Gig economy

The fridge, car, home assistant, smart watch, etc., will be able to initiate digital payments both online and on-location, and some will even be able to accept payment as well, and payment companies will need to respond, according to Michel Léger, executive vice president of innovation at Ingenico Group.

EBay's recent decision to favor Adyen over PayPal doesn't spell doom for PayPal, which sees itself playing a key role in the nascent gig economy. But other payment networks also seek a slice of that pie.

Wirecard has gained a foothold in using virtual prepaid cards to streamline corporate payments across business units, platforms and borders for companies with sprawling operations. Now the German company wants to do the same for more U.S. companies going global.

Cross-border transactions are getting smaller in size and more frequent, rendering the correspondent banking model increasingly obsolete as new use cases pile up.

Putting money directly in people’s pockets requires more speed and efficiency through innovative technologies and payments systems, writes Deirdre Ives, managing director of Wirecard North America.

Payment Rails is putting a tight focus on the emerging area of “influencer marketing,” where global brands are spreading money among individuals who use social media to promote products.