Optimized Payments brings back Women in Payments luncheon for second year

Optimized Payments will host the second annual Women in Payments Honorary Luncheon on Sept. 27 in Nashville, ahead of the MAG Payments Conference. The event will honor women across seven award categories and feature PayTech Women CEO Dr. Gail Burgos as keynote speaker.

Why it matters: - The luncheon spotlights women across payments and finance at a major industry gathering. - The event creates a public recognition platform for leadership, innovation, legacy, rising talent and community impact. - The return of the program signals continued demand for women-focused visibility in fintech and payments.

What happened: - Optimized Payments announced the second annual Women in Payments Honorary Luncheon. - The event will take place Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026, at the Gaylord Opryland in Nashville, Tennessee. - The luncheon will happen before the MAG Payments Conference begins. - Dr. Gail Burgos, CEO of PayTech Women, will deliver the keynote address.

The details: - The 2026 luncheon will include a cocktail reception, keynote address and awards ceremony. - Seven award categories will recognize women across the payments and finance industry. - Nominations are open to the public for all seven categories. - Attendance is by application. - The 2025 inaugural luncheon drew more than 100 payments professionals and honored eight recipients. - Sponsors for the 2026 event include Plaid, Adyen, Equifax, Basis Theory, Airwallex, Gr4vy, Riskified, Sticky.io and Zip. - Award nominations are open at optimizedpayments.com/wip-award-nominations. - Attendance applications and full event details are available at optimizedpayments.com/women-in-payments-2026.

Between the lines: - Optimized Payments is positioning the luncheon as a community-focused alternative to a standard industry event. - The sponsorship list suggests broad support from payments, risk and infrastructure companies. - Dr. Burgos brings more than 25 years of leadership experience in financial services, diversity, equity and inclusion, which fits the event’s recognition theme. - The company framed the first event’s response as evidence that the payments industry wants more formal recognition for women’s accomplishments.

What's next: - Nominations will continue ahead of the Sept. 27 event. - Attendance applications will determine who can join the luncheon in Nashville. - The keynote, awards and sponsor participation will set the tone for the event before the MAG Payments Conference.

The bottom line: - Optimized Payments is turning Women in Payments into a recurring industry touchpoint, with recognition, networking and visibility at the center.