The payments sector is a center of complexity and innovation in a world of digital transactions that is changing trade. To offer quick, safe payment experiences across borders and currencies, businesses must manage legislative changes, customer needs, and cyberthreats. Businesses are under pressure to provide not only transactions but also trust and value as the global experience economy expands.

Paysafe, a robust payments platform that has transformed disruption into opportunity, is at the forefront of this change. Paysafe is trusted by both customers and merchants thanks to its products, which include Skrill, NETELLER, and PaysafeCard, and its presence in more than 120 markets. Under CEO Bruce Lowthers, the business is revolutionizing financial services, gaming, e-commerce, and the burgeoning experience economy.

In an exclusive interview with Business Fortune, CEO Bruce Lowthers shared the story behind Paysafe’s rise, its unwavering focus on innovation, and how it continues to stay ahead in an increasingly decentralized and technology-driven world.

Interview Highlights

Paysafe has established itself as a leader in the payments industry for over two decades, but every successful company has humble beginning. Can you share the behind-the-scenes story of how Paysafe was born—what sparked the idea, and what the early vision looked like?

Paysafe’s story began nearly 30 years ago, driven by a simple yet powerful idea: to make digital transactions seamless, fast, and secure for both merchants and consumers. Back then, the internet was beginning to reshape how we shop and pay. Entrepreneurs in Europe and North America saw the need for payment solutions that could enable safer online purchases, particularly in underserved markets and industries. That sparked the early versions of our digital wallet products—Skrill and PaysafeCard—which would each become pioneers in their own right. Over time, we brought these solutions together under one roof to form what is now Paysafe—a company committed to transforming payments and the way people move money globally.

Today, Paysafe has evolved into a leading payment platform serving merchants and consumers in the global experience economy. We provide digital wallets, payment processing, and eCash solutions to merchants and consumers transacting in the experience economy across industries like video gaming, online sports betting, travel, hospitality, and digital assets.

Our core purpose is to enable businesses and consumers to connect and transact seamlessly through industry-leading capabilities in payment processing, digital wallet, and online cash solutions. In 2024, we reported an annualized transactional volume of $152 billion. With approximately 3,300 employees located in 12+ countries, we are uniquely positioned to connect businesses and consumers across 260 payment types in 48 currencies around the world.

Paysafe operates in more than 120 markets—what does being “truly global” mean to you as a company? How do you maintain agility and relevance in such a wide and diverse landscape?

Being a global company is more than a footprint—it’s a mindset. It means understanding local cultures, regulations, and consumer behaviors while still operating with the efficiency and consistency of a unified platform. Paysafe’s regulatory strength globally is one of our differentiators. Our Global operations (US, Germany, UK, Peru, Ireland, and Bulgaria) allow the company to leverage our regulatory expertise and innovation under the Paysafe Experience Network to help businesses drive growth and expand into new markets. With decades of experience in highly regulated industries, Paysafe understands the complexities of managing risk and compliance globally. We help businesses navigate these challenges, so they can focus on growth without worrying about regional regulatory or operational risks.

We pride ourselves on blending global scale with local expertise. Whether it’s enabling a gamer in Germany to top up their account using PaysafeCard or helping a sportsbook operator in the U.S. offer seamless deposits through Skrill, we adapt quickly because we’re structured for agility. We’ve also built strong regulatory relationships and maintain a flexible tech stack, which helps us pivot as needed and stay ahead in a fast-changing world.

Paysafe operates across various sectors, including gaming, e-commerce, and financial services. How does the company tailor its payment solutions to meet the unique demands of these diverse industries?

It starts with deep vertical expertise. We don’t take a one-size-fits-all approach—we embed and tailor our solutions for each industry we serve. In iGaming, for example, our solutions are built to meet strict regulatory demands while offering fast, frictionless payouts that players expect. In e-commerce, we focus on checkout conversion, offering digital wallets and alternative payments that reduce abandonment rates.

For financial services, we’re innovating around digital disbursements and embedded finance. For example, in 2024, Paysafe announced a partnership with Deutsche Bank to enhance cash services for Postbank customers in Germany. This collaboration utilizes Paysafe’s barcode solution, Paysafecash (branded as “viacash” in Germany), allowing customers to deposit and withdraw cash at over 12,500 retail locations, including REWE, Penny, DM, and Rossmann, without the need to visit traditional bank branches or ATMs. Customers generate a barcode within their banking app using the “Bargeld Code” feature, which is then scanned at participating stores to facilitate cash transactions.

