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Latest Results from /payments

Report

The Future of Payments 2021

The Road to Successful Digital Transformation. Every player that operates within the intricate ecosystem of financial services is at a tipping point. The pandemic deeply entrenched the digital agenda, especially for payments, and financial institutions recognise that the effects of Covid-19 are likely to have a permanent impact on the industry. Tink1 found that 74% of European banks see an increased need to enhance their digital services, and 65% believe that banks must increase their speed of innovation. This immense pressure to digitise is being played out across the globe, as regulators and industry bodies scramble to expedite timelines for the modernisation of payments systems. On top of this, technology firms and fintech startups have never been more innovative, leaping into action to capitalise on the opportunity the pandemic presented and shepherd financial services into the new digital world. Embedded finance is answering the demands of consumers, and incumbents are eager not to lose their footing by investing heavily to innovate and evolve. Open banking has taken hold in several jurisdictions, and in certain circumstances, is flourishing into the more expansive open finance. Ultimate success will depend on fundamental impediments such as incumbent banking cooperation, consent mechanisms, and concerns around privacy being managed or removed. Certainty around digital identity is predicted to bolster not only the momentum toward open finance, but to build on the capabilities required to deliver a central bank digital currency. 2020’s upheaval of brick-and-mortar retail led to the soaring uptake of e-commerce and a shift in payment trends, as contactless transactions became the norm. While the efficiencies of this new digital world have been exponential, criminal activity has naturally followed, and financial institutions are having to protect customers from sophisticated fraudsters. New forms of crypto assets further complicate the situation, especially as regulators attempt to balance the need to regulate alongside the need to foster innovation, all the while attempting to protect consumers from new forms of harm. The opportunities, however, are myriad in nature. The seemingly unquenchable appetite for the potential new technologies hold payments modernisation appears to be outpacing the historically risk-averse financial services sector. With expert views from Banking Circle, Nuvei, and Thunes, in this report, you will learn from industry leaders about the events and trends defining global payments into 2021 and beyond. The report includes insights from BNY Mellon, Citi, Deutsche Bank, ING, J.P. Morgan, Metro Bank, Nationwide Building Society, Open Banking Implementation Entity, Plaid, Rabobank, Raiffeisen Bank International, Société Générale, and SWIFT.

1436 downloads

Report

The advantage of Machine Learning in preventing fraud

Accurately identifying customer behavioural trends and proactively preventing payments fraud and other criminal activity at the outset can be done with machine learning. Ingesting tens of thousands of complex signals and analysing patterns to monitor activity is more effective than blocking transactions based on hard-coded and antiquated rules. Fraudsters can learn to circumvent these, and trusted users are put at risk, which is why embedded machine learning algorithms can be valuable. Download this Finextra impact study, in association with Sift, to learn about: Payments fraud and how machine learning is being leveraged today, Account takeover fraud, the biggest future threat to banks, and Synthetic ID fraud, the next opportunity for machine learning.

391 downloads

Report

Refreshing Payment Orchestration for a digital future

Digitising processes and services to meet the needs of customers has been a prerequisite for the payments industry, leaving acquirers, issuers, and merchants with no choice but to adapt. The changing landscape has resulted in a need to maintain growth in online activity and has increased the need for payment orchestration. Automating the management of business operations that are tied to authorising, processing and optimising payments can help to alleviate the pressure around adaptation and in turn, time to market and time to revenue. Payment orchestration is the solution.  Download this Finextra impact study, in association with WLPayments, to learn why:  Simplifying the complexity of payments is required,  Upgrading traditional payment orchestration is essential today, and  Payment orchestration platforms are the missing link for payment providers. 

