Global Transaction Optimization

Why Payment Failures Are a Strategy Problem, Not Just a Tech Issue Payment failures aren’t just random technical hiccups. They’re a signal. A reflection of blind spots in your payment strategy. And in many cases, they’re entirely preventable. I’ve worked with global merchants moving billions across multiple PSPs, acquirers, and regions. What I have learned is that one truth will always hold true, which is: Every payment stack will FAIL. The question is: when it does, will you be ready or just react? Most merchants still rely on a single provider to carry the load. They hope for high approval rates. They trust the gateway to retry. But they don’t design for failure recovery, resilience, or performance under pressure. That’s the difference between execution and strategy. Because if you look deeper at failure data, soft declines, fraud flags, timeouts, and issuer rejections. You’ll see a pattern: The issue isn’t just “bad luck” or a mistyped CVV. It’s a misalignment between customer behavior, issuer expectations, and rigid payment infrastructure. Here’s where strategy kicks in: 1. Dynamic, Redundant Routing If a transaction fails, can you retry with another PSP, one with a stronger track record for that BIN, region, or risk profile? With a payments orchestrator like IXOPAY, you can retry a soft-declined transaction using a different acquirer, or even using a different token format. 2. Token Strategy as Load-Balancing Logic Most merchants think of tokenization as a security feature. But network tokens (issued by the schemes) and universal tokens open up an entirely new layer of routing logic. You can literally route a transaction based on which token type performed better. Retry a soft decline with a network token instead of a vault token. Fallback intelligently, not blindly. 3. Local Optimization, Global Redundancy A local PSP might give you a 3% higher approval rate for cards issued in a specific market. But that’s only true if your routing engine accounts for that, in real time, and if your setup includes that local PSP in the first place. Otherwise, you’re just hoping. Hope doesn’t scale. Strategy does. Failover routing, token-aware retries, issuer-specific logic, BIN-level optimization, these are not features. They’re capabilities you either design for or get punished without. I’ve seen merchants recover 20–30% of failed transactions just by putting these strategies in place. And no, you don’t need to rebuild your stack from scratch. Orchestrators like IXOPAY understand that failure is inevitable and give you the tools to design around it. Because in payments, success isn’t just about preventing failure. It’s about being prepared for it. Let me know if you’ve tackled this challenge in your stack or if you’re still flying blind. P.S. Check out my newsletter for more Payments Strategies https://buff.ly/PYTVVDG

The World’s Payment Systems Aren’t Broken, They’re Just Not Speaking The Same Language. Imagine a world where payment initiation is seamless, compliance checks are real-time, and reconciliation happens without a hitch—all powered by standardized APIs. The Bank for International Settlements – BIS has just released a groundbreaking report on the harmonisation of APIs to enhance cross-border payments. This report is a game-changer, highlighting how standardising APIs can revolutionise the efficiency, cost, and transparency of global transactions. Key Takeaways: > Efficiency Gains: APIs streamline payment initiation, back office processes, and reconciliation, reducing manual interventions and operational costs. > Enhanced Transparency: Real-time updates and automated reconciliation improve transparency and trust in cross-border transactions. > Innovation and Collaboration: Harmonised APIs foster innovation, enabling businesses to offer new and improved services. So, what do these developments mean for businesses involved in cross-border payments, and how should they respond to them? >Adopt API Standards Early: Align with ISO 20022 to stay competitive. > Invest in Developer Resources: Equip teams to integrate harmonized APIs efficiently. >Collaborate Across Ecosystems: Engage with global standard-setting bodies to influence adaptable, industry-aligned practices. Here's what I think will happen to cross-border payments in the future in light of these recent developments. These are my three predictions about the future of cross-border payments: 1️⃣ Faster, Cheaper, and Transparent Payments Will Become the Norm: With initiatives like ISO 20022 adoption and pre-validation APIs, transaction costs and delays will drop significantly. Businesses and consumers will demand this simplicity as a baseline. 2️⃣ Interlinked Payment Systems Will Define the Global Economy: API harmonization will act as the backbone for linking real-time payment systems worldwide. Think of it as the financial internet where payments flow as seamlessly as data does today. 3️⃣ A Surge in Open Ecosystems: Collaboration between fintechs, banks, and regulators will create platforms that are not only interoperable but also foster unprecedented innovation. Security and trust will be the driving forces here. The future of cross-border payments hinges on one key ingredient: API harmonization. API harmonisation is a complex and lengthy process involving diverse stakeholders. Continuous collaboration and monitoring are essential to achieve the G20 targets for cross-border payments. With this in mind, Join the Emerging Payments Association Asia (EPAA) at the 5th APAC Fintech Payments Forum for an exclusive opportunity to dive into the CPMI-recommended toolkit for API harmonisation across borders. [Details in comments] How do you see API harmonization reshaping cross-border payments in your region? Drop your thoughts or questions in the comments below!

