Dumbing Down Payments and Fintech Jargon… Just in Time for the Holidays!

Mark, is there a slightly less insulting phrase for “dumbing down” something? I ask because there are some terms and topics making bigly waves today and many/most consumers outside of payments/banking/fintech/tech might not understand their significance and why they should care. With that, can we take a moment to simplify these terms and topics, while also conveying their importance to the masses—from your mother-in-law to your daughter’s daycare provider to “the old man sitting next to me making love to his tonic and gin” (I’m a sucker for Billy Joel).

The Art of Open Banking, Part 2: On the March

Read Part 1: The Art of Open Banking, Laying Plans In the first part of my talk with @digitalbankguru (aka Mark Ranta) and @Lui_Zurawski (aka Lu Zurawski), we discussed plans that best prepare an organization for Open Banking, and in this second chapter, we explore some use cases for delivering value.

What Makes Latin America An Attractive Market for Cryptocurrencies? [¿Qué Hace a Latinoamérica un Mercado Atractivo para Las Criptomonedas?]

Cryptocurrencies are one of today’s hottest topics – seemingly in every corner of the globe. Bitcoin continues to be the most popular – and certainly the most well-known – though digital currencies have been blossoming at an unprecedented pace recently. There are currently more than 16 million Bitcoins in existence, and it is expected that there will be more than 22 million by 2022. Worldwide acceptance is growing, with over 9,800 businesses registered on the Coinmap website, compared to 2013 when there were only 133 businesses registered.

Apple iPhone X: Could it Drive Consumers to Use Mobile as Their Primary Payment Method?

Apple’s new iPhone X is set to arrive in stores globally this Friday. As with every new iPhone launch, experts have been debating the ins and outs of the Apple X for weeks, while fans are expected to queue overnight to get their hands on one. Face ID is one of the hallmark features of the new device – the primary way to unlock the new phone is with the face scanner. More importantly, the new iPhone X will use the technology not only to unlock the phone, but also to authorize mobile payments.

The Art of Open Banking, Part 1: Laying Plans

Read Part 2: The Art of Open Banking, On the March I recently had a great discussion with @digitalbankguru (aka Mark Ranta) and @Lui_Zurawski (aka Lu Zurawski) on what it takes to be ready for the revolution in Open Banking. It was a truly global discussion, with stories from North America, Europe and Asia; the conversation part philosophical treatise and part strategy roadmap. Following is a summary of the first part of our wide-ranging discussion on preparing for the Open Banking era.

How ‘Mega Trends’ Are Shaping Payments in India

In a previous blog post, I wrote about the impact of demonetization in India and the staggering growth of new digital payment types. Building further on this, I want explore some of the “mega trends” in payments, and how India is embracing the opportunities presented by these trends.

Bringing Home the Payments Bacon (And Other ‘Sizzles’ Such as PSD2, GDPR, AI and Big Data)

Mark, we’ve closed out another hectic Money20/20

In the Era of Open Banking, ‘Positive Skeptics’ Have a Crucial Role to Play

A skeptic is someone who habitually doubts commonly accepted beliefs. They are the naysayers, waiting in the wings to shoot down every great idea. But this does not mean that all skeptics are necessarily negative or cynical. In fact, positive skeptics play a vital role in our quest to modernize payments and banking, because they don’t automatically reject ideas. Instead of asking ‘why?’, they say ‘why not?’ They evaluate new ideas against the available evidence, instead of defaulting to ‘the way we have always done things’. They play devil’s advocate to innovate and create; a crucial role in an increasingly busy financial services marketplace.

What Do Open APIs Mean for Banking Business Models? PSD2 Points of View

As the January 2018 deadline creeps closer, PSD2 – and by association instant payments and open banking – is the hot topic in the payments industry. The impact of PSD2 will be felt beyond Europe’s physical borders, as it brings open banking to the fore. As with any global issue, ideas around how best to address the challenges of open banking are fragmented, and opinions differ between retail and corporate banking.

One Year Later: How Demonetization Has Impacted India

This month marks the first anniversary of demonetization in India, and it has undoubtedly changed the country forever. When I visit India, I increasingly see micro-transactions conducted via mobile phones. Cash is still used, but I see less and less of it with each visit. We are in the middle of a true paradigm shift – and India is poised to become a global leader in new types of payment acceptance.

Unlocking the True Value of Immediate Payments

Immediate Payments must be part of an open banking strategy The question that most banks are asking themselves, as real-time payments schemes gather pace in different markets around the world, is, “How do we enable real-time, digitally-enabled payments in the best possible way?” To answer that question, banks need to consider FAST payments in the context of the Hierarchy of Payment Needs.

The Recipe for Instant Payments Success

How do you or can you realize instant payments? This is the question on everyone’s lips across the payments industry, and nowhere more so than in Europe, where the looming deadline for PSD2 (January 2018) has some scrambling to catch up.