Green Sheet interviews EM Integrated Strategies founder Eduardo Mostrom

As technology reshapes payments and financial services, the lines between public policy, corporate communications and reputation management are becoming increasingly blurred. Eduardo Mostrom, founder of Boston-based EM Integrated Strategies, believes companies need a more coordinated approach to navigating these changes. In an exclusive interview with The Green Sheet, he discussed his entrepreneurial journey, emerging industry trends and the growing influence of AI on payments and public affairs.

Green Sheet: What inspired you to launch EM Integrated Strategies, and why was this the right time to make the move?

Eduardo Mostrom: My very first professional experience out of college was in the PR agency world, and I observed they had a lobbying arm or worked for lobbying firms. Later, I moved to the Electronic Transactions Association, where I saw how they integrate policy and communications for the payments industry. I saw the impact this makes and it inspired me to do this work —few agencies seamlessly integrate policy and communications under one roof.

Historically, enterprises maintained PR agencies for media relations and separate lobbying firms for policy work. In today's digital world, accelerated by AI, a legislative policy debate in a state capital immediately impacts brand reputation, investor sentiment and customer retention. Organizations need a more centralized approach rather than working with various entities.

GS: You've described communications and public policy as increasingly interconnected. What is bringing those two disciplines together, particularly in payments and financial services?

EM: Information travels faster than ever in the digital world with AI adding to its velocity. The unveiling of an agency with expertise on both sides is needed to always stay in control of the narrative. After legislative discussions at the state or federal level related to policy, conversations generate immediate media coverage whether on traditional media or social media.

The public makes quick assumptions and spreads misinformation via digital platforms (for example, X, video platforms, or Facebook). Unmanaged public scrutiny can create pressure for reactive regulation that may not fully account for the needs of consumers or the industry. Regulators and legislators are always pushing to restrict payments or fintechs to keep up with public perception even if sometimes it does not benefit the public.

GS: What trends are you seeing in the payments marketplace that you believe industry leaders should be paying closer attention to?

EM: On the policy front, the Trump administration is pushing hard to modernize financial services and AI is enabling the change, which may lead to a domino effect in state-level regulation.

On the industry front, stablecoins are becoming more mainstream, traditional financial institutions and fintechs are rapidly building and backing up their assets in stablecoins, which helps with international transactions.

I've also seen accelerated adoption of real-time payment rails as instant payment infrastructures like FedNow move from early adoption to baseline expectations for corporate and consumer transactions.

There has also been a rise in AI-driven agentic commerce where software agents initiate and execute transactions on behalf of users. This is the next level of payments as banks continue to invest in AI and more embedded payment solutions are being integrated in the back end.

GS: Artificial intelligence is changing payments as well as the way companies communicate. Where are you seeing AI have the greatest impact today?

EM: In payments, AI's highest immediate impact is in real-time fraud mitigation, anomaly detection, and automated regulatory compliance. It allows platforms to process millions of transactions while identifying risks in milliseconds.

In communications and public affairs, AI provides real-time stakeholder intelligence (e.g., tracking state-level legislative feeds, regulatory filings, and media sentiment 24/7 to catch emerging threats early). This gives the opportunity to control the narrative early and fast. AI is also creating new questions for policymakers and regulators. How do you see the relationship between AI innovation and public policy evolving?

AI will be regulated until its capabilities are fully understood. We've seen AI development moving faster and CEOs of major AI companies asking to be regulated, yet Americans are still behind in implementation. Legislation has been introduced at the federal level to ban what is being called the super-intelligence of AI.

GS: You've worked in public relations and industry affairs and have spent considerable time in Washington and, more recently, on Beacon Hill. What have those different perspectives taught you about how payments companies can communicate more effectively with policymakers, the media and other stakeholders?

EM: I've seen a focus on transparency among legislators on Capitol Hill and more emphasis on compliance on Beacon Hill, with respect to how companies are following state regulations and guidelines. The payments industry needs to control the narrative and demonstrate the good things we are doing. For instance, raising awareness of how credit cards mitigate fraud and leverage AI to protect privacy and create a seamless payments experience.

GS: Looking ahead, what do you think will define the next few years for payments companies navigating technology, policy and public perception at the same time?

EM: I expect to see more consolidation and greater vertical integration for services that banks and fintech can offer. Neobanks will continue to grow in popularity and investment in proprietary and enterprise AI from payments companies and major financial institutions banks such as Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase will continue to rise.

As embedded payments and agentic AI become more deeply integrated into commerce, companies will need to demonstrate not only what their technologies can do, but how they protect consumers, establish accountability and earn public trust.

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