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Edito rial
Finance at the Speed of Technologyy
Thefinancialleadershiplandscapeisundergoinga
structuraltransformation.TheroleoftheChiefFinancial Officerhasexpandedfarbeyondstewardshipofbalance sheetsandcomplianceframeworks.Today'sCFOstandsatthe intersectionofstrategy,technology,riskarchitecture,anddigital innovation.Inthisedition, Most Visionary CFOs Driving Digital Finance & Payment Innovation in 2026,werecognizefinancial leaderswhoarenotmerelyadaptingtochange—theyare engineeringit.
Digitalfinancehasenteredaneradefinedbyreal-timedata ecosystems,intelligentautomation,embeddedpayments,and platform-basedbusinessmodels.TheseshiftsdemandCFOswho cantranslatefinancialintelligenceintoenterprise-wideagility The leadersfeaturedinthisissueexemplifythatevolution.Theyare modernizinglegacyfinancialinfrastructures,strengthening cybersecurityandfraudgovernance,anddeployingadvanced analyticstoimprovecapitalefficiencyandforecastingprecision.
WhatdistinguishestheseCFOsistheirabilitytoalignfinancial strategywithdigitalarchitecture.Theyviewpaymentinnovation notasaback-officefunction,butasastrategicgrowthlever influencingcustomerexperience,marketexpansion,and operationalscalability.FromintegratingAI-drivenfinancial planningtoolstooptimizingcross-bordertransactionframeworks, theirdecisionsareshapingresilient,future-readyorganizations.
Equallyimportantistheirroleaschangearchitects.These executivesarefosteringfinanceteamsskilledindigitalfluency, datagovernance,andtechnologycollaboration.Theyarebuilding cultureswherecompliance,innovation,andperformancecoexist ratherthancompete.
Asglobalmarketsgrowmoreinterconnectedandfinancial ecosystemsmorecomplex,theCFO'smandatewillcontinueto widen.Theleadershighlightedinthiseditionrepresentaforwardlookingarchetype—financiallyrigorous,technologically informed,andstrategicallybold.
Theirjourneysofferablueprintforthefutureoffinance leadership.
Ehsan Masud
Bringing Discipline To Digital Finance
INDUSTRY INSIGHTS THE FRONT PAGE EXCLUSIVE
Payment Innovation Strategy How Financial Institutions Stay Competitive
INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
Payment Security Strategy
Protecting Transactions from Fraud
Business
Business
Featuring
Ehsan Masud CFO (Fintech & Digital Assets)
Katherine Gibson CFO
Kelvin Vi Luan Tran CFO
Robert Sedran CFO
Most Visionary CFOs Driving Digital Finance & Payment Innova on in 2026
Chadwick Westlake CFO Company
Equitable Bank equitablebank.ca N/A
Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) rbcroyalbank.com
TD Bank Group td.com
Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) cibc.com
Brief
Chadwick plays a key role in strengthening financial resilience, suppor ng innova on, and driving long-term value across Canada’s evolving financial services landscape.
Ehsan drives capital efficiency, risk management, and performance op miza on—suppor ng innova on while ensuring financial discipline in rapidly evolving technologydriven markets.
Katherine plays a key role in driving fiscal discipline, suppor ng enterprise growth, and strengthening financial resilience within one of the world’s leading financial ins tu ons.
Kelvin supports disciplined execu on while enabling innova on and long-term value crea on across a complex, highly regulated financial environment.
Robert supports disciplined growth, regulatory alignment, and long-term value crea on in a dynamic financial services landscape.
Chief Financial Officer Sector: Fintech & Digital Assets
Ehsan Masud
THEFRONTPAGEEXCLUSIVE
How Financial Institutions
Thepaymentslandscapeisexperiencing developmentataspeedthatexceedsallother sectorsinfinancialservices.Paymentsarebeing transformedthroughthecombinationofdigitalwallets, real-timepaymentsystems,embeddedfinanceandfintech platforms,andcross-borderpaymentsolutions.Customers nowexpecttransactionstobeinstant,seamless,secure,and invisible.Paymentsserveasafundamentaloperational functionforfinancialinstitutions.Thefinancialsectoruses paymentsasitsmainfieldofcompetition.
