David Cox is a freelance writer for leading organisations around the world including the BBC, Guardian and the New York Times. He has also featured as a pundit on science and technology for radio and TV programmes on NPR, BBC and Chinese Central Television. In 2017, he completed a PhD at the University of Cambridge.
Many BNPL lenders are expanding the services they offer to consumers. But adapting the product for businesses, or reducing friction at the point of sale, could also be avenues for growth.
In markets such as India, China, the United Arab Emirates and Brazil, more consumers and merchants are testing or deploying facial recognition as a way to authenticate transactions.
Legal marijuana dispensaries typically can't accept regular payment cards. But after the pandemic drove broader adoption of online and in-app payments, consumers may finally be more willing to stop using cash when buying weed.
The recent increase in online payments, whether through shopping or government disbursements, has created more openings for fraud. Companies and government agencies in Europe are trying to combat the problem by developing digital ID systems.
Several providers are building technology to try to prevent malware attacks when retailers accept contactless payments directly through their smartphones.
More financial companies across the Continent are joining a cross-border payment system designed to fight the rising threat from Visa and Mastercard.
The New Payments Architecture was delayed for years due to COVID and other factors. It will move ahead focused only on push payments instead of replacing two national rails.
Many of the application programming interfaces that help banks and fintechs share data predate the law that established open banking on the Continent.
Small businesses are upset at Visa and Mastercard's proposal to raise rates on cross-border payments initiated online, now that the European Commission's caps on credit and debit fees no longer apply in the U.K.
Cryptocurrencies provide a streamlined way for content creators on Twitter, Twitch, YouTube and other platforms to accept donations directly from fans.