The year — and the coronavirus pandemic — caused a dramatic shift in attitude. Many consumers and merchants now saw contactless cards and mobile payments as a way to move ahead without the germ fears that come with touching cash and PIN pads. And even after those fears subsided, the new habits stuck around.

The pandemic may have served as a catalyst for rapid growth in contactless payments through wearable devices. It’s the combination of form and function, however, that will push wearable payments into further growth in 2021 and beyond, says Zeta's Bhavin Turakhia.

"The construction industry has been challenged by the pace of evolution and is still dominated by invoice and check payments," said Michael Praeger, CEO and co-founder of AvidXchange.

Billionaire Ant Group Co. co-founder Jack Ma skipped a recent taping of an African TV program he created, spurring speculation online about his whereabouts and the outcome of an investigation into his internet empire.

PayPal’s Venmo has launched a new “Cash a Check” feature on its mobile app to some customers. The offering is made in partnership with Ingo Money and its parent, First Century Bank.

The events of 2020 fueled new customer expectations, accelerated digital transformation and allowed B2B companies to react and deliver. But customers’ changing expectations are not going to disappear, says MSTS' Brandon Spear.

Card payments can't always cut it in different countries, says PPRO's Steve Villegas.

Finance teams can cut down their workload significantly and free up time to analyze data and make more strategic decisions towards improving customer experience and business growth, says RecVue's Amit Chaudhry.

As the pandemic accelerates a broad business shift away from cash payments, Pablo Martinez, marketing leader at startup Pay Theory, recalls hearing how his Puerto Rican father and Guatemalan mother struggled for years to enter the U.S. banking system.

When the Chinese banking authorities finish reshaping Jack Ma’s empire, the only thing he may have left is Alipay — which would still be the world’s most popular mobile and online payments app.

There's a wide open market with plenty of opportunity not just for challenger banks but for financial technology as an industry to set themselves apart from incumbents and gain market share, says Veem's Marwan Forzley.

Familiar with personalized offers and options from other industries, patients are tired of a one-size-fits-all payment model, says Visitpay's Kent Ivanoff.

A Biden-appointed comptroller could refocus resources and attention to these issues and put less effort into fighting the ongoing fintech charter battle.

The permanent shift to digital also requires changes in how firms communicate with consumers, says Medallia's Diane O'Hara.

Tennessee retailers turned to cash acceptance as they continued to recover Monday from the Christmas Day explosion in downtown Nashville.

It's important to consider difference uses and types of blockchains based on need and project management strategy for financial and payment technology, says Worldline's Hubert Marteau.

Many consumers started using digital payments out of necessity once the pandemic struck. They may continue as it recedes because they like the convenience.

During the crises, most of the investment is going toward mature fintechs, creating more challenges for startups, says Global Processing Services' Richard Hodgson.

Visa is accepting card payments again on certain adult entertainment websites owned by Pornhub parent MindGeek, while continuing to block payments to Pornhub itself.

As risk rises and budgets tighten post-pandemic, training all employees about security risks and conducting quarterly penetration tests helps to offset threats and potential losses.