The professional payment manager

Day 1: Fundamentals and Regulatory Framework

Foundation – Review of the Basics of Payment Transactions

• The 4-party model and 3-party model: the roles of the customer, merchant, issuer, and acquiring bank.
• Communication and fee structures in payment transactions; gross settlement and reconciliation.

Transactions in detail

• Pre-Authorization, Capture, and Settlement: Technical Fundamentals and Use Cases.
• Authentication and Strong Customer Authentication (SCA): PSD2 Requirements, the SCA Dilemma, and Delegated Authentication.

Card Tokenization

• What is card tokenization? Replacing sensitive card data with tokens and the technical tokenization process.
• Network Tokens vs. Gateway Tokens: Differences, Types of Tokens, and Use Cases in the Payment Ecosystem.

Card on File

• What is Card-on-File? The concept, COF storage, and regulatory requirements.
• Main areas of application: Subscription business models and e-commerce.
• Benefits for all stakeholders, implementation challenges, and best practices.

Chargebacks & Refunds

• The Refund and Chargeback Process, Step by Step: Legal Framework and Grounds for Chargebacks.
• Prevention: Strategies for Reducing Chargebacks and Real-World Case Studies.

Fraud & Risk Management

• Common fraud scenarios in payment transactions and risk categories in the payment ecosystem.
• Risk Management Framework: Prevention before the transaction and detection after the transaction.
• Anti-Money Laundering (AML): Regulatory Requirements and AML 6.0 – the New EU Directive.

PSD2 & Open Banking

• The Traditional Banking Model vs. the PSD2 Revolution: APIs, Open Banking, and New Players in the Financial Ecosystem.
• Market Overview: Leading Open Banking Providers, Growth Forecasts Through 2030, and a Look at the Berlin Group.
• Open Banking and SCT Inst: A Combination and Recommendations for Action.

Day 2: Modern Payment Technologies and Specific Areas of Application

SEPA Instant Credit Transfer (SCT Inst)

• Definition, strategic importance, and technical architecture of SEPA Instant Payments.
• Verification of the Payee: Definition, How It Works in a 5-Step Process, and Technical Features.
• Opportunities, risks, and market outlook; integration with open banking.

SEPA Request to Pay

• What is SEPA Request to Pay? Concept and Scope.
• Market opportunities, the current state of the market in Europe, and sectors with the greatest potential.
• E-commerce Use Cases and Outlook.

Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL)

• How BNPL works and its different models: transaction-based vs. account-based.
• Benefits, Risks, and Approval Rates: Conversion Optimization Through BNPL.
• The Most Popular BNPL Providers in Germany and BNPL Payment Methods in 2025.
• Regulatory Environment: CCD2 and New EU Reporting Requirements.

Mobile Payments & Digital Wallets

• The top 5 types of wallets: OEM wallets (Apple Pay, Google Pay), specialty and merchant wallets, bank wallets, and regional wallets.
• What makes digital wallets successful? Acceptance, trust, security, and user experience.
• Perspectives: customer, merchant, and bank perspectives; monetization opportunities.

Marketplace Payments

• Key features and role of payments on marketplaces; most popular payment methods on German marketplaces.
• Challenges, practical solutions, and technologies; payment flows in the marketplace ecosystem.
• A Comparison of Risks, Success Factors, and Payment Models; Germany’s Largest Marketplaces in 2025.
• Future trends in marketplace payments.

Industry specifics in payment transactions

• Why industry-specific payment strategies? An overview of the most important payment channels.
• Industry Profiles: Food Service, Retail, Hospitality, Aviation, Automotive & Mobility, and Airports.
• Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC) and Tax-Free Payments.
• Security across all industries, industry-specific KPIs, and best practices for payment managers.

Crypto and crypto payments

• What are cryptocurrencies? Blockchain technology, mining vs. staking, and technical fundamentals.
• The process of a crypto transaction.
• Stablecoins, central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), and integration into payment infrastructures.
• Practical use cases and challenges in payment transactions.