OUR SPEAKERS
Stacy Armijo
Chief Experience Officer at Amplify Credit Union
Stacy Armijo is Chief Experience Officer for Amplify Credit Union, which stewards more than $3B in assets under management through fee-free banking, award-winning lending and excellence in loan servicing. Stacy is responsible for weaving together the teams who shape Amplify’s promises to its members, employees and community, with those who keep them, including marketing, retail, payments, human resources, training and social impact. Beyond Amplify, Stacy is active in her profession, having recently graduated from the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking at SMU’s Cox School of Business, and she was named one of 2023’s Most Powerful Women in Credit Unions by American Banker.
Stacy joined Amplify in 2018 and has a background in public relations and marketing, having spent 17 years as a leader in a regional PR & marketing firm in Texas. She is active in the marketing profession, including serving as the 2020 Chairperson of the Board for the American Marketing Association (AMA), among other local and national roles over 15+ years. Stacy was recognized for her involvement in 2019 when she was named AMA’s Ric Sweeney Chapter Volunteer of the Year. In addition, she was an instructor for three years at the University of Texas at Austin, teaching “Strategies in Public Relations” in the Moody College of Communications.
Beyond her profession, Stacy is involved in various aspects of the Austin community and has been named a “Woman of Influence” by the Austin Business Journal. Currently, she serves as a Member of the Austin Area Research Organization, the Legacy Circle for The New Philanthropists, the Leadership Circle for Communities in Schools of Central Texas. Previously, she was a Board Member for the Austin Chamber of Commerce and Communities in Schools of Central Texas as well as Board Chair for the American Red Cross of Central Texas and a McBee Fellow for the Austin Area Research Organization. Stacy is also a graduate of the Emerge and Essential programs of Leadership Austin and was a Trusted Advisor for Vistage International for 10 years.
Stacy earned a bachelor's degree in public relations from the University of Texas at Austin and is a proud mom to two boys, ages 13 and 9. She loves exploring Austin with them and finding opportunities to entertain friends with her amateur bartending skills and bad jokes.
Jason Hendry
Technical Architect Principal at USAA
Jason Hendry is a Technical Architect Principal for USAA Bank Architecture with more than twenty years of banking experience. He is primarily responsible for the Bank Money Management domain which includes personal finance management, display of accounts and activity, account aggregation, open banking and reporting and analytics. Jason represents USAA as a founding member of the Financial Data Exchange and is a board member and co-chair of the Technical Review Committee. He is proficient in systems architecture with a focus in software and data systems design.
Melissa Shields
Director of Payments Strategy & Operations at Starbucks and Board Chairman at PaymentsEd
As the Director of Payments Strategy & Operations for Starbucks Corporation, Melissa leads a talented team of payment professionals in pursuit of delivering frictionless customer experiences across Starbucks digital and retail transactions. She previously held senior roles as Head of Payments and Executive Director leading subscription operations at Dotdash Meredith (Formerly Meredith Corp (MDP)), a media company best known for brands including People, Real Simple, Better Homes & Gardens, Food & Wine and Allrecipes.com.
As a self-proclaimed eternal student and data interrogator, Melissa has focused on exceeding business targets by rethinking what is considered ‘standard’ industry flows—leading to transformational industry changes in service of subscriptions. Additionally, she has extended her strategic oversight to influence organizational shifts in delivering autonomous customer service tools and streamlined the fulfillment of multiple digital products and platforms.
Having a true passion for payments, Melissa currently serves as Vice Chair on the PaymentsEd executive board, a non-profit focused on merchant education and industry innovation. She is also committed to advancing women and youth initiatives. Having served on United Way’s Women United Investment Committee, she advocates for and advises on funding decisions that impact early childhood programs geared towards creating equitable, inclusive care, learning and services for families in her region.
Tahir Khan
Director, Prime Video Payments at Amazon
Tahir Khan is a tech leader with 15+ years of industry experience working in fortune 500 companies. He currently is the Director of Prime Video Payments and is based out of Seattle, WA. He leads the payments strategy and delivery for all Prime Video business lines worldwide. He holds an MBA from University of Chicago Booth School of Business and an engineering degree from Indian Institute of Technology, Madras.
Matthew Doka
Chief Technology Officer and Head of Business Development, North America at SumUp
Matt has led technology at Fivestars, now part of SumUp, since its founding and through its acquisition, spearheaded the company's transformation into a payments company, and drives ongoing business development and payments strategy. He also leads Operator Stack Fund, an operator-led, early-stage focused fund focused on saas, fintech, and transport and logistics sectors. Before Fivestars, he volunteered with TechnoServe in Uganda, was a strategy consultant at McKinsey & Company, and an analyst at AVM, a 32-year old global macro hedge fund. Matt graduated from UPenn's Management and Technology program as a Ben Franklin and Joseph Wharton scholar, where he earned dual degrees in Engineering and Finance. He loves skiing and backpacking, and he grills a killer steak.
Matt Shustrin
CCO (Chief Compliance Officer), BSA/AML Officer, Sr. Director, Assoc General Counsel at eBay Payments
Matt is the Chief Compliance Officer and BSA/AML Officer for eBay Commerce Inc, a US licensed money transmitter, and also oversees the Payments compliance programs for eBay’s payments entities internationally. Previous roles with eBay included leading compliance teams as an Associate General Counsel in the legal group, and the company’s Compliance Operations teams.
Matt has over 18 years developing and maintaining compliance programs with a focus on anti-money laundering, KYC, and sanctions. Prior to eBay, Matt led compliance teams within American Express’s FinTech business unit, and at Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner, & Smith. Matt holds a JD from Brooklyn Law School, and BSM in Finance from Tulane University.
Kat Cloud
Compliance Principal Director – Open Banking at Envestnet | Yodlee
Kat is the Principal Director of Global Open Banking Compliance at Envestnet Yodlee, a leading financial data aggregation and analytics platform. With over 8 years of experience in the fintech industry, Kat is an expert in open banking regulations and compliance, financial data management, and digital banking solutions.
In her current role, Kat is responsible for overseeing the company’s compliance with open banking regulation in various markets around the world, including Europe, the UK, South Africa, and Canada. She works closely with regulatory bodies, financial institutions, and other stakeholders to ensure Envestnet Yodlee’s products and services are compliant with local regulations and meet the highest standards of security and data privacy.
Prior to joining Envestnet Yodlee, Kat held various roles in regulatory compliance and policy at several financial institutions including Plaid and the Financial Conduct Authority. She has a deep understanding of the regulatory landscape and has been instrumental in developing and implementing compliance programs that meet regulatory requirement while enabling business growth.
