21 Feb 24 @ 10:56

As Asian economic powerhouses join up their faster payment systems and Africa follows suit, Europe lags in confusion, directives, initiatives and strategies. James Wood asks why Europe can’t copy Asia’s... read more

21 Feb 24 @ 10:34

The global economy is rebalancing towards Asia. As this happens, acquirers and merchants in Europe and North America would be wise to think about how Asian consumers want to pay... read more

24 Oct 23 @ 09:43

A new study finds that the total value of digital wallet transactions will rise from $9 trillion in 2023 to $16 trillion in 2028, a growth of 77 percent. This... read more

06 Jun 23 @ 13:06

As cross-border payment volumes grow and technology becomes more sophisticated, we look at high-risk and lower-volume markets to find out what’s happening. Is now the time for major international players... read more

26 May 22 @ 09:20

The COVID-19 pandemic of 2019-2022 will be remembered for many things, including the deepest recession since the 1930s and subsequent economic turmoil. Although Europe’s economies have largely recovered, turmoil remains... read more

20 Apr 22 @ 13:33

Cross-border e-commerce was growing even before the pandemic struck. Lockdowns, travel restrictions and the wholesale disruption of existing brand loyalties over the last two years have given it a further... read more

17 Feb 22 @ 13:57

Cross border commerce globally is a multi-trillion dollar opportunity, one that’s ripe for disruption in both SMBs and larger enterprises alike. Cross-border payment flows are expected to reach $156 trillion... read more

16 Dec 21 @ 12:09

Southeast Asia is experiencing a financial transformation driven by digital payments, powered by changing consumer and retail trends and more inclusive payment options. E-commerce spending will rise by 162 percent... read more

27 Oct 21 @ 12:13

For years, payments investors focused on consumers’ switch to digital and mobile payments. More recently, investors have shifted to business to business (B2B) payments, where analysts see huge opportunities for... read more

27 Oct 21 @ 12:07

Traditional approaches to cyber-security in payments aren’t working – and the recent huge rise in hacks and fraud proves it. James Wood says it’s time for a radical shift in... read more

24 Aug 21 @ 09:15

Credit cards are becoming less profitable for banks even as lower-cost alternatives such as buy-now-pay-later schemes and digital wallets with a credit function are emerging. If credit cards are to... read more

24 Aug 21 @ 08:42

Real-time payments are now as popular as cash as a payment method for consumers in Southeast Asia, according to new research from ACI Worldwide and YouGov. Three out of five... read more

09 Jun 21 @ 03:52

While most of the world can’t travel across borders just yet, we can certainly shop across them. Data shows that almost 24 percent of e-commerce purchases in Europe are international.... read more

23 Dec 20 @ 11:13

Last year the European Central Bank said that it welcomed the European Payments Initiative (EPI), an initiative by some of Europe’s top banks to explore the development of a “rival... read more

13 Feb 20 @ 07:04

MIR, the Russian payment system launched in response to European and US sanctions, is reported to be preparing for launch in the European market. The reports say it will initially... read more

13 Feb 20 @ 06:52

UK social commerce (selling on social media platforms) is set to double over the next six months. That’s one of the findings from PayPal’s fourth Annual Commerce Index. The new research... read more

18 Dec 19 @ 15:49

Although the global e-commerce market is set to grow at around 7 percent per annum for the next five years to around $40 trillion by 2024, significant barriers to the... read more

06 Aug 19 @ 09:36

Monerium has received a license from the Financial Supervisory Authority of Iceland to issue e-money on blockchains through its subsidiary, Monerium EMI. The full license is the world’s first e-money... read more

08 Apr 19 @ 14:33

The European Commission (EC) is considering implementing new regulations to support and accelerate the adoption of the TARGET Instant Payments Settlement System (TIPS) in an effort to challenge the dominance... read more

08 Apr 19 @ 13:34

Ant Financial has finally managed to make its mark in a significant European first. The Chinese financial services giant has agreed to buy UK payments group WorldFirst in a deal... read more