421 downloads

Report

The Future of Digital Banking in the UK 2021

Why digital is paramount for innovation leaders. While emerging technology has been leveraged by banking leaders and incremental progress has been made in business-led areas, the modernisation of banking must remain as an evolving journey. To find the right approach, UK banks must ask themselves: what does the digital operating model look like to make this constant innovation sustainable? For an incumbent bank, digital transformation has become a herculean task in an age saturated with technological options, requiring traditional lenders to embrace unpredictability, maintain agility and digitise to the core, which requires support from agile fintech players. Legacy players that are in the process of migrating to the cloud are struggling with application modernisation, data centralisation and security, and as a result, banks that are born in the cloud are at an advantage. However, the cloud is not a solution in itself. From building agile platforms to meet the expectations of demanding customers, to crafting an optimised digital operating model, to instilling a strong work culture that goes beyond diversity, there are central challenges which must be addressed by banks in order to lay the foundations for a successful digital future. Banks now recognise the urgency of collaborating with the leading minds in the fintech industry, to craft and deliver the best products to their discerning customers. Download your copy of the report, in association with Backbase, to gain valuable insights from leading financial institutions and understand what will make UK banks successful into the future. The report includes insights from Atom bank, Coventry Building Society, first direct, HSBC, Investec, Lloyds Banking Group, Nationwide, NatWest, OakNorth, Standard Chartered, Tandem Bank, and Yorkshire Building Society. Additionally, join us for a Finextra webinar with Backbase, to gain insights from an industry expert panel discussion on how a future-proof digital banking operating model can reconcile digital and personal - Engagement Banking: Orchestrating the Customer Experience

882 downloads

Report

Five Business Benefits for Analysing and Combatting Fraud

A Finextra Research Impact Study in association with Aerospike. With increased financing options at point-of-sale, card-not-present transactions, and contactless payments, comes a resultant surge in fraudulent transactions and financial crime. This increase in digital fraud has been catalysed by the recent Covid-19 pandemic-induced shift to online banking and commerce. Now more than ever, financial institutions must implement payments authentication processes to prevent the long-term risks associated with fraud, including slimming margins and reputational damage. One way financial players can stay ahead is to analyse all available historical and real-time data, and apply artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) tools – which encompass a range of algorithmic approaches that derive from statistical methods such as regressions and neural networks – to decipher legitimate transactions from the illegitimate. There are, however, five further business benefits to understanding customer risk profiles. Actionable insights derived from fraud profile analysis can help banks visualise each customer, not as a collection of disassociated data points, but as a mosaic, made up of different characteristics that merge to provide a comprehensive view. This can lead to complex, holistic, and predictive analysis of customers’ behaviour – generating consistent and tailored services. Download your copy of the paper below to learn more. 

218 downloads

Survey

Payments Modernisation: The Cloud Imperative

This survey, conducted in early 2021, was global in scope and based on a sample of 150 banks and payment service providers.  It was aimed to quantify trends in payments modernisation, cloud and ‘as-a-service’ delivery models for account-to-account payments (corporate and retail/consumer payments). We were also interested in gauging the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on financial institutions’ own operations, and on the needs and expectations of their customers, and the adoption rate of various domestic and cross-border payment networks. The movement of money can be a complicated business. Payments modernisation has always been an imperative for banks since the inception of the modern banking system – from the introduction of cheques to the telegraphic transfer by radio or cable through to the networks of today. The trend is always towards greater speed, security and interoperability – but with that, complexity. The proliferation of payment networks covering various models for moving money domestically and internationally means financial organisations have to deal with many gateways, messaging standards, processing and settlement rules and regulations. This proliferation has led to much fragmentation and duplication of payment systems within organisations. It has also limited reachability and interoperability. Delivering on these requirements can involve system replacement, but just as often the challenge is to work around and integrate legacy systems that can’t easily be replaced, and bring them into a more modern architecture. Download your copy of this Finextra Survey Report, produced in association with Volante Technologies, to learn more.

