foreword by Ms.Neira Jones

chair of the judging panel, independent advisor & international speaker

WELCOME TO THE MPE 2023 AWARDS!

As the MPE 2023 Awards Chair, it gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the prestigious Merchant Payment Ecosystem Awards for the 16th Annual Conference for the Payments Industry, organised by the Empiria Group.

Last year, we had our first in-person event since the start of the pandemic, and you could feel the energy and buzz in the air of finally being able to get to see each other again. I am delighted that we can do this again this year and I look forward to welcoming you all in person in Berlin!

We remain committed to our “Guiding Hand” awards concept, and even as the world continues to recover from the effects of the pandemic, we have entered a new phase of economic, regulatory, and geo-political challenges. These will continue to test us for a while yet, and the payments industry will be right in the middle of it. Last year, the theme for our awards was “Growing Faster” and the 2022 award winners demonstrated that the best of the best can certainly do that. As more obstacles have been thrown our way, it is therefore fitting that our underlying theme for this year’s awards is “Sustaining Growth” and our popular statuette will reflect this.

In the face of adversity and competition, merchants continue to focus on the customer experience and payments providers continue to be more and more innovative in this space. Increasingly, businesses now demand the very same experiences that consumers have been enjoying for a while, and the B2B payments space is showing much innovation and growing at a rapid pace. Multi-rail, cross-border, Open Banking, payments orchestration are terms that no longer need explaining. We can also observe that socially conscious ecosystem players are developing and implementing strategies trying to make a positive impact on all the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) pillars. Of course, the MPE Awards continue to honour their commitment to diversification: we have a 50/50 balance between ladies and gents on our judging panel, and our judges come from 6 countries!

As market consolidation continues and competition intensifies, regulatory pressures are numerous. We’re already talking about PSD3 and its impact on the ecosystem, but we also have the new proposed EU Artificial Intelligence regulation, the focus worldwide on trying to regulate Big Tech – especially in the payments space - and AML regulations showing an increased focus on virtual assets. These are only a few examples, but automation is now a necessity and the booming RegTech industry demonstrates this.

It is amazing how the payments industry never disappoints and continues to rise to these challenges.

Now more than ever, we’re looking for those that have been remarkable: those that have identified and capitalised on opportunities, those that have been outstanding in their markets, those that have made a substantial positive impact socially, those that have created successful partnerships making them much more than the sum of their parts, and for those that were exemplary in serving their customers.

The history of MPE Awards began more than ten years ago where we were first to recognise the outstanding role of card acquirers, processors, PSPs and other solutions and services providers, as well as to honour companies and individuals who made an impact on the evolution of this fascinating industry. Constantly reflecting market changes, the MPE Awards recognise the best payment companies & individuals in 15 categories divided into three groups:

The Judge’s Choice Awards featuring 11 categories. All shortlisted parties and winners will be selected by the panel of independent expert judges.

The Best Startup Innovation Award: at the MPE 2023 conference our judges will be busy drawing up a shortlist of start-ups who will compete in live semi-finals, dragon’s den style during the conference (Innovation Hub). The finals will take place on Day 2, where the audience will get the opportunity to vote for their favourite. The winner will be announced at the Awards Ceremony.

The People’s Choice Award: MPE Influencer of the Year, where the winner will be determined via public online voting.

It is also my privilege to select the Chairman’s Award, and this year, it will go to the Best ESG Initiative in Payments.

The MPE Awards remain an important benchmark of global excellence in merchant payments, and I wish the best of luck to all competitors! This year, the glittering evening ceremony will take place on 29th March 2023 at the fabulous InterContinental Hotel Berlin and we can’t wait to see you all in person there!

mpe awards 2023, winners announced!

PR Release

Thirteen winners, representing the most innovative merchant payment companies in Europe and beyond, were announced during the glittering MPE Awards Ceremony on March 29.

The MPE Awards were a part of the MPE 2023 conference held at the InterContinental Hotel in Berlin, Germany (March 28-30).

Hundreds of senior-level conference participants from Global merchants and payment industry professionals joined the famous MPE Awards Gala Dinner & ceremony to celebrate the achievements of the best companies & individuals in merchant payments.

The MPE Awards have, over the last 14 years, become an important benchmark of global excellence in card acquiring, POS, and merchant payments.

Neira Jones, the Chairman of the MPE Awards Judging Panel, commented in her welcome speech: "Committed to our Guiding Hand concept and acknowledging that various challenges continue to keep us on our toes, our theme for this year was "Sustaining Growth.

Our 13 award categories reflected market changes, and the Innovation Hub has become an important platform for innovation."

"We would like to thank the MPE Awards Judges who selected the winners this year.

Our congratulations go to all of the winners & nominees of the Awards and to WebShield, Tietoevry, BR-DGE, and AIB Merchant Services, who sponsored the MPE Awards," said Andy Ivanis, Head of Sales & Customer Engagement at MPE.

mpe awards 2023 - shortlisted & winners

Category sponsored by:

Open to any payments businesses with a clear and well-developed ESG strategy who can demonstrate how their strategy is making a substantial positive impact in any of the E,S,G pillars, particularly when supported by technology. This will show evidence of how progress is being made against specific near and long-term objectives such as net-zero, carbon offsetting, UN Sustainable Development Goals, social purpose and supply chain transparency goals. Entries should include a case study of a live initiative or programme as well as up-to-date supporting data/evidence of its impact against the set objectives and a clear definition of KPIs.