Kat holds a bachelor’s degree in International Business Management from the University of Lincoln.
John Wiethorn
Head of Financial Crime Compliance & AML/BSA Officer at Gusto
John is the Head of Financial Crime Compliance and board-appointed AML/BSA Officer at Gusto. John previously served as the AML/BSA Officer at Wise, where he oversaw financial crime compliance for North America and led compliance efforts supporting the company's successful public listing on the London Stock Exchange. He previously worked as a senior consultant with Navigant Consulting and also held multiple roles in financial crime compliance at American Express, including working as one of the first members of the company’s enterprise AML quality control team. John is a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS), a Certified Cryptocurrency Investigator (CCI), and has been admitted to practice law in both Utah and Arizona.
Don Cardinal
Managing Director at Financial Data Exchange, US
Don Cardinal is Managing Director of the Financial Data Exchange (FDX), a non-profit, industry led collaboration dedicated to unifying the financial industry around a secure, interoperable standard for the permissioned access of consumer and business financial data.
As Managing Director, Don leads FDX by engaging with FDX members across the financial services and Fintech ecosystem to develop and implement the FDX API technical standard and to promote FDX’s five principles for permissioned data sharing: Control, Access, Transparency, Traceability & Security. Since its launch in October 2018 with 21 founding members, Don has grown the nonprofit standards body to over 230 member organizations and 53 million consumers have been migrated to the FDX API.
Prior to this, Don spent more than 20 years with Bank of America, where he served in key leadership roles as the Privacy Officer of their Military Bank, the Digital Banking VP for Military Bank, VP in Digital Banking, and most recently as a Senior VP in Global Information Security, where he orchestrated the bank’s DMARC email security implementation, protecting over 3.5 billion outbound emails per year. From 2016 to 2018, Don also served as co-chair of the Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Center’s (FS-ISAC) Aggregation Working Group, which, in October 2018, launched as FDX –operating as an independent, non-profit subsidiary of FS-ISAC. Prior to his banking career Don worked for a small Fintech writing tax preparation software.
Don is a Certified Public Accountant, Certified Information Systems Auditor, Certified Information Security Manager, and holds a Six Sigma green belt. He earned BBAs in Accounting and Finance from Texas A&M University and an MBA from Our Lady of the Lake University. He is a graduate of the FBI Citizens Academy, a member of the FBI’s InfraGard, a member of the American Institute of CPAs and the Information Systems and Control Association. He also holds 16 U.S. patents.
Renjith Ramachandran
Sr Solutions Architect at BJ’s Wholesale Club
Renjith Ramachandran is a seasoned digital professional with over 18 years of experience and currently serves as a Senior Solutions Architect at BJ’s Wholesale Club. His expertise spans Retail, Finance, Telecom, and Healthcare industries, with a focus on Software Architecture, Cloud integrations, Microservices, APIs, DevOps, and Full-stack development. Renjith has a strong track record of designing complex, scalable architectures and payment systems that optimize business operations and enhance customer experiences. He led the design of a Unified Payment Platform that supports multiple payment types, including PayPal, Buy Now Pay Later, EBT, Apple Pay, and Credit Cards, successfully onboarding numerous applications and payment methods. Additionally, Renjith brings valuable experience in designing online and mobile banking functionalities, contributing to innovative and seamless digital payment solutions.
Amanda Crocker
Chief Operating Officer at SWIVEL
As COO, Amanda leads SWIVEL to new ways of being amazing for our customers and improving the company’s ability to launch amazing products quickly. She is highly focused on SWIVEL’s ability to execute to new service areas all while holding true to the values that make SWIVEL a trusted client and partner. Prior to joining SWIVEL, Amanda was Global Head of Payment Operations at Meta where she built the team from the ground up. In her tenure Meta Financial Technologies grew to over 35 different global payment products across the family of apps with over 42 million monthly active payment users, processing ~700 million annual transactions. She has deep experience in Global regulations, money licensing, and money movement technologies across many different market and user segments.
Amanda is driven by her strong leadership values system, has a proven ability to develop and grow a culture focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion, and her commitment to building an organization that is focused on customer trust. She has spent many hours leading different employee resource groups, speaking on panels, and volunteering in the community.
Amanda has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management with an emphasis on Program Management. She has many different certifications including a PMP, ISO9001 Auditor, and Scrum.
Allan Rayson
Founder & CEO at Finov8r Consulting
With over 24 years of experience in banking and fintech, Allan is the founder and CEO of Finov8r Consulting, a boutique management consulting firm that provides solutions to banks, fintech and venture capital firms. Allan has received multiple awards and recognition for his work, including the 2022 American Banker Digital Banker of the Year, the 2023 Lightico Banking Innovators Award, and the 2022 Gonzo Banker Awards. He is also a frequent speaker and writer on fintech topics, appearing in major industry publications and events such as The Financial Brand, American Banker, Financial Times, BAI, S&P Global, and Bank Director.
Anand Mitra
North America Product Management and Global Product Delivery Head for Cross Border Payments at J.P Morgan
Anand Mitra is North America Product Management and Global Product Delivery Head for Cross Border Payments at J.P. Morgan Chase. Cross Border Payments provides a comprehensive suite of FX Payments to large corporate, financial institutions, commercial banks, and retail clients and Anand is responsible for developing and executing an on-platform strategy for Cross Border solutions globally which includes leading the development strategy, roadmap, and build-out of FX payment products and partnerships.
He has over 20 years of experience in financial services product management, client relations, and technology development. He also has led Cross Border Payments, Electronic Bank Account Management (eBAM), Liquidity Concentration Platform, and Offshore Accounts product groups.
Before joining the financial industry, Anand managed software development projects for a major multinational corporation in New York and India. He holds an MBA degree from the University of Notre Dame and earned a master's degree in MIS and BS degree from Devi Ahilya University Indore, India.
Andres Betancourt
Vice President, AML Sanctions Canada & International Advisory at PNC Bank
Andres is an experienced financial crime compliance professional with 15 years of experience in regulatory frameworks, risk mitigation, data driven projects and policy development across financial services industry including the Bank of Nova Scotia, Bank of Montreal, Royal Bank of Canada and Grant Thornton LLP. Andres currently works in the AML Internal Controls Team focusing on the planning, strategy, implementation, and monitoring of different AML work streams, including Data Governance, EDD , Client Risk Rating, KYC Periodic refresh ,Name and Payment Screening projects across multiple jurisdictions including Canada, United States, and several countries in Latin America.
