3rd Annual International Payment Forum

The Chair of the European Payments Council

Javier Santamaría has been a member of the EPC since its creation in 2002. He Chairs the Board since June 2012. As an independent, self- employed professional. Mr Santamaría has accumulated broad and balanced expertise in the intertwined dimensions of payments business-related, operational, technical – across different client segments and product lines, in the legacy and the innovative spheres. He has been immersed in both cooperative and competitive environments. Besides payments, he is interested in other banking fields and continues to be actively engaged in academic matters. Mr Santamaría is also Chair of the Iberpay Board. Former Head of Operations and Business Services, he was Senior Vice President at Banco Santander until December 2016. He was a member of the Board of the Euro Banking Association and a Director of the SWIFT Board until the end of 2016

Policy Expert, Conduct, Payments and Consumers

Antonio has been working for the EBA for 3 years on payments-related topic. He has led the development of a number of PSD2 mandates, the EBA Opinions on SCA and eIDAS, the EBA PSD2 Register and the work on PSD2 Q&As. He has also been actively involved in the EBA API WG. Before joining the EBA, Antonio was a head of unit at the Bulgarian National Bank and responsible for authorisation and supervision of PSPs. Antonio was also a senior expert in a project for transposition of PSD2 and EMD in the Macedonian legislation. He also used to teach Banking in a university in Bulgaria.

Financial Market Infrastructures and Payments Oversight Department

Since 2018 she works within the Payments Oversight Division – the structure that will be responsible for ensuring compliance with the security requirements set out in the PSD2, as well as other requirements set out by NBR for payment institutions, in regard with payment security issues.

Owner, Incentage

Founded Incentage in 2002 with the mission to enable and facilitate financial institutions for SWIFT messaging including ISO 20022 enabling, Business Activity Monitoring, payments liquidity optimization and payment hub. MBA with a major in Business Engineering, University of St. Gallen, Haas School University Berkley, Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Started the banking career with Credit Suisse and worked in several functions. Started the software career back in 1980 writing a software to automate risk management of silent confirmation L/Cs for oil trades. Inventor of X-Gen at Computer Services Kaisha in 1995 enabling the SWIFT community for ISO15022

As a senior associate in our Banking & Finance Practice Group in Frankfurt, I advise our national and international clients on banking regulatory issues and finance law.

My daily work is focused on regulatory issues regarding credit institutions, financial services institutions, payment service providers, e-money institutions and investment funds (managers) as well as the interdependence of regulation and digitalisation. This involves giving advice to fintech, insurtech and regtech companies as well as their investors on various matters from regulation through investment structures to
ownership control. I work on licensing, registrations and alternative structures avoiding regulation, as well as on antimoney laundering laws, including the connection with anonymous products. Additionally, I work on cross-border financing matters, in particular regarding project financing in relation to renewable energy and infrastructure projects as well as LBOs. This regularly involves debt funds and their regulatory environment
or relates to questions on CRR. I also have experience in the acquisition of distressed loan portfolios. I am actively engaged in thought advancing, sector-focused and academic writing on crypto-currencies and crypto-financing methods. I contribute to the discussion by regularly publishing scientific articles as well as blogging for our website and in industry news updates.

My Education

Legal studies at the University of Bonn and the second state examination in Cologne Legal clerkship with stations at major law firms, legal departments, courts and the finance authority as well as at a law
firm in the USA (focus: cross-border matters) Degree of Master of Laws with a specialisation in Banking and Finance Law in a postgraduate programme at the University of London under the academic direction of Queen Mary University of London and University College London

Head of Division for E-money and Payment institution supervision

Rūta Merkevičiūtė is a Head of Division for E-money and Payment institution supervision at Bank of Lithuania, responsible for supervising over 100 E-money and Payment institutions. She is also a member of Lithuanian’s Payment council group, which is dedicated to investigating to further implementation of Open Banking in Lithuania.

She has professional legal qualification as an attorney-at law and for the past 10 years has been working both in private sector and financial sector’s supervision in the areas of responsibility that include AML, payments, open-banking, lending, crowdfunding, investment services and transposition of EU Directives such as PAD, PSD2 and AMLD4.

Previously, she took part in developing a regulatory framework for FinTech industry in Lithuania as a member of the interinstitutional working group for the Action Plan on FinTech industry. She also managed “Newcomer programme” and led Regulatory Sandbox in Bank of Lithuania allowing entities to test financial innovations in a live environment under the guidance and supervision of the Bank of Lithuania.