Winner to be Announced at the Ceremony

... and the winner is

Trust Payments

PR release

According to the criteria, in the CHAIRMAN’S AWARD – BEST ESG INITIATIVE IN PAYMENTS" Category, the Award goes to For 2023, the Chairman’s Award goes to the organization with a clear and well-developed ESG strategy and the winner demonstrated how they made a substantial positive impact in any of the E,S,G pillars, particularly when supported by technology.

„Trust Payments demonstrated positive Environmental impact though migrating from in-house to cloud-based, procuring the bulk of electricity from fully renewable sources, preventing electronic waste through refurbishment, reuse and recycling of IT equipment, and establishing a “Green Team” to identify opportunities for sustainability improvements deployed through various employee engagement initiatives. Social responsibility was evidenced through their “Kickstart” programme, supporting young people with limited opportunities, as well as achieving a female gender balance ratio between 35-42% of the workforce. Governance was achieved through incorporating climate & social risk as new categories within their Enterprise Risk Management framework and a clear set of KPIs,“ commented Neira Jones, the Chairman of the MPE 2023 Awards Judging Panel.

Daniel Holden, CEO of Trust Payments, said: "We are committed to providing our customers with innovative payment solutions that are secure, reliable, and convenient. We also believe that our success should be shared with our communities and the environment, and we will continue to work towards creating a sustainable future. Trust Payments recognition at the MPE awards is a testament to the company‘s commitment to providing exceptional payment services while promoting sustainability and social responsibility.”

This Category is Sponsored by: AIB Merchant Services

Hubert Hubert O'Donoghue, CEO, AIB Merchant Services commented: “Trust Payments have a well-articulated and robust approach to their ESG strategy. They did a fantastic job of showcasing the positive impacts that ESG can have in the payments space, when underpinned by strong technology. Heartfelt congratulations to their team on this win"

To be awarded to the individual (or team) who has provided a significant contribution to the development of the Merchant Payments Ecosystem either on a domestic or international basis.

... and the winner is

Oliver Rajic, Chief Growth Officer & GM APAC @ PPRO

f.a.q.

MPE Awards - are The Only European Awards recognizing TOP merchant payments acceptance companies and their achievements.

With a category for each player of the merchant payment ecosystem, the Awards are all-inclusive. No other European awards program provides such industry-wide recognition in true reflection of the breadth and strength of our industry.

MPE Award winners will be able to promote their accomplishment all year long.

All winners will be given a MPE 2024 Awards logo and jury testimonials to be used in their PR & marketing activities in addition to special coverage from Merchant Payments Ecosystem Awards & conference. Winners will record personal acceptance video that will be uploaded on MPE Awards website and MPE TV YouTube channel and further promoted through MPE channels.

See MPE 2022 Awards Winners testimonials here

You can enter the contest until Feb 10, 2023.

Important note: Contestants enrolling for the Innovation Hub at MPE, aspiring to win the „MPE Innovator of the Year“ award, should submit their entries also until Feb 28, 2023. Also, their submission process and overall management differs from the rest of the award categories. Please refer to the MPE Innovation Hub section to see the steps and eligibility to enter.

Any company qualifying as part of the payment acceptance value chain worldwide.

Anybody working as part of a team or department responsible for a particular solution/service (one to become a subject of the entry), a marketing, communication or PR specialist whom has been appointed this task or who is generally responsible for awards submissions.

The sole process of sending the application is done via an online form and is thoroughly described in the next section as well as the steps you need to do before you actually submit anything.

You can enter maximum of three categories.

Yes, you can enter the same category/categories with the same or different product/service. You can also enter category/categories you have not attended before with a product/service you have previously used. However, if you previously won any of the categories, please also refer to the next point.

Definitely, the only condition here is that you cannot enter neither the same nor the rest of the categories with the same product/service you won with previously. However, you can enter the same category you won previously with a different product/service.

MPE Awards is very prestigious and unique in its concept. Therefore, you should carefully consider your choice. The awards ceremony traditionally takes place on the second night of the three day conference. Since the conference itself is attended by senior representatives, there is a pretty good chance you already have the right person on spot. As winning parties are notified several days prior to the ceremony, you will have enough time to appoint the proper member of your crew to pick up your prize. If you won the „Acquiring Personality of the Year“ category, well, it is your call to take what is yours :-)

Recognition and prestige. You being the winner, it is our commitment to make sure your name is spelled in the organizer.
The major card and payments acceptance media after the conference. A separate PR campaign utilizing the world-class media distribution companies follows your success hand-in-hand with social media coverage performed by us.

The MPE went the more challenging way of finding highly skilled and reputable artists to create unique Guiding Hand statuettes, using valuable materials with designs changed from year to year, reflecting the current trends and important happenings in the payment industry.

In 2014 we started our cooperation with renowned Croatian artist Gordana Turuk. Gordana creates all her masterpieces by skillfully mixing organic glass and precious metals.

She continues to design the MPE statuette also for 2023...