Two years after the country laid out plans for an instant-payments service backed by Saudi Arabia’s central bank, the project has gone live through a collaboration with Mastercard’s Vocalink and IBM.

Banks face increasing competition from fintechs, third-party lenders and large technology companies as customer demands evolve, says Mastercard's Fabrizio Burlando.

he regulatory establishment in the U.S. and Europe, the DeFi market has too much momentum, contends blockchain investor Giamo Arcaro.

Britain’s Treasury and the Bank of England are weighing the potential creation of a central bank digital currency, joining authorities from China to Sweden exploring the next big step in the future of money.

We’ve seen many companies embrace faster and easier payments systems, says Citizens' Matt Richardson.

The surge in digital and cloud-based payments technology hasn’t killed off point-of-sale terminals; their role is simply changing, as cloud-based payment providers like Podium roll out their first hardware.

While accounts payable systems are adjusting to decentralized work, it's unrealistic to expect a complete migration overnight, says Proactis' Michael Ereli.

Amid success stories like Apple Pay, Google Pay and the Starbucks app, there are many wallet apps that failed to gain traction — or squandered it when they did. But there is a lot to learn from their experiences.

The single-use element of virtual cards deters hacking, says Nvoicepay's Kristin Cardinali.

It's not just new transaction rails, but the speed of innovation has increased, says Hangar 75's Ian Wilding.

There's a wide range of uses for decentralized finance and related blockchain tech, says Wirex's Yves Renno.

The location will replace traditional menus with self-serve kiosks and feature order-ahead pickup cubbies, allowing customers to walk in, grab their food and go.

Invoiced is working with with the Mastercard Track Business Payment Service, the open-loop network that supports a vast network and business directory of buyers and suppliers.

CMSPI estimates that retailers lost about $30 billion in potential online sales last year from e-commerce transactions that were declined for a variety of reasons including fraud, insufficient funds, technical problems and errors.

Trustly Group AB’s plan to raise almost $1 billion through an initial public offering in Stockholm may be followed by a second listing in New York, according to its chief executive.

Circle Internet Financial Inc., a developer of the USD Coin digital token, has hired an executive from the Facebook Inc.-backed Diem Association to spearhead strategy and policy efforts.

User experience and efficiency matter. Consumers aren't going to do something more difficult just for the technology, says Computop's Jed Danbury.

Walmart, Amazon, Facebook, Apple and Google are just a few of the non-financial companies that are using scale and innovation to compete in financial services.

As competition becomes more about countering fintechs than beating other banks, alternative payment methods and broader services will be key, says Icon Solutions' Simon Wilson.