Across all verticals, we stay close to our customer, listen to their needs, and evolve with them. That’s how we create real value—not just as a vendor, but as a strategic partner.

Paysafe offers a range of products like Skrill, NETELLER, and paysafeCard. How does the company ensure these products remain at the forefront of technological innovation and continue to meet evolving consumer needs?

We take a dual approach by investing heavily in innovation while constantly listening to our users across global markets. Our product teams operate with a startup mentality. For example, we have recently enhanced our digital wallets with instant deposit features and loyalty programs. With PaysafeCard, we have expanded into mobile-first experiences and in-app gaming payments.

We are also working to leverage our white-label wallet platform, which allows us to strengthen our market share in Peru, where we already have a strong presence in e-commerce with our PagoEfectivo product, one of the leading Alternative Payment Methods (APMs) in the region.

In April, we will launch Pago Wallet in Peru to capitalize on our existing market share. This innovation elevates PagoEfectivo by transforming its traditional cash payment system into a fully integrated digital wallet, providing users with a seamless cash-to-digital payment solution. It’s designed especially for the gambling and digitally-savvy communities. Pago Wallet builds on PagoEfectivo’s strong market presence and trust among Peruvian consumers to enhance financial accessibility and digital transactions.

PagoEfectivo allows consumers to pay for online purchases in cash or through bank transfers without the need for a credit or debit card. Shoppers select PagoEfectivo at checkout on an e-commerce site, receive a unique payment code (called a CIP code), and can pay using that code at locations such as banks, convenience stores, ATMs, or through online banking with participating banks.

Innovation is not just about adding new features; it’s about staying ahead of consumer payment preferences.

Security is paramount in online transactions. What measures does Paysafe implement to ensure the safety and trust of its users across its platforms?

Security is at the core of everything we do. We employ multi-layered defenses including advanced fraud detection, real-time transaction monitoring, biometric authentication, and tokenization. We’re also fully compliant with global standards like PCI DSS and regularly undergo third-party audits. But beyond the technology, we foster a culture of trust—educating users on safe payment practices and staying transparent about how we protect their data. Our goal is simple: every customer interaction with Paysafe should feel secure, seamless, and reliable.

Looking ahead, what emerging markets or sectors do you identify as key growth areas for Paysafe, and how does the company plan to capitalize on these opportunities?

We are witnessing significant growth in the emerging experiential economy, where consumers increasingly prioritize experiences over material goods. This trend is fueled by social sharing, personalization, and new technologies. Spending in this category is expected to double to over $12 billion in the next three years. We will continue to leverage our network of over one million merchants and nearly 18 million consumers, shifting our focus from transactional payments to personalized experiences that utilize these emerging technologies.

About | Bruce Lowthers

I am completing my third year as CEO and Executive Director of Paysafe (NYSE: PSFE) as I started in May 2022. Over the last three years we have successfully transformed Paysafe into becoming a world-class payments organization returning to growth and profitability by focusing on our customers driving operational changes, debt reduction, and establishing a clear vision for growth in the Experiential Economy.

Beginning my career as a certified public accountant, I found a love for business and how it operates. I was eager to not just report on what happened with the business but had a passion for entrepreneurship, I left Ernst & Young (EY) and went on to successfully co-founding/leading four start-up companies and two payments industry associations - American Transaction Processors Coalition (ATPC) and Payments 20 (P20), the global payments body.

Before joining Paysafe, I spent 15 years at FIS (NYSE: FIS), a Fortune 250 company. Serving as President in my last role, I guided the global $15 billion revenue organization with over 65,000 employees to unprecedented growth by accelerating the speed to market of innovative new products and services, amplifying cross-selling opportunities, and enhancing the client experience.

I am a passionate philanthropist and am deeply involved in the community through my longstanding support of the American Heart Association, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) Foundation, and many other activities.

I hold a BA in business administration from the University of Massachusetts – Lowell. In recognition of my industry expertise and leadership I have won numerous awards and most recently, was appointed to the board of the Electronic Transactions Association (ETA), a leading advocacy and trade association for the payments industry.

“We foster a culture of trust—educating users on safe payment practices and staying transparent about how we protect their data.”

“We will continue to leverage our network of over one million merchants and nearly 18 million consumers, shifting our focus from transactional payments to personalized experiences that utilize these emerging technologies.”