Bill Briggs
Director, Federal and Regulatory Advocacy at Independent Bankers Association of Texas
Bill Briggs is a seasoned leader with a rich background in financial services, technology, and public policy. He has held significant roles at various organizations, including the Independent Bankers Association of Texas, where he serves as Director of Federal and Regulatory Advocacy. Previously, he worked at Fedsolve LLC and IncisiveFS, providing strategic advisory services and advocacy in Washington, DC. Bill's career also includes impactful positions at the U.S. Small Business Administration, American Property Casualty Insurance Association, and as a Presidential appointee in two administrations. With a strong track record of leadership and expertise in governmental affairs, strategic planning, and management, Bill is a trusted voice in the intersection of finance, technology, and public policy.
Melissa Pottenger
VP, Payment Ops at Reach
Melissa Pottenger is an accomplished leader in global payments, with extensive experience
driving strategic partnerships, managing teams, and implementing payments strategy to achieve business objectives. Currently serving as VP of Payment Ops at Reach, she plays a pivotal role in applying industry best practices to maximize Reach's payment processing network.
Before her current role, Melissa held various positions at other globally recognized payments organizations, such as Visa and Worldpay, where she demonstrated proficiency in program management, operational process enhancement, and high-profile client relationship management.
Notably, at Visa, she led the program for Global Endpoint Review, optimizing timely decision-making for endpoint connectivity requests.
With a track record of success in global e-commerce and strategic partnerships, Melissa brings a
wealth of experience to her current role, where she continues to drive innovation and growth in
payment operations.
Eyal Sivan
Mr. Open Banking, GM of North America at Ozone API
Eyal Sivan, also known as Mr. Open Banking, is one of the foremost global experts in the open banking space.
In his efforts to drive advancements in open banking worldwide, Eyal created the unique personal brand Mr. Open Banking. Under this persona, he hosts the only podcast dedicated to the open banking community, interviewing the key leaders, innovators and influencers who are driving the emergence of open banking around the globe. Since its launch in 2020, the podcast has grown to over 60 thousand subscribers, with Eyal being recognized by Open Future World as the number one Open Finance Influencer in the world for 2022.
Today, Eyal is the General Manager for North America at Ozone API, global pioneers of open banking who’s platform powers some of the largest and most advanced data sharing ecosystems on the planet. In his role, he is responsible for expanding the firm's global position as a leading open banking solution provider to the United States, Canada and beyond.
Silvio Canto
Executive Director, Head of Fintech Banking at Texas Capital
Silvio Canto is Executive Director, Head of Fintech Banking at Texas Capital. He is responsible for leadership of the firm’s fintech banking efforts, providing working capital, treasury solutions and strategic advisory for fintechs nationwide from Series A through IPO.
Silvio joined Texas Capital in April 2024, bringing to his role 14 years of experience advising financial institutions across operating and strategic needs. Previously, he worked at Morgan Stanley where he was engaged with late-stage IPO preparation and M&A advisory. Prior to that, Silvio worked in the Commercial Banking Financial Institutions Group at JPMorgan Chase where he launched the firm’s early stage fintech practice in San Francisco, focused on helping startups achieve their growth potential through payment solutions and ecosystem partnerships. Throughout his career, Silvio has worked closely with several marquee fintechs, including Affirm, Brex, Coastal Bank, Chime, Coinbase, Mercury, Modern Treasury, Ramp and SoFi.
Silvio earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting and a Master of Science in finance at Texas A&M University. He is Series 79 and 63 certified.
Jack Gibson
Managing Director, Head of Payments Engineering, Architecture and APIs at J.P Morgan Chase & Co.
Jack Gibson is the global head of Architecture, Engineering and APIs for JP Morgan Payments. He has the end-to-end responsibilities for the design principles of the payments architecture and is leading the move to a global, real-time, API first, technology stack.
Prior to joining JP Morgan Chase in 2016, Jack was the Chief Architect for Payments Engineering at PayPal where he was responsible for the redesign for PayPal’s core payment processing engine.
Jack holds a B.S. in Information Systems from the University of Maryland University College. Jack resides in Austin, Texas with his wife Kerri, their three boys and two yellow Labradors.
Steve Mott
Principal at BetterBuyDesign
Steve Mott is a 40-year veteran of the electronic payments and security industry. His payments consultancy, BetterBuyDesign, specializes in payments landscape and strategic assessments; analyses of transaction economics and fees; innovative uses of debit and banking networks; evaluations of authentication, security and fraud mitigation technologies; and handicapping of business prospects for alternative payment types and venues—especially for online and mobile commerce and real-time payments. Steve is an acknowledged pioneer in online commerce (named one of “Top 25 Unsung Heroes of the Internet” in 1997 and one of the “Top 25 Most Intriguing Minds for the New Economy in 1998”) and has served as an SME in digital and mobile payments and security for the Federal Reserve and other industry organizations.
Steve also advises investment firms on industry trends and developments, conducts business valuations and M&A/due diligence support, and serves as an expert witness in patent, trade secret, antitrust and commercial agreement matters. He participated extensively with the Federal Reserve’s Faster Payments Initiative, including as an elected Steering Committee member of the Secure Payments Task Force. He is a founding member of the Faster Payments Council, where he has been elected to its Board of Directors twice. He has spoken at more than 200 payments conferences, and written extensively for publications such as Digital Transactions and n*genuity Journal, over the past decade.
Anthony Vassallo
Senior Vice President, Crypto at Silicon Valley Bank
Anthony Vassallo is a senior vice president on Silicon Valley Bank’s Crypto team with 8 years of experience supporting the innovation ecosystem. He specializes in providing essential banking support to venture-backed blockchain pioneers. As an NFT collector and active voice in the crypto space, Anthony is passionate about the success of founders.
Prior to his current role, Anthony was a senior product manager at SVB, focused on commercial lending. Anthony also has experience in underwriting and portfolio management, supporting early- to late-stage technology and healthcare companies.
Anthony was born and raised in Silicon Valley and currently spends most of his time in Austin, Texas. He earned a post-graduate case fellowship, master’s degree in entrepreneurship and innovation, and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business.
Peter Jessiman
Director, Payment Acceptance at The Wendy's Company
Peter Jessiman has worked in the payments/EFT industry since the early 90s in various capacities within the industry; from financial institutions, to issuers, payment processors, ATM fleets, and merchant acquirers. This diversity of experience has provided him with a well-rounded perspective and extensive insights within the industry. Peter currently works for The Wendy's Company as their Director of Payment Acceptance overseeing payment card acceptance, gift card program, and related third-party relationships for their global operations. Peter graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration and additionally received an MBA from Texas A&M University at Commerce. Mr. Jessiman also serves on the Board of Directors for the Merchant Advisory Group (MAG), which is a premier merchant-led retail payments trade organization in the U.S.