Tomaintainmarketrelevance,institutionsneedtoapproach paymentinnovationastheirmainbusinessstrategyinstead oftreatingitasatechnologyimprovement.Theprocess needsorganizationstoredesigntheirentireoperational system,includingtheirpartnershipsandcustomerservice methodsandtheirwaysofgeneratingincome.
FromTransactionProcessingtoExperienceDesign
Thepastregardedpaymentsasaprocessthatoccurred behindthescenes.Today,paymentsarepartofthecustomer experience.Customersatisfactionandloyaltydependon fourmainfactorswhichincludespeedandeaseofuseand reliabilityandsecurity.Leadinginstitutionsinpayment innovationmustbalancetheirfocusbetweenuser experienceandsystemperformance.
Frictionlessonboarding,simpleinterfaces,fastapprovals, andtransparentstatustrackinghavebecomebaseline expectations.Customerswillswitchtootheroptions whenevertheyexperiencepaymentprocessesthatappear complicatedortaketoolongtocomplete.Competitive institutionsdesignpaymentsasaseamlesspartofdigital journeysratherthanisolatedtransactions.
Real-TimeandAlways-OnInfrastructure
Customersandbusinessesnowconducttheiroperations accordingtoreal-timerequirements.Manysituationsnow demandimmediatesettlementinsteadofwaitingdaysfor resolution.Financialinstitutionsneedtoupdatetheir systemstoenablecontinuouspaymentprocessingandto handlereal-timetransactionsatanytime.Thesystem requiresupgradestoexistingsystemswhichneedto implementcurrentpaymentsystemswhilemaintaining constantserviceandtheirabilitytogrow
Organizationsthatdonotdeveloptheirreal-timesystems willlosetheirpositioninfast-developingmarketswhich includee-commerceandgigworkandinstantcash transfers.Organizationsthatcandevelopinfrastructure flexibilitywillgainanadvantageovertheircompetitors.
EmbeddedFinanceandEcosystemIntegration
Paymentsnowfunctionasanintegralpartofdigital ecosystemswhichencompasse-commerceplatformsand ride-sharingapplicationsandmarketplacesandenterprise systems.Customersexpectpaymentstohappeninthe backgroundintegratedintotheservicetheyareusing.
FinancialinstitutionsneedtoestablishAPIpartnershipsand platformintegrationsystemstomaintaintheircompetitive edge.
Theirroleindigitalecosystemstransformstheminto financialenablerswhoprovideessentialcustomerservices. Thetransitionfromofferingseparateproductstoproviding integratedservicesenablesbusinessestoincreasetheir customerreachwhilemaintainingtheirmarketrelevance.
DataasaStrategicAsset
Paymenttransactionscreateextensivedatathatinstitutions canusetotheiradvantagewhentheyprocessthis informationeffectively.Organizationscanenhancetheir authenticationmethods,customerservicepractices,and productdevelopmenteffortsbystudyingtheirclients' spendinghabits,dangertendencies,andcustomer preferences.
Financialinstitutionsuseadvancedanalyticsandartificial intelligencetoshifttheiroperationsfromresponse-based worktoactivitiesthatcreatevaluethroughcustomized financialrecommendationsandcustomerneedforecasting. Data-drivenstrategytransformspaymentsintoan intelligenceassetthatgeneratesrevenueforthebusiness.
SecurityandTrustasCoreDifferentiators
Innovationneedstomaintainsecurityasitsprimary requirement.Thegrowthofdigitalpaymentsystemsbrings aboutincreasingsecurityrisksandfraudthreats. Organizationsneedtospendmoneyonadvancedfraud detectionsystemsandsecureauthenticationmethodsand ongoingmonitoringcapabilities.Establishedfinancial institutionsmaintaintheircompetitiveadvantagethrough customertrust.
