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

The Mexican Payment Card Market

  • Javelin Report
  • Date: July 24, 2013
  • Author(s): Terry Xie
  • Research Topic(s): Global
New research from Mercator Advisory Group overviews the payment card market in Mexico.

Online And Mobile Retail Payments Authentication: Preventing Fraud in the Age of Data Breaches and Malware

In 2012, online retail payments reached 7.4% ($318 billion) of all retail transactions. The thriving online market is an increasing target for fraudsters, particularly with EMV, or “Chip and PIN,” expected to significantly curtail card fraud at ...

Customer Identification Programs in Prepaid: Best Practices

  • Javelin Report
  • Date: July 9, 2013
  • Author(s): Ben Jackson
  • Research Topic(s): Prepaid
Customer identification programs are the first line of defense to prevent money laundering, fraud, and other criminal activity, but they can do more to help prepaid program managers. Program managers have the opportunity to use the identificatio...

Mobile Payments in the Transportation Industry

  • Javelin Report
  • Date: July 9, 2013
  • Author(s): David Kaminsky
  • Research Topic(s): Emerging
Despite numerous attempts, mobile payments have struggled to become legitimate alternatives to plastic card-based payment systems. This Mercator Advisory Group Research Note analyzes the array of benefits that mobile payments offer merchants in ...

Small Business Lending: New Alternatives?

New research from Mercator Advisory Group describes confusing market for small business finance  

The Business and Branding of Mobile Wallets

  • Javelin Report
  • Date: July 8, 2013
  • Author(s): Patricia Hewitt
  • Research Topic(s): Debit
Mobile wallets are being introduced to the market in a steady stream of configurations from passive containers to dynamic payment products.

Bank Payment Obligation (BPO) from SWIFT Supports Trade

Except in particularly risky circumstances, world trading partners have almost abandoned the traditional, document-intensive letter of credit. Open account is the prevailing method, despite the risks to suppliers. The BPO gives both buyers and s...

Bank Regulators: Not Just For Banks Anymore

  • Impact Note
  • Date: June 20, 2013
  • Author(s): Ben Jackson
  • Research Topic(s): Prepaid
Banking regulators have shown that they will extend their reach to prepaid program managers. The FDIC's recent action against Achieve Financial Services shows that regulators are looking more closely at prepaid program managers.

Techniques For Reducing Payment Card Skimming

  • Impact Note
  • Date: June 20, 2013
  • Author(s): David Fish
  • Research Topic(s): Credit, Debit
Payment card skimming has long been the preferred method used by fraudsters hoping to capture enough payment card data to create counterfeit cards.

Alternative Currencies: Is There Staying Power?

  • Javelin Report
  • Date: June 11, 2013
  • Author(s): Jeffrey Green
  • Research Topic(s): Emerging
New Mercator Advisory Group report identifies markets and market drivers behind four types of alternative currencies.

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