Visa Spotlights

Welcome to Visa Spotlights , a podcast by Visa that provides a deep dive into the ever-evolving world of payments. This series is designed to provide you with Visa’s expert perspectives on the monumental shifts happening in the payments industry today – and with a view as to what’s emerging on the horizon.

Visa Spotlights is a technology podcast hosted by Visa CEMEA, with 28 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Visa CEMEA hosts Visa Spotlights, a technology show with 28 episodes published.

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  Visa Spotlights

  Always-On Money: The Stablecoin Shift

  Sep 22, 202617 min

  In this episode of Visa Spotlights, we explore how stablecoins are moving from speculation to real-world utility—and what this means for the future of payments across CEMEA. Host Dan Baxter, Vice President of Corporate Communications, CEMEA at Visa, sits down with Shahebaz Khan, SVP Commercial and Money Movement Solutions, CEMEA, Visa. Together, they discuss how stablecoins can enable faster, always-on and programmable money movement, from cross-border remittances and business liquidity to payouts and everyday payments. Shahebaz also shares how Visa is helping financial institutions build and scale stablecoin solutions through Visa Direct, its Stablecoin Advisory Practice and strategic partnerships. The conversation also explores the role of stablecoins in Gen Z’s digital economy and the emerging world of agentic commerce, where AI agents could increasingly transact on behalf of consumers. You’ll hear how Visa is: • Turning stablecoins into practical payment and settlement solutions • Enabling faster, more flexible cross-border money movement • Helping financial institutions build and scale stablecoin products • Unlocking new opportunities across remittances, payouts and digital commerce • Preparing for the next generation of AI-powered and programmable commerce For more podcasts by Visa, visit: https://km.visamiddleeast.com/en_KM/about-visa/cemea-podcast.html#1

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  Episode #15

  From Local Edge to Global Reach: Scaling Payments with Checkout.com

  Jul 30, 202615 minS2

  In this episode, we explore how performance, scale, and partnership are redefining global payments in an era of rapid digital acceleration. Host Dan Baxter, Vice President of Corporate Communications for Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East & Africa (CEMEA) at Visa, sits down with Matthieu Barral, Global Head of Partnerships at Checkout.com, during the Visa Payments Forum in Paris. Together, they unpack Checkout.com’s growth journey to processing over $300 billion in annual payment volume and what it takes to build a high-performing global payments business. From shifting customer expectations to the rise of real-time, data-driven commerce, Matthieu shares his perspective on the most consequential changes shaping the payments ecosystem—and the opportunities they unlock for merchants worldwide. The conversation dives into the concept of “payment performance” and why reliability, optimization, and seamless user experiences have become critical competitive advantages. Matthieu also explains how Checkout.com balances global scale with local expertise across more than 50 markets, enabling businesses to operate with precision in diverse regulatory and consumer environments. You’ll hear how Visa and Checkout.com are: •Driving higher payment acceptance and performance for merchants globally • Enabling seamless, scalable commerce across borders with local market expertise •Responding to industry shifts including real-time payments, AI-driven optimization, and evolving consumer expectations •Strengthening the payments ecosystem through deep strategic partnership •Building resilient, high-performance infrastructure to support the next generation of digital commerce For more podcasts by Visa, visit: https://km.visamiddleeast.com/en_KM/about-visa/cemea-podcast.html#1

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  Episode #14

  In Al-Driven Commerce,Trust Is the Real Checkout Currency

  Jun 10, 202626 minS2

  In this episode, we explore how fraud and cyber risk are evolving across the payments ecosystem as commerce becomes more digital, automated, and AI‑enabled. Threat actors are adapting in parallel, using automation, social engineering, deepfakes, and ransomware to move faster and at greater scale. Host Dan Baxter , Vice President of Corporate Communications for Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East & Africa (CEMEA) , sits down with Charles Lobo , Senior Vice President and Regional Risk Officer for CEMEA , to unpack how AI is reshaping both attacks and defenses, and what institutions need to do to stay resilient. Together, they look at how consumer expectations are changing as people embrace new ways to shop—from social commerce to AI‑assisted discovery—and what it takes for banks, merchants, platforms, and payment networks to keep those experiences secure, trusted, and seamless. You’ll hear how Visa is: Using AI and advanced analytics to detect and disrupt emerging fraud patterns Partnering across the ecosystem to strengthen cyber and payments resilience Helping clients protect new digital experiences, from social commerce to AI‑driven journeys Supporting risk, compliance, and security teams with tools and insights to stay ahead of evolving threats SUBSCRIBE Apple Podcasts : https://bit.ly/3NSt0Lz Spotify : https://bit.ly/3YNIz9S YouTube : https://bit.ly/4rt38V5 For more podcasts by Visa, visit: https://km.visamiddleeast.com/en_KM/about-visa/cemea-podcast.html#1

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  Episode #13

  Policy, Technology and the Future of Financial Inclusion

  Feb 3, 202623 minS2

  <p>In this episode we explore how policy, technology, and public‑private partnerships are reshaping financial inclusion as we move deeper into 2026.<b> </b>Host <b>Dan Baxter</b>, Vice President of Corporate Communications for Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East & Africa (CEMEA), sits down with <b>Joanne Kubba</b>, Visa’s SVP & Head of Government Affairs for CEMEA, to unpack the frameworks, regulatory models, and emerging technologies accelerating inclusive economic growth.</p><p>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 res...

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  Episode #12

  From Strides in Stablecoins to AI Shopping: Top Payments Trends for 2026

  Jan 19, 202623 minS2

  <p>Visa Spotlights returns with a deep dive into the fast‑evolving world of payments as we enter 2026. In this episode, host <b>Dan Baxter</b>, Vice President of Corporate Communications for Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East & Africa (CEMEA), sits down with <b>Tareq Muhmood</b>, 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.<br/><br/>Together, they explore the state of the digital economy across CEMEA, the rapid acceleration of cash displacement, the rise of tokenization, and a fast‑m...

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