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2025 WINNERS & SHORTLISTED
Consumer Payments
1. Best Digital Payments Solution (Consumer)
This award recognises the most innovative and user-friendly digital payment solutions designed for consumers. The judges will be looking for solutions that provide a secure, seamless, and convenient payment experience across online and mobile platforms. Entries may include mobile wallets, payment apps, online checkout solutions, or other established digital payment methods. The winning entry will demonstrate exceptional user experience, high adoption rates, robust security features, and tangible benefits for both consumers and merchants. Judges will consider factors such as ease of use, speed, accessibility, and the solution's ability to enhance the overall digital commerce experience. Enter here
2. Best In-store Payments Solution
This award focuses on payments innovation within the retail store environment. It could be an app that allows customers to pay via their phones on the High Street, a new point of sale feature, self-service kiosks, novel use of contactless payments integration or a ‘scan and shop’ service. The winning entry will demonstrate a mixture of innovation, high customer usage and increasing satisfaction rates, as well as any cost savings and other benefits to the retailer. Enter here
3. Best Alternative Payments Solution
This award recognises payments solutions that represent a genuine departure from conventional digital payment methods. The judges are looking for entries built on emerging or non-mainstream technologies – such as biometric-only payments, decentralised or blockchain-based payment methods, invisible or ambient payments, or novel credential-free approaches – that challenge established norms rather than iterate on them. Entries should demonstrate real-world adoption, clear consumer benefit, and a compelling case for why this approach represents the next evolution in how people pay. Enter here
4. Customer Experience Innovation Award
This award recognises an organisation that delivers exceptional customer experiences across all touchpoints of the payments journey. From user-friendly interfaces to seamless checkout and transaction interactions, entrants should demonstrate a deep understanding of customer needs and preferences, coupled with innovative approaches to delivering personalised, accessible, and frictionless payment services. Judges will assess factors such as usability, accessibility, responsiveness, and customer satisfaction metrics, as well as the integration of technology to enhance the overall payments experience. Enter here
5. Money Management Platform of the Year (New category)
This award recognises platforms that enable consumers to better manage, understand, and optimise their finances through the intelligent use of payments data and technology. The judges will be looking for solutions that bring together payment activity, financial data, and user-centric tools to deliver clear, actionable insights and improved financial outcomes. This may include capabilities such as transaction aggregation, spending analysis, budgeting and forecasting, automated payments, investment funding journeys, or cash flow optimisation. Enter here
Merchant and Business Payments
6. Best Online Payments Solution (Merchant)
The judges will be looking for a secure, flexible and innovative online payments solution for merchants, which is helping organisations grow their business online. The winning entry will give evidence of an offering that is providing tangible business benefits by enabling customers to enjoy a fast and convenient online experience, as well as enabling merchants to accept or process a higher volume of online payments in a more timely, reliable or cost-effective way. Enter here
7. Best Merchant Acquirer or Processor
This award will recognise a stand-out merchant acquirer or processor in the market. The judges will be looking for evidence of performance over the past year, and how the company has improved its own operations and that of its customers. This may include a new project implementation – where the judges would assess the innovation, speed to market, and any challenges or issues that were successfully overcome – but the entry must detail why this merchant acquirer or processor is currently the best in its field overall. Enter here
8. B2B Payments Innovation of the Year
We welcome entries from both big enterprises and small companies in this category. The aim of this award is to highlight how technology advances are redefining the B2B payments process. The judging panel will be looking for innovative solutions that solve a real problem and create tangible business benefits. Enter here
9. SME Merchant Payment Innovation (New category)
This award celebrates the technology providers, acquirers, and platforms that are making it easier for small and medium-sized enterprises to accept, manage, and benefit from payments. The judges will be looking for solutions that remove the traditional barriers SMEs face when accessing payments infrastructure, whether through simplified onboarding, flexible pricing models, integrated business tools, or innovative point-of-sale and online payment capabilities. Entries should demonstrate how the solution has empowered SME merchants to grow their business, improve cash flow, and compete more effectively, supported by evidence of merchant adoption, satisfaction, and tangible commercial outcomes. The winning entry will show a genuine understanding of the unique challenges facing smaller merchants and a meaningful commitment to their success. Enter here
10. Corporate Financial Management Award (New category)
