Opinions

Both merchants and consumers still see the act of making a payment as a barrier and again look to technology to enhance the experience, writes Chris Koide, senior advisor and vice president of financial services for Bambora North America.

Banks are being pushed into the background of popular digital experiences. But they can reappear on interfaces that customers use daily by doubling down on financial wellness efforts.

Usernames, passwords, device authentication and even biometrics have vulnerabilities. Behavioral identity is much harder for crooks to crack, writes Robert Capps, a vice president at NuData Security.

For issuers, higher online and mobile conversion rates should translate to increased payment volume transacted on their cards, but it opens up a new avenue for intense jockeying over top of wallet status, writes Michael Jabbara, director of digital development markets for Visa.

With close to 900 million monthly active users, WeChat is the most popular social app in China, supporting real-time messaging, social networking, e-wallet and many other functions, writes Franklin Chu, managing director for Azoya USA.

Companies and staff should not spend time doing manual work tied to T&E , writes Sunny Manivannan, general manager of Coupa Expenses.

Digital blockchain tokens can be naked instruments for profit-sharing among investors, but other types are directly linked to building network infrastructure. Their creation and sale must be unimpeded by regulation.

Using historical patterns to predict the next financial success or crisis seems rational. But beware the human psyche’s tendency to concoct order out of randomness.

Under PSD2, banks are expected to admit all vetted comers, but how they will connect to them is up to the individual parties, writes Raz Rafaeli, CEO of Secret Double Octopus.

If everyone has a universal digital identity, the documents that identify us in the physical world will no longer be necessary, writes Michael Gorriz, group chief information officer for Standard Chartered Bank.