About
Mark.
Product & Payments Modernization Leader
Mark Lulic is a global payments and product modernization leader with deep expertise in tokenization, EMV transit acceptance, issuer–acquirer processing, and real-time authorization systems. Over the past 20+ years, he has delivered mission-critical payment platforms across the U.S., Canada, Brazil, Mexico, and the UK/EU—guiding organizations through complex migrations, open-loop transit programs, and digital payment modernization. Mark bridges engineering, compliance, and product strategy, enabling financial institutions and fintechs to scale securely and innovate faster.
Expertise
Token Lifecycle & EMV Credential Management
Safer Methods to Store and Transmit Payments
Deep expertise across network tokenization (MDES, VTS, cloud tokens), EMV/cEMV credentialing, card issuance profile design, manufacturing and pre-issuance testing, lab certification, secure vaulting, PAN lifecycle management, and real-time authorization flows for FI and fintech ecosystems.
Platform & Product Strategy
Strategic Product and Platform Advisory
Designing and modernizing payment platforms, including issuer–acquirer processing, gateway routing, microservices architecture, and API ecosystems that scale reliably across global markets.
Transit Payments (cEMV)
Contactless and Mobile NFC Acceptance for Urban Mobility
Building open-loop EMV transit acceptance, fare calculation engines (PAYG, distance, capping), terminal management systems, hotlist/KMS flows, and multi-modal rider experience integrations.
Real-Time Authorization & Platform Orchestration
Driving Core Modernization
Building and optimizing real-time authorization flows, including async validation, hold-placement logic, issuer–acquirer routing, multi-rail orchestration, and high-availability platform design. Expertise in constructing event-driven payment systems that leverage Kafka, microservices, and modern gateway architectures to support global scale and resilience.
Card Issuance, Product Constructs & EMV Profiles
Card & Device Profiles for Your Customers Needs
Expertise in designing and validating EMV card profiles for prepaid, debit, credit, and corporate spend products. Specialized in product construct design, personalization specifications, factory and pre-issuance testing, certification workflows, and ensuring optimal card acceptance across POS, transit, mobile wallets, and global EMV environments. Skilled at aligning issuer, network, and manufacturer requirements to bring new payment products to market with speed and reliability.
About Me.
I modernize the systems that move money — authorization flows, tokenized credentials, EMV acceptance, and the orchestration layers connecting issuers, networks, acquirers, and transit environments. My work focuses on the fundamentals of payments design: sequence, rules, and product constructs.
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The case studies below highlight how I apply these principles to solve complex payments challenges through clear flow design, credential modeling, and platform logic that enables secure, scalable, real-time decisioning across global use cases.
Selected Case Studies
Real-Time Authorization/ Issuer Processing
Designed a modern authorization blueprint supporting async validation, conditional hold placement, and token resolution across issuer and network domains. Defined event-driven behaviors and orchestration flows that improve approval accuracy, reduce latency, and enable scalable real-time decisioning for digital-first use cases.
Modern Tokenization - Cloud
Developed tokenization strategies spanning MDES/VTS, lifecycle management, provisioning flows, and network credential requirements. Worked across issuer, acquirer, and platform teams to resolve construct misalignment, enhance wallet acceptance, and establish long-term frameworks for secure, cloud-based orchestration.
Agentic Commerce -
Next Gen Architecture
Explored intelligent, agent-driven transaction models that autonomously optimize routing, authorization, and credential usage in real time. Designed conceptual frameworks where agents collaborate across issuers, networks, and merchants to reduce false declines, adapt to user context, and enhance platform efficiency through autonomous decisioning.
Note - Additional case studies available upon request, including work across issuer processing, acquirer modernization, EMV acceptance, transit systems, and tokenization platforms.
In-Depth SME Experience
Expertise across global card networks, supporting EMV acceptance, tokenization programs, card issuance specifications, and platform modernization.