16 Feb 23 @ 16:18

New technologies such as Account-to-Account payments and Open Banking are taking intermediaries out of the value chain in payments, while fresh advances in blockchain threaten total disintermediation. James Wood looks... read more

16 Feb 23 @ 16:07

The EU has set out the world’s first comprehensive set of rules for regulating crypto markets in its MiCA regulation. This is due to receive final approval in the coming... read more

29 Dec 22 @ 04:23

From Open Banking and instant payments through the Next Big Thing in crypto, James Wood reads the cards to find out what’s coming next in the new year. Those who... read more

29 Dec 22 @ 03:48

Elon Musk has taken over as CEO of Twitter. There may be many reasons why the worlds nuttiest (richest) man paid $44 billion for the loss making enterprise including advancing... read more

24 Oct 22 @ 13:08

A new report from leading financial research firm East & Partners in partnership with Payments Cards & mobile, claims banks are lagging far behind their clients’ expectations when it comes... read more

25 Aug 22 @ 11:51

Cryptocurrencies have lost sixty percent of their value and are looking increasingly hobbled for the future. So what’s next for the digital currency dream of frictionless, fast and low-cost payments?... read more

26 May 22 @ 09:48

Facebook is so convinced the metaverse is the future, it’s changed its name. But is a fully-digital life possible, or even desirable? James Wood peers into his crystal ball to... read more

26 May 22 @ 06:50

In the last issue of PCM (March-April 2022) we reported on burgeoning interest among banks and governments in stablecoins – that is, cryptocurrencies whose value is pegged to a fiat... read more

26 May 22 @ 06:13

Worldpay has become the first global merchant acquirer to offer merchants the ability to receive settlement directly in USD Coin (USDC), a digital currency linked to the US dollar as... read more

21 Apr 22 @ 10:06

As blockchain-enabled systems and crypto FLOURISH, pundits claim there’s a non-bank future before us with lower fees, faster transactions and instant exchanges of value from person to person. WE LOOK... read more

21 Apr 22 @ 09:40

With more transactions per month, new stablecoins being launched and new regulatory frameworks coming to market in the next eighteen months, cryptocurrencies – and specifically stablecoins and Central Bank Digital... read more

17 Feb 22 @ 14:01

Meta’s new cryptocurrency wallet, Novi, will allow users to send and receive money through WhatsApp. The pilot program is open to a limited number of people in the US, Stephane... read more

27 Oct 21 @ 11:20

Facebook has announced it will launch the Novi digital wallet tied to the Diem blockchain-based payment system, having received the necessary regulatory clearances. David Marcus, chief of Facebook’s financial services... read more

24 Aug 21 @ 08:33

CryptoRefills, in cooperation with Cointelegraph Research, has published the first global research on consumer adoption of cryptocurrencies for purchasing goods and services. This report, Cryptocurrencies in Retail: Consumer Adoption 2021,... read more

09 Jun 21 @ 03:58

Dire predictions that the UK would collapse after its exit from the EU were as far-fetched as unfounded optimism that it would become Europe’s Singapore on leaving. To date, we’ve... read more

09 Jun 21 @ 03:54

Visa says it has nailed a major industry first in bridging the worlds of digital and traditional fiat currencies: the use of USD Coin (USDC), a stablecoin backed by the... read more

15 Jun 20 @ 04:35

It’s been reported that Visa has filed an application to create digital currency on Ethereum blockchain with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. According to the application published May... read more

06 Apr 20 @ 12:53

Despite the best efforts of both crypto asset exchanges, banks and regulators, a major new study from CipherTrace has found that engaging with virtual asset exchanges is exposing banks to... read more

06 Apr 20 @ 12:23

The Celo Foundation, which not only appears to be similar to Facebook’s Libra project but in direct competition, has unveiled 50 members for its ‘Alliance for Prosperity’. Celo has a... read more

18 Dec 19 @ 15:45

On the face of it, all’s well in payments. Big firms are posting huge profits and experts forecast growth aplenty in the next decade. But growing numbers of companies complain... read more