e27 has been dedicated to nurturing a supportive ecosystem for entrepreneurs since its inception. Our Contributor Programme offers a platform for sharing unique insights.
As part of our newly introduced ‘Contributor Spotlight’, we shine a weekly spotlight on an outstanding contributor and dive into the vastness of their knowledge and expertise.
In this episode, we feature Tristan Chiappini, VP and Head of Partnerships, APAC at PPRO, leveraging a decade of payments industry experience to enhance PPRO’s global digital payments platform in the APAC region.
A valued contributor since 2020, he has published 10 articles with over 10,000 views. “I have spent many years in the payments industry, and e27 is a fantastic resource for both sharing that knowledge and furthering my own,” he said candidly.
Chiappini shares his personal and professional journey in this episode of Contributor Spotlight.
Thoughts, goals, and journey
Chiappini, whose career in merchant acquiring began with a spontaneous interview at American Express Merchant Services, shares the amusing start. Recruited over lunch, he swiftly learned Excel essentials, passing the test with flying colours and setting the stage for a successful payment industry journey.
“Professionally, 2023 has been a fantastic year for me at PPRO, with more to come in 2024. In terms of personal goals, on top of being the best possible husband and father I can be, I have a few triathlons, cycling events and an ultramarathon planned — I’m always looking for the next challenge. Roll on 2024!”
Also Read: ‘Tis the season to be shopping: Can businesses still capitalise on sales events in APAC?
With over a decade in the fintech industry, particularly at PPRO, he emphasises the importance of catering to locally preferred payment methods. Recognising the impact on conversion rates, user recognition, and trust, he observes this trend unfolding online and in physical stores.
“Seeing Alipay+, WeChat Pay, JCB, and very soon Unified Payments Interface (UPI) in-store these days is common practice. Speaking of UPI, this is a fascinating one, locally in India. In just seven years, it has become the preferred method of digital payment in India, with 230 million active users (40 times the population of Singapore) transacting more than 10 billion in monthly transactions. According to some, UPI is expected to reach a billion transactions a day by 2026-2027,” he said.
He continued, “2024 will be the year UPI goes cross-border both for online, allowing Indian consumer to pay using UPI at global merchants, as well as in-store where Indian travellers can by pay for their duty-free at airports, at hotels and restaurants and tourist attractions using UPI. At the same time, UPI is also connecting inter-regionally into other national real-time payment rails, for example, PayNow here in Singapore and PromptPay in Thailand. This will be a fascinating one to watch next year.”
Advice for budding thought leaders
Chiappini advises budding thought leaders, echoing Moffat Machingura’s wisdom that “the first step is the hardest.” He emphasizes that committing to sharing knowledge initiates an enjoyable process, leading to a deeper understanding of the chosen subject and continuous learning.
Juggling too many things?
“The eternal balancing act! It really comes down to priorities. Spending time alone in silence with your thoughts each day helps you balance all the pressures of the work-life balance. It will always be something you have to work on, along with your own personal development, which in today’s hectic lifestyle often gets neglected,” Chiappini said.
Also Read: What the payments industry should consider when preparing for the holiday season
He underscores that dedicating at least 10 minutes daily to personal and professional growth enriches oneself and contributes positively to one’s company, family, and friends. He also suggests reframing the commitment in this broader perspective for effective prioritization in the future.
Staying in the loop
“Payments and fintech are moving and changing so fast that often books become out of date so quickly that things would have moved on by the time you reach the last page. Committing to spending a couple of minutes a day scanning and reading through the media to keep your knowledge fresh is something I’ve done for years and would always recommend,” Chiappini said.
In his role at PPRO, Chiappini benefits from valuable interactions with experienced industry professionals. With daily readings from various sources and active participation in major trade shows, his genuine interest in the field facilitates easy and comprehensive staying up-to-date on relevant information.
“The payments industry, and fintech in general, continues to be a fascinating and ever-changing industry to work in. There are ups and downs, as we have seen with the mass-scale restructuring projects over the last few years from all of the industry’s largest players, but payments are central to our everyday lives. If we, as payments professionals, can make it simpler and easier for people to transact online, our work is touching and improving the lives of millions, even billions of people — that makes it worthwhile,” he concluded.
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The post Tristan Chiappini: A decade of excellence in fintech and digital payments appeared first on e27.