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
2025 Prepaid Regulatory Update: Federal Changes Dominate the Conversation
This annual update by Javelin Strategy & Research covers how economic and regulatory issues are affecting the prepaid card market. It focuses on how the prepaid market may be affected by changes to broad-scale federal policy as well as direct fe...
Credit Card Acquisitions: An Intro to Introductory Offers
The U.S. adult population grew by 10% from 2016 to 2025, but credit card acquisitions advanced at a rate almost five times faster. Cardholders are not just accumulating credit cards; they increased their revolving debt in that period by more tha...
Unattended Checkout: Where Do We Go From Here?
Unattended checkout isn’t dying, not by a long shot, but it’s in a period of transition. Although consumers like it, merchants need it, and payment trends favor it, some major merchants have scaled back their ambitions for unattended checkout as...
The Virtual Economy: Identifying Supplier Industries Receptive to Virtual Cards
Although buyers increasingly favor virtual cards for their control, automation, and working capital benefits, many suppliers question whether acceptance delivers enough value to justify the cost. This Javelin Strategy & Research report identifie...
Real-Time Payments: Use Cases in Acquiring
The real time payments made possible through The Clearing House’s RTP and the Fed’s FedNow payment rails are making headlines, with promises of efficiency and lightning fast payments. However, what’s promised—or imagined—and what’s delivered don...
DFAST: Tight Credit Card Risk Controls Ensure Bank Liquidity
Top financial institutions are prepared to navigate a severe economic shift, based on the results of the 2025 Dodd-Frank stress tests. Credit card losses continue to be the most significant area of risk, but the current required tests indicate t...
Digital ID Adoption Requires Digital ID Acceptance: How Payments Can Lead the Way
The issuance of digital IDs in the United States is undeniably expanding, nearing a tipping point where more than half of the country will have access to this form of identification. As U.S. progress continues, a mandate on issuance and adoption...
