Payzone, Ireland’s largest consumer payments network, has appointed Peter O’Halloran as chief executive officer, the Dublin-based firm announced this week. O’Halloran replaces Jim Deignan, who led the business for 27 years and recently stepped down from the role.
The new chief executive brings more than two decades of experience in payments and financial technology across Irish, EMEA and global markets. Most recently, O’Halloran served as EMEA head of Carat, the enterprise merchant business of Fortune 500 company Fiserv, where he drove substantial revenue growth and market share expansion through both organic growth strategies and acquisitions.
Key facts
- Peter O’Halloran spent 21 years in the payments and fintech sector before returning to Payzone
- Payzone processes over 300 million transactions annually, worth more than €4.5 billion
- The company operates a network of over 7,500 stores across Ireland
- Payzone employs over 130 people at its Sandyford headquarters in Dublin
- The firm is jointly owned by AIB (75 per cent) and Fiserv (25 per cent)
Return to Familiar Territory
O’Halloran’s appointment marks a homecoming for the executive, who first worked at Payzone more than 20 years ago when he led the company’s gift and loyalty portfolio. His career trajectory took him through several senior positions in the global payments industry before serving as a non-executive director of Payzone from 2019 to 2025.
During his time at Fiserv, O’Halloran held the position of general manager of Global Digital Commerce, where he developed the company’s omnichannel payment gateway into a comprehensive platform serving merchants, acquirers and banks across more than 100 countries worldwide. He also sat on the EMEA executive committee and the Global Leadership team, and served as non-executive chairman of Fiserv Polska S.A.
Elaine Downey, chair of Payzone, welcomed the appointment. “We are delighted to welcome Peter back to Payzone as chief executive,” she stated. “He brings extensive experience from more than two decades working in payments in Ireland and internationally, together with a strong understanding of Payzone, having started his fintech career with the company and subsequently serving on its Board.”
Track Record in Building Payment Businesses
Throughout his career, O’Halloran has founded and scaled multiple businesses in the payments sector. He co-founded Branded Payment Solutions, a prepaid card business, and led the launch of white-label managed services at Realex Payments. His industry involvement extends to board positions with the European chapters of the Merchant Risk Council and the Merchant Advisory Group, where he represented Fiserv. He currently serves as an ambassador for Fintech Ireland.
“Payzone has been part of my fintech story from the beginning,” O’Halloran said. “I worked with each of the company’s previous Chief Executives and I know its people, its culture and its drive to get things done. It is a privilege to return as CEO.”
Founded in 1999 and headquartered in Sandyford, Dublin, Payzone operates as a joint venture between AIB, which holds a 75 per cent stake, and Fiserv, which owns the remaining 25 per cent. The company builds payments infrastructure connecting physical, online and mobile channels across the retail, transport, utility and not-for-profit sectors. Its network includes debit and credit card processing solutions, a consumer app and an online fundraising platform.
Reporting based on original coverage by Shelflife.