For our sixth annual B2B Payments event, PYMNTS Chief Content Officer John Gaffney sits down with CEO Karen Webster to open four weeks of conversations on how artificial intelligence is reshaping B2B payments. We’ll explore what the connection between AI and B2B really looks like, the new use cases emerging, and what it will take to move from curiosity to adoption. From agentic AI and adaptive CFOs to active cash flow management and the risks of moving faster than governance can support, CEOs, CFOs and financial leaders will share how AI is transforming finance today — and what the conversation may look like by next year.
The next competitive advantage for CFOs is not just about scale or speed. It is intelligence. AI is changing how finance leaders see their businesses, make decisions and move money. It is shifting the CFO agenda from efficiency to foresight. In this B2B Payments 2025 keynote conversation with Raj Seshadri, Chief Commercial Payments Officer at Mastercard, we will explore how AI and data are giving CFOs new ways to manage cash flow, working capital, and risk, while mobilizing partners across the B2B ecosystem to accelerate growth. The discussion will highlight how CFOs are already putting AI into practice, the cultural and talent shifts needed to capture its value and why those who embrace intelligence at scale will define the future of payments.
CFOs are prioritizing AI investments not just to improve efficiency, but to shift the role of finance from a traditional cost center to a contributor of enterprise value. Emanuel Pleitez, Head of Finance at Finix, explores how AI is being used to streamline reconciliation, improve forecasting accuracy and strengthen cash flow management. He’ll share practical use cases and perspectives on how finance teams are embedding AI into daily operations to drive long-term performance and organizational agility.
Athena Capital’s Serena Dayal tells PYMNTS why the biggest danger for executives isn’t missing out on GenAI. It’s diving in before the data, governance and strategy are ready. The discussion explores why timing matters more than speed, how to separate hype from meaningful innovation, where companies can capture quick efficiency gains and why strong data foundations and governance are essential for building a sustainable AI strategy.
Traditionally, businesses rely on past data to forecast cash flow, leaving finance teams in a reactive position. AI enables a shift from reactive to active management, using real-time information to anticipate issues before they arise. It automates manual processes, reduces friction, strengthens fraud detection, and transforms payments data into predictive intelligence. This session will explore how AI helps businesses stay ahead of challenges, strengthen supplier relationships, and manage cash flow with greater accuracy and confidence.
Would you trust a machine with your money? Every day, AI is making the calls: approving loans, detecting fraud, and deciding who gets access to credit. But when customers lose confidence in those decisions, the system breaks. In this session, Green Dot’s Chief Product Officer Melissa Douros explores how banks and FinTechs can fight disinformation, design with transparency and ethics and build the guardrails that win back trust. Because in the AI era, trust isn’t just important — it’s the currency that makes finance work.
Collections is emerging as a proving ground for agentic AI, blending automation with intelligence to support finance teams. In this session, Dave Ruda, Vice President of Product at Billtrust, will discuss how AI can predict risk and benchmark performance, accelerate case resolution and bring efficiency to inbox and call management with tools like automated notetaking. He’ll highlight how agentic AI makes dispute resolution faster and more consistent while ensuring compliance and strengthening customer trust.
As AI takes on a more active role in payments, businesses need more than automation; they need confidence in the decisions machines are making at scale. For organizations managing transactions across multiple gateways and providers, trust becomes the foundation for adopting agentic AI. In this session, Justin Benson, CEO at Spreedly, will explore how payment orchestration builds the guardrails for agentic AI to operate securely, from optimizing routing decisions to minimizing transaction failures. The discussion will focus on how businesses can create resilience across diverse rails, balance speed with safety and prepare for a future where trusted machines move money.
Global payments depend on more than speed and innovation. They depend on trust. As new technologies like AI reshape the flow of money across borders banks and payment providers must address the rising demands of governance, compliance and transparency. Tom Halpin, Regional Head of Global Payments Solutions at HSBC will share how trust frameworks and regulatory alignment are shaping the future of global commerce, and why balancing innovation with accountability is essential to building resilience and confidence in intelligent money movement.
For decades, accounts receivable has been a manual, back-office burden that slowed down cash flow and consumed valuable resources. Today, AI is redefining what’s possible. An intelligent, zero touch A/R model doesn’t just automate processes; it learns, predicts, and adapts in real time.
