Takeaways and insights from the Global Carrier Billing & Mobile Payments Summit

UK Panel members from AIMM, EE and DCB stand by the Global Carrier Billing Summit banner ahead of the talks.

Key insights from this years’ Global Carrier Billing & Mobile Payments Summit in Amsterdam

Joanna Cox, General Manager of AIMM, gives her takeaways and insights from the expert panels she was on, at the Global Carrier Billing & Mobile Payments Summit this month. 

 

Panel 1 – Redefining Compliance: From Reactive Policing to Proactive Design

This panel – representing 5 unique territories from across the globe – discussed the shifting compliance landscape, where checks ‘at the door’ are becoming more commonplace, enabling a culture of trust and certainty from the start of every partnership. 

No longer an irritating by-product of the carrier billing lifecycle, compliance is now front and centre when designing products and services where the cost is added to your phone bill. 

In the current climate, regulators set the rules, watch the market and then evolve the rules as required to safeguard consumers and businesses alike. Alongside this, Trade Associations are being used to demystify the changing regulations and facilitate frameworks around them, to enable businesses to operate effectively whilst staying compliant. AIMM continues to work closely with the industry regulators, to be on the forefront of these changes. Ensuring that members’ collaborative views on regulation are heard, while we simultaneously keep our members updated of important and necessary regulation changes as they happen.

Businesses are now carefully choosing best in show partners, and delivering excellent experiences, to delight their customers – bringing repeat business and showing a direct correlation between compliance and commercial opportunity. 

Industry growth is important and the panel explained that where there are negligible complaint numbers, it follows that consumer trust is at an all-time high and can be built on, which is worth celebrating. 

In terms of a proactive approach to future compliance, it was agreed that a passive approach will no longer work. Industry needs to stay alert, watch for themes of concern and get ahead of them. 

If you’re proven to be operating at the highest level, for the benefit of consumers, those who make the rules will listen when you have something to say. Proactive compliance means that you’ll make your voice heard.

 

Panel 2 – Unlocking New Horizons: Exploring UK Opportunities with the Arrival of a New Regulator

The UK centric panel – which consisted of a UK MNO, an Aggregator and a Trade Association –  focused on changes to the UK regulatory framework since the Summit last year. The new industry regulator, Ofcom, who succeeded the PSA earlier this year, now has overall responsibility for setting the rules for Premium Rate Services in this territory.

The panel discussed the changes that have occurred since the start of the year, highlighting risk management and the appointment of a Generally Authorised Person for every business as key areas of importance. 

Obligations around consumer protection, customer care and vulnerable persons, as well as the process of getting systems in processes in place to be compliant – and the order of doing so – before going live – was explained to the audience.

The UK market is dedicated to offering consumers a great experience, and that starts with awareness of carrier billing. The group discussed what understanding consumers have of the process of carrier billing, and shared details of a new aimm Working Group to be launched this Autumn, chaired by Naomi Maggs from EE; which will be dedicated to educating consumers about these payment services, answering their questions and giving advice in how to better use carrier billing with confidence.

The panel reiterated that for any businesses interested in entering the UK market, there couldn’t be a better time to get involved. The rules are clear, the regulator can be easily understood and there are a wealth of people who can help get the process started for you.

Alongside that, your Trade Association and Aggregator are both available to help make the process of offering your products and services to an audience in the UK quicker and smoother.

 

 

UK opportunities and how to redefine compliance

Learn how Trade Associations can help shape and enforce standards for all interactive businesses across the value chain.

Global Carrier Billing & Mobile Payments Summit panel session discussing the value of compliance in your business framework

aimm are glad to announce that Joanna Cox is part of the speaker line-up of the MEF Global Carrier Billing & Mobile Payments Summit, hosted by Mobile Ecosystem Forum. The Summit is taking place in Amsterdam on 9th and 10th of September.

Joanna will be speaking on two separate expert panels on the 10th, so pop over for a listen if you are coming. Get your ticket today and join us.

*aimm members can still secure their 10% member discounts on tickets so reach out to the aimm team for more details.

 

10:10 Redefining Compliance: From Reactive Policing to Proactive Design

  • Dario Betti, CEO – MEF
  • Frank van Rotterdam, Regulator – Mobile Payments in the Netherlands
  • Joanna Cox, General Manager – Association for Interactive Media and Micropayments (AIMM)
  • Pierre Trocme, Program Director – af2m
  • Wim de Meyer, Managing Director – Etis
  • David Ashman, Head of Compliance – MCP

With regulatory expectations rising and markets becoming more fragmented, compliance is no longer a back-office function — it’s a strategic pillar of product design. This session explores how mobile operators, content providers, aggregators, and platforms are embedding user protection, consent, and transparency into the mobile payment journey from the outset.