Financialinstitutionscaneffectivelycompeteagainst fintechcompaniesbycombininginnovativeproductswith securesystemsandsuccessfulcompliancemeasures. Securityfunctionsasbothriskmanagementandprotection forthecompany'sbrand.
FlexibleRevenueModels
Fintechcompaniesprovidelow-costorfreeserviceswhich createchallengesfortraditionalfeestructures.Institutions needtodevelopnewwaystogeneraterevenuethrough servicecombinationsandadditionalbenefitofferingsand datamonetization.Thebusinessusesstrategicpricing togetherwithserviceinnovationtofulfillmarketdemands whilesustainingitsprofitmargins.
OrganizationalAgilityandPartnerships
Paymentinnovationrequiresimmediateexecution. Financialinstitutionsneedtoimplementagiledevelopment methodstogetherwiththeirfintechandtechnologypartner companiesandindustrynetworks.Partnershipsdrivefaster innovationdevelopmentwhileshorteningproductlaunch timelines.
Highapprovaltimesthroughstrictsystemscreateobstacles thatpreventorganizationsfromcompetingeffectively Organizationsneedtoestablishaframeworkthatenables themtoimplementbothgovernanceproceduresandagile operationalmethods.
Conclusion
Thepaymentinnovationstrategyfunctionsasacrucial elementforestablishingafinancialcompetitiveadvantage. Organizationsneedtoupdatetheiroperationalsystems whiletheyworktoimprovecustomersatisfactionthrough data-basedsolutions,strongsecuritysystems,andtheir partnershipswithecosystemorganizations.
Businessesthatregardpaymentsasastrategicplatform insteadofabasicservicededicatethemselvestobecoming keyplayersinthedigitalcommercesector Thefinancial industryneedsorganizationstoprovidecustomerswith quickandsafepaymentmethodsthatworksmoothlywith theircurrentbusinesspracticestostaycompetitiveinthe fast-changingfinancialenvironment.
Theincreasingusageofdigitalpaymentsleadsto
moreadvancedtechniqueswhichcriminalsuseto commitfraud.Criminalsfindnewwaystoattack becausereal-timetransfersandmobilewalletsandecommerceexpansionandcross-bordertransactionscreate multipleentrypoints.
Thescopeofmodernfraudmethodshasexpandedbeyond creditcardtheftandbasicphishingattacks.Thelatest versionofthescamincludessixdifferentfraudtechniques whichincludesocialengineeringandaccounttakeoversand syntheticidentitycreationandmalwareandcoordinated networkattacks.
Financialinstitutionstogetherwithpaymentproviders considertransactionprotectiontobetheirmostimportant businessrequirementbecauseithelpsthemestablishtrust whilemeetingregulatorystandardsandprotectingtheir brandreputation.
Asuccessfulpaymentprotectionsystemneedstouse multiplesecuritylayerswhichmustadaptandfunction basedonintelligenceinformation.Thesystemrequires morethanjustfixedsecuritymeasuresasitscomplete framework.
SecurityasaSystem,NotaTool
Fraudpreventionmeasuresdonotsucceedwhen organizationsimplementthemasonecomplete technologicalsolution.Paymentsecurityfunctionsasa networkofsecuritymeasuresthatprotecttransactionsfrom themomentoftheirinitiationtotheircompleteexecution.
Theprocessstartswithcustomeronboardingandidentity verificationandfollowsthroughtotransactionmonitoring andauthenticationandpost-eventanalysis.Securitydesign requiresleaderstocreateaunifiedsystemthatfunctionsas anintegratedframeworkinsteadofseparate,independent components.Themostdangerouspointforfraudstersto attackexistsatthejunctionsthatconnectdifferentsecurity systems.
