The role of community-driven learning in payments and fraud prevention

Ahead of the MRC Virtual Summit: VAMP, Julie Fergerson, CEO and Co-Founder of the Merchant Risk Council (MRC), discusses why continuous learning has become essential for payment and fraud-prevention professionals.

The payments and fraud-prevention landscape evolves rapidly. Why is continuous learning becoming increasingly important for professionals working in this space?

It's never been more important for payment professionals to be connected and to keep learning. The industry is evolving at an unprecedented pace. Regulatory changes roll out across markets every month, and they can significantly impact payment acceptance, payment processing, and consumer protection requirements. At the same time, the card networks issue thousands of updates and mandates each year, making it a challenge for organisations to stay informed, understand the implications, and implement the necessary changes. Many of these updates demand significant development resources, and failing to implement them correctly can result in increased costs, operational challenges, and compliance risks.

For fraud prevention professionals, staying current is equally critical. Fraudsters are increasingly leveraging AI, lowering the barrier to entry for sophisticated attacks and enabling new fraud schemes to emerge faster than ever before. New attack vectors appear daily, and organisations must be able to identify, understand, and respond to them quickly.

Staying connected to the MRC community and utilising our member resources allows members to see emerging threats and attack patterns in real time, learn from the experiences of their peers, and respond more effectively. It also helps them stay informed about new technologies and approaches to fraud prevention through collaboration with solution providers that are continually developing innovative ways to protect businesses and consumers.

As new technologies like AI, real-time payments, and orchestration reshape the industry, what skills or areas of knowledge do you believe professionals should be prioritising today?

While technologies like AI, real-time payments, and orchestration are reshaping the industry, I believe AI is the area professionals should be prioritising most today. AI will not replace jobs, but professionals who know how to use AI effectively will have a significant advantage over those who do not.

We're already seeing many MRC members use AI to increase revenue, improve authorisation and acceptance rates, reduce fraud, and operate more efficiently. When applied thoughtfully, AI can help organisations make faster, more informed decisions that directly impact the bottom line while also delivering a better customer experience.

The key is not simply understanding what AI is but learning how to use it strategically to solve business problems, improve operational efficiency, and stay ahead of increasingly sophisticated fraud threats.

Beyond formal training, how important is community-driven learning through conferences, webinars, and peer collaboration in helping professionals stay ahead of emerging challenges?

Community-driven learning is more important than ever, especially through conferences, webinars, and community calls where members can share what they are seeing on the front lines. I often refer to these conversations as the canary in the coal mine because new and emerging challenges are often identified first within the MRC community.

By learning from peers, members can better understand what is happening in real time and respond more quickly. When one member is facing a new problem, chances are another member is already working on it – or has already found a way to solve it. Being connected to peers who are navigating the same fast-paced, complex challenges can make a material difference in how quickly and effectively organisations are able to respond.

Many organisations are investing more heavily in professional development and certification programmes. What impact can ongoing education have on both individual career growth and broader business performance?

The market for experienced payments and fraud-prevention professionals is more competitive than ever, making employee development a critical investment for organisations. Providing team members with ongoing education, training, and career development opportunities helps create a clear path for growth, which can improve engagement, retention, and long-term loyalty.

Beyond retention, continuous learning helps employees build new skills, stay current on industry changes, and make better use of emerging technologies and tools. That not only makes the work more interesting and rewarding for individuals but also enables organisations to operate more effectively, adapt more quickly to change, and deliver stronger business outcomes.

The MRC Virtual Summit: VAMP takes place next week and will bring together industry experts to discuss evolving disputes, chargebacks, and fraud challenges. Why are events like this especially valuable for professionals navigating today’s increasingly complex risk environment?

Events like the MRC Virtual Summit: VAMP are incredibly valuable because, despite the industry discussing the programme for more than a year, there is still significant confusion around how it works and what it means for merchants. It's critical that businesses understand the requirements, what the card networks are looking for, and the steps they need to take to avoid being placed on monitoring programmes that can result in substantial fines and increased scrutiny.

Beyond helping merchants navigate the programme itself, these discussions help the industry focus on what matters most: preventing disputes, chargebacks, and fraud before they occur. By bringing together experts, merchants, and solution providers, events like this provide practical guidance, shared experiences, and actionable strategies that help organisations adapt to changing requirements and strengthen their overall risk management approach.

About the author

Julie Fergerson, CEO and Co-Founder of the Merchant Risk Council, has 25+ years of experience developing, delivering, and promoting Internet-based technologies. She has a proven track record of bringing key stakeholders together to solve difficult problems and positioning existing technology to meet the needs of an audience without changing the fundamental value of that technology. Prior to her appointment as CEO of the MRC, Julie was Senior Vice President of Industry Solutions at Ethoca. 

 

About The Merchant Risk Council

The Merchant Risk Council (MRC) is a global non-profit membership organisation connecting payments and fraud prevention professionals to share insights, strengthen risk strategies, and drive safer, more profitable ecommerce. With 780+ member companies and more than 12,500 professionals worldwide, MRC delivers industry-leading events, education, CPFPP certification, member-only networking, and advocacy that amplify real-world merchant and issuer perspectives while advancing best practices across the payments ecosystem. For more information visit MRC.