FPL
FPLFuture of Payments Leaders
Membership & Criteria

Membership

FPL membership is for senior payments practitioners only. This page sets out exactly who qualifies, what membership includes, and how selection works — so you can judge the fit before you apply.

Membership criteria

All criteria are required unless noted.

Seniority

VP level or above, or Head-of function, and you own the payments decisions.

Decision authority

You own, or directly shape, at least one of: payments strategy, payment product roadmap, processor and vendor selection, checkout and authorization performance, or a payments P&L.

Organization

A merchant, marketplace or platform, PSP or processor, issuing or acquiring bank, or payment network. There is no minimum organization size, revenue, or payments-volume threshold — the role criteria above are the bar.

Contribution

You are willing to share experience, not just consume it, and to attend the monthly roundtable as the default.

Confidentiality

You accept the Chatham House Rule and the no-selling rule as conditions of membership.

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Industry partners

A small number of vendor and advisory firms support FPL as partners. Partners do not hold member seats, do not attend closed roundtables unless explicitly invited to a specific session, and are never given member contact details. If you are interested in partnership rather than membership, contact info@futureofpaymentsleaders.com.

What membership includes

A facilitated 60-minute closed-door session with a small circle of members, followed by 30 minutes of optional open discussion. Chatham House Rule. A standing agenda built from members' live priorities: authorization and conversion performance, processor and vendor decisions, fraud and risk trade-offs, churn and retention, interchange and pricing economics, embedded payments, cross-border payments, and what is actually working in real-time payments, stablecoins, wallets, and AI. Between sessions, any member can convene an ad-hoc session with fellow members on a specific live challenge.

A members-only digital space to ask questions between sessions, share vendor experiences, and connect 1-to-1 with peers across regions and segments.

A monthly newsletter discussing what's moving in payments — the developments that matter, what members are seeing, and what the room is debating — drawn from the community's own discussions, plus the questions heading into the next roundtable. Members only: never published, never sponsored, never sold.

An opt-in directory of members, searchable by segment, region, and expertise, so you can find the right peer before you need them.

A longer session each quarter on one major shift in payments, led by a member or an invited practitioner — never a vendor pitch.

Members receive priority registration for the FPL Annual Summit, planned for 2027. Summit registration and travel are charged separately; membership guarantees priority access, not free attendance.

Founding members help define FPL's topics, standards, and future cohorts, and lock in charter dues for 2 years.

Dues

Annual dues are shared with accepted applicants as part of their membership invitation, before any commitment is made. Applying costs nothing and creates no obligation. Founding-cohort members receive charter dues, locked for 2 years.

Frequently asked questions

Who can apply?
Senior payments leaders who meet the criteria on this page. If you are unsure whether you qualify, apply — every applicant receives a decision.
I work for a vendor or consultancy. Can I join?
Not in a member seat. Member seats are reserved for practitioners who run payments inside an organization. We offer a limited number of industry partnerships instead — contact us to discuss.
How are applications decided?
Each application is reviewed personally against the membership criteria, with balance across segments, regions, and company types considered for each cohort. Submitting an application does not guarantee acceptance.
Is membership capped?
No. FPL admits members in cohorts, beginning with a founding cohort. Cohorts keep roundtables small and peer-level while the community grows over time — every cohort is held to the same criteria.
What is the time commitment?
One 60-minute roundtable per month, with an optional 30 minutes of open discussion after, plus optional participation in the private community and quarterly deep-dives. Membership only works if members attend, so regular attendance is an expectation, not a perk.
What is the Chatham House Rule, and what is the no-selling rule?
Members may use information from sessions, but may never attribute views or information to any member or organization. And FPL is never a sales channel: no pitching, no prospecting, and no using the directory for outreach. Breaching either rule ends membership.
Can my employer pay my dues?
Yes. On acceptance we can provide an invoice and a short justification letter for your employer, so dues can be expensed as professional development.
When do roundtables run?
Monthly, virtually, at a time set for the cohort to work across Americas and European time zones.
What happens if I am not accepted?
You will be told directly, and where it is a matter of timing or cohort balance, invited to be considered for a later cohort. Application details are never shared.
Apply for Membership No payment is taken with an application.