This award recognises technology platforms and solutions that are transforming the way organisations manage their financial operations. Open to entries spanning treasury management, accounts payable and receivable automation, business expense management, and financial planning and analysis, this category celebrates the full breadth of innovation helping businesses gain greater control, visibility, and efficiency across their financial processes. The judges will be looking for evidence of how technology is streamlining workflows, reducing manual effort, improving cash flow management, and supporting better strategic decision-making. Entries should include specific case studies demonstrating measurable outcomes such as cost savings, processing efficiency gains, improved compliance, or enhanced financial insight. The winning entry will demonstrate a compelling combination of innovation, real-world impact, and the potential to redefine how businesses manage their finances. Enter here
Cross-Border and International Payments
11. Cross-Border Payments Solution of the Year (New category)
This award brings together infrastructure and service entries to recognise the best end-to-end cross-border payments solution available today. Whether underpinning the rails that move money internationally or delivering the consumer or business-facing service on top, entries will be judged on the same criteria: scale of reach, speed of settlement, regulatory compliance, and demonstrable cost advantage over existing alternatives. Entries should provide clear evidence of transaction volumes, geographic coverage, and the tangible benefits delivered to end users or correspondent partners. The winning entry will demonstrate that moving money across borders can be fast, transparent, compliant, and cost-effective. Enter here
12. FX & Liquidity Innovation in Payments (New category)
This award recognises firms that are redefining how currency risk, treasury rails, and liquidity are managed within the payments ecosystem. Entries may include innovations in real-time FX conversion, multi-currency account infrastructure, dynamic hedging tools, nostro and vostro optimisation, or liquidity management platforms that reduce the capital costs of moving money across currencies and borders. The judges will be looking for clear evidence of commercial impact — whether through improved rates, reduced settlement risk, faster currency conversion, or more efficient use of trapped liquidity. The winning entry will demonstrate both technical sophistication and measurable financial benefit for clients. Enter here
Security and Fraud Prevention
13. Consumer Anti-Fraud Solution of the Year
This award will recognise the best internal or external anti-fraud or security solution implemented by an organisation to protect the customer from fraud tactics such as money muling and payments fraud. The winning entry will demonstrate how anti-fraud technology and processes have protected the end user and helped the business comply with regulations. The judges will examine the application of technology to create business benefits as being of equal importance as the degree of protection and innovation in the IT solution. Enter here
14. Merchant Anti-Fraud Solution of the Year
This award will recognise the best internal or external anti-fraud or security solution implemented by an organisation to protect retail or financial services clients from payments fraud, including chargebacks. The winning entry will demonstrate how anti-fraud technology and processes have protected the end user and helped the business comply with regulations. The judges will regard the application of technology to create business benefits as being of equal importance as the degree of protection and innovation in the IT solution. Enter here
15. Security Innovation of the Year
This award recognises innovative security technologies that protect payment systems and users against evolving threats. The judges will be looking for solutions addressing risks such as AI-driven fraud, phishing, malware, and account takeover, as well as advances in biometric authentication including fingerprint, facial, voice, or behavioural methods. Entries should demonstrate how technology strengthens payment security while maintaining a seamless user experience. The winning entry will provide clear evidence of impact, including measurable reductions in fraud or security incidents, alongside strong differentiation in approach and effectiveness. Enter here
16. Payments Compliance Technology of the Year
This category is aimed at recognising those regulatory technology firms helping to make sure financial services firms are up to speed with all the latest payments industry rules. The judges will be looking for evidence of how technology is used to parse new regulations and pass on the key changes to clients, automating what used to be costly and time-consuming manual compliance tasks. Enter here
17. AI-Driven Fraud Prevention Platform of the Year (New category)
This award recognises excellence in artificial intelligence-powered fraud prevention solutions. As fraud techniques become increasingly sophisticated, the judges are looking for platforms that leverage advanced AI, machine learning, and behavioural analytics to detect and prevent fraudulent activities in real-time. Entries should demonstrate how the solution proactively identifies emerging threats, including deepfakes and advanced phishing attacks, while minimising false positives and maintaining a frictionless user experience. The winning entry will showcase measurable results in fraud reduction, operational efficiency, and customer trust.
