Hotel Jakarta, Amsterdam
14-16 April 2026
Customer and partner conference 2026
Converge by actuary.aero
Engage with a program designed to enhance your knowledge and grow your industry network. Converge 2026 brings together sessions on key themes, from credit risk management to emerging travel payments and distribution trends, alongside global networking and interactive discussions, creating a collaborative and transformative experience for all attendees.
2-5PM
Airline Payments Academy Workshop - Sponsored by Worldpay
Thomas Helldorff, VP Airlines & Travel, Worldpay Hosted by Mastercard
Build on the fundamentals with a deeper dive into payments risk
This second edition of the Airline Payments Academy Masterclass revisits the 4-party model before going further into the risk dynamics of the payments chain. We’ll examine how risk is allocated across participants, why deferred-delivery merchants present unique challenges, and which mitigation strategies work in practice. The session includes dedicated time for Q&A to address real-world questions.
6-8PM
Welcome Cocktail Reception - Sponsored by WEX
08.30AM – 09.00AM
Coffee + Registration
9.00AM – 12.45PM
CEO’s Welcome
Keynote: State of Payments, key trends and innovations that will change the payments landscape
Alberto Martin, Associate Partner, McKinsey
How card spend paints the picture: an economist’s view of the Travel Industry
Speaker to be confirmed
Managing payments at a global airline: At the crossroads of distribution, technology and finance
Speaker to be confirmed
The Merchant of Record model, improving customer experience with optimised B2B payments – the merchant perspective
Samuel Lindfield, Director Airline Partnerships, WEX
Decoding Insurance in Payments: Is acquiring really uninsurable?
Sami Doyle, CEO, TMU
From First Click to Final Payment. Online Cruise Booking Complexity
Thomas Naslund, CEO, Dreamlake
Payments in the Modern Airline Retailing world – The long and winding road ahead
- Larissa Zell, Senior Vertical Strategy Manager, Worldpay
- Esperanza Fernandez, Director Airline Acceptance, Mastercard
- Joanna Thibault, CCO, mnc.aero
Moderator: Paul van Alfen, MD, Up in the Air
Networking Lunch
12.45PM - 2PM
AI: Beyond the Buzzword
- Julian van Meggelen, Lead Developer, actuary.aero
- Christel Karsten, Director Fintech Commercial Strategy, Booking.com
- Dirk-Vincent Gemke, Enterprise Engineer – Airline Transformation
Moderator : Paul van Alfen, MD, Up in the Air
Case study: Innovation to fulfil credit needs in B2B payments
Francois Burtin, Head of Ecommerce, Allianz Trade
Digital currency boom. Will stablecoin be a game changer for travel payments? Panos Dandolas, Co-founder & CPO, Damisa
2.00PM – 4.00PM
5PM
Apéro on the Canals - Sponsored by Axcess MS
7PM
The Converge Dinner - Sponsored by TMU Management
9AM – 12.30PM
Opening & Sum up of Day 1
Ask the experts of Converge 2026, bring your expertise and share your thoughts - Roundtables
Embracing credit risk monitoring to accelerate growth
Radu Jibotean, Director of Business Development -Travel, Mastercard Jeremy Dyball, VP Global Travel, Shift4
What’s next? actuary.aero Product Update
Jako Jo Messina, Head of Development, actuary.aero
One Event, Many Payees: Designing Clear & Elegant Payment Journeys
Emma Hardcastle, Founder, Hostology
Regulatory changes and impacts on the European Travel Industry
Eric Drésin, Secretary-General, ECTAA
Ask the actuary.aero Team + Closing
- Joana Mosa, Business Development & Relationship Manager
- Giang Ngo, Business Development & Relationship Manager
- Jako Jo Messina, Head of Development
- Santosh Tulshibagwale, Implementation Manager
12.30PM - 1.30PM
Closing Lunch
Stay Tuned for Updates
Stay connected for more updates as we refine the program, designed to make your experience both enriching and inspiring.
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