The United Kingdom’s payment ecosystem has undergone significant changes over the past decade, driven by advancements in technology, a shifting regulatory landscape, and a growing demand for security, speed, and convenience among consumers.
The UK’s Faster Payments system has been effectively enabling instant money transfers between participating banks since 2008. However, despite the prominent role this scheme has played throughout the years, it is gradually becoming outdated and requires an upgrade to keep up with the rapidly evolving payments landscape.
The past few years have been marked by rapid changes within Europe’s payment ecosystem. These developments have prompted businesses, FIs, and PSPs to significantly adjust their operations and keep up with the trends. As we enter 2023, it’s already clear as day that the pace of the European payment industry’s evolution is nowhere near slowing down.
We live in a time of dramatically escalating inflation, severe supply and cash flow issues, and a rapidly increasing cost of living. All these factors slow down retail growth, intensify competition, enhance friendly fraud risks, raise payment fees, and shrink margins - in other words, they force businesses to invest more resources to win each sale.
As you might know, India is making a big step toward a digital future with the launch of the e-Rupee, a digital version of its national currency. The work on this project of major importance is actively ongoing, with two pilots already having aired in the wholesale and retail sectors in November and December 2022, respectively.
Biometric authentication lets users verify their identity when making payments in a secure, fast, and convenient way, which has led to the growing adoption of this technology. As a result, over 65% of consumers claim to be familiar with it. Yet, according to recent surveys, 69% of users are concerned about data breaches when using biometrics while 62% fear their privacy could be violated.
Buy now, pay later (BNPL) services have experienced a massive surge in popularity at the beginning of the pandemic and their prominence has kept growing ever since. The year 2022 was no exception, as consumers continued opting for payment methods that promote flexibility and merchants became even more open to collaborating with BNPL companies.
Commerce and payments are two interconnected spheres that are never stagnant. In 2022, both of these sectors have undergone some significant changes, understanding the nature of which can provide valuable insights into their future development trajectory.
African countries have been drawing an increasing amount of attention from FinTechs and PSPs over the past few years. This is mainly due to the fact that the continent’s payments industry has been undergoing a powerful transformation driven by continuous innovation and regulatory shifts. Due to such promising tendencies, we are sure to see this region gain even more momentum in the future.