Ecommpay launches podcast on payment issues for merchants

SOFIAH NICHOLE SALIVIO

News Editor

Ecommpay has launched a podcast series, Making Payments Make Sense. The first episode features a discussion between Founder and Chief Executive Officer Aleex Sjarki and Streets Consulting Founder Julia Streets.

The series aims to explain payment issues for merchants through interviews with industry figures, payment specialists and Ecommpay staff.

The opening episode focuses on issues Ecommpay considers important for businesses that take digital payments, including acceptance rates, the use of artificial intelligence in payments, the development of agentic commerce and access to digital financial services in newer markets.

Miranda McLean, Chief Marketing Officer at Ecommpay, said the series was created to cut through confusion in a technical and crowded sector.

“Payments can be one of the most confusing parts of running a business, full of jargon and conflicting advice, and that’s exactly what we are setting out to fix,” McLean said.

“Making payments make sense is about having honest, practical conversations with the people actually shaping this industry, so merchants walk away with something they can put into practice,” she added.

First episode

In the first instalment, Sjarki discusses how merchants can improve payment acceptance rates, which determine whether customer transactions are approved or declined. He argues this remains one of the main areas where businesses can still make gains, even as other payment functions such as settlement, reconciliation and open banking have become more standard across the sector.

According to Ecommpay, it takes a tailored approach for each client rather than applying a single model across different merchants. This combines data analysis using artificial intelligence with input from payment specialists.

The episode also examines agentic commerce, a term for systems in which software agents make or carry out commercial decisions on behalf of users. It addresses both the potential benefits and the risks of applying the technology in payments.

Another theme is financial inclusion. The episode ends with a discussion about expansion into additional markets and the role of local market access and modern payment systems in extending digital commerce to regions that remain less served by existing payment infrastructure.

Sector backdrop

The launch reflects a wider effort by payment companies to speak more directly to merchants as the market becomes more fragmented. Businesses face a growing range of payment methods, routing options, fraud tools and compliance demands, while also being asked to assess newer technologies such as artificial intelligence.

For merchants, acceptance rates have become a persistent concern because even small improvements can affect sales conversion and customer retention. Payment providers have increasingly focused on transaction routing, calibrating fraud controls and handling local payment preferences in different countries.

Ecommpay, founded in 2012 and based in London, offers acquiring, payment processing and orchestration services. It also provides access to more than 100 payment methods through a single application programming interface.

Its broader product set includes open banking, recurring billing and direct debits. These services are built into its platform rather than added through external systems, according to the company.

The company operates in a market where payment groups are trying to differentiate themselves less through basic processing and more through conversion, geographic reach and merchant support. That context helps explain why issues such as approval rates and local market access feature prominently in the first episode.

By choosing a podcast format, Ecommpay is following a familiar route for financial technology companies that want to build direct audiences around specialist subjects. Audio programmes allow firms to address merchants, partners and sector professionals in a less formal setting than product announcements or technical documents.

The first episode sets the editorial direction of the series by focusing on operational questions rather than broad corporate messaging. Its emphasis on acceptance rates, the responsible use of artificial intelligence and underserved markets points to the areas where payment providers are seeking to show practical relevance to merchants.

The series will feature conversations with merchants, payment experts, industry voices and specialists from within the business.