Inside the Conversation: ISO & Agent Growth Strategies | ETA TRANSACT 2026 Full Panel

In this full panel from ETA TRANSACT 2026, industry leaders discuss how ISOs and agents are approaching strategy, operations, and partnerships in today’s payments environment. Featuring Saint Hung (Founder & CEO, Universal Processing LLC), Vaden C. Landers (CEO, Suede), and Dee Karawadra (CEO, Impact Pays | ITL), moderated by Gretchen Bender (Senior Vice President, MAPP Advisors). Rather than focusing on theory, the discussion centers on how ISOs operate in practice, from building and managing partner relationships to improving retention, growing portfolios, and navigating valuation and long-term strategy. Highlights: 00:00 Introduction 01:21 What Makes a Strong Channel Partnership 03:58 Retention Starts with Communication 05:27 Rethinking Revenue Splits 10:56 Building a Portfolio That Grows 15:07 When (Not) to Sell Your Portfolio 17:46 Competing for Merchant Loyalty 20:36 Sell Value, Not Payments 21:24 Closing Thoughts Subscribe to our channel for more conversations and insights from across the payments industry. #ETATransact #PaymentsIndustry #Fintech #ISO #MerchantServices #UniversalProcessing #FutureOfPayments #LetsGouP #uP #Thoughtleader