Partner and Assoc. Director

Management consultant with expertise in digital technology led enterprise transformations, including strategy, business model innovation, design and development of large scale digital platforms. • Inventor, technology leader and technology entrepreneur, with deep product innovation and development experience, developed several first-of-the-kind products and platforms, including commercially successful products. • Thought leader with 27 issued patents and publications, and strong IP development licensing and monetization experience. • Business leader with Board level management experience of industry alliances in healthcare and consumer electronics, and advisor to C-suite executives on large enterprise digital initiatives.

Executive Director

Lajos Bartha is currently Executive Director for Financial Infrastructures and Banking Operations in the Magyar Nemzeti Bank (the central bank of Hungary) where previously he led the Directorate Financial Infrastructures between 2007 and 2017. The executive directorate is responsible for regulation and supervision of payment services, oversight of clearing and settlement systems, and operation of the Bank’s back office including its RTGS system. It plays an active role in the development of the Hungarian payment and securities clearing and settlement infrastructures. He is the member of the ESCB Market Infrastructures and Payments Committee, chairman of the Hungarian CSD’s (KELER Zrt) supervisory board and member of the supervisory boards of the Hungarian Stock Exchange (BÉT Zrt) and of the Hungarian Automated Clearing house (GIRO Zrt). He has been working for Magyar Nemzeti Bank since 1998 and has held different positions in the financial infrastructures directorate. Before joining Magyar Nemzeti Bank, he worked for Arthur Andersen, the Hungarian State Holding Company, a commercial bank and in DG Payments Systems in the European Central Bank.  He received his master’s degree in economics from the Budapest University of Economics in 1992.

Marcel Kooring, Fraud & Risk Intelligence specialist. Over 20 years of experience in Cyber Security with a focus on Fraud Prevention for the last 8 years.

Vice President of European Government Affairs at American Express

Since June 2017 Elie Beyrouthy leads the company’s engagement with European Union Institutions and advises senior leaders on EU regulatory and public policy matters. Elie also represents American Express’ interests in several EU trade bodies and professional associations. Prior to joining American Express, Elie was Director of International Regulatory Affairs at Western Union for 5 years. From 2007 to 2012, Elie held leadership positions at the World Savings Banks Institute and the European Banking Federation. Elie began his career as an intern at the European Commission and the United States Federal District Court of Minnesota. He holds two Masters Degrees in Law from the University of Minnesota and from the Jean Moulin University in Lyon – France. Elie also holds a diploma from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Lyon – France

Head of the Payment and Securities Clearing and Settlement Division & Recruitment

Matthias Schmudde is Head of the Payment and Securities Clearing and Settlement Division at the Deutsche Bundesbank in Frankfurt. He is a member of the MIPC (Market Infrastructure and Payments Committee) and responsible for cashless payment and securities clearing strategy, policy issues and oversight. Matthias Schmudde is in particular involved in Eurosystem related initiatives such as Instant Payments and the Vision 2020 for market infrastructures. Previously he focused on developing and improving the Bundesbank`s own payment and accounting systems. Before joining the Bundesbank in 1997, Matthias Schmudde obtained a master’s degree in business administration and completed an apprenticeship in banking.

Alam is a partner with and head of the Toronto Real Estate and Financial Services Group in Gowling WLG’s Toronto office. His practice includes corporate commercial and lending transactions

Christopher also acts for both creditors, including banks and other major financial institutions, and debtors in secured and unsecured lending transactions that include public and private acquisitions, asset-based loans, and term and revolving facilities in both a domestic and cross border context. He also acts for creditors, debtors and receivers in transactions involving insolvency and related issues; and for U.S.-based lenders carrying on lending businesses in Canada. Christopher acts for public and private corporations in providing legal assistance with general corporate matters, including mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, borrowings and commercial transactions. Christopher is a member of the firm’s Legal Opinions Committee.He also w rites and blogs about the regulation of artificial intelligence at JurisAI or at @aijuris.

John leads PaymentsCompliance’s award-winning editorial team

He joined as a reporter in 2015 and has been editor since 2016. John covers regulatory and legal developments that have an impact on payments businesses, including banks, processors, e-money institutions, acquirers and card schemes within Europe , key topics include:

• PSD2 and its supporting secondary legislation, as well as the
• 4th and 5th AMLD
• GDPR and the
• Interchange Fee Regulation

John has also written for sister publication GamblingCompliance, as well as numerous specialist industry publications, and was previously a media researcher and contributor.