Dave Wildner
Managing Director, Global Head of Anti-Money Laundering & Deputy Global Head of Financial Crimes Compliance at BNY Mellon
David is the Deputy Global Head of Financial Crime Compliance (FCC) as well as the Global Head of Anti-Money Laundering for BNY Mellon, responsible for all aspects of FCC across the enterprise. David is also the chairman of BNYM’s global Anti-Money Laundering Oversight Committee. Previously David was the US Head of AML. David has 18 years of experience in the AML field and has also held roles at HSBC and Citi Private Bank. Prior to working in the financial services area David spent 20 years in US Law enforcement conducting international money laundering and narcotics trafficking investigations.
Dan Alexander
Global Head of Financial Crime Compliance at Airwallex
Dan Alexander has over 15 years of experience in the financial crimes compliance space. He began his career as an analyst with the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation working on counterterrorism and terrorist financing matters. He has since held roles such as being in the Financial Crimes Intelligence Group at Wells Fargo, the Global Sanctions Officer at Charles Schwab, the Chief Compliance and Anti-Financial Crime Officer for North America at Stripe, the Group Money Laundering Reporting Officer at Klarna, and is now the Global Head of Financial Crime Compliance at Airwallex. Over the course of his career, he has gained deep experience in working with regulators in multiple jurisdictions and has engaged in public policy work through industry groups and public/private partnerships. Dan is currently based in New York.
Ivy Gupta
Lead Product Counsel, Payments at Plaid
Ivy Gupta is Lead Product Counsel, Payments at Plaid, a financial services technology company that helps consumers connect their financial services accounts to apps that help them better manage their financial lives. Ivy focuses on legal and regulatory issues relating to open banking, payment processing, and fraud detection, risk mitigation, and account verification solutions to support payments use cases, with deep expertise in payments network rules compliance and consumer financial services regulations.
Jo Davenport
SVP, Fraud Director at Third Coast Bank
Jo Davenport is the Senior Vice President, Fraud Director at Third Coast Bank, where she spearheads the bank's efforts in fraud prevention and detection, managing investigations, and developing robust fraud mitigation strategies. With over a decade of experience in the financial services industry, Jo has a proven track record in fraud management, having previously served as VP, Manager of the Fraud Fusion Team at Texas Capital Bank. She is also an Advisory Board Member at the Unit21 Fraud Consortium. Jo holds the Certified Financial Crimes Investigator (CFCI) certification from the International Association of Financial Crimes Investigators (IAFCI), highlighting her expertise in fraud investigations, ACH payments, and risk management. Her leadership and strategic vision are instrumental in advancing fraud prevention initiatives and maintaining the security of banking operations in Dallas, Texas.
Angelena Bradfield
Head of Policy at the Financial Technology Association
Angelena Bradfield is the Head of Policy at the Financial Technology Association. At FTA, she leads the organization’s policy development and regulatory engagement efforts. Previously, she was a Senior Vice President for AML/BSA, Sanctions & Privacy at the Bank Policy Institute, where she supported its regulatory affairs department and led industry efforts to modernize U.S. anti-money laundering and sanctions compliance requirements. She previously held a similar position at The Clearing House Association.
Prior to her bank policy roles, she supported comprehensive immigration reform efforts at ImmigrationWorks USA and worked on various domestic policy issues at the White House, where she served as a staff assistant in both the Domestic Policy Council and Presidential Correspondence offices. She received her MBA in International Business from the University of Edinburgh and a BA in Political Science from the University of California, Irvine.
Alex Fayed
Assistant Director of the Division of Complex Institution Supervision and Resolution (CISR), FDIC
Ahmed (Alex) Fayed – Assistant Director of the Division of Complex Institution Supervision and Resolution (CISR), FDIC. In this role, Alex is responsible for assisting the Associate Director, Institution Risk Branch, Deputy Director, Risk Assessment Branch, and the Director of CISR when they serve as senior subject matter experts for matters pertaining to the institution-specific analysis of complex financial institutions. Provides information and advice to individuals and groups engaged in reviewing proposed legislation and determining the need for new policies or procedures. Prior to this position, Alex served as an Examiner-In-Charge (EIC) and a Senior Large Financial Institution Examiner (LFI) dedicated to large banks in the New York Region.
Lesley O’Neill
Chief Compliance Officer at Binance.US
Lesley O’Neill is currently the Chief Compliance Officer (CCO) at Binance.US, where she oversees the organization’s BSA/AML compliance program, which includes its Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) that handles transaction/blockchain monitoring and SAR reporting, its Know Your Customer (KYC) program for consumer and business customers, and sanctions-related activities such as watchlist screenings and OFAC filings. Lesley also partners with cross-functional stakeholders at Binance.US to ensure other legal, risk, regulatory, and data protection controls are in place to increase data security, prevent fraud, and support compliance across various state and federal regulations (e.g., to comply with state MTL requirements, state and federal employment laws, and data privacy regulations).
Prior to joining Binance.US, Lesley served as the CCO at Prove Identity, Inc. Lesley successfully built and managed Prove’s global compliance program, including support with product design and oversight of regulatory compliance, global data privacy, information security assurance and audits, and enterprise risk management. Lesley has also served as Global Privacy Counsel at EY, where she helped administer its global data protection and privacy program, and as the Global Policy Program Lead in the Chief Risk & Compliance Office at Bloomberg LP.
Lesley holds a bachelor’s degree from New York University and a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from New York Law School. She is currently a registered attorney in New York State and a CIPP-E certified member of the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP).
Steve Kenneally
SVP - Payments at American Bankers Association
Steve Kenneally works at ABA on a range of payment systems including check, ACH, card, wires, as well as coins and paper money. He spends an increasing amount of time focused on emerging payment technologies such as mobile payments, virtual currencies, and blockchain technology, with an eye towards making them faster, safer, and frictionless in the future. He is the staff liaison to two standing member committees focused on payments issues in addition to ABA’s Emerging Payments Advisory Group. He served as Chair of the International Banking Federation Payments Working Group and he is an elected member of the board of the Faster Payments Council and serves on Nacha’s Payments Innovation Alliance Consumer Payments Advisory Committee. Prior to joining the ABA in 2005, he served at the United States Department of the Treasury where he managed the private network of banks collecting non-tax payments on behalf of the federal government and drafted regulations and guidance on cash management issues.
