Complex Pricing & Interchange Economics
Understanding how network pricing and interchange structures affect profitability, competitiveness, and commercial decisions.
Payments Expertise & Education.
Insight for the institutions that move money.
Strategic payments advisory and education grounded in firsthand experience shaping global pricing, interchange economics, and payment operations across international markets.
- 25+ Years
- Global payments leadership
- 180+ Markets
- Global pricing and interchange strategy
- $8T+
- Annual payment volume within network strategy scope
- 50+ Markets
- Emerging-market payments operations
Experience spanning global payment networks, pricing strategy, commercial partnerships, and payment operations.
Client Challenges
The Challenges We Help You Navigate
Payments decisions carry significant commercial and operational consequences. Sandwood helps organizations address complex challenges in pricing, network economics, market expansion, and executive capability.
Rising Processing Costs & Operational Complexity
Identifying opportunities to improve payment routing, processing efficiency, partner economics, and operational performance.
Challenging Network & Commercial Negotiations
Navigating network relationships, pricing structures, contractual economics, and complex commercial discussions.
Expansion into New Markets & Payment Models
Evaluating payment ecosystems, cross-border opportunities, local market considerations, and emerging commercial models.
Payments Knowledge & Leadership Capability Gaps
Helping executive teams understand payment-network economics and develop the knowledge required to make informed strategic decisions.
Who We Serve
Expertise for a complex payments ecosystem.
Different institutions face different payments challenges. Sandwood brings a network-wide perspective to the strategic, commercial, and operational decisions that shape performance.
Banks & Issuers
Strengthen card program economics, evaluate interchange opportunities, and navigate network pricing and commercial relationships.
Payment Networks & Processors
Design competitive pricing strategies, evaluate new commercial models, and support market and product expansion.
Fintechs & Payment Service Providers
Improve payment economics, optimize routing and partner strategies, and navigate complex emerging-market environments.
Investors
Gain experienced industry perspectives on payments business models, network economics, market dynamics, and commercial opportunities.
Our Expertise
Specialized expertise. Practical impact.
Sandwood combines deep knowledge of payment-network economics with practical experience across strategy, operations, and executive development.
Better pricing decisions. Stronger payment economics. Greater confidence in complex markets.
Flagship Service
Pricing & Interchange Advisory
Helping organizations understand and navigate the economics that shape the global payments industry.
Services include
- Pricing architecture and strategy
- Interchange economics and optimization
- Network economics and commercial models
- Pricing and commercial negotiations
- Competitive positioning and market strategy
- Cross-border and B2B payment economics
Advisory
Payments Strategy & Operations
Connecting strategic opportunities with practical execution across the payments value chain.
Services include
- Payment operations and processing economics
- Routing and cost optimization
- Partner ecosystem strategy
- Acquirer, PSP, and vendor relationships
- Emerging-market expansion
- Operational and regulatory considerations
Advisory
Executive Education & Capability Building
Making complex payment economics accessible to decision-makers and teams.
Services include
- Executive payments briefings
- Customized leadership workshops
- Pricing and interchange fundamentals
- Payment-network economics education
- Industry dynamics and emerging-market insights
- Tailored capability-building programs
The Sandwood Difference
A different perspective on payments.
“From the architecture of network economics to the realities of payment operations.”
Understanding payment costs is important. Understanding how those economics are designed, governed, and shaped across global networks creates a different level of strategic insight.
Sandwood Consulting draws on decades of executive experience inside Mastercard and across emerging-market payment operations to help clients navigate complex decisions with greater clarity and confidence.
Education
- MBA, Northeastern University
- B.S. Economics, Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM)
- Executive Education in Pricing, University of Chicago Booth School of Business
Meet the Founder
J. Armando Huitron
Global Payments Executive | Pricing, Interchange & Network Economics
Armando Huitron brings more than 25 years of global payments leadership across network economics, pricing, interchange, commercial partnerships, and payment operations.
During his executive career at Mastercard, he helped architect the company's global pricing and interchange framework across more than 180 markets, leading strategies that shaped network economics and commercial growth.
He subsequently served as Senior Vice President of Global Operations at dLocal, overseeing payment operations across more than 50 emerging markets and a broad ecosystem of payment partners.
Through Sandwood Consulting, Armando brings this combination of global network experience and operational insight to financial institutions, fintechs, and investors seeking informed, practical guidance.
Start a Conversation
Better payments decisions begin with a conversation.
Whether you're evaluating pricing strategy, navigating payment-network economics, exploring new opportunities, or building internal expertise, Sandwood welcomes the conversation.