Mobile payments

During the past year we’ve seen some ingenious, innovative solutions addressing financial inclusion, and that will need to continue, says GPS CFO Richard Hodgson.

Payment companies in the near future will need to address the impacts of industry consolidation, pricing pressures, regulation, card-based technology solutions and spotting the proper niche, says Moneycorp Americas' Bob Dowd.

The question isn't whether things will magically return to the 2019 status quo, but where is there still pent-up demand among consumers and merchants?

While fintech's advancement creates a pathway for innovation, it also expands exposure to unintended risk, says Flywire's Mike Massaro.

Self-service payments require investment by the biller, but the payoffs can be huge, says PayNearMe's John Minor.

Trade war bans on payment apps are pressuring large companies and providing opportunities for regional specialists, says Nets' Sirpa Nordlund.

While instant payments and open banking have been gaining momentum across the globe, payments providers have established digitally backed services that not only facilitate seamless financial operations but also help generate revenue, says AFEX Americas' Christian Spaltenstein.

Organizations that put the customer experience front of mind will be the winners, but they must nonetheless expect additional pressure from regulators, new competition, ever more digitally demanding consumers, and no slowdown in technological innovation, says Entersekt's Gerhard Oosthuizen.

As the transport ticketing market evolves in the wake of the pandemic, further intensifying the challenges caused by the dominance of proprietary systems, it’s time to see a more open, collaborative public transport ecosystem, says Calypso Networks Association's Philippe Vappereau.

2020 has shown that the payment industry is flexible and resilient, and if 2021 throws our plans out the window, we'd better be equipped to adapt on the fly, says IDEMIA's Megan Heinze.