Steve earned an MBA from The George Washington University and a BS in Finance from Boston College. He also is an Accredited ACH Professional (AAP).
Fariba Akrami
SVP. Fintech & Digital Payments AML Compliance Risk Management at Citi
Fariba Akrami is an accomplished anti-money laundering (AML) professional with 18 years of experience in compliance, risk management, and financial crime prevention. She has held key roles in the financial services industry, including managing a large Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) and regulatory reporting team, and later serving as an AML compliance program manager at Citibank. During her tenure at Citi, she also led payments business risk management. For the past six years, she has specialized in FinTech and payments AML risk management, overseeing the North America FinTech portfolio. In her current role, she works closely with Big Tech and FinTech companies, providing AML and fraud risk management advisory services to clients. She is also deeply engaged in advising on complex cross-border solutions and regulatory requirements, leveraging her expertise to navigate evolving challenges and foster collaboration between traditional financial institutions and innovative financial technology firms.
Kaue Tozzi
Global Head of Payments at Banked
An engineer by trade and a payments geek by passion, Kaue is a product leader who has spent his career ushering in the future of global payments. Kaue is currently the Global Head of Payments at Banked, a global Pay by Bank network. Previously, Kaue led payments product management teams at other fintechs and served a decades-long tenure at JPMorgan, most recently leading their global RTP strategy.
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Andrew Eichel
VP of Payments & Compliance at Lotto.com Inc.
Andrew Eichel is the second employee of Lotto.com Inc., the nation’s first digital platform for ordering official state lottery draw and scratch games on both mobile and web based platforms. Since opening their Jersey City headquarters during the pandemic in June of 2020, Andrew has been instrumental in the growth of Lotto.com from four employees to over 170 nationwide, and serves on the Company’s Board of Directors. Lotto.com is now available in 10 states and is the fastest growing company in the sector.
Andrew previously served as Senior Manager, Director of Payments at CFSB where he helped modernize the US payments landscape by regulating and introducing several global products to the US market such as; Skrill, Revolut, Gohenry, Greenlight, Bento, and more. During his time at CFSB he worked directly with Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and the OCC. Prior to CFSB, Andrew was the AVP at Praxell, an early-stage startup offering unique turnkey payment solutions to businesses.
Andrew is an authority in the Compliance field with extensive knowledge of the AML, KYC, Geolocation, GRC, Audit management, Customer Communication FTC compliance, and Risk Management fields. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Sociology with a concentration in Criminal Justice from the University of Albany.
Smitha Purohit
Director of Product, Blockchain, Crypto, and Digital Currencies at PayPal
Smitha Purohit is a Director of Product at PayPal’s Blockchain, Crypto, and Digital Currencies (BCDC) team, overseeing merchant crypto products.
Smitha has had varied experience over the last 18 years - she was a developer, a management consultant on Organizational Change, a program manager managing end to end product launches including regulatory, licensing , product build and GTM strategy. She has had global experience , working in Singapore, India and United States.
Smitha holds a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science and an MBA from the Indian School of Business. Outside of work, she enjoys time with her 8-year-old daughter, learning to play the piano together.
Kalyani Bhatia
Global Head of Payments, Go to Market Business Development at SWIFT
Kalyani Bhatia is the Global Head of Payments & PMI Go To Market in Business Development at SWIFT. Her team of payment and payment market infrastructure experts execute the SWIFT Strategy through data driven prioritization, standardized programmes and global expertise. She is responsible for supporting global business product programmes including gpi, ISO20022, transaction management, SWIFT GO and Instant payments. Kalyani is on the US Advisory Board for Women In Payments and is the Co-Sponsor of the Race & Ethnicity Chapter at SWIFT.
Prior to joining SWIFT in 2020, Kalyani spent 18 years at Deutsche Bank, holding senior positions in technology, product and client implementations & service. Her expertise lies in running large global change initiatives supporting global transaction banking. She also has experience in the oil & gas, automotive and retail industries delivering systems as a technical consultant with Price Waterhouse LLP.
Kalyani holds a degree in Electrical Engineering from Rice University.
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Jen-Larie Tumminello
Executive Director at Morgan Stanley
Jen Tumminello is currently an Executive Director at Morgan Stanley, in Global Finance, Head of Policy, Governance, NFR and Compliance.
Prior to joining Morgan Stanley, Jen served as a Director at PwC, within the Conduct & Compliance, Risk & Regulatory Practice, where she provided regulatory remediation support to remediate MRAs, MRIAs and Consent Order for large scale risk and controls, regulatory reporting, compliance, and audit engagements.
Jen also spent over 25 years at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York covering a broad range of positions of increasing responsibility as a Regulatory Risk Leader dedicated to the LISCC Portfolio (G-SIBs) and as a Director of Currency Distribution and Payments, including Operations Management, Operational Risk and Compliance, Domestic and International Cash Services and Administration and Finance. Jen was also the Secretariat of the Fed's Payments Committee, and worked on various FedCash Services, policy, and technology projects across the Fed System, and special projects and investigations with local and national law enforcement agencies.
For many years, Jen served as President of the Fed’s Diversity & Inclusion Employee Affinity Groups and served on the LISCC Operating Committee’s Diversity Advisory Group.
Jen is an active member of the Women’s Bond Club, and Co-Chair of the Board's Charitable Giving Committee. The WBC's mission id dedicated to advancing women in financial services and focusing on empowering women to lead, giving back to communities and mentoring students, and leading financial literacy programs for young women. Jen had also been a reading mentor for many years with an organization focused on underprivileged children's and English as a second language.
Lisa Lechner
Chief Compliance Officer and AML/BSA Officer at SpotOn
Lisa is the Chief Compliance Officer and AML/BSA Officer at SpotOn. Inc. She is also the Executive Chair for ACAMS Northern CA and an advisory board member for Unit21. She has over 20 years of experience leading compliance/regulatory, AML, content moderation, and risk management teams. Her career has included CCO and AML leadership roles with Mercari Inc, PayPal, Venmo, Braintree, Rabobank NA, and AVG creating, building and managing numerous facets of global compliance programs at unique financial institutions, MSBs and fintech companies from start-up through maturation.
She received her Juris Doctor from the University of Nebraska College of Law and has a B.S. degree in Political Science from Nebraska Wesleyan University. Lisa is a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS).
Bruce Dorris
Anti-Fraud Consultant; former President/CEO at the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE)
Bruce Dorris has spent over three decades fighting fraud and raising the need for fraud awareness worldwide. He is the former President and Chief Executive Officer of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE), having spent nearly six years in that role. He served at the ACFE for over sixteen years, previously holding the position of Vice President and Program Director.
