Opinions

This will be a pivotal year for business and our economy, a time when small businesses streamline, simplify and define their own new normal for the long run.

There's already an appetite for digital and consumers should quickly embrace Apple's range of services, says CellPoint Digital's Howard Blankenship.

Fintechs and challenger banks are small, nimble and tech-centric. However, incumbents have strong reputations, customer trust and loyalty built over many decades, says Twilio's Bijon Mehta.

COVID-19 has taken a great deal away from us in the past 12 months, but from a digital payments perspective, it has also opened the doors for new innovation and activity, says Cognizant Softvision's Karla Ch'ien.

People are reluctant to use physical point of sale terminals, putting biometrics in the middle of the contactless payment wave, says Fingerprints' Christian Fredrikson.

The ability to manage both domestic and international invoices through the same AP automation and workflow creates enormous operational advantages for finance teams and the line of business, says MineralTree's Nicolette Medina.

Major projects like Diem are moving crypto beyond its fan base, according to Icon Solutions' Simon Wilson.

Moves to protect competition will help fintechs and push innovation, says AppBrilliance's C. Eric Smith.

As merchants navigate a rapidly evolving market, invisible payments are becoming a crucial means of offering customers the seamless, simple, and streamlined experiences they crave, says Credorax's Igal Rotem.

Sending money should be simple, but fintechs can’t do it alone. By leveraging cutting-edge technology like blockchain, we can solve real problems in payments that impact everyone, everywhere, says RippleNet's Vidya Mani.