The merchant payment ecosystem (mpe) awards, held annually with the mpe conference, have been a hallmark of innovation and recognition in the payments industry since 2013. They highlight top companies shaping the future of merchant payments.
The mpe awards are renowned for their credibility and integrity, built on a foundation of transparency, impartiality, and merit-based recognition. Winning an mpe award signifies true achievement, demonstrating a company’s leadership and commitment to excellence within the merchant payments ecosystem.
mpe awards media partners
- featuring 12 categories
Winners will be selected by the panel of independent expert judges.
- featuring 1 category
mpe influencer of the year
The winner will be determined via public online voting.
- featuring 1 category
best start-up innovation award
Winner will be determined by Innovation hub judges & mpe audience
Kamil Hanáček, Executive Director of Switchio @ Monet +
This award recognises excellence in direct merchant payment acceptance partnerships. The winner will have cultivated successful, sustainable, and mutually advantageous relationships with their merchant customers, demonstrating a proven track record of fostering strong connections, delivering value, and supporting the growth of their merchant partners in the payment acceptance ecosystem.
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This award recognises the most forward-thinking payment solution that showcases groundbreaking payment technology or business flow, and delivers actual benefits, value, and differentiation to merchants while enhancing the payment experience for customers. Open to PSPs, ISOs, PayFacs, Aggregators, Orchestrators, Acquirers, Embedded Finance providers, crypto merchant solutions, instant payment providers, and other payment service companies.
This award goes to the company that consistently demonstrates excellence through advanced technologies to enhance merchant operations, excluding fraud prevention. The winner exhibits the use of innovative solutions in areas like customer loyalty, engagement, support, or optimisation, empowering merchants to improve decision-making and customer experiences.
This award goes to the solution provider that excels in empowering merchants to expand their global reach and increase revenue. The winner demonstrates outstanding commitment to accountability and transparency, while effectively minimising risks and complexities associated with cross-border sales.
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This award goes to the company that most effectively leverages open banking data for payment initiation, facilitating seamless transactions between end-users and merchants. The winner demonstrated how their solution enhances the customer experience throughout the payment process, streamlining transactions and adding value for both consumers and businesses.
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This award goes to a technology solution that significantly enhances regulatory compliance and/or operations for merchants, issuers, or acquirers. The winner demonstrates innovative solutions that streamline adherence to regulations and industry standards, including areas such as regulatory reporting, risk management, identity control, compliance monitoring, fraud prevention, or security measures.
This award goes to the organisation that has developed/deployed the best omni-channel payments acceptance solution, providing value and differentiation for merchants and a great payments experience for users.
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This award goes to the organisation offering the best, most comprehensive, and most beneficial platform or marketplace that supports merchants or other players in the merchant payments ecosystem, such as banks, PSP, service providers, and consumers, with solutions in any area of the ecosystem.
This award goes to the most innovative solution that demonstrates exceptional benefits in fraud prevention, identity verification, or authentication management, significantly enhancing digital transaction security, delivering tangible protection for merchants and customers.
This award goes to the most effective Payments Orchestration Solution that seamlessly integrates and optimises multiple payment providers and methods, ultimately empowering businesses to streamline their payment processes and enhance overall financial operations.
This award goes to the most innovative or successful new B2B or B2C embedded finance project, recognising excellence in integrating financial services into non-financial brands, companies, or platforms. The winning entry should showcase a specific implementation that seamlessly incorporates financial products such as lending, payments, cards, accounts, or insurance into a customer journey.
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Open to any payments businesses with a clear and well-developed ESG strategy who can demonstrate how their strategy is making a substantial positive impact in any of the E,S,G pillars, particularly when supported by technology. This will show evidence of how progress is being made against specific near and long-term objectives such as net-zero, carbon offsetting, UN Sustainable Development Goals, social purpose and supply chain transparency goals. Entries should include a case study of a live initiative or programme as well as up-to-date supporting data/evidence of its impact against the set objectives and a clear definition of KPIs.
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.
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.