Dorris earned his Juris Doctor at Louisiana State University in 1993 and is licensed to practice law in state and federal courts in Texas and Louisiana. Before joining the ACFE, he served as a prosecutor in Louisiana for over thirteen years, focusing primarily on financial crime matters. Additionally, he is licensed as a Certified Public Accountant in both Texas and Louisiana.
Dorris has given keynote addresses and conducted anti-fraud training for the United Nations, numerous financial institutions, colleges and universities worldwide, as well as with the FBI, GAO, and other financial trade organizations. He has given speeches and conducted training in dozens of countries around the world.
His expertise has been featured in interviews with CNBC’s American Greed, The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, the BBC, and the Atlantic, among others, and was named one of the most influential people in security by Security Magazine in 2019.
Danielle Herndon
Global Lead- Fincrime Product Compliance at Wise
Danielle Herndon is an experienced compliance professional specializing in combating financial crime. She has experience in establishing compliance programs in early stage pioneering fintechs as well as enhancing existing programs in traditional multinational banks across the U.S. and the UK. In her current role she is the Global Lead for Wise’s financial crime product compliance team having worked across Wise’s London, Tampa and now New York offices. She and her team focus on ensuring Wise launch and maintain compliant products that effectively manage financial crime risk across their diverse global markets.
Gary Palmer
President, CEO & Chairman at Payall Payment Systems
Gary’s the founder and CEO of Payall Payment Systems – the company has built first-ever end-to-end infrastructure for the cross-border ecosystem with breakthrough software for originating institutions, central banks, payment networks and operators, currency traders and liquidity providers as well as clearing institutions and correspondent banks. Capabilities have transformed this high-risk, opaque and inefficient $160 T payment category into a safe, efficient (fast and low cost), transparent and inclusive product that any bank, financial institution, EMI, PI or other regulated entity can offer that’s safe, profitable and delights customers.
Gary’s career in banktech, regtech and Fintech began in 1996 when he co-founded WildCard Systems, the first-ever purpose-built Visa and Mastercard prepaid card issuing platform and some have called the “first Fintech”. WildCard pioneered public APIs to integrate with non-issuers in support of alternative distribution channels for consumer, business and government-funded cards. EFunds acquired WildCard Systems in 2005 for $262 million.
After the sale to Efunds Gary was EVP of global strategic business development, reporting to the Chairman and CEO. Gary was on the executive team that sold Efunds to Fidelity National Information Services (NYSE: FIS) for $1.8 billion in 2007 – double the value of Efunds from the WildCard purchase.
Gary also co-founded and provided funding to Adaptive Payments in 2010 which pioneered 24x7 real-time payments between banks across the PIN debit or EFT networks. Mastercard acquired Adaptive Payments in 2015 and the company’s tech became the foundation for Mastercard Send.
In 2010 Gary received the prestigious Prepaid Industry Achievement Award and he’s an inventor (U.S. patent 9,183,549 issued Nov 10, 2015) for a system and method of secure payment transactions.
Michael Heller
Head of Financial Crime Compliance Proposition at Dow Jones
Michael Heller joined Dow Jones in 2013 and currently serves as head of Financial Crime Compliance (FCC) proposition where he is responsible for corporate strategy including development and go-to-market, globally, for the FCC business. He draws from a background as an attorney, sales executive, and consultant to ensure clients building efficient compliance and risk management programs leverage the right data and technology.
Michael's career has been focused on bringing transparency to global business. Subsequent to completing his law degree, he worked as a consultant with the Business Intelligence Group, and later the Anti-Money Laundering Group at Goldman Sachs & Co. in New York City. Michael has also served as CCO and counsel at Abacus Wealth Partners in Los Angeles. He is a member of the State Bar of California.
Brian Dao
VP Industry & Government Relations at EPCOR
Brian Dao, AAP is the VP of Member Engagement at EPCOR and charged with developing and nurturing EPCOR’s relationship with industry stakeholders, as well as delivering a member-centric experience through unparalleled support. He has over a decade of experience leading product management at both a financial institution and startup. He has a proven track record in the industry managing ACH, Wires, EDI, Account Validation, and various other data-related products. He is an active participant in the industry, sitting on the Arbitration Board for Nacha, contributing to their Government Relation Advisory Group and Emerging Payments Advisory Committee, and serving on the US Faster Payments Council’s Education and Awareness Workgroup. Brian is passionate about the payments industry and empowering entrepreneurs and innovators to create positive change. He is a frequent speaker at industry events and conferences where he shares his insights on digital transformation, customer experience, and product strategy.
David Morris
Principal Analyst at EMARKETER
David Morris is Principal Analyst at EMARKETER, where he leads its payments practice and helps marketing, product and insights professionals prepare for the future. He specializes in how and why consumers pay and engage at the point of sale through the lens of digital and technological transformation.
David brings almost 20 years of experience in financial services to this role, having operated his own payments consultancy and serving as Research Director at Mintel. David has also been a longtime faculty member at DePaul University, where he taught and developed market research, cultural communication, and internet privacy classes.
Danielle Aviles Krueger
Head of Government Relations and Public Affairs for the US at Klarna
Danielle Aviles Krueger is the Head of Government Relations and Public Affairs for the US at Klarna. In her role she leads the company's work with regulators, lawmakers, and consumer groups in the US, helping them to understand how Klarna’s products and services add value to individuals, retailers, and the global economy. Prior to joining Klarna, Danielle served as the Head of Federal Policy for Lyft. Before making the jump to the private sector, she worked for House Majority Leader and Democratic Whip, Steny H. Hoyer for nearly a decade, serving most recently as his Deputy Floor Director. Danielle is a first generation college graduate, having earned her degree from Texas A&M University, and is a proud mother of two young girls.
Slava Gomzin
Author of books "Crypto Basics", "Bitcoin for Nonmathematicians" & "Hacking Point of Sale". Director, Payments and Cybersecurity at Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions
Slava Gomzin is the author of several influential books on cybersecurity and payments, including Crypto Basics: A Non-Technical Introduction to Creating Your Own Money, Bitcoin for Nonmathematicians, and Hacking Point of Sale. His work has become essential reading for professionals in the payment and cybersecurity industries, offering deep insights into cryptography, blockchain, and the security of payment systems. Currently serving as Director of Payments and Cybersecurity at Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions, Slava leads initiatives in secure software development and compliance with security standards. He is also a co-creator of innovative blockchain-based payment solutions, reflecting his expertise in both traditional and emerging financial technologies.