Enter here
18. Authorised Push Payment (APP) Fraud & Scam Prevention Award (New category)
This award recognises outstanding solutions that protect consumers and businesses from the growing threat of authorised push payment fraud and scams. As APP fraud continues to represent one of the most significant and rapidly evolving challenges facing the payments industry, the judges will be looking for entries that demonstrate innovative approaches to detecting, preventing, and responding to scam activity in real time. Entries may include AI-driven detection tools, confirmation of payee services, behavioural analytics platforms, or customer education and intervention programmes. The winning entry will provide clear evidence of fraud reduction outcomes, compliance with reimbursement regulations, and a commitment to protecting vulnerable users whilst maintaining a frictionless payment experience. Judges will also consider how the solution balances robust fraud prevention with minimising the impact on legitimate transactions. Enter here
Technology and Innovation
19. Most Disruptive Payments Technology
This award is not about incremental innovation – it recognises technology that fundamentally threatens or displaces an existing payments model, behaviour, or incumbent. The judges will be looking for solutions that have either already disrupted established ways of operating or have a clearly demonstrable potential to do so in the near term. Entrants should make an explicit case for what their technology is displacing, why it represents a step-change rather than an improvement, and what the payments landscape looks like as a result. Entries are welcome from across the sector, including startups and challengers taking on established players. Enter here
20. Best Use of AI and Data in Payments
This award celebrates a financial institution, payments provider or technology company that demonstrates outstanding utilisation of data or artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance payments. Entrants should showcase innovative applications of data analytics or AI algorithms to optimise processes, improve decision-making, mitigate risks, or personalise services for customers. Judges will evaluate the effectiveness, creativity, and impact of the implementation, considering factors such as improved operational efficiency, enhanced customer experiences, and regulatory compliance. Enter here
21. Payments Innovation of the Year
This award looks to showcase technology and service innovation in the payments space. Entries are encouraged from banks, acquirers, card schemes, technology firms and retailers – in fact any company that can lay claim to being a genuine payments innovator. The judges will be looking for evidence of how a company’s technology could be considered a first in the industry and how it has the potential to positively impact upon the payments ecosystem. Enter here
22. Payments Infrastructure Award
This category recognises payments systems and infrastructure that have been created or evolved to increase the reach, speed, or efficiency of high-volume transactions. Entries should focus on the underlying architecture that powers payments at scale – including core processing platforms, API banking layers, settlement infrastructure, or solutions that widen access for smaller industry players. Entries involving real-time or instant payment rails, overlay services, or A2A capabilities should be directed to the Account-to-Account & Real-Time Payments Innovation category. The winning entry will demonstrate measurable improvements in reliability, throughput, or accessibility of the payments ecosystem. Enter here
23. Account-to-Account & Real-Time Payments Innovation (New category)
This award recognises outstanding innovation in account-to-account and real-time payment solutions that are reshaping how money moves between individuals, businesses, and financial institutions. The judges will evaluate entries across the full spectrum of A2A and instant payment capabilities – from new infrastructure and overlay services to request-to-pay, open banking-enabled transfers, and value-added features that enhance speed, efficiency, and reach. Submissions should demonstrate how the solution reduces friction, improves liquidity management, and delivers tangible benefits to users. The winning entry will show strong adoption metrics, compelling use cases, and clear potential to drive broader industry transformation. Enter here
24. Embedded Finance and Open Banking Award (New category)
This award recognises the most impactful projects seamlessly integrating financial services — including payments, lending, or insurance — into non-financial products, platforms, or ecosystems. Entrants should demonstrate how they leverage APIs, open banking, and technology partnerships to deliver embedded financial capabilities within consumer or business applications. Judges will evaluate the depth of integration, technology innovation, scalability, user adoption, and measurable business impact. The winning entry will show how embedded finance is creating genuinely new ways to access financial services and delivering a meaningfully improved customer experience. Enter here
25. Payments Orchestration Platform Award (New category)
