Level: Intermediate
Instructor: Anri Goksadze
Start Date: March 9, 2026
Schedule: Mondays & Wednesday’s at 19:30
Duration: 6 sessions (2 hours each)
Location: Online, with 2 in-person sessions @Stamba, Dblock
Price: 1500 GEL
Target Audience
Intermediate professionals (min. 1–2 years in payments) from banks and PSPs working across issuing, acquiring, product, finance/P&L, risk, or operations.
Course Objectives
– Map the payments value chain and explain how interchange, MDR, FX, and scheme/processing fees shape profitability.
– Describe interchange flows across ATM, POS, e-commerce, P2P and quantify their impact on issuer/acquirer economics.
– Evaluate Georgian-market specifics (issuing, POS/SoftPOS, ATM, e-commerce), including bilateral agreements and digital wallets (Apple Pay/Google Pay).
– Build and compare pricing strategies (POS, SoftPOS, e-comm) and make risk vs. revenue trade-offs (e.g., pre-auth flows).
– Understand Banking-as-a-Service, scheme & processing center fees, and apply cost-efficiency levers.
– Construct a payments P&L and simulate pricing scenarios to reach target margins.
Session 1: Value Chain & Profit Drivers (Foundations)
– Key players in the payments value chain (Issuer, Acquirer, PSP/Gateway, Scheme, Processor)
– Revenue streams & cost drivers (big picture: issuing vs. acquiring)
– Interchange: what it is and how it affects the ecosystem
– Interchange flows: ATM, POS, e-commerce, P2P (who pays whom, and when)
– FX economics in cross-currency transactions
– DCC: mechanics, governance, and impact on trust/margins
Session 2: Issuing Focus
– Market review (GE): product mix (debit/credit/commercial), usage patterns
– Bilateral agreements (bank–bank): revenue & cost implications
– Issuer revenue streams & cost drivers (interchange, fees, rewards, scheme/processing costs, fraud/chargebacks)
– Digital wallets (Apple Pay/Google Pay): tokenization, approval-rate lift, usage stimulation, and economics
Session 3: POS/SoftPOS Acquiring
– Market review (GE): POS estate, SoftPOS adoption, segment mix (micro/SME/enterprise)
– Acquirer revenue & costs: MDR markup vs. interchange + assessments + processing + ops
– POS vs. SoftPOS: TCO, service model, risk profile – who wins in which segment and why
– Pre-authorization flows: risk mitigation vs. conversion/revenue; operational best practices
Session 4: ATM & E-commerce Acquiring
– ATM acquiring: revenue streams (withdrawal/interchange/fees) and cost stack — is it worth the investment?
– E-commerce acquiring: pricing models, fraud/chargebacks & 3DS strategy
– High-risk e-commerce: risk-based pricing, reserves, settlement lags, monitoring
– PSPs & Gateways: roles, fees, routing, and value-added capabilities
Session 5: BaaS, Scheme/Processing Fees & Cost Efficiency
– Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS): models, partner roles, economics, and compliance boundaries
– Payment scheme & processing-center fees: dues/assessments, per-auth/clearing, fixed network fees; optimization levers
– Cost-efficiency playbook: automation, parameter tuning, vendor terms, routing choices
– Global case studies (e.g., Adyen, Stripe, Revolut, Kaspi): what’s portable to Georgia
Session 6: Workshop: Profitability Lab
– Build a payments P&L structure (issuing + acquiring)
– Simulate pricing and volume/mix scenarios (POS, SoftPOS, e-comm)
– Draft Issuing Product Profitability calculation (KPIs, ROI estimates)