Merchant Payments Ecosystem Unveils Winners of 2026 MPE Awards
Merchant Payments Ecosystem has unveiled the winners of the MPE Awards 2026, honouring companies and industry leaders driving innovation and measurable impact across the global merchant payments ecosystem. The awards were presented during the MPE Awards Gala held in Berlin on March 18, where the sector’s top innovators were recognised for advancing payment acceptance, embedded finance, fraud prevention, settlement, identity and open banking.
This year’s awards centred on the theme of “Transformation through Trust & Resilience,” reflecting the payments industry’s growing focus on building stronger, more adaptable systems for merchants and consumers. According to MPE, the 2026 programme celebrated organisations that have combined innovation with practical value creation in an increasingly competitive payments market.
Among the major winners, Checkout.com secured Merchant Payment Acceptance of the Year, while Prommt was named Most Innovative Payment Solution. Thunes received the award for Best Cross-Border Payment Solution, and APEXX Global won Best Payment Orchestration Solution. In embedded finance, finmid emerged as winner, while Shopify claimed both Best Platform or Marketplace Provider and Best Use of AI and Data for Commerce and Customer Empowerment.
Other notable winners included Token.io for Best Open Banking and A2A Payments Solution, Elavon for Best Risk, Fraud and Compliance Solution, ID-Pal for Best Identity, Onboarding and Authentication Solution, and Fireblocks for Best International Settlement and Liquidity Solution. Christian Pirkner was named MPE Influencer of the Year, while Unetix received the Startup and Scaleup Innovation Award.
The Chairman’s Award for Merchant Payments Initiative of the Year went to Air Europa and Hands In. Organisers said the awards highlighted how the merchant payments landscape is increasingly shaped by resilience, operational trust and solutions that deliver long-term value for merchants.
Industry organisers noted that the 2026 winners represent a broader transformation underway across merchant payments, where technology providers are increasingly focused on practical deployment, compliance readiness and improving customer experience. The awards also featured several highly commended recognitions, underlining the growing competitiveness of the sector.
