For merchants, a processor that’s a tad better, a bit more comprehensive, can make an enormous difference, writes Eric Grover, a principal at Intrepid Ventures.

More regulation, more regulators and more regulatory uncertainty both increase the cost of and inhibit financial services and payments innovation.

More regulation, more regulators and more regulatory uncertainty both increase the cost of and inhibit financial services and payments innovation.

Like all major and some tier-two U.S. payment processors, TSYS wants to participate in less competitive and higher growth markets overseas to sustain long-term growth, writes Eric Grover, a principal at Intrepid Ventures.

Competition between card networks, tech titans Facebook and Google, Chinese fintech proxies Paytm and Hike, and M-Pesa will be fierce, and offer signs how other large emerging payments markets may evolve, writes Eric Grover, a principal at Intrepid Ventures.

Alipay and WeChat Pay will force traditional payment networks to up their game, particularly in in-play emerging markets. Whether they can become relevant at scale for consumers outside China remains to be seen, writes Eric Grover, a principal at Intrepid Ventures.

Society has accepted central banks’ monopoly over creating and controlling the flow of money, but history and current technological innovations point to alternative approaches.

Where existing money and payment systems are wanting, mutually consenting adults are resourceful in finding ways to transact, notwithstanding government restrictions.

As payments guru David Birch notes, multiple currencies spur competition and innovation, and can reduce stagnation, writes Eric Grover, a principal at Intrepid Ventures.

Society has accepted central banks’ monopoly over creating and controlling the flow of money, but history and current technological innovations point to alternative approaches.