Event Highlights

Innovating for Resilience, Inclusion and Growth

The payments industry is at a critical inflection point. Innovation is rapidly transforming how businesses and consumers transact, yet rising regulatory expectations, economic pressures, and political shifts demand a new level of agility, security and resilience. At the Payments Innovation Day 2025, we will explore whether this year will mark a defining moment for the industry. Through insightful discussions, we will celebrate the game-changers and examine the pivotal shifts that will drive innovation in payments.

Imagine a World Without Payment Cards

Imagine a world where every flight, hotel stay, or business expense had to be paid in cash - where convenience, security and corporate rewards didn’t exist. This was the reality before one visionary company introduced the first charge card, sparking an era of innovation that reshaped how businesses and individuals transact. 

For this year’s opening keynote, Rajiv Gupta, VP of International Markets (EMEA) at Discover Global Network, will take you on a journey through groundbreaking innovations that helped to shape the modern payments industry, from the birth of the charge card to the first corporate card program, and explore how the spirit of innovation continues to drive transformation in payments today.

Setting a New Standard for Accessible Payments

The TaluCard project, delivered on the R52 platform, is a breakthrough payment innovation designed to close long standing accessibility gaps in financial transactions for the visually impaired users. By combining patent pending tactile guidance markers and enhancements with patent pending real-time transaction verification, the solution redefines how independence, trust, and security are experienced at the point of sale. The TaluCard | R52 platform sets a new standard for accessible payments, combining cutting-edge biometric security with human centred design to support global financial inclusion.

Enabling Innovation through the Digital Pound

Jeremy is a Senior Advisor focusing on the economics of Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) in the Bank’s CBDC Unit.  He contributed significantly to the Bank’s 2023 CBDC Consultation Paper and the Bank’s 2021 Discussion Paper on New Forms of Digital Money. Jeremy has worked at the Bank for over 25 years in financial stability, market operations, fintech and digital money.  Prior to working at the Bank, Jeremy worked at a consultancy specialising in microeconomic analysis for businesses.  He has a MSc in economics and BSc in mathematics from Warwick University.