In this episode of the London Fintech Podcast, Tony Clark sits down with Pete Wickes, General Manager for Global Enterprise at Worldpay, to unpack the fast-evolving landscape of payments and the innovations redefining how money moves around the world.

Pete shares insights from his extensive experience leading Worldpay’s global operations, exploring the rapid acceleration of digital payment methods, the rise of wallets and account-to-account transactions, and why understanding consumer behaviour is crucial for innovation. The conversation highlights Worldpay’s role in powering billions of transactions globally and how merchants today have more choice than ever in how they accept payments.

They discuss the broader payments ecosystem—from acquirers to PSPs—and what the future might look like as digital currencies, embedded finance, and alternative payment rails continue to gain momentum. Pete also reflects on the importance of staying close to the market through industry events and customer conversations.

Topics Covered:

• Being an avid football fan 

• How the global payments ecosystem is evolving

• The role of WorldPay in powering billions of transactions

• Why merchants now have more options than ever

• The rise of account-to-account payments and digital wallets

• Cash isn’t dead—but it’s changing

• Key innovations shaping the next phase of payments

• Why consumer preference should drive product design

• What’s next: digital currencies, real-time payments, and embedded finance

Whether you're a fintech innovator, payments professional, or just curious about where the future of transactions is headed, this episode offers a front-row seat to the transformation underway in the global payments space.