The conversation will also include the growing role of self-regulatory bodies and industry associations in shaping and enforcing standards. From codes of conduct to complaint handling frameworks, these groups are helping to create shared accountability models that reduce friction, build trust, and enable responsible growth across diverse markets.

 

14:25 2025 UPDATE – Unlocking New Horizons: Exploring UK Opportunities with the Arrival of a New Regulator

  • Joanna Cox , General Manager – Association for Interactive Media and Micropayments, (AIMM)
  • Victoria Hull, Business Development Director – Dynamic Mobile Billing
  • Naomi Maggs, Senior Product Manager – EE 

This session will explore how recent regulatory changes have created a clearer, more stable framework for carrier billing in the UK. Panellists will discuss what has changed in the past year, the impact of a stronger regulator, and why the new regime is easier to navigate. The session will also provide practical guidance on entering the UK market, including available support, onboarding processes, and why this is now a prime time for new services to launch in a predictable, business-friendly environment.

aimm panel session at Global Carrier Billing & Mobile Payments Summit 2025 discussing UK opportunities with arrival of new regulator.

Find out more and get your tickets

AIMM & MCP INSIGHT collaborate to help industry improve their Google Ads marketing

 

aimm and MCP Insight logos overlaid on background with keyboard for the release of the Google Ads Best Practice Document.

28th January 2025

aimm the specialist UK trade association for the interactive media industry are pleased to announce the release of their Google Responsive Display Ads Best Practice Guidance to help businesses not only prosper but stay compliant while they are doing it.

The guidance provides broad principles as a foundation to understanding better ad design for Google Responsive Design Ads (RDA) and to improve compliance with approved industry standards.

Google RDAs is big business, so getting it right is important. Reaching a larger audience and optimising your conversions and boosting click through rates is the goal for any business wanting to advertise. Which is why so many businesses are now turning to RDA’s to do just that.

Google Responsive Display Ads (RDAs) offer advertisers significant benefits by automating the ad creation process, enabling ads to adjust in size, format, and layout to fit various placements across the Google Display Network.

However, this flexibility can create issues when key information or contextual elements, aligned with regulator and MNO codes, are omitted or not displayed in a sufficiently prominent manner. These kinds of issues can lead to consumer confusion, increasing the likelihood of consumer complaints and potentially result in regulatory action.

Industry Guidance

That’s why aimm has created their Best Practice Guide, that came from their new Google Ads Working Group. The Google Ads Working Group formed by aimm and co-chaired by MCP Insight, is for its members to understand the correct requirements, and mitigate any increase in regulatory interest from the incorrect use of Google Responsive Display Ads (RDA).

By following this guidance, Advertisers, including those entering the market for the first time, can help ensure compliance with industry standards. Therefore reducing the risk of regulatory intervention, and protect the long-term sustainability of this advertising channel as a viable and trusted marketing tool.

Joanna Cox, General Manager of aimm said: aimm’s remit is to work with its members to negotiate the regulatory environment in which they operate. We’re delighted to publish this document, in conjunction with MCP Insight, which is a perfect example of member collaboration, where Merchants across Industry, have come together to proactively create agreed best practices for the good of the consumer and the longevity of the market.”

Some of the topics covered in the paper include key recommendations for ad design, how Google RDAs work, Google Ad policies and examples of advertising flows, as well as an overview of the regulatory requirements for this area to help guide businesses about the best choices available.

The aimm Google RDAs Best Practice guidance is a live document which will continue to be updated as Google polices, and regulatory requirements are renewed to ensure it is a valuable resource for industry for the foreseeable future.

Kev Dawson – Director at MCP Insight added: “MCP are delighted to have worked closely with aimm and its members to gather considered views to enable the publication of this best practice document for Google RDAs. At MCP Insight, we see first-hand how important responsible advertising is – not just for protecting consumers, but also for ensuring a fair, trusted and sustainable market for everyone. This collaborative effort is a great step towards helping businesses navigate the complexities of advertising compliance, while maintaining growth alongside positive consumer experiences.”

Our Google Responsive Display Ads Best Practice Guidance is currently available to aimm members.