575 downloads

Report

Adapting to a shifting Cards Landscape

Identifying opportunities for Issuers. The payment cards industry has changed dramatically in recent years, with new technologies and regulations spurring innovation and lowering the barriers to entry for issuers. Meanwhile, there has been a shift to digital payments, which has created opportunities for bank and non-bank issuers alike. Card payment volumes have been growing, and the world’s standout region is Asia Pacific. China is the star performer, and the number of cards in issue is staggering. And while digital wallets such as Alipay and WeChat Pay have pushed the growth of mobile payments in China, cards have a key role to play. Similarly, in Africa, where mobile money services like mPesa have been hugely popular, there is still a role for payment cards in the rapidly developing markets.  Cards are also in demand in other regions. In Europe, the most recent figures from the European Central Bank show an increase in the number of payment cards issued. So far, there has been a reported shift to digital payments in various markets, such as the Middle East, and even the least internet-savvy consumers have changed their spending habits and are now shopping online. In the physical world, contactless - both on smartphones and cards - has been successful in providing convenience for cardholders in stores. Additional innovations have attempted to make it even easier for customers to tap and go.  Card programmes have become increasingly cost-effective, especially for issuers who are unencumbered by legacy systems. With on-demand digital printing, for example, cards can be personalised and issuers can order a smaller print run for smaller customer segments as they are needed – such as fans of a football club – rather than committing to a large batch upfront. Download your copy of this Finextra white paper, produced in association with FIS, to learn more.  

626 downloads

Report

Industry Spotlight - Real Time Intraday Liquidity Management

This piece from Finextra, in association with Montran, shines a light on an increasingly dynamic industry focus- the importance of intraday liquidity management- and the benefits to banks who tackle this head on. Finextra interviewed Joost Bergen, Cash Dynamics, liquidity management specialist and industry speaker about a real time and technology-first approach to the challenge. Read the associated white paper here - Liquidity and Beyond: Building a future through certainty

181 downloads

Report

The Future of Cloud 2021

Evolving the Financial Services Industry. As consumers have come to expect the same experience of their financial services providers that they have elsewhere in their lives, traditional financial institutions (FIs) are increasingly looking for ways to improve customer service and deepen engagement. For many, optimising the digital experience for customers is a priority. From leveraging omni-channel communication strategies to creating more personalised experiences, the goal is to deliver the right message, at the right time, in the right channel. Fintech firms have been faster to innovate. Many, in fact, were created to address consumer dissatisfaction with traditional financial services providers. However, many players across the banking, payments and capital markets industries such as Barclays, Broadridge, Capgemini, Calypso, Collibra, DBS, FICO, Fraud.net, Global Payments, HSBC, IHS Markit, Kx, Mambu, Nasdaq, Numerix, OakNorth, Singapore Exchange, Solarisbank, Standard Chartered and Trading Technologies are increasingly turning to the cloud as a way to accelerate their digital transformation for customers. Shifting away from legacy infrastructure reduces time and resource constraints and financial institutions can innovate and respond to customer needs with the cloud. Banks, payments services providers, and capital markets firms must take advantage of the cloud’s greater elasticity, flexibility and cost-effectiveness. Download your copy of the report below to learn more. Part of the Finextra Cloud Series, in association with Amazon Web Services (AWS).

850 downloads

Report

Cut through the noise: 5 key considerations when selecting your payments platform

A Finextra Research Impact Study in Association with Compass Plus. Identifying and working alongside technology vendors has never been higher on the agenda. A 2020 Lloyds Bank survey found that 88% of senior leaders within financial institutions say that tech investment will be a top strategic priority for the next 12 months, and that 62% plan to increase investment in technology and core systems. Organisations across the payments industry are facing unparalleled pressure to digitally evolve. For incumbents this is a result of everchanging customer expectations and demand for digital. These factors cause financial institutions (FIs) to look to the crowded market of technology vendors to help future-proof their business. Vendors trying to differentiate themselves in this crowded market often use convoluted tech-spin to try and attract new clients. This can make it difficult for FIs to identify which vendor, platform or service is best suited to their needs and may end up being led in the wrong direction. While FIs are facing immense pressure to evolve quickly, selecting the right vendor is a process which should not be rushed into. Financial institutions must be cautious when considering potential technology vendors by cutting through marketing vernacular to build a clear understanding of the platform’s capabilities. This impact study sets out the key considerations FIs must make to effectively deploy their strategy. From avoiding outdated assumptions, outlining clear objectives, steering clear of industry buzzwords, to asking the right questions, these fundamental tools will only assist financial organisations in their journey to enhance or transform their digital offering. Download your copy of the paper below to learn more.