StrongIdentityVerificationatEntryPoints
Weakidentityverificationmethodscreatehigher possibilitiesoffraudulentactivities.Theprocessof customerverificationduringtheirinitialregistrationhelps todecreasetwotypesoffraudulentactivitieswhichinclude syntheticidentityfraudandaccountmisuse.Contemporary identityverificationsystemsuseacombinationofdocument authenticationandbiometricverificationtogetherwith deviceidentificationanduseractivitymonitoring.
Theprocessofestablishingandmaintainingidentitytrust requirescontinuouseffortthroughouttheentiredurationof usage.Usersneedmorethanpasswordsandpermanent securitycredentialsfortheirauthenticationneeds.The combinationofthreesecuritymethods,whichinclude multi-factorauthentication,devicerecognition,andriskbasedauthentication,deliverssecuritythatadjuststouser requirementswithoutcausingmajorinterruptionstotheir experience.Securepaymentsystemsdependonidentity verificationastheirprimarysecuritymeasure.
Real-TimeMonitoringandBehavioralAnalytics
Weakidentityverificationmethodscreatehigher possibilitiesoffraudulentactivities.Theprocessof customerverificationduringtheirinitialregistrationhelps todecreasetwotypesoffraudulentactivities,whichinclude syntheticidentityfraudandaccountmisuse.Contemporary identityverificationsystemsuseacombinationofdocument authenticationandbiometricverificationtogetherwith deviceidentificationanduseractivitymonitoring.
Theprocessofestablishingandmaintainingidentitytrust requirescontinuouseffortthroughouttheentiredurationof usage.Usersneedmorethanpasswordsandpermanent securitycredentialsfortheirauthenticationneeds.
Thecombinationofthreesecuritymethods,whichinclude multi-factorauthentication,devicerecognition,andriskbasedauthentication,deliverssecuritythatadjuststouser requirementswithoutcausingmajorinterruptionstotheir
experience.Securepaymentsystemsdependonidentity verificationastheirprimarysecuritymeasure.
BalancingSecurityandCustomerExperience
Theimplementationofexcessivesecuritymeasuresleadsto customerdissatisfactionwhichresultsincustomer desertion.Organizationsthatuserisk-basedstrategies successfullyimplementstrongersecuritymeasureswhen theirriskindicatorsshowpotentialthreats.Thesystem allowslow-risktransactionstorunwithoutproblemsbut requiresextrachecksforhigh-risksituations.
Thesecuritysystemmaintainsinstitutionalprotectionwhile safeguardingcustomerconfidence.Securityneedsto operateinawaywhichprovidesuserswithintelligent assistanceinsteadofcreatingbarrierstotheirtasks.
CollaborationandIntelligenceSharing
Fraudexistsacrossmultipleorganizationsinsteadofbeing confinedtoasingleinstitution.Criminalorganizationsrun theiroperationsthroughmultipleplatformsacrossdifferent geographicalareas.Thevariousorganizationsinvolvedin bankingandpaymentprocessingandregulatorybodiesand technologycompaniesworktogethertocreatestronger securitysystems.
Thesharingofthreatintelligenceandfraudpatternsand emergingriskindicatorsbetweeninstitutionsenablesthem torespondtothreatsmoreeffectively.Thecooperation betweendifferentindustrieshelpstominimizeareasof unawareness.
Conclusion
Thepaymentsecuritystrategycombinesmultipleelements tocreateacompletesecuritysystem,whichincludes identityverificationprocesses,ongoingsystemobservation, flexibleuserauthenticationmethods,synchronizedteam efforts,andpermanentsystemenhancementoperations.The systemprotectsbothfinancialoperationsandthetrustof customersandthetrustworthinessoftheorganization.
Thesecuritysystemneedstooperatewithflexible intelligencecapabilitiesbecausefraudtechniqueskeep changingatanunpredictablerate.Organizationsthatwant tosucceedneedtoimplementsecuritymeasuresasessential businessoperations,whichwillprotecteveryaspectoftheir paymentprocessingsystems.
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