What shapes consumer transactions and payment technologies, and where is it going?
Rapid changes in technology, regulation, and consumer behavior continue to reshape the payments industry. Javelin’s payments research team tracks commercial and consumer payment trends, evaluates emerging payment technologies, and anticipates what’s next. Through unbiased research, data-driven insights, and actionable advice, we help financial institutions, payments providers, and technology companies develop strategies that position them for success in a rapidly evolving market.
Payments Research
Reports
Real-Time Payments at the Point of Sale
With the pending launch of the FedNow service in the United States, real-time payments (RTP) are poised to transform the way large numbers of Americans go about their transactions. Hosting RTP at the point of sale is a particularly attractive pr...
Private-Label Credit Cards: Still Relevant but Losing Luster
Private-label credit cards are an essential part of the U.S. card market, but they are a product in slow decline and face several threats, including instant point-of-sale financing and buy now, pay later loans.
U.S. Real-Time Payments: A Catalyst for Payments Modernization
This report, sponsored by Volante Technologies, reviews the challenges and benefits associated with banks’ adoption of real-time payments in the United States given the increased options that are currently available.
The Case for Card Networks’ Embrace of Interoperability
Card networks are at a crossroads after decades of dominance. New payment methods and heightened regulatory scrutiny are eroding the competitive advantage Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover have historically enjoyed. This combinati...
What We Can Learn From Merchant Services M&A Activity in 2022 and 2023
Mergers and acquisitions in payments and merchant services have slowed amid tough economic conditions and the fallout from the FIS-Worldpay deal, which just didn’t work out. Against that backdrop, M&A activity in those spaces is under increasing...
What the Fall of Crypto-Friendly Banks Means for the Market
The collapses of three cryptocurrency-friendly financial institutions demonstrate the issues that face crypto companies and their providers of financial services. Crypto-focused and related companies can still move toward opportunities by promot...
Return to Office Doesn’t Equal Return to Patterns in Prepaid Transit
Return-to-office mandates and hybrid work scenarios have created new patterns for commuters throughout the United States. This may change payment patterns from exclusively prepaid transit products to a broader variety of prepaid and postpaid opt...
B2B E-Commerce in the U.S. Market
The next generation of buyers is likely drawn from Millennials and/or Generation Z. Younger generations expect digital experiences in their buying journey that are reminiscent of business-to-consumer (B2C) interactions. The marketplace model has...
Stripe, FIS, and Afterpay and the Search for Profitability and Flexibility
The struggles of FIS (which opted to spin off Worldpay, an acquisition it made to much fanfare four years ago), Stripe (which is seeking money at a greatly reduced valuation), and Afterpay (which abandoned a buy now, pay later market amid tough ...
Bitcoin Mining and ESG: The States Start Moving
New York was the first state to impose restrictions on bitcoin mining, but it won’t be the last. Oregon and Washington are lining up their own legislation, highlighting the industry’s environmental, social, and governance challenges. Still other...