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
Understanding Credit Card Rewards: A Successful Model Under Threat
Credit card rewards programs are expensive and intricate for issuers to maintain, but they are also enormously popular with cardholders and a significant driver of customer acquisition. This Javelin Strategy & Research looks at the current lands...
The Limits of Crypto and the Rise of Layer 2s
Truly decentralized blockchains attract participation that provides worldwide transparency and reinforces why they were developed in the first place. But blockchain networks also have a problem: As the number of network users increases, so do ne...
The Future of CBDCs
We will explore CBDCs, discuss the global state of digital currencies, and consider the potential benefits and harms of government-issued digital money.
Commercial Instant Payments and the Need for Speed
Commercial instant payments are the next evolution of B2B payments. The speed of instant payments is attractive, but they should be looked at as a strategic addition to the overall payments ecosystem and not a replacement for existing methods of...
The Disappearing POS
The venerable old point-of-sale terminal, the heart of in-store payment experiences for decades, is in for a big change. Software POS (softPOS), biometric payments, and autonomous checkout technology are shrinking, transforming, and eliminating ...
FedNow: Getting to Know the New Instant Payment System
The FedNow Service is live. This Javelin Strategy & Research impact note looks at the Federal Reserve’s new instant payment system, which officially launched on July 20, 2023, examining what it is (and what it is not) and how it is poised to ush...
Prepaid Holiday Preview
Planning for the 2023 holiday season is in full swing. The market opportunity for gift cards looks optimistic, and shifting consumer behaviors and macroeconomic conditions could create an additional runway for digital products in the final push ...
A Mid-Year View of U.S. Credit Cards
Changes are coming to the consumer credit card market, which will force issuers to try to get ahead of them. This Javelin Strategy & Research report looks at key market indicators of the mounting risk that could hurt issuers at the end of the ye...
Unused Value of Gift Cards: Breaking the Misconceptions
Join Javelin Strategy & Research’s Prepaid Director Jordan Hirschfield as he debunks the common misconception that gift cards and prepaid products often retain value that goes unused.
FIS is Selling Worldpay, So Now What?
In a four-year period, FIS has gone from purchasing merchant acquiring titan Worldpay for $43 billion to announcing plans to spin the company off to agreeing to sell a controlling stake in it at a greatly reduced valuation. This Javelin Strategy...