Credit approvals can be made in seconds, payments matched without complete remittance data, and disputes flagged and resolved before they escalate. At the same time, AI safeguards against fraud and provides forward-looking insights into working capital needs. This is not only about efficiency. It is about turning receivables into a source of resilience and growth in a digital-first economy. In this session, Brandon Spear, CEO, TreviPay, will explore how AI is ushering in a new era of frictionless, intelligent receivables and what it means for the future of B2B payments.
When AI becomes the buyer, agentic commerce shifts from a consumer novelty to a force reshaping B2B payments. Autonomous agents can manage procurement, reconcile invoices and optimize cash flow at speeds no human team can match — but they also raise urgent questions of trust, fraud prevention and governance. In this session, Nabil Manji, SVP, Head of FinTech Growth and Financial Partnerships at Worldpay, will explore how agentic commerce is transforming the relationship between merchant and consumer, the infrastructure required to support it, and what finance leaders need to do now to prepare for a future where machines transact on behalf of enterprises.
Retail CFOs are leading the charge in adopting working capital solutions, with many using them not just to bridge gaps but to reinvest in innovation and growth. Nowhere is that dynamic more unique than in recommerce, where liquidity depends on millions of consignors, unpredictable payout cycles and shifting consumer behavior.
Join Karen Webster, CEO of PYMNTS, and Sean Sobers, CFO of ThredUp, as they explore how working capital is being redefined in retail. From balancing liquidity in a consignment-based model and harnessing AI for forecasting, to reshaping banking expectations and navigating consumer shifts under economic pressure, Sean will share how ThredUp is building resilience while scaling one of the world’s largest resale marketplaces.
In today’s volatile retail landscape, optimizing working capital has become a defining advantage with four in five firms unlocking an average of $19 million in savings through external solutions, according to the 2025–2026 Growth Corporates Working Capital Index produced by PYMNTS Intelligence and Visa. PYMNTS CEO Karen Webster sits down with JOOR CFO Rich Rein to discuss how wholesale marketplaces are reshaping liquidity management and payments, whether firms are moving from protecting liquidity to using it for growth and how tools like card acceptance, embedded financing and AI-driven forecasting are changing the game.
Artificial intelligence is transforming how businesses establish trust, verify identity and protect against fraud in the B2B payments ecosystem. Vijay Mehta, EVP/GM of Global Solutions and Analytics at Experian, joins Karen Webster to discuss the rise of agent-to-agent interactions, the role of behavioral and device intelligence in distinguishing humans from bots, and why responsible AI and model transparency are essential for securing transactions. The conversation also explores how evolving standards and new approaches to identity could shape the way businesses connect and transact in the years ahead.
In an industry where billions move across borders on razor-thin margins, every decision about working capital carries outsized impact. Join Karen Webster, CEO of PYMNTS, and Vikas Mehta, CFO of Remitly, for a candid conversation on how remittance providers navigate the complex intersection of liquidity, regulation and innovation.
From optimizing cash float and balancing prefunding with efficiency, to leveraging AI for forecasting and managing risk in real time, this discussion will explore how Remitly is building resilience while scaling globally. Vikas will share how Remitly approaches treasury strategy in today’s high-rate environment, adapts to seasonality and demand surges, diversifies banking partnerships and balances the compliance costs that come with operating across dozens of countries.
AI in payments is moving from promise to performance. Matthew Pearce, Vice President of Fraud Risk Management and Dispute Operations at i2c, shares how the company is using generative and predictive AI to transform how financial institutions manage risk, credit and customer operations. He’ll discuss innovations like an AI-driven knowledge bot that helps clients resolve complex technical questions in real time, reducing friction and operational costs. Behind these advancements is a disciplined approach to augmented intelligence, where more than 50 AI specialists and QA experts ensure every model’s output is explainable, secure and regulator-ready. The result is a blueprint for how banks and FinTechs can harness AI to compete smarter in the era of intelligent money movement.
AI is transforming how businesses move money, authenticate customers, and assess risk — and fraudsters are evolving just as fast. Winning this race takes more than deploying AI against AI. It requires smarter systems that blend automation, contextual data, and human insight. In this session, Alex Yen, Vice President of Product Architecture at Persona, explores how leading FinTechs are building adaptive trust frameworks that not only stop intelligent fraud but also accelerate legitimate transactions and strengthen customer confidence.
