Thursday, August 24, 2023
In opening comments, Ellerman thanked sponsors, exhibitors and participants for their consistent support, encouraging everyone to network, engage and learn from each other over the next three days.
"In keeping with this year's theme, The Movement of Money, I encourage everyone to join this growing movement that is shaping our collective future," Ellerman said, adding that this year's agenda would include perspectives on banking, fintech, financial services, global economies and regulatory frameworks, security and topics impacting the future of commerce.
Ellerman also pointed out that event organizers added new elements to this year's conference, including a live broadcast by Tedd Huff, host of the Fintech Confidential podcast, and a digital business card that gives participants a new way to connect and expand their professional networks.
Concurrent workshops, presented by BalancedTrust and Chargebacks911, were held 8 a.m. to noon on Wed., Aug. 23. They provided a deep dive into the complex, evolving worlds of bank relationships and chargeback management.
Travis Dulaney, founder of BalancedTrust, noted that banking relationships with third-party vendors and wholesale fintechs are changing. His workshop, he stated, will explore the changing landscape of fintech, payments, digital assets and banking and what new opportunities exist.
Monica Eaton, founder and CEO, Chargebacks911, said that the interactive session will survey the chargeback landscape in 2023 by examining key stats, rule updates, and changing markets and consumer behavior to assess the impact of emerging innovations on the future of chargeback management.
Natasha Royer Coons, CEO at Advantix, thanked Ellerman for the opportunity to meet with digital commerce stakeholders, many of whom are dealing with similar challenges as the technology channel—which she described as technology distributors, telecom agents, value-added resellers and other advisors who help businesses source, implement, manage and support technologies.
Ellerman concurred, stating that she has been involved in the technology channel for over two decades and values her long-term partner relationships. "I'm honored to introduce my tech channel partners to payment firms, fintechs, processors and service providers," she said. "I'm confident both sectors will find partnership opportunities with technology distributors, telecom agents, value-added resellers and advisors."
Bohdan Myroniw, chief strategic officer at Amadis, mentioned that he has enjoyed participating in MPC. "This is a midsummer show where industry leaders get together to assess where we've been, the current digital commerce landscape and where we are going."
OB Rawls, executive director of Wellesley Hills Financial, opened Day 2 of the conference with a brief history of the payments industry, from early days of cash-and-barter systems, to the first wire funds transfer made 150 years ago at Western Union, to current omnichannel commerce.
Looking ahead, he expects to see more commoditization of traditional processors as new-age processors gain share in a connected commerce ecosystem. "We need to change how we address the markets," he said.
In presenting a Super App award to Will Graylin on Thurs., Aug. 24, Dale Laszig, senior staff writer at The Green Sheet, mentioned that innovators are not always iterative but occasionally break the mold by rethinking existing models. Victor Gruen, for example, envisioned a shopping mall in 1954, where shoppers and competing retailers could congregate. And today, in the 21st century, a new company, OV Loop, is challenging the digital commerce status quo.
"When I look around, this room looks a lot like a super app," she said. "I see competitors sitting together, collaborating and learning, and fellow members of the press, leaning in and taking notes. It's my honor to present this award to payments industry leader Will Graylin, chairman and CEO at OV Loop, for envisioning a super app that re-intermediates our digital commerce community."
Graylin thanked Laszig and MPC for the award, stating that hearing Shari Krasinski, senior vice president and treasury management sales leader at U.S. Bank, sing the U.S. national anthem at MPC's opening ceremony reminded him of what this country stands for and the opportunities ahead of us to build a unified commerce experience.
Will Hernandez, media strategist at BackBay Communications, and returning emcee at MPC, noted that the timing was right for MPC23. "Payments is at the forefront of a lot of conversations happening in the industry right now," he said. "FedNow has people excited, more consumers are using mobile wallets, and something like generative AI has a lot of potential to shake up the industry."
Additional information about MPC23, and the full conference agenda is available at mpcevent.com/mpc-conference-index/ 
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