Payments have come a long way from the days of bartering and exchanging goods for services. Today, the payments industry is a complex ecosystem of financial institutions, payment processors, fintech startups, and more, all working to provide consumers and businesses with secure, efficient payment options. In this blog, we will take a look at the top 20 people in payments, and include their LinkedIn profiles so you can learn more about their contributions to the industry.
- David Marcus - Head of Novi at Facebook
David Marcus is a tech executive who currently serves as the Head of Novi at Facebook. Prior to joining Facebook, Marcus was the president of PayPal, where he led the company's mobile payments business.
- Dan Schulman - CEO of PayPal
Dan Schulman is the CEO of PayPal, a leading online payment platform. Schulman has been instrumental in expanding the company's reach, both in the US and globally.
- Jack Dorsey - CEO of Square
Jack Dorsey is the co-founder and CEO of Square, a mobile payments company that provides a range of financial services to small businesses. Dorsey is also the co-founder and CEO of Twitter.
- Brian Armstrong - CEO of Coinbase
Brian Armstrong is the CEO of Coinbase, a leading cryptocurrency exchange. Armstrong has been a vocal advocate for cryptocurrency and blockchain technology, and has worked to expand Coinbase's offerings to include a range of digital assets.
- Jennifer Bailey - Vice President of Apple Pay
Jennifer Bailey is the Vice President of Apple Pay, a mobile payment service offered by Apple. Bailey has been instrumental in expanding the reach of Apple Pay and has overseen the launch of the service in a number of countries.
- Max Levchin - CEO of Affirm
Max Levchin is the co-founder and CEO of Affirm, a fintech startup that offers installment loans and other financial products. Levchin is also a co-founder of PayPal.
- Pieter van der Does - Adyen CEO
Pieter van der Does is the CEO of Adyen, a Dutch payment processing company that offers a range of services to merchants. Van der Does has overseen Adyen's growth into a global payments company, and the company's IPO in 2018.
- Patrick Collison - CEO of Stripe
Patrick Collison is the CEO of Stripe, a fintech startup that offers a range of payment and financial services to businesses. Collison co-founded Stripe with his brother John, and the company has since become one of the most valuable fintech startups in the world.
- Anne Boden - CEO of Starling Bank
Anne Boden is the founder and CEO of Starling Bank, a UK-based digital bank. Boden has been a vocal advocate for the use of technology to improve financial services, and has overseen Starling Bank's growth into one of the most innovative and successful fintech startups in the UK.
- Harit Talwar - President of Goldman Sachs Consumer Business
Harit Talwar served as the President of Goldman Sachs Consumer Business, which includes the company's digital banking and payments initiatives. He is currently a board member at Mastercard.
11. William R. "Bill" Harris - Former CEO of PayPal and Intuit, and co-founder of Personal Capital. Bill now heads Evergreen Money and is a stalwart of the payments ecosystem.
12. Ajaypal Banga - Executive Chairman of Mastercard - Ajay is Vice Chairman at General Atlantic. A global leader in technology, data, financial services and innovating for inclusion, he spent 11 years as Mastercard’s President and Chief Executive Officer before becoming the company’s Executive Chairman. Over the course of his career, he has served as an advisor to governments, companies and organizations of all kinds, advocating for partnership and systems that deliver on profit and purpose.
13. Hikmet Ersek - President and CEO of Western Union, a global money transfer company. After more than 25 years of business and leadership experience, McGranahan joined Western Union as its CEO in late 2021.
14. Hiroki Takeuchi - Co-founder and CEO of GoCardless, a direct debit payments platform. Hiroki Takeuchi has built the company into a global operation worth over $2billion with offices in London, Paris, New York, San Francisco, Munich, and Melbourne. Founded in 2011, GoCardless is a global leader in recurring payments.
15. Lawrence Tepperman - CEO of Berkeley Payments. Berkeley is An all-inclusive Fintech-as-a-Service platform for your business which helps embed payments into your existing solution or financial application, move money in real-time, or issue your own branded card program.
16. Al Kelly - CEO and Chairman of Visa - Alfred F. Kelly joined Visa in December 2016 as chief executive officer, was elected chairman of the board in April 2019 and became executive chairman in February 2023. Mr. Kelly spent the majority of his career at American Express where he worked from 1987 to 2010.
17. Ryan McInerney - President of Visa Inc., a global payments technology company. Ryan McInerney has been with Visa since June of 2013 and serves as chief executive officer. Prior to assuming the role of CEO in February 2023, he was president, responsible for Visa’s global businesses. Prior to joining Visa, Mr. McInerney served as chief executive officer of consumer banking for JPMorgan Chase, a business with more than 75,000 employees and revenues of approximately $14 billion.
18. Chris Larsen - Co-founder and Executive Chairman of Ripple - Chris Larsen is a prominent figure in the tech industry, best known as the co-founder and executive chairman of Ripple, a fintech company that developed the Ripple payment protocol. Prior to Ripple, he co-founded Prosper Marketplace in 2006 and served as its CEO until 2012. Before that, Larsen also co-founded e-Loan, an online mortgage lender, in 1996. Although he stepped down as CEO of Ripple in December 2016, Larsen continues to play a significant role in the company as its executive chairman.
19. Jeremy Allaire - Co-founder and CEO of Circle - Jeremy D. Allaire is an American-born technologist and Internet entrepreneur. He is CEO and founder of the digital currency company Circle and chairman of the board of Brightcove. With his brother JJ Allaire, he co-founded Allaire Corporation in 1995.
20. Scott Galit - CEO of Payoneer - At Payoneer, Scott sees every day how technology and the internet are creating exciting new business opportunities all over the world. Millions of entrepreneurs, professionals, small businesses and digital platforms are actively building global businesses in this new world of opportunity. Scott tries to address the challenges these businesses face in getting paid and making payments across borders.
These are just a few of the many individuals who have made significant contributions to the payments industry. Each of them has a unique background and skill set, and their LinkedIn profiles offer a deeper look into their experiences and expertise. Whether you're interested in the latest technology or the business side of payments, these professionals have a wealth of knowledge to share.
These individuals have made significant contributions to the payments industry, whether through their work with established companies, founding their own companies, or through their expertise in fintech and regulation. They are leaders in their fields and have helped to shape the payments landscape into what it is today.
