-zap, through magstripe and on to chip, and it's the same model for ATMs.
Open Banking is different. It is designed to facilitate individually settled account-to-account payments, not retail payments that are settled in bulk. Grafting Open Banking payments onto an infrastructure that was never designed for them breaks both the principles of Open Banking and the flows that make retail payments work.
I've yet to see a convincing argument in support of Open Banking in retail payments. What I do see are clients grappling with complexity, regulators pushing for adoption, and a market uncertain about whether customers will ever embrace it. My role is to cut through the noise: to explain why this model diverges from the tried and tested logic, what risks it creates, and what alternatives might actually deliver on the promise of faster, cheaper, more reliable payments.
The thread that ties it all together
What ties these experiences together is a way of thinking: I always look for the underlying logic. Payments technology will keep changing, from magstripe and chip to biometrics and APIs, but the structures that work are always the ones that respect the ecosystem. My role is to help clients see the difference between true innovation and misplaced enthusiasm, between infrastructure that can scale and ideas that will struggle to take root.
Clarity over complexity
I don't just bring technical knowledge; I bring perspective. I've built services from scratch, delivered change at massive scale, and challenged models that don't fit the logic. For my clients, that means clarity where others create jargon, and direction where the landscape feels uncertain.
I draw on decades of experience across banks, retailers, networks, and regulators, but I'm not stuck in the past. I spend my time analysing where the industry is going, writing about the forces reshaping it, and advising clients on how to separate enduring logic from passing fashions. For clients, that means having a partner who can:
- translate complex systems into clear strategies
- identify risks before they become problems
- challenge hype with evidence
- shape solutions that will still work five years from now
Whether you're building services, refining strategy, or just trying to understand what's really happening in payments, my role is to give you the perspective, clarity, and confidence to act.
Looking ahead: ecosystems endure
The next chapter is already unfolding: real-time settlement, digital identity, cross-border integration, and new regulatory frameworks. No one knows exactly how these will play out, but what I do know is this: ecosystems endure, and the organisations that succeed will be the ones that adapt their strategies to fit that enduring logic.
The tools will change, the flows will evolve, but the need for clarity, trust, and resilience will remain the same.