Michael R. Sew Hoy
Associate General Counsel at Meta
Michael R. Sew Hoy is Associate General Counsel at Meta, where he leads a team advising on anti-money laundering and emerging compliance risks. He joined Meta after more than thirteen years working in the United States federal government, where he prosecuted money laundering and financial crimes at the Department of Justice and securities fraud at the Securities & Exchange Commission.
Amanda Estiverne-Colas
Board Advisor at NAFLI (The National Alliance for Financial Literacy and Inclusion
Amanda Estiverne-Colas is a Partner at NextWave Consulting, Payment Strategist, and industry leader in Banking and FinTech. She drives strategic direction and growth for a global portfolio of Banking, Payments, and Fintech clients, delivering transformative solutions in Emerging Payment Technologies, Core Modernization and Financial Inclusion. Amanda serves on the Board of Directors for the National Alliance for Financial Literacy and Inclusion (NAFLI), dedicated to advancing financial education in underserved communities. A sought-after global speaker, she is also a Money20/20 Amplify Global Advisor and Mentor, was recognized as a NYC Women in Fintech '23 Inspiring Female, and ETA's Forty Under 40 '23 honoree.
Andrew Doukanaris
Chief Executive Officer at Flotta Consulting Ltd
Andrew has been a key player in the digital payments and FinTech landscape for over thirty years. His career has taken him across major cities across the globe including being based in London, New York, San Francisco, and Singapore.
In the mid-1990s, he implemented the world’s first AI-driven fuel pricing system while at Chevron/Texaco/Caltex, later leading the UK loyalty program and card payments team. He then moved to Singapore to oversee payments, loyalty, sales, and marketing for the Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa before relocating to San Francisco to take on a global payments' strategy and marketing role.
At Visa Inc., Andrew established the first retail engagement team for the Central Europe, Middle East, and Africa (CEMEA) region, transforming relationships with merchants and acquirers. This initiative led to major brands like IKEA, McDonald's, and BP Africa accepting card payments for the first time. He later directed Visa’s commercial card team and served as Vice President and European head of merchant acceptance and acquiring services, where he onboarded over half a million merchants and secured contracts that generated more than $24 billion in new revenue over five years.
His expertise in commercial payments led him to collaborate with Mastercard advisors in Saudi Arabia, developing a commercial card program for one of the region's largest banks. Andrew also served as Senior Vice President at JCB, where he spearheaded sales and marketing efforts in Europe, achieving the brand’s first profitable period in the region.
Through his mentorship at London’s FinTech hub, Level 39, he became Advisor, Chairman, and eventually CEO of Pomelo Pay, a rapidly growing QR code payments startup that secured FCA approval and later relocated to Singapore. He also held the position of CEO at an Open Banking startup in the UK and served as European Business Director of FinTech at Intellias, a global software engineering firm.
An Ambassador for the UK Payments Association and a Chair and Moderator at QUBE Events, Andrew is dedicated to fostering collaboration and knowledge-sharing within the FinTech community. As a thought leader, he has mentored many figures in the industry and is often invited to speak at major conferences and appear on podcasts and TV interviews.
Andrew considers his most significant achievements to be the development and success of his people. He has successfully led diverse teams across over 70 countries and is committed to leaving a legacy of new leaders.
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Stephanos Papadopoulos
Founder & Chief Executive Officer at Spatzia.eu
Stephanos is an International Trusted Advisor, Accredited Coach and Consultant to Founders Entrepreneurs, Business Owners and C-Level Executives. He is also a Board Member, Public Speaker and Podcast Creator & Host. He has first-hand experience in C-Level roles in countries across the globe in high pressure, fast paced, international board rooms and can relate to the opportunities and threats that these environments create for the leaders involved.
Stephanos creates space for his clients, which allows them to fine-tune and increase their creativity, focus and resolve, for what matters to them most. His work with his clients enables their growth and supports them in making bigger, better and more confident decisions on a professional and personal basis.
He has worked in C Suite, Advisory Board and Board of Directors Level positions in strategy, finance and operations, as well as a consultant and coach in numerous industries (financial services, FMCG, retail trade, manufacturing, high tech, education, mining, construction, heavy machinery trading, automobile trade) on an international basis, in companies from start up to mature phase, backed primarily by Family Office, Private Equity and VC funding.
Kevin Lehtiniitty
CEO at Borderless.xyz
Kevin is the founder and CEO of Borderless.xyz building the next generation of global payments and banking infrastructure onchain. Kevin is a technical founder with extensive experience building financial infrastructure, regulated digital asset custodial products, liquidity platforms, and compliance infrastructure. Prior to founding Borderless.xyz, Kevin served as the Chief Product Officer of Fortress.io & Fortress Trust until 2023, and Prime Trust until 2020 building regulated infrastructure for digital asset custody, crypto liquidity, stablecoin payments, and tokenization of RWAs; as well as consulting on the creation of Fireblock’s NY Trust subsidiary. He has a proven track record of scaling financial infrastructure startups from inception to +$70M ARR and leading product-engineering teams of over 150 people globally.
Donna M. Murphy
Deputy Comptroller for Compliance Risk Policy and the Acting Deputy Comptroller for the Office of Financial Technology at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC)
Donna M. Murphy is the Deputy Comptroller for Compliance Risk Policy and the Acting Deputy Comptroller for the Office of Financial Technology at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC).
In her role as Deputy Comptroller for Compliance Risk Policy, Ms. Murphy oversees development of policy and examination procedures relating to consumer compliance, fair lending, Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), Bank Secrecy Act, and antimoney laundering issues. She serves as a key advisor to the Committee on Bank Supervision and to the Comptroller on compliance and CRA matters. She took on this role in May 2016.
In her role as Acting Deputy Comptroller for the Office of Financial Technology, Ms. Murphy provides oversight for the office responsible for the analysis and evaluation of financial technology innovations, trends, emerging risks, and potential implications for OCC supervision and OCC-supervised banks. She assumed these responsibilities in September 2023.
Ms. Murphy previously served as the Director of the Community and Consumer Law Division and oversaw the legal department that provides legal interpretations and advice to OCC policymakers, managers, and examiners on consumer compliance and fair lending laws.
Prior to joining the OCC in March 2013, Ms. Murphy served in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice as a Deputy Chief in the Housing and Civil Enforcement Section, the Special Litigation Section, and the Voting Section.
Before joining the Justice Department, Ms. Murphy served as a law clerk for the Honorable Myron H. Thompson, U.S. District Judge in Montgomery, Alabama.
