Fintech companies work in much faster cycles than the traditional payments industry is used to, and these newcomers aren't afraid to pivot. Discover's partnerships have taught it how to stay "nimble," Offereins said, while still allowing it to focus on enabling commerce in a seamless and secure way.

There have never been so many foundational changes at once in this industry, Murray said. It’s imperative that everyone in it stay on their toes and be “prepared to change direction at any moment.”

In 2016, most incumbents in the payments industry will probably spend some time defending their businesses and rethinking their strategies, says Reetika Grewal, who has been leading payments strategy at Silicon Valley Bank for the last three years.

"I realized that if you want more, you have to constantly look for new tasks and new areas to be involved and learn new skills, all while making yourself a little uncomfortable in the process," Elliott said.

In the past year, Verifone's European market share has grown more than 10 percentage points, and Felix declares it her proudest moment in a career that spans 26 years.

"If we stay the course, I’m optimistic that we’ll put an end to the era of mass data breaches at merchants," Richey predicts. However, she has been in the payments industry for 22 years and does not approach her job with blinders.

As the payments industry advances at a lightning-fast speed, Stephanie Ferris plans on enjoying that ride — as long as it benefits Vantiv's customers.

Patty Watson admits she stays awake at night with thoughts of what, to TSYS and its clients, would be a true nightmare — a data breach. But that fear keeps Watson focused on the task at hand of assuring such threats can be thwarted.

Work-life balance has taken a new meaning for Synchrony Financial's Carol Juel since her company began its spinoff from GE over a year ago.

As ACI Worldwide's executive vice president of application development, addressing the real-time payments challenge falls squarely on her shoulders.

Kazazean’s ability to drive collaboration across diverse teams will be a critical asset as she faces Walmart's ambitious shift to omnichannel commerce this year.

To Kennel, mentorship and encouragement from the top down would go much further toward boosting workplace diversity than any sort of formal association.

Living up to the word "enterprise" in her job description is serious business, but for Colleen Taylor, head of treasury management and enterprise payments at Capital One, success also means staying true to herself and finding joy in work.

For Kristy Cook, group manager of bankcard strategic projects at Target Corp., there couldn't be a more better time to lead the payments team at one of the nation's most forward-thinking retailers.

Being a working mom who "at times has a tough time balancing it all," Hund-Mejean sees firsthand how MasterCard’s breakthroughs to connect shopping and payments via household appliances could make life easier for busy people.

Arriving at PayPal six months ago to head its credit operations, Kathleen Pierce-Gilmore felt an immediate and refreshing change in the atmosphere, compared with the stuffier air at her previous financial services jobs.

It just was a matter of time before a major brand would experience a data breach in 2016. While the Wendy’s card data breach is under investigation it has reinvigorated a discussion among merchants who want to avoid being the next target (no pun intended).

The banking industry is grappling with a quickly changing technology environment, and that is particularly true for community banks given their fewer resources. Still, several are looking for ways to provide their customers with cutting-edge digital products, overhauling their antiquated systems and using technology to strip out costs and find better uses for their tech teams. The following are ten examples of community banks that have made technology a priority.

Human error opens the door for most cybersecurity incidents. mBank in Poland, U.S. Bank and Bank of the West are working to make consumers more aware of the dangers of bad online habits.

Human error opens the door for most cybersecurity incidents. mBank in Poland, U.S. Bank and Bank of the West are working to make consumers more aware of the dangers of bad online habits.