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
Building the Bridge to Payments: 3 Investment Trends for 2026 and Beyond
Investment in fintechs’ payment technology in 2026 is being shaped by a strong shift toward “bridging technologies” that connect legacy systems with emerging capabilities. Investors are prioritizing startups with clear revenue paths, enterprise-...
Why FIs Should Use Hyperliquid’s Playbook for Crypto
Hyperliquid didn’t win market share by focusing on decentralization. Rather, it won by rebuilding market structure from a decentralized standpoint. This report explains how a centralized exchange experience, an on-chain centralized limit order b...
2026 State of the Industry: Commercial Prepaid Cards
The commercial prepaid market continues to provide overall growth, with concern continuing in government verticals. Providers would be well-positioned to focus on business-to-business relationships for growth while maintaining government relatio...
Chargebacks: The Case for Coordination
This report, sponsored by Mastercard, examines the near- and long-term effects that chargebacks have on each party to a card purchase transaction, as well as the existing opportunities to streamline the chargeback process or reduce the number of...
Crypto Gateways: Digital Money Routers
Crypto gateways are no longer “pay with crypto” at checkout. They’re becoming digital money routers that connect wallets, stablecoins, and fiat inside existing payment flows. This report breaks down direct and indirect gateway models, details wh...
What Banks Can Learn from Good Vendors: Developer Lessons From Modern API Platforms
Developer portals at banks serve the dual purpose of democratizing access to its financial products and attracting top tech talent, ensuring FIs remain top of wallet and on the bleeding edge of innovation. This Javelin Strategy & Research report...
2026 Payments Trends
A look at the trends shaping Payments in 2026.
Agentic Standards: Platform Opportunities and Platform Solutions
The development of open agentic commerce protocols—notably the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) and Agent Commerce Protocol (ACP)—represent an expected and necessary alternative to the early, essentially proprietary solutions. The flurry of 202...
The Target Circle Card Program: If at First You Don’t Succeed, Try Again
Target Circle Card program is a standout loyalty program for offering credit and debit card products. However, the program is under pressure, and there are lessons to be learned. From a product-offering standpoint, Target Circle covers all its b...
Credit Card Databook 2026
The credit card market, which appeared to be a candidate for saturation in recent years, continues to grow amid a resilient economy. Purchase volume reached $1.28 trillion in 2025, and credit cards remain the most popular payment vehicles among ...