What shapes consumer transactions and payment technologies, and where is it going?
Any conventional wisdom about payments—how they’re made, the currencies being used, the cards presently in favor—doesn’t last long before the next wave of technology, innovation, and regulation. Javelin’s analysts conduct research at the forefront of payments, identifying the emerging trends for financial services companies and payments providers and offering insight into how they can best position themselves not just for what is current but also for what is coming.
Payments Research
Reports
Apple Wants to be a Payments Power Like Block and Stripe
Apple’s acquisition of Credit Kudos—along with a report that it’s preparing to move into processing, risk assessment, dispute resolution, and more—signals a coming move into payments. The tech giant’s built-in advantages will make it a formidabl...
M&A Transactions in 2021 & 2022: The 40+ Deals That Are Changing the Payments Industry
The “megadeals” of 2019 got the attention in the payments industry, but it’s a host of other transactions in 2021 and early 2022—more than 40 in total—that have the potential to push industry giants into new segments and bolster technological ca...
A Strategic Framework for Selecting a Small-Business Digital Banking Platform
Banks face some tough sledding in the decade ahead if they don’t overhaul their business digital banking strategy. Rising non-bank companies are encroaching on the territory of traditional banking and payments services for small businesses, to t...
How to Hit the Digital Banking Sweet Spot for Sole Proprietors
Banks are missing the mark with sole proprietors, gig workers, and freelancers who have particular business banking needs that aren’t being met by the more comprehensive solutions favored by larger businesses. By aiming “tweener” products at the...
Card Networks Are About to Raise Merchant Fees But Not Without Consequences
Mastercard and Visa are set to raise merchant fees on card transactions next month, but businesses, already struggling with tight margins as the pandemic continues, are in no mood to accept the fee increases without a fight. Learn why Mastercard...
Credit Cards and COVID-19: How the Pandemic Transformed the Credit Card Industry
Two years of the coronavirus pandemic have caused tectonic shifts in the credit card industry that will have permanent effects on issuers, card networks, and all other firms involved in the space. Although the pandemic is ongoing, using the anni...
Rise of the Crypto Custodians
As banks, insurers and other wealth managers assess the risks of the crypto market—particularly cybersecurity—they should not be dissuaded from exploring the opportunities. Strategic opportunities include positioning cash management as a springb...
Stripe’s OpenChannel Acquisition Facilitates Distribution of Services
Stripe’s series of high-profile acquisitions in 2021—the latest of which, OpenChannel, was announced in December—signal a shift toward operational areas adjacent to and complementary to Stripe’s well-known function as a payment processor. The Op...
Card Network-Merchant Conflicts Over Fees Are Set to Pick Up in 2022
Concerns about card networks’ merchant fees are about to be reignited by Amazon’s upcoming ban of Visa credit cards issued in the UK. The e-commerce titan has taken issue with Visa’s merchant fees—just like many merchants have had problems with ...
2022 Cryptocurrency Trends & Predictions
The meteoric rise of cryptocurrency so far has outpaced regulators, tax management, and the payments industry. The coming year, however, looms as a time of catching up. With global financial powerhouses jumping into crypto, regulators won’t be f...