490 downloads

Report

The Future of Regulation 2021

Resetting the rulebook for 2021 2020 was a year of rule-breaking, 2021 is the year to reset the rulebook. Unable to grow unchecked, the regulatory framework within which innovation has been trying to flourish has shown its creaky joints, ill-equipped supervisory mechanisms and outdated mindsets. Yet, despite early concerns and predictions that Covid-19 would hinder progress across the payments landscape, the monumental shift toward reliance on digital payments has instead lit a fire under financial institutions and the regulators which oversee them. The pandemic presented unmatched challenges to the global economy, including the provision and regulation of digital financial services and fintech activities across both advanced and emerging economies, but innovators were quick to pick up the reins, and presided over a proliferation of tools and products catering to those most in need. Open banking continues to evolve, and as Open X takes hold, the obligation to place consumer protection at the heart of this growth is evidenced in the implementation of the Second Payments Services Directive’s (PSD2) requirement for Strong Customer Authentication (SCA). While financial services remain challenged with ever more malicious cyber threats, AML and fraud regulations are clamping down on crime. The deployment of sophisticated technology is also increasingly being used to identify and quash threat-actors, and particularly in the case of LIBOR’s cessation and ESG objectives. Delving into the key industry-shaping regulatory updates for 2021, the Future of Regulation sets out the insights of leading industry players including Accenture, Clifford Chance, JP Morgan, Mollie, NatWest, Oaknorth Bank, Shearman & Sterling and TrueLayer. Download your copy of the report below now to find out more.

838 downloads

Report

What will drive the journey towards cashlessness and digitalisation?

Market dynamics and infrastructure vary greatly per country and region but the direction of innovation and change are converging on the same outcome: digitisation and cashlessness. As the world adopts digitalisation in all sectors and societies, there is greater demand for unbanked communities to be banked and for digital banking to enable better choice and control for consumers, greater opportunities for merchants and businesses, increased cross-border trade and benefits for governments. The reasons for the transition away from cash and towards digital include enabling connections between unbanked consumers, merchants and services through mobile money; greater visibility and view on liquidity for merchants, including real time confirmation and settlement; reduction in fraud and crime by implementing a digital trace and, hence, audit system; financial inclusion; for banks, greater volumes and transactions are welcomed also. System integration and standardisation are the crucial factors on this journey to grow the ecosystem and the key tenets of interoperability and ubiquity, each of which drives the other, are becoming the focus for any serious mobile money or digital financial provider. QR codes have been instrumental across the Middle East, Africa and Asia to facilitate mobile and digital payment services and they could provide a gateway to unified and integrated financial offerings, countrywide, regionwide and even worldwide. As digital payments become pervasive, API infrastructures are providing the basis for interoperable systems, but these can be supported also by third party aggregators or, often in developed markets, switch technology. The expansion of API infrastructure and the proliferated services it enables depends on standardised and harmonised interaction and integration, as well as collaboration between private and public firms. Download your copy of this Finextra white paper, produced in association with HPS, to learn more.

657 downloads

Report

Embracing the New Paradigm of Cloud Migration to Future-Proof Payments Technologies

A Finextra Research Impact Study in Association with Global Payments and Amazon Web Services (AWS). Consumer expectations, behaviour and payment preferences are and will continue to evolve at an accelerated rate. As a result, payments processors and issuing banks must ensure they are technology-enabled and software-driven so that the financial products and services they provide are future-proofed, ready for today and tomorrow. In an attempt to keep pace with competitors, banks must recognise that collaboration between payment players and cloud service providers will help drive frictionless, more secure digital experiences for consumers. This is of paramount importance in a world where resilient commerce through contactless interactions – at scale – is key. However, some institutions are still offering traditional premise-bound services and aren’t taking advantage of the innovative technologies available in market today. In order to remain relevant, these organisations must be flexible, accelerate speed to market and provide best-in-class experiences for their customers. According to a McKinsey survey, banks that use technology to transform customer experience have increased customer satisfaction by 15 to 20%, reducing cost to serve by 20 to 40%, and boosting conversation rates and growth by 20%. From extending their footprint into new products, services and markets, to innovating and creating next generation, digital focused banking solutions, the goal for financial institutions is to meet the demands of the connected, digital world and keep pace with ever-changing consumers’ preferences. Against a backdrop of new payments startups, legacy players don’t have the benefit of starting from scratch but do have the advantage of a large customer base. While cloud technology can support digital transformation, financial institutions, retailers and new market entrants will also realise the benefits of a collaboration between the likes of Global Payments and AWS and how it will lead to more secure, reliable and innovative solutions for the payments industry at scale. Download your copy of the Impact Study below to learn more.

