Digital Commerce Payments

Meet us in Halifax next week! 🌊 We’re headed to the Atlantic Venture Forum, one of Atlantic Canada’s biggest gatherings for founders, investors, fintech leaders, and innovation teams.

Across two days, the event brings together startups, VCs, financial institutions, and ecosystem builders to talk about what’s next in technology, venture, and innovation across Canada.

We’re also excited to be hosting the first-ever Nexus Night Maritimes edition alongside the event with our friends at . This is an invite-only evening focused on meaningful conversations and connection across fintech and innovation.

If you’ll be in Halifax, we’d love to connect! And if you’re interested in attending Nexus Night Maritimes, reach out to [email protected] to secure your spot.

57% of Canada’s contactless payment volume now comes from tap-enabled credit card transactions, and mobile contactless payments grew another 42% last year. 📱

What started as a convenience has quickly become the default way many customers expect to pay.

That shift has real implications for businesses:
👉 Faster checkout experiences
👉 Shorter lines
👉 Less friction at the point of sale
👉 Growing expectations around payment flexibility

Our latest article explores how tap to pay works and the technology powering it behind the scenes: https://hubs.ly/Q04jpLSd0

Tap to pay feels instant for shoppers, but there’s a lot happening behind that transaction. 👀

In seconds, payment data moves through NFC technology, tokenization, payment processors, card networks, and issuing banks before approval is sent back to the terminal.

For customers, it feels effortless.

For businesses, that infrastructure directly impacts checkout speed, security, and customer experience.

We break down what actually happens behind a tap-to-pay transaction and why it matters: https://hubs.li/Q04jqvpv0

No matter the industry you’re in, there’s a case for why you should be paying attention to right now.

Think of the possibilities across industries:
👉 Inventory runs low → AI selects a supplier and pays
👉 Payroll runs → AI calculates and distributes funds
👉 Rent is due → payment is collected and reconciled automatically

No emails. No approvals. No manual steps in between.

But none of this works without the right foundation—real-time rails, connected systems, and automated payment flows. That’s the gap most businesses still need to close.

We break down what it takes to get there: https://hubs.li/Q04g9Xsb0

Are you ready for AI to start making payments on your behalf? 🤔

Agentic payments—where AI agents initiate and complete transactions—are closer than they seem. But most businesses aren’t set up to support them yet.

Behind the scenes, this shift depends on real-time data, connected systems, and modern payment infrastructure. If your processes still rely on manual steps or disconnected tools, there’s a gap to close.

We break down what agentic payments could look like and what you need in place to be ready: https://hubs.li/Q04g9TPJ0

Everyone’s got a May Long personality 😅

Are you:
🏕 The camper
🍹 The patio hopper
🚗 The road tripper
😴 The stay-in type

Drop yours below 👇

kicks off May 25—and it’s taking over the city! 👏

This isn’t a single conference. It’s a full week of 300+ events across Toronto, bringing together founders, investors, operators, and builders from across the ecosystem.

Think:
👉 Panels, hackathons, and AI demo days
👉 Investor and founder meetups
👉 Events hosted by companies like Spotify, Robinhood, and leading Canadian VCs

With 10,000+ attendees expected, it’s become one of the biggest moments for tech in Canada.

If you’re in fintech, payments, or digital commerce, this is where a lot of the real conversations are happening.

We’ll be there—see you in Toronto! 👋

We’re in Vancouver this week for Web Summit Vancouver 🇨🇦 and Nexus Night is tomorrow 👇

✨ Join us May 13 for an evening of great conversation, elevated bites, cocktails, and curated wine.

We’ll be diving into AI in Fintech: From Hype Deck to P&L with:
Eberhard (Koho)
Wu (Yield Exchange)
Richardson (Microsoft)
Goel (Get Fresh Ventures)
moderated by Twigg (Digital Commerce Group)

⚠️ Still time to register
Invite only—email [email protected]

🚀 Applications are open: $75K fintech grant at Startupfest

Big opportunity for early-stage fintech founders 👇

Digital Commerce Group has teamed up with Apaylo and Startupfest again this year to offer a $75,000 non-dilutive grant to one standout Canadian startup. Beyond the funding, it’s a chance to get in front of investors, grow your visibility, and share what you’re building on a bigger stage.

What you get:
Support to help scale your product and operations
Exposure to investors and industry leaders
A platform to tell your story

Who it’s for:
Seed-stage startups (pre-Series A)
Live MVP with some traction
Revenue or close to it
Strong, experienced team
Based in Canada (or planning to be)

Key dates:
Apply by June 12
Pitch at Startupfest: July 8–9
Winner announced: July 10

Quick note: you’ll need a Startupfest ticket to pitch in the first round.

If you’re working on something meaningful in fintech, definitely consider applying.

👉 Apply now: https://hubs.li/Q04fbfSt0

Headed to Payments Canada SUMMIT this May? 💰With major developments across Real-Time Rail, Open Banking, and stablecoin regulation, this year’s conversations matter more than ever.

The Canadian payments landscape is shifting quickly, and this is where the ecosystem comes together to shape what’s next.

If you’ll be there, come find the DCGroup team. We’d love to connect!