For this edition of our newsletter on digital innovation in retail, we sat down with Pascal Libert a seasoned expert who has spent three decades shaping how Europe pays. From Mastercard and Western Union to launching his own consultancy, he has been at the forefront of contactless technology, digital vouchers, disruptive payment solutions, and\u2014more recently\u2014crypto-enabled payments. Below is our conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I’ve been working in payments for 30 years. My career started at Mastercard, where I spent 14 years and introduced the first contactless transactions back in 2006. After that, I worked for Worldline, then Elavon\u2014one of the major global players\u2014and later Western Union, which gave me a different perspective on cash-heavy money transfers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When I turned 50, I decided to leave large corporations and open my own company, Done For You<\/em>. The reason was simple: I was tired of big providers pushing off-the-shelf solutions on merchants and telling them to \u201cjust adapt.\u201d And one more promise: whatever I deliver is at least 20\u201325% cheaper than their current solution, plus they get personal support from people who know the industry inside out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I prefer fewer merchants but deep relationships. Quality over quantity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I also love disruptive technologies. Over my career I helped launch contactless payments, digitized paper meal vouchers into cards, and five years ago introduced crypto payments through partners like GoCrypto\/Naka\u2014solutions that didn\u2019t exist at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s a very big question. When I joined Mastercard in 1996, the slogan was \u201cwar on cash.\u201d They predicted cash would disappear soon. Well\u2014here we are in 2025, and cash is still very much alive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even in Belgium, one of the most digitalized payment markets, cash is still used. That\u2019s why my philosophy is simple: merchants must accept every<\/em>form of payment\u2014cash, card, mobile, crypto. You cannot force consumers to use just one method.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Crypto is now mainstream. And digital euro, instant payments, QR-based systems\u2014these things are becoming standard. We can\u2019t hide from them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But there\u2019s also a worrying trend: more restrictions and more data linking\u2014for example, age-based purchase blocking at the payment level. Mastercard and Visa call it progress. I find it intrusive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The future is flexibility: merchants must be ready for all<\/em>payment forms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes\u2014enormously. No two European countries behave the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Belgium, France, Germany\u2014markets with strong legacy systems\u2014are slower to adopt innovations. Meanwhile Central Europe (Slovakia, Slovenia, etc.) moves much faster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Germany is still heavily cash-based. Belgium had slow contactless adoption. Meanwhile Slovakia and Slovenia have excellent mobile networks, which accelerates digital payment usage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One universal pattern, though, is mobile payments. Once people start using Apple Pay or Google Pay, they never go back to plastic cards. That trend is identical everywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A gift card is just a prepaid card\u2014and the value is enormous, yet many merchants still don\u2019t understand it. I still meet stores using paper loyalty stamps when digital options are literally one tap away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cost is the biggest excuse: issuing cards, building an app, migrating from paper. But they forget the cost of manual work<\/em>: counting paper coupons, printing vouchers, managing errors\u2014it adds up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The brands that get it are moving fast. For example: a coffee chain in Slovakia with a beautifully designed loyalty app\u2014scan a QR code, register instantly, receive \u20ac10, and start collecting rewards. Clean, modern, and extremely effective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With small independent merchants, cost feels heavier. But for chains and shopping malls, the ROI is huge. And the digital evolution is clear:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gift and loyalty systems are becoming more powerful, more flexible, and more connected to customer data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Absolutely. Same as with cash: people forget the hidden costs. Handling cash takes work. Handling paper loyalty takes work. Digital saves hours\u2014and offers data that paper never could.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But yes\u2014education is the biggest challenge. Once merchants see<\/em> the value, they never go back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Family comes first, always. After that: football and music. I used to play football, and I\u2019m a devoted Chelsea supporter\u2014Barcelona too, thanks to my father.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But my biggest passion is Depeche Mode. I\u2019ve followed them for 40 years, collected meet-and-greets, and attended 18 concerts during their last tour. As you can see from my T-shirt, I can\u2019t hide it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I also love skiing\u2014Austria is my second home in winter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And I must say, I love Slovenia. The sea on one side, mountains on the other, friendly people\u2026 If the future brings me to Ljubljana one day, I wouldn\u2019t complain.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe payments industry has changed dramatically. How do you see the current shift toward digital and crypto?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Do countries differ much in how they adopt new payment technologies?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You also work extensively with gift cards and loyalty systems. What trends do you see there?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Many merchants overlook the time they save by digitizing gift and loyalty programs. Is that also your experience?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What about life outside business\u2014any hobbies or passions?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n