Citybiz sat down with Juan Pablo Ortega, Co-founder and CEO of Yuno – the world’s leading payment orchestration platform that enables a simple integration of more than 1,000 payment methods across 200 countries – to discuss how artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming payments. Yuno is leveraging its AI capabilities to drive innovation in fraud detection, payment optimization, and merchant success. In this conversation, we dive into AI’s evolving role in financial services and whether its impact on jobs and industry transformation has been overstated.
Juan Pablo Ortega is the Co-founder and CEO of Yuno, the world’s leading payments orchestration platform, serving a global customer base across 200 countries. Yuno enables companies to easily navigate the complex payments landscape by offering access to 1000+ global payment methods via a unified interface, in addition to innovative features such as one-click checkout, smart routing and fraud detection tools.
Prior to launching Yuno, Juan Pablo co-founded Rappi, Latin America’s largest and fastest-growing on-demand delivery platform, where he played an instrumental role in scaling the company from a small food delivery startup to one of the region’s largest, multi-functional digital platforms with operations in nine countries and a valuation of ~$5.2B.
Juan Pablo holds a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Economics from Cornell University and is an FAA Instrument Rated Commercial Pilot.
AI’s application in payments is evolving rapidly. How has machine learning and generative AI already impacted the industry?
AI has fundamentally reshaped payments, and we’re just getting started. One of the biggest shifts has been in fraud detection and prevention. Machine learning models can analyze vast amounts of transaction data in real time, identifying patterns and anomalies that indicate fraudulent activity. Traditional rule-based systems often result in false declines, frustrating legitimate customers. AI, on the other hand, can make smarter, more adaptive decisions, reducing fraud while keeping approval rates high.
Beyond fraud, AI has improved transaction success rates through Smart Routing. At Yuno, we use AI-driven analytics to predict which payment processors or routes will be most effective, minimizing failed transactions and lost revenue for merchants. Generative AI is also enhancing customer experience—AI chatbots and virtual assistants are now handling complex queries, allowing human teams to focus on higher-value interactions.
How is Yuno leveraging AI to help businesses across geographies to optimize their payments transactions?
We’re integrating advanced AI-powered insights and analytics directly into our platform. This means businesses can predict and optimize payments in real time, reducing failure rates and automating fraud prevention. Instead of merchants reacting to declined transactions, our system helps them anticipate and prevent those failures before they happen. Additionally, our machine learning models optimize fraud detection, payment routing, and user experience—allowing merchants to make data-driven decisions that improve efficiency and profitability.
Fraud detection and prevention are at the heart of AI’s impact on payments. How does AI outperform traditional fraud-fighting methods?
The problem with traditional fraud prevention methods is that they rely on static rules. These rules might block legitimate transactions simply because they resemble past fraudulent patterns. This results in a high number of false positives—good customers being declined unnecessarily.
AI changes this by continuously learning and adapting. Our fraud detection system at Yuno evaluates thousands of data points per transaction, such as device fingerprinting, geolocation, behavioral biometrics, and past spending patterns. The result is a highly accurate fraud prevention system that reduces false declines while keeping fraudsters at bay.
This approach also evolves in real time. Fraud tactics change constantly, and AI can adjust much faster than static rule-based systems. That’s why merchants using AI-driven fraud detection experience both lower fraud rates and fewer lost sales due to unnecessary transaction rejections.
Some argue that AI’s impact on the payments sector has been overstated. Do you agree?
AI’s impact is very real—it’s not just hype. We’re already seeing AI increase approval rates, cut fraud losses, and improve customer experience in payments. What might be overstated is the speed at which companies can fully integrate AI-driven solutions. AI adoption requires significant investment in data infrastructure and talent, and not all businesses are prepared for that level of transformation overnight.
At Yuno, we’ve made AI a core part of our strategy to ensure we’ll stay at the top of our game as this new technology continues to evolve. However, many legacy financial institutions are still figuring out how to integrate AI effectively. The impact is happening, but its full potential will take time to unfold.
What does AI mean for jobs in the payments and financial services industry?
AI will change the job landscape, but it won’t necessarily eliminate jobs—it will shift them. Many repetitive tasks, like manual fraud review or payment reconciliation, will be automated. However, this will create demand for new roles in AI management, data science, and strategic oversight.
Payment routing optimization is a great example. AI can analyze transaction patterns and network conditions to optimize payment routing in real-time, ensuring higher success rates and faster processing times. Yet, human expertise remains essential to configure these systems, monitor performance, and make strategic decisions about how to integrate new payment methods or gateways. Instead of replacing jobs, AI enables professionals to focus on higher-value work, leading to better outcomes and job satisfaction.
What advice do you have for businesses looking to integrate AI into their payment processes?
Businesses need to start by identifying their biggest pain points. Is it fraud? Declined transactions? Customer service efficiency? Once they have a clear goal, they should explore AI-enabled solutions that directly address those issues.
Collaboration is also key. Partnering with AI-focused payment platforms like Yuno can accelerate adoption and ensure that businesses see real impact from AI-driven solutions. And finally, companies need to foster a culture of continuous learning—AI will keep evolving, and staying ahead of the curve will be critical.
With Yuno’s latest AI-powered features, businesses now have access to smarter fraud prevention, optimized transaction routing, and real-time insights that improve efficiency and revenue. AI isn’t just here to stay—it’s actively reshaping the global payments ecosystem.
How does Yuno’s AI-driven approach align with the concept of Payments 3.0, and what benefits does this bring to businesses?
Payments 3.0 represents the evolution from simple credit card transactions to a multifaceted ecosystem supporting various payment methods, including alternative payment methods (APMs) like Venmo, Cash App, and regional digital wallets. Our AI-driven approach simplifies the integration of these diverse payment options, allowing businesses to adapt to consumer preferences without the burden of managing fragmented systems. This adaptability enhances scalability and enables businesses to focus on growth, knowing that their payment infrastructure is both robust and flexible.
Can you share insights into Yuno’s global expansion, particularly in regions like APAC, Europe, and the Middle East, and how AI is facilitating this growth?
Expanding into diverse regions presents challenges such as navigating cultural nuances and varying payment preferences. Our AI capabilities allow us to tailor payment solutions to each market by analyzing local consumer behaviors and optimizing payment routing accordingly. This localized approach, powered by AI, ensures higher approval rates and a better customer experience, facilitating our growth in regions like APAC, Europe, and the Middle East. By leveraging AI, we’re able to scale efficiently while meeting the unique needs of businesses and consumers in these markets.