To learn more about becoming an aimm Member please visit our information page: https://aimm.co/benefit-table/

MCP INSIGHT LAUNCHES MCP SCANNER 4.0

MCP Insight launch MCP Scanner 4.0. The next generation of ad monitoring and compliance for the mobile value-added services industry

MCP SCANNER 4.0: THE NEXT GENERATION IN AD MONITORING AND COMPLIANCE

London, 8 January 2025 – MCP Insight, a leading provider of compliance, fraud and ad monitoring solutions in the mobile value-added services (mVAS) industry, is proud to announce
the launch of MCP SCANNER 4.0, the latest and most advanced version of its flagship tool. Designed to provide users with deeper insights and greater control over their mVAS advertising
campaigns and billing flows, MCP SCANNER 4.0 introduces a host of innovative features and enhancements that set a new standard in the industry.

“We’re extremely proud of the latest version of MCP SCANNER,” said Toby Padgham, COO of MCP Insight. “With this new version, we’ve not only enhanced the user experience and compliance capabilities but also significantly improved the speed and depth of insights available to our clients. This will empower businesses to manage their mVAS campaigns and billing flows more efficiently and make more informed data-driven decisions, ultimately driving growth and compliance in a rapidly evolving market.”

 

INNOVATION MEETS USER EXPERIENCE

MCP SCANNER 4.0 brings a refreshed, intuitive design that enhances user experience by simplifying navigation and streamlining data analysis, making it easier for users to focus on critical insights. This update is paired with advanced compliance reporting features, which include a dedicated reporting tab that provides clearer, more actionable insights, ensuring businesses can manage compliance with greater ease and efficiency. Additionally, the new grouping feature allows users to quickly see all issues related to a campaign, providing the data needed to refine strategies and address issues.

In a move to further empower users, MCP SCANNER 4.0 includes TRENDS intel, delivering market intelligence snapshots, helping businesses stay informed on advertising market share, top services, and key industry players. Complementing this is the enhanced filtering options, allowing users to drill down into specific data points, ensuring they can easily access the information that matters most. Alongside these features, expanded datasets and visualisations offer deeper insights into campaign performance, enabling a more comprehensive understanding of key metrics and opportunities for improvement.

Security remains a top priority with MCP Insight, so Scanner now includes focused insights into app malware and content locking issues, helping businesses protect their customers from potential threats. The update also brings significant improvements to customer ticket management, allowing for quicker issue resolution and reducing the risk of service disruptions or regulatory actions. Finally, the new version boasts enhanced speed, ensuring that users can access the data they need without delay, making MCP SCANNER 4.0 an essential tool for any business operating in the mVAS space.

AVAILABILITY

MCP SCANNER 4.0 is now live and available to all users. MCP Insight is offering personalized demos to showcase how the new features can be tailored to meet the specific needs of
businesses. Whether you’re an existing customer or exploring MCP SCANNER for the first time, this latest version is equipped to help you manage your mVAS ad campaigns and billing flows
more effectively.

 

Schedule a Demo Today
To experience the powerful new capabilities of MCP SCANNER V4, book a personalised demo with the MCP team. Contact info@mcpinsight.com

 

ABOUT MCP INSIGHT
MCP Insight is a leader in compliance, fraud protection and ad monitoring solutions, providing tools that empower businesses in the mobile payments space to operate efficiently, securely, and in compliance with regulatory standards. With a focus on empowering its clients to grow market share protect revenue and build trust with consumers, MCP Insight continues to set the standard for excellence in the industry.
mcpinsight.com

Did you catch aimm’s Panel session today?

 

This morning at the Carrier Billing & Mobile Payments Summit, Joanna Cox of aimm Chaired a panel to discuss: UK Regulation: Are you Ready for the Biggest Change in a Decade? We were be joined by David Ashman of MCP Insights Ltd, Victoria Hull, from Dynamic Mobile Billing, Peter Garside of EE and Léon Dijksman from Sam Media.

This session delved into the new regulatory model that is on the horizon in the UK. With Ofcom in the process of transitioning into regulatory power over the mobile and interactive media space, this will create change across the regulatory landscape for our industry.

aimm has been working hard to not only advise and guide members about this change with workshops, but regularly liaise with both the regulators about this transition. This knowledge sharing allows for the opportunity for growth in this market to continue while maximising consumer protection.

With updates from Ofcom expected in the next couple of months; aimm is gearing up for the next round of member meetings to share our knowledge and best practice, so that all our members can enter this next regulatory phase compliant.

During the Panel session the team also discussed best practice for effective Responsive Display Ad Marketing. This is a hot topic right now for many businesses, and the focus for one of our new Working Groups at aimm.

If you are not yet a member of aimm, and want to find out more about what is required to be compliant, as well as find new opportunities for growth, get in touch about membership and joining our mailing list for our updates.