559 downloads

Report

Liquidity and Beyond: Building a future through certainty

Creating a strategic advantage. There is an evolving approach to liquidity management: from merely monitoring, to actively managing and optimising, to using liquidity for a strategic advantage. Achieving this requires the right tools and technology, and also an open mind about the opportunities that effective real time liquidity management can bring. Seconds, minutes or hours – whatever the definition of ‘real time’ in real time liquidity management, its speed is definitely increasing. Banks and corporates are operating in an increasingly dynamic environment: consumers want services on-demand; payments are faster; information travels at warp speed, news is rolling 24/7; and crises can unfold in an instant. This always-on environment has an impact on liquidity, which has to be managed effectively to ensure an organisation can meet its obligations; in times of stress, it can be critical for its survival. Having the right information at their fingertips – in real time – gives bank and corporate treasurers accuracy and assurance in navigating this changing environment. And if liquidity management is done well, they will do more than keep pace with their environment – they will use it to their advantage. The right analysis of information in real time brings better understanding of their customer, their business, the potential to reduce costs and hence, greater potential for planning and growth based on new levels of certainty. The possibilities and potential that the business concept of real time can bring, in conjunction with up-to-the-minute use of advanced technology, is staggering. Businesses and banks were not built to operate in a 24/7 environment, and it is no mean feat to step up to the plate to meet this challenge and turn it into potential. Real time automatic payments, settlement, account updates, exception handling and data sharing can eliminate the need for cash buffers- idle cash becomes investment. Real time can bolster banks’ credit ratings; real time analysis predicts behaviours leading to reduced risk; real time can provide instant forecasting adjustments- further finetuning an organisation’s position. It feeds a 360 view on a client, fostering better relationships, and with agile systems, enables a firm to plan and grow with a certainty hitherto never seen. Now is the time for banks and corporates to act, redefining their business goals, and crucially, their technology requirements. Download your copy of this Finextra white paper, produced in association with Montran, to learn more. Read the associated Industry Spotlight here - Real Time Intraday Liquidity Management.

426 downloads

Report

Managing Compliance and Growth

For banks large and small there is no question about the sheer volume of transformation pressure currently at play. Regulatory changes on the increase, various migration deadlines to implement amid the general shift to real time means that mere survival in itself can seem like a win. More is required of organisations who want to differentiate and compete for and retain the customer’s attention. When risk awareness plays a crucial role how can banks start to carve a safe and secure route to innovation at a speed which meets market demand for new and intuitive services? For smaller and newer organisations, arguably it is easier when they don’t have legacy constraints and are more attuned to the benefits and possibilities of emerging technologies. But as they strive to diversify and grow their volumes, they are often blindsided by the associated risk and indeed the threat of suffocating a start-up culture. Becoming consumed by the here and now and not being able to see the woods for the trees is an all-too-familiar theme for many medium-sized banks. Being able to establish and refine their own agile way of working so they can learn fast and grow fast is key. But when one size does not fit all in terms of scaling projects, it becomes very difficult to take the reins on their own unique journey of growth. This research paper by Finextra, produced in association with Finastra, is based on several interviews with small and medium-sized banks, garnering their perspectives and experiences in their efforts to grow and scale while managing compliance and all that goes with it. Download your copy of the Finextra industry sentiment report to learn more.

357 downloads