mpe awards

Honoring excellence and innovation in merchant payments, the mpe awards celebrate the leaders and trailblazers shaping the future of the industry.

A trusted benchmark for excellence in merchant payments

The 18th Merchant Payment Ecosystem (mpe) awards in Berlin was a night to remember, filled with celebration, innovation, and recognition of the finest achievements in the payments industry.

The mpe awards are not just about recognising achievement—they are about fostering collaboration, celebrating progress, and inspiring the future.
To all finalists and winners: congratulations! Your work is shaping the payments landscape. To our sponsors, judges, and organising team: thank you for your trust and support. And to everyone who joined us in Berlin: we can’t wait to welcome you back for mpe 2026.

Let’s keep building this community together.

thank you to mpe awards categories sponsors

mpe awards media partners

categories for payments companies

- featuring 12 categories

Winners will be selected by the panel of independent expert judges.

The nominations are now CLOSED.

Thank you to those who participated! We are counting up the scores.

category for individuals/teams:

- featuring 1 category

mpe influencer of the year
The winner will be determined via public online voting.

The nominations are now CLOSED.

Thank you to those who participated! Scroll down to choose your favorite.

category for start-ups:

- featuring 1 category

best start-up innovation award
Winner will be determined by Innovation hub judges & mpe audience

mpe awards 2025 - online voting

CATEGORY: mpe influencer of the year

... and the winner is

Kamil Hanáček, Executive Director of Switchio @ Monet +

congratulations to mpe awards 2025 - shortlisted & winners

This award will go to the winner of the Innovation hub competition for the most innovative start-up company in merchant payments ecosystem.


... and the winner is

Securely Group
Securely Group

PR release

During the prestigious mpe awards gala ceremony, part of the annual merchant payments ecosystem (mpe 2025) conference, Securely Group was announced as the winner in the " best start-up innovation award” category.

According to the criteria, in the "best start-up innovation award" This award will go to the winner of the Innovation hub competition for the most innovative start-up company in merchant payments ecosystem.

"We’re absolutely thrilled that an Aussie startup from Noosa Heads can come to Europe, stand toe-to-toe with the best startup tech and innovation in global payments, and take home the top prize. Winning Best Startup Innovation at MPE 2025 proves that world-class fintech can come from anywhere—and Securely is just getting started. This is a win not just for us, but for paytech innovation on the global stage.", said Rob Neely, MD, Securely Group.

“The winner of the Best Startup Innovation Award is revolutionizing digital security with its innovative social media identity securitization tech. By linking online profiles to banks for real- time verification, this startup effectively zaps scammers. Positioned as a fully regulation- friendly alternative to PayPal, it ensures secure digital shopping experiences across peer-to- peer marketplaces and social platforms. Its groundbreaking approach to fraud prevention sets a new standard for the future of secure, seamless digital transactions. ”
Andy Ivanis, Managing Partner, mpe 2025

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

Kamil Hanáček, Executive Director of Switchio @ Monet +
Kamil Hanacek

PR release

During the prestigious mpe awards gala ceremony, part of the annual merchant payments ecosystem (mpe 2025) conference, Kamil Hanáček was announced as the winner in the "mpe influencer of the year” category.

According to the criteria, in the "mpe influencer of the year" This award goes to the mpe influencer of the year, and the winner is determined by online public voting through the mpe website.

Kamil Hanáček, Executive Director of Switchio by Monet+: “This recognition wouldn’t have been possible without the trust and support of the people at Monet+. At Switchio, we’re focused on building technology that gives businesses real freedom to shape their own payment ecosystems, keep transactions secure, and scale with confidence. Innovation has always been a natural part of how I think and work, and Switchio is a reflection of that mindset. Being recognised for helping shape the future of the payments industry is professionally validating.”

f.a.q.

There are 13 categories which can be entered by any merchant, acquiring bank, non-bank acquirer, network service provider, payment service provider, mno, scheme, processor, payment method or solution provider focused on payment industry.

You can enter a maximum of three categories in a particular year, however not with the same entry into 3 different categories.

Solutions must be live and out of the test phase at the time of submission. Pilot programmes will be accepted but must clearly be described as such, and the judges will be looking for evidence of success in the pilot.

Yes, you can enter the same category/categories with the same or different product/service. you can also enter category/categories you have not entered before with a product/service you have submitted before. winners from the previous years should refer to the next rule.

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.

You can submit your nominations from November 4 – February 7. Please note that no further extensions will be permitted unless by prior written agreement from the mpe awards organiser team.

The mpe team will contact the finalists on March 4. The mpe 2025 awards ceremony and gala dinner will be a part of the mpe 2025 conference and exhibition, March 18-20, Berlin. The winners will be announced at the gala dinner on March 19.

Companies sending the submissions must specifically address the key criteria set out in the relevant category. When preparing your submission, please review the criteria carefully, then ensure that it contains sufficient robust information for a specific category.

mpe awards 2025 judges

Neira Jones
(mpe 2025 awards chair) Independent Advisor & International Speaker, Author
Stanley Skoglund
Co-Founder & Director (mpe awards co-chair), Minerva
Gary Munro
CTO, Consult Hyperion
Alex Rolfe
Managing Director, Payments Cards and Mobile Magazine
David Parker
CEO, Polymath Consulting
Melisande Mual
MD, The Paypers
Volker Schlönvoigt
Director, Edgar, Dunn & Company
Andrea Toucinho
Director of Studies, Prospective and Training, PARTELYA CONSULTING
Mark McMurtrie
Director, Payments Consultancy Ltd
Claire Maslen
Independent Advisor
Janusz Diemko
Payments Consultant, Angel Investor and Mentor
Teresa Connors
MD, Payments Matters
Jannis Riesz
Founding Partner, Flipmode.io
Michael Chambers
Chairman, Answer Pay
Tony Moroney
Founder & Managing Partner, Saburai Consulting
Ghela Boskovich
Regional Director/Head of Europe, Financial & Data Technology Association
Laura McCraken
Global MD, eCommerce & Payments, Software & Platforms, Accenture
Simon Burrows
Payments Director, Semper Advisory
Pavel Kaminsky
Founder & CEO, 7Security
Keren Aviasaf Migdal
Co-Founder & CEO, PaymentOp
Rupert Jaeschke
Managing Director, Blocksyn
Koba Kurdadze
Founder & CEO, UniPAY

mpe history & iconic moments