Cross-border payments drive global commerce despite traditional systems remaining costly and slow. Financial institutions are actively redefining this landscape with technologies like blockchain and real-time networks, enabling faster, cheaper, and more transparent solutions. Visa’s “Optimising Cross-Border Payments Globally” outlines key trends reshaping global payments infrastructure. ✅ Market Expansion APAC cross-border flows projected at USD $250T by 2027 B2B payments expected to exceed USD $100T by 2025 Cross-border e-commerce: 30% of consumers buy internationally every week ✅ Technology Priorities Blockchain: powering real-time liquidity, transparency, and 24/7 settlement Tokenised deposits: improving speed, security, and lowering cost AI/ML: automating fraud detection, compliance, and payment routing Generative AI: projected 36% CAGR (2023-30) in banking, supporting digital ID verification and real-time risk control ✅ Standards + Interoperability ISO 20022: enabling structured data, better compliance, reduced disputes ASEAN links: PayNow-PromptPay, PayNow-DuitNow, and Project Nexus — driving real-time cross-border flows G20 roadmap: focus on speed, cost, access, and transparency ✅ Collaboration Imperative Banks: infrastructure + trust Fintechs: innovation + agility Regulators: compliance + interoperability Networks: seamless integration + fraud resilience Full Report: https://lnkd.in/g2yvedSn #payments #iso20022 #ai #financialservices #trade #blockchain #stablecoins

Welcome to 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐲𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐀𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐲 by Checkout.com — Episode 7 👋 What is "𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞"? ► Intelligent Acceptance is an AI-powered optimization engine designed to help enterprise businesses boost their payment performance. It fine-tunes every element of the payment flow in real time. ► It has already unlocked over $10 billion in additional merchant revenue by helping global brands convert more payments with less friction. — 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤? The engine operates across five optimization layers: 1️⃣ 𝐀𝐝𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐌𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 — Dynamically adjusts transaction fields (e.g., MCC, merchant name, descriptor) to align with issuer preferences and increase approval odds. 2️⃣ 𝐃𝐲𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐑𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 — Selects the optimal acquirer, payment method, or network route based on historical success rates and real-time performance data. 3️⃣ 𝐒𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 — Uses risk scoring to determine when to trigger or bypass 3D Secure (3DS) for frictionless yet compliant checkout flows. 4️⃣ 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐓𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧𝐬 — Replaces raw PANs with network-issued tokens, reducing fraud and improving acceptance with card issuers. 5️⃣ 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 — Re-attempts failed transactions with modified parameters, often within milliseconds, to turn declines into approvals. — 𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐬: ✅ 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐞-𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝐢𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 — Intelligent Acceptance analyzes and adapts transaction paths instantly to respond to issuer behavior, fraud patterns, or network performance. ✅ 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐩𝐚𝐲𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 — From tokenization to adaptive logic, it ensures merchants stay on the cutting edge of payment optimization. ✅ 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧, 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐞-𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 — Each optimization module (routing, retries, tokens) can be deployed individually, based on merchant needs. ✅ 𝐂𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐚 𝐠𝐚𝐩𝐬 — Intelligent Acceptance connects fragmented data across the payment journey to ensure no payment is left behind. — 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐬: ► Recovered more revenue from declines ► Improved approval rates ► Delivered a faster, more seamless checkout ► Gained full control and transparency into their performance — 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐑 — https://lnkd.in/gEKBKg8D “At a time when the global economy is putting increased pressure on enterprise margins, we’re proud that Intelligent Acceptance is unlocking real, measurable revenue for our merchants.” — Meron Colbeci, CPO at Checkout.com —— Source: Checkout.com x Connecting the dots in payments... ► Sign up to 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐲𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐰𝐬 : https://lnkd.in/g5cDhnjC ► Connecting the dots in payments... and Marcel van Oost