London Retail Payments Summit Gathers Industry Leaders

Retail Payments Summit 2027 convened on 24 February at the Hallam Conference Centre in London, drawing roughly 200 senior executives from retail, hospitality, travel, fintech and payment firms. The gathering was positioned as a flagship meeting for industry leaders seeking to shape the future of commerce payments.

Organisers framed payments as a core element of customer experience, digital transformation and revenue growth, noting that retailers now treat payment strategy as a boardroom priority. They highlighted that seamless checkout processes have become a decisive factor for brand loyalty and market differentiation.

Attendees included chief financial officers, chief digital officers, heads of payments, e-commerce directors and senior risk and fraud leaders, representing a cross-section of the UK’s most influential retail and service brands. These participants brought perspectives from both large chains and niche operators, ensuring a broad discussion of challenges and opportunities.

The agenda covered payment optimisation, Open Banking, real-time settlement, AI-driven decision making and emerging payment rails, with sessions aimed at simplifying complex ecosystems and preparing firms for forthcoming regulation. Presenters emphasized the importance of aligning technology choices with compliance timelines to avoid costly delays.

Key speakers featured the Debt Prevention & Payments Lead from EDF Energy (UK) and the Head of Payments Excellence from Amazon EU, highlighting practical approaches to cost reduction and fraud mitigation. Their remarks drew on recent project outcomes that demonstrated measurable savings and risk lowering.