agenda

Pick up the pace with a morning run or join us at the hotel lawn for a sunrise stretch session to awaken your mind and body. Limited capacity – sign up in the registration portal.

Kick things off with breakfast to fuel the day ahead, reconnect with familiar faces, and meet a few new ones before the sessions begin.

Explore new innovations, meet our team, and connect over coffee and tea.

First Thrive? Or here to reunite with your favorite payments geeks?
Join us for a bit of structured fun before the keynotes kick off. You'll meet fellow commerce, product, and payments leaders through a series of quick introductions designed to help you build connections from day one.

Skip the awkward "so, what company are you with?" conversations and get straight to the good stuff.

The pursuit of performance never ends. Commerce is changing. Again. Not because of another payment method or technology trend, but because the way people buy and the way money moves is being rewritten in real time. Join Checkout.com's CEO and Founder, Guillaume Pousaz, as he explores the opportunities emerging in the world's largest payments market and why we need a new relationship with money.

Join Checkout.com's product and technology leaders, alongside some of the world's largest merchants, as we take you behind the roadmap. We'll unpack what's live, what's coming next, and the challenges we're obsessed with solving: from AI and payment performance to money movement and everything in between. Expect first looks at some of our most significant product launches, the thinking behind them, and how they're helping businesses win in the new economy.

The US is the world's largest payments market, and one of its most complex: fragmented acquiring, high consumer expectations, and deeply entrenched incumbents make it a difficult market to optimize, even for merchants who operate here every day. This panel unpacks what makes the US so demanding, what merchants should be paying attention to right now, and what lessons from other regions, and the experience of breaking into the US as an outsider, can offer.

The question is no longer if AI will transform commerce. It's who will use it best. The most innovative businesses are already using AI to improve conversion, recover revenue, and make better decisions in real time. But every advantage creates a new challenge. If AI can help customers buy, it can help fraudsters steal. Join leaders across payments, commerce, and AI as they explore how to balance growth with risk, performance with profitability, and innovation with trust in an increasingly autonomous world.

Refuel and connect with peers from your industry. Explore mutual challenges, discover new ways to collaborate, and spark performance.

Time to break out. Move beyond the mainstage and into smaller, more interactive conversations. Whether you're looking to challenge assumptions, swap notes with peers, or dive deeper into a specific topic, these sessions are designed for discussion, debate, and practical insight.

Choose your preferred breakouts in the registration portal from the selection below: 

What happens when every engineer has an AI co-pilot? Software gets built differently. Ideas move faster. The pace of innovation changes. Join Checkout.com's CTO for a behind-the-scenes look at how AI is transforming the way we build at Checkout.com. Then hear from AI pioneers and technology leaders as they explore key developments shaping technology, business, and the future of society.

Overlooking the Pacific, Pelican Hill sets the stage for an unforgettable evening of entertainment, connection, and festivity in a setting like no other. Dress code: smart casual. Meet in the hotel lobby at 5:45pm for transfers.

Day two is done, but the conversations don't have to end. Head back to the Pendry Bar to grab a nightcap and round off an eventful opening day.

Pick up the pace in our morning run or join us at the hotel lawn for sunrise Pilates to awaken your mind and body. Limited capacity – sign up in the registration portal.

Fuel up with breakfast before another full day of insights, conversations, and connections.

Visit the Payments Studio throughout the day to explore the latest in payments innovations through interactive demos, and connect with our team in the meeting hub.

Join us for breakfast and a candid conversation with inspiring women and allies from across the payments industry. Building a career is rarely a straight line. Hear the stories behind the successes, the lessons learned through challenges, and the moments that shaped their journeys. Together, we'll explore leadership, growth, resilience, and navigating change in a rapidly evolving industry, while sharing practical advice you can take forward on your own path.

Time to power up! Kick off the final day with us.

What if the future of agentic commerce has less to do with AI, and more to do with human behavior? Join industry leaders as we unpack the latest consumer research, emerging behaviors, and changing expectations shaping the future of agentic commerce. Through live polling, audience participation, and interactive debate, we'll put some of the biggest assumptions about AI-powered shopping to the test. The real question: is consumer demand moving faster than the technology, or is the technology moving faster than consumers are willing to follow?

Stablecoins and new payment rails are challenging long-standing assumptions about how money can move around the world, and merchants are asking practical questions on what this means for them. At the same time, a growing share of consumers already hold and transact in digital dollars, raising the question of how merchants should respond. Join senior leaders for a practical conversation on what stablecoins deliver today versus what's still maturing, so you leave with a clear view of whether and how they fit your payment strategy.

Choose your track: dive into the codebase and build live solutions in our AI hackathon, or sit down with your peers to trade practical insights in the Ideas Exchange.

Join an extraordinary mix of leaders from business, technology, sport, and beyond as we explore what drives them, what keeps them up at night, and why some people seem wired to keep pushing long after everyone else stops. A fitting finale to Thrive Newport Beach as we put our unified theory of high performance to the test.

Before flights, inboxes, and reality take over, join us for one final meal together. Catch up with new friends, continue unfinished conversations, and ensure you leave with fresh insights from Thrive Newport Beach.

Surfing at Newport Beach

Experience a classic Southern Californian pastime with an afternoon on the water alongside fellow attendees. Whether you're a first-time surfer or a seasoned rider, our expert instructors will help you make the most of the experience. All equipment will be provided, with additional details shared closer to the event. Limited capacity – sign up in the registration portal.

Duffy boat harbor tour

Set sail for a classic Newport Harbor excursion. Enjoy a scenic cruise past the bay’s iconic waterfront homes and landmarks. Relaxed atmosphere, scenic landscape, and good company guaranteed. Limited capacity – sign up in the registration portal.

Guided nature walk

Get outside and explore the coastal trails around Newport Beach with a local guide. Fresh air, nice scenery, and easy conversation, a welcome change of pace from the conference floor. Limited capacity – sign up in the registration portal.

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