Michael Galdo
Counsel at King & Spalding
Michael Galdo is a Counsel with King & Spalding’s Special Matters and Government Investigations team. He focuses on complex investigations, especially those with cyber, transnational, or national security implications. Mike recently joined King & Spalding after serving for over 15 years as a federal prosecutor, including as the Department of Justice’s Director of COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement in the Office of the Deputy Attorney General. There, Mike led the Department’s criminal, civil, and forfeiture enforcement efforts pursuing those who committed or facilitated billions of dollars in fraud against pandemic relief programs, including transnational cybercrime networks. Mike was also the Assistant United States Attorney in Charge of Cybercrime for the Western District of Texas, leading investigations into malware distributors, cryptocurrency exchanges, business email compromise offenses, money launderers, and other cybercrime offenses. Mike spent nearly a decade as a national security prosecutor, investigating and charging export control violations for the unlawful export of sensitive technology and terrorism offenses, including the investigation and charging of the 2018 Austin Serial Bomber.
Daniel C. Silva
Shareholder at Buchalter
Daniel C. Silva is a shareholder at Buchalter, where he represents businesses and individuals in criminal, civil, and regulatory matters, specializing in complex financial crimes, internal investigations, enforcement actions, litigation, and advising financial institutions with AML compliance, payments, and digital currencies. After spending a decade prosecuting financial crimes and AML violations at the US Attorney’s Office in San Diego, he moved in-house as global risk counsel at a fintech startup. In addition to his law degree, Danny earned an LL.M. in Taxation and an MBA with a concentration in international business.
Dhiraj Bhat
Product Manager at Unit21
Dhiraj Bhat is a Product Manager at Unit21. His areas of expertise are data privacy and security, fraud prevention, product positioning and go-to-market strategy. Currently his areas of focus are the Fraud Consortium and the adoption of Generative AI in risk management.
Ian Lazarus
VP of Business Operations at ZippyMH
Ian is a dedicated leader in GTM, business operations, revenue operations, and enablement blending strategic GTM insights with operational rigor to fuel startup growth. With a deep understanding of GTM and the operations to support it, he excels at building scalable systems and processes that drive revenue predictability and efficiency. Ian is a strong advocate for operations and enablement as a key driver of organizational change, seeing it as essential for aligning teams, optimizing performance, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement.
Chastity Murphy
Senior Advisor for Financial Institutions at the US Treasury Dept
Chastity is a Senior Advisor for Financial Institutions, managing the cryptocurrency, digital assets, consumer protections, and financial inclusion portfolios. Chastity was previously a senior economic policy advisor for Representative Rashida Tlaib, pioneering legislation on e-cash, stablecoins and digital assets. As a policy advisor, she managed Tlaib’s Financial Services Committee and worked on anti-austerity, financial reform, racial equity, and financial inclusion policies. Chastity also worked with Representative Marcia Fudge as a legislative aide. Chastity has also been a cooperative education student and analyst at the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. In 2020, Chastity was featured in the Forbes article “Women of Color Hill Staffers Talk New Economic Policy Making, Digital Cash Without Blockchain.” Chastity lives in Washington, D.C., and has a political science and economics B.A. from South Carolina State University.
Justin O'Brien
Head of Sales at Vine Financial, Inc.
Results-driven fintech professional with 23+ years of experience driving innovation in card manufacturing, digital banking and open finance.
At Vine Financial, Justin spearheads cross-functional initiatives, blending product development, marketing and sales expertise. His passion for financial inclusion, technology integration and customer-centric solutions fuels Vine's growth.
Abhi Dobhal
Cofounder and CEO at Asaari
Abhi Dobhal brings over 20 years of expertise in finance, e-commerce, and digital assets. He holds degrees in MIS and finance and an MBA in Entrepreneurship.
Abhi began his career in mortgage banking, focusing on financial marketplaces, before transitioning to consulting for e-commerce ventures. In 2013, he entered the digital asset industry, leading customer operations at Cointerra, the first U.S.-based ASIC miner manufacturer. In 2015, he co-founded Factom Inc., a pioneering blockchain data security company. In 2023, he co-founded Asaari, a financial services platform for digital asset investors.
Christopher Petersen
CEO & Founder at MICA
Christopher Petersen has spent over 20 years in payments spanning credit, debit, prepaid, loyalty, ACH, and EBT. He's held positions in executive leadership, product, operations, and solution design. Christopher's payments experience includes running operations worldwide for FIS, product strategy for Google Payment & solutions architecture for Bakkt.
Christopher is an innovator. He has built four payment processors, authored 15 patents, and designed the first network tokenization solution, which Visa and Mastercard cited as inspiration for their implementation. His depth of industry knowledge, experience, and forward-looking mentality have led to seven successful startup exits to Google, Microsoft, FIS, and multiple IPOs.
Christopher holds a Master of Business Administration from Carnegie Mellon's Tepper School of Business.
Jessica J. Washington
Assistant Vice President and Director of Payments Research and Outreach at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
Jessica J. Washington is assistant vice president and director of payments research and outreach with the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. In this role, Jessica is a recognized thought leader through her collaboration with industry participants, such as financial institutions, fintechs, regulators, law enforcement, the legal community, and others in the Federal Reserve System. She regularly convenes and speaks to payments industry stakeholders to discuss trends in payments, inclusion initiatives and to promote the mitigation of payments risks. Jessica shares her research through blogs, papers, presentations, and hosting forums.
In addition, Ms. Washington currently serves as Deputy Chair to the Special Committee on Payments Inclusion, sits on the Board of ePay Resources and on the Florida State Alumni Association Board of Directors. She has previously served as Deputy Chair of the Diversity Advisory Council of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, Advisor to NACHA's Payments Risk Accreditation Oversight Panel, Board Member of The Payments Institute Board of Regents, Advisor to Accredited ACH Certification Board, and Member of FS-ISAC’s Payments Risk and Fraud Group.
Ms. Washington brings years of association management experience. Prior to joining the Federal Reserve, Jessica served as senior vice president for PaymentsFirst, a not-for-profit trade association. In this role she provided member services such as education and consulting. Jessica managed all aspects of the association such as: information technology, accounting, communications, government and industry relations, human resources, and other day-to-day functions.
She earned her bachelor’s degree in English from FSU in 2004 with a major in creative writing and minor in childhood development. She is a lifetime member of the FSU Alumni Association, a ProfessioNole Mentor, and active volunteer for Boys and Girls Clubs of America. Post-graduate, Jessica obtained her Accredited ACH Professional Certification in 2007, Six Sigma Green Belt in 2017 and Prosci Change Management Certification in 2019.