Payments Leaders Admit Which Business Beliefs They Got Wrong in 2026

Executives at 11 payments and financial companies told PYMNTS which business beliefs they got wrong this year. A common thread is that familiar scorecards can point the wrong way. Faster service, more information and more automation do not always lead to better results.

For a Q3 eBook, PYMNTS asked each executive to describe one belief held in January, the evidence that changed their mind and what they are doing differently heading into Q4. Contributors include PayPal, Synchrony and Paysafe, plus eight other companies.

Fast is not the same as finished

Billtrust's David Zwick questioned whether efficient invoice processing reliably produces predictable cash flow. In other words, invoices can move along without money arriving. Tungsten Automation's John Gibbon argued that more technical capability needs a clearer link to customers' daily workflows and measurable business outcomes.

Clearer beats more

Synchrony's Beto Casellas saw that exhaustive explanations of healthcare payment options could overwhelm patients. That led to a stronger emphasis on clarity. At Paysafe, Ali Wilkes shifted attention toward removing the reasons customers need help in the first place, rather than only answering them faster.

AI still needs human know-how

At PayPal, Shaun Khalfan said security research challenged the idea that access to the most powerful AI model decides results. Specialized context, testing and controls made models more effective. Bottomline's Jeff Feuerstein found that customers weighing AI still wanted partners who understood their payment operations, risks and obligations.

Boost Payment Solutions' Dean M. Leavitt found that AI, paired with technical talent and internal expertise, expanded what the company could build itself. At i2c, Pam Guinn wrote that using AI on customer calls meant capturing the judgment experienced employees bring to complicated situations.

Flagright's Madhu Nadig reconsidered requiring a person to approve every routine compliance alert. Attention is shifting toward decisions with greater consequences.

Digital money moves faster

Thales' Romain Soulard said domestic account-based wallets moved into physical stores faster than he expected, making merchant acceptance a priority. Velera's Scott P. Young said work with credit unions broadened the talk beyond stablecoins to commercial uses, tokenized deposits and systems that can work together.

What it means for a business

The stories point to one habit: check whether a favorite measure still tracks what matters. A customer conversation, a disappointing metric or an unexpected test result can expose an assumption worth another look before the next decision on what to build, measure or fund.