European Director of the ATM Industry Association and Chairman of Cash & Card World

Ron Delnevo joined Euronet UK, the company which installed the first independent ATM in the UK in 1998, in January 1999. Ron became Managing Director in June 2000, led a successful MBO in 2003 and participated in a trade sale to Cardtronics in 2005. He went on to lead the company – then branded “Bank Machine” – until 2012. During that time, Bank Machine developed through continuous innovation, enjoyed double digit annual revenue growth and experienced growing profitability. Since leaving Bank Machine, Ron has dedicated himself to furthering the interests of the ATM and cash industries throughout Europe. He now serves as European Director of the ATM Industry Association and Chairman of Cash & Card World. Ron is recognised as a thought leader on Payment Choice and is invited to speak on the subject at conferences throughout the World. In the 1990s, Ron ran his own consultancy business, specialising in retail and franchising. In the 1980s, Ron was a Director of Tie Rack PLC, following on from a 6-year stint as a senior commercial manager of the British Airports Authority , with special responsibility for retail innovation. Ron Delnevo graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Organisation from Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh and completed a post grad in Personnel Management at Napier University.Ron loves sports, especially his beloved Heart of Midlothian Football Club in Edinburgh. He also serves as a Trustee of his local Citizens Advice charity in the UK and is a member of the board of CaLP, the Cash Learning Partnership.

Director of Digital Strategy and Payments at Banco Azteca in Mexico

Romina Guevara is Director of Digital Strategy and Payments at Banco Azteca in Mexico City since October 2017 where she leads the company´s efforts to reduce the use of cash in Mexico and enable a larger percentage of the population who do not have a bank account but a mobile phone to gain access to banking services through digital solutions and emerging payment methods. Romina also represents Banco Azteca in the working group of the Association of Mexican Banks on facilitating the digital dispersion or digital delivery of social and economic support instrumented by the Mexican government; such as scholarships for young people or pensions for the elderly. Prior to joining Banco Azteca, she was Vice President of Digital Adoption and Business Development at Citibanamex for more than 3 years. Romina began her career at GE Money and has held leadership positions at other important organizations such as American Express.
She holds a Master Degree in Business Administration from Thunderbird School of Global Management in Arizona, a diploma from Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education in Mexico City and she is pursuing a post grad in general management at Ipade Business School.
Over the past years, she has been involved with matters relating to innovation, digital payments, digital adoption, and digital transformation.

Chief Development & Visionary Officer, Author and award-winning NGO-Founder

Jochen Werne is a German Manager with a proven track record in business & digital transformation and in the field of People’s Diplomacy. He’s a member of the Executive Committee of PROSEGUR Cash Services and in charge of Business Development, Innovation, Business Process Outsourcing, Solutions, New Products and International Sales. He’s a member of the Federal Ministry of Education & Research artificial intelligence initiative ‘Learning Systems’; member of one of world’s leading think tanks, the Royal Institute of International Affairs ‘Chatham House’. He’s a recognised keynote speaker and co-author of several books about innovation, leadership, AI, FinTech, Cyber Security etc. He has been awarded several times for his engagement in the support of international relations. He’s recognised by Focus-Magazine as one of the leading KI experts in Germany. He’s the ambassador of the Peter Tamm sen. Foundation as well as founder of the Global offshore Sailing Team (GOST) and co-founder of the NGO Mission4Peace, which is dedicated to historic research, the establishment of international, diplomatic relations and the encouragement of international dialogue. For his efforts, Jochen Werne has received repeated international recognition.

The Chair of the European Banking Federation

As of 1 February 2014 Gijs Boudewijn (1958) holds the position of Deputy General Manager at the Dutch Payments Association. Before that he was responsible for payments at the Dutch Banking Association. He has extensive experience in domestic as well as international payments issues, governance, competition law and fraud prevention. He started as an in-house lawyer at a large Dutch savings bank, and later became Head of Legal Affairs at the central Dutch clearing house, Bankgirocentrale, the predecessor of equensWorldline. In 1998 Mr Boudewijn joined the Dutch Banking Association as Head of Payments and Security Affairs, and in 2014 was appointed Deputy General Manager of the Dutch Payments Association. Currently Mr Boudewijn is Chair of the Legal Support Group of the European Payments Council and Chair of the Payment Systems Committee of the European Banking Federation. Over the past years he was in that capacity closely involved with matters relating to PSD2 and the various Regulatory Technical Standards. Mr Boudewijn is a regular speaker at national and international conferences on payments and related issues.