If you are a BANK… you can do anything you want to on a PIN DEBIT network (you control).. For example, First Data owns STAR.. they are leveraging the Star network with Cardspring to transfer non payment information (offers/incentives). This is a great example of how to construct a solution within the constraints of existing networks Continue reading
The US needs open access to a RTGS system, where any party can assume risk. Giving non-banks the opportunity to participate in Fedwire may be the quickest way to move the ball. For EU, perhaps giving open access to a common settlement service would be faster than mandating protocols/services. In other words.. build a new system for settlement which banks must participate.. and let non banks in as well. Build the Future vs. fixing the past. Continue reading
The intermediate “flux” period in market creation is painful. There are many entrenched interests that want to keep competition at bay. However we all must agree on basic tenants when operating within existing markets, or we will continue to waste valuable time, capital and people. Investors in emerging markets must find ways to coordinate and discuss conflict more effectively. We must encourage governments to create policies and regulations which enable effective information flow, networks, and markets. As Brazil demonstrates, it’s much better to have a slice of a very big pie.. than control a share of a very small one. Continue reading
Today’s pre-paid dynamics may be the tipping point by which 3 party networks begin to overtake V/MA in growth. A trend that will accelerate when other business models require “control”. This next phase will be centered around merchant/consumer transaction data, which will begin to unlock the advertising revenue pool, which is almost 4 times larger than that of payments.
Payments and core banking will become a “dumb pipe” business unless Banks create value and assume a larger orchestration role. POS Payments are the central feature of a transaction account, if banks loose this relationship they will be in a poor position to orchestrate. 4 party networks are very, very hard to change. Continue reading
We are beginning to see the early stages of an “overhaul” of what banking (and payments) is. The next 3-5 years will be a period of much experimentation. As the WSJ article alluded to… banks actually want the bottom 40% of their customer base to leave.. they are no longer profitable.. This is what the Fed is concerned about.. where do they go? Continue reading
8 Dec 2011 I’ve been reading some off beat stuff lately. One book “Weak Links: Stabilizers of Complex Systems from Proteins to Social Networks” was very thought provoking. As Mark Stefik (PARC Fellow) said ‘Something magical happens when you bring … Continue reading
So in Europe see the consequences of ubiquity. While SEPA was designed to increase competition and create new European schemes, there are few business models capable of supporting investment. Hence Europe is not the place to start a retail payments business. This is why I look to Asia, LATAM and Canada as great places to start a payments business (my picks: PH, HK/China, Brazil, Malaysia, SG, Colombia, Indonesia and New Zealand). Continue reading
From my (very limited) purview, there seems to be 2 core disruptive innovations that will influence payments at the Point of Sale (POS):
Mobile as a Payment Platform
Mobile as an Incentive/Advertising Platform
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Understanding payment innovation is key to payment investing. Payments have been the best performing sub-sector, and are likely to remain so (see MVP Blog). Payments are a key part of almost every commercial interaction. They continue to evolve beyond value transfer into the enabler of trusted contractual interaction, unlocking the role of banking in intermediation and satisfying regulatory requirements in KYC and reporting. Their broad availability continues to transform business, enable new specialists and broaden our network Continue reading
My perspective has been evolving as I work to build out infrastructure for “when Crypto grows up” in my new Company. I’m pleased to report that Accept Payments (acc3pt.com) went live this month and is expanding our private rollout as … Continue reading