For Scott Dawson, CEO of DECTA, good payments innovation starts with a fairly simple test: does it solve a real problem for merchants?
Speaking at Money20/20 Europe 2026, he points to the basics businesses still care about most, including safe, dependable and cost-effective payments, even as the industry races towards AI and new payment technologies.
Scott explains why he expects some of today’s AI hype to fall away while the applications that genuinely improve areas such as fraud and risk management endure. He also looks beyond AI to progress in open banking, new rails and payment methods, and argues that the future of payments will depend on strong ecosystems rather than providers trying to do everything themselves.
For DECTA, that means combining control of its core payments infrastructure with partnerships where other specialists can add more value.
Watch Scott at Money20/20 Europe 2026