This award recognises platforms that enable merchants, financial institutions, or payment service providers to intelligently route, manage, and optimise payment flows across multiple acquirers, processors, and payment methods. The judges will be looking for solutions that deliver demonstrable improvements in authorisation rates, resilience, cost efficiency, and speed, while simplifying the complexity of managing multiple payment relationships through a single, unified layer. Entries should provide evidence of technical capability, ease of integration, and the measurable commercial benefits delivered to clients, including improvements in conversion, reduced transaction costs, or enhanced reporting and analytics. The winning entry will demonstrate how payments orchestration is enabling greater agility and performance in an increasingly complex payments landscape. Enter here
26. Card & Network Innovation Award (New category)
This award recognises the most significant advances in card products and payment network infrastructure over the past year. The judges will be looking for innovation across the full spectrum of card and network technology, including new card propositions, tokenisation, network-level enhancements, scheme developments, and the integration of emerging capabilities such as biometric cards or virtual card solutions. Entries should demonstrate how the innovation has delivered measurable benefits for consumers, merchants, or the broader payments ecosystem, whether through improved security, greater convenience, reduced cost, or expanded acceptance. The winning entry will show clear evidence of commercial impact, technical excellence, and the potential to shape the future direction of card-based payments. Enter here
Company & Vendor Awards
27. Payments Startup of the Year
This award will recognise a visionary startup (launched three years ago or less) with a payments product or service which is set to, or has recently had, a significant impact on the sector. Companies should detail why they are ones to watch, successes to date and how they are changing the way that that payments are being made. We welcome entries from every area of the payments sector. Enter here
28. Payment Technology Provider of the Year (SME)
This award will recognise a technology vendor who has excelled in its field, implementing innovative cards and payments technology in organisations during the past year. The judges will be looking for evidence of how the deployment of this company’s technology has led to an improvement in the overall efficiency of its clients’ operations. Companies eligible for this award must meet the UK government’s recognised description of an SME – any organisation that has fewer than 250 employees and a turnover of less than £50 million or a balance sheet total less than £43 million. Enter here
29. Payment Technology Provider of the Year (Large Enterprise)
This award will recognise a technology vendor who has excelled in its field, implementing innovative cards and payments technology in organisations during the past year. The judges will be looking for evidence of how the deployment of this company’s technology has led to an improvement in the overall efficiency of its clients’ operations such as the demonstrable role of merchant acquirers. Companies entering this award should meet the UK government's recognised description of a large enterprise – companies with more than 250 employees and a turnover of more than £50 million or a balance sheet total more than £43 million. Enter here
Leadership & Impact
30. Sustainability, Inclusion & Social Impact Award (New Category)
This award recognises organisations using payments technology to drive meaningful positive change – whether through environmental responsibility, financial inclusion, or accessible design. Judges will look for a live initiative supported by measurable evidence of impact, which may include progress against ESG objectives, UN Sustainable Development Goals, or demonstrable improvements in access to financial services for underserved or disadvantaged groups. The winning entry will show clear ambition, technology at its core, and tangible outcomes for the communities or causes it serves. Enter here
31. Women in PayTech Award
This award celebrates a woman who has made exceptional contributions to innovation, leadership, or mentorship in the payments technology sector. The judges will consider the nominee's professional achievements, influence on product development, business growth, or industry advancement, as well as any efforts to champion diversity and inclusion within the payments ecosystem. Entries should highlight specific examples of the individual's impact and the mark they have left on their organisation and the wider industry. The winning nominee will exemplify excellence in her field. Enter here
32. Payments Trailblazer Award
This award celebrates an exceptional young professional (under 35) who is already making their mark on the payments industry. The judges will be looking for evidence of early-career impact – whether through a standout project, a fresh approach to an industry challenge, or a growing reputation as someone shaping how their organisation or peers think about payments. Entries should highlight specific achievements and what makes this individual one to watch. Enter here
33. Payments Leadership Award
This award recognises an individual's outstanding contributions and leadership within the payments industry. The judges will evaluate the nominee's strategic vision, influence on the payments landscape, and impact on innovation, transformation, or growth. Entries should highlight the individual's role in successful project and strategy implementation, their contributions to the advancement of the payments sector over recent years, and their ability to navigate industry challenges. The winning nominee will exemplify exceptional leadership and a sustained commitment to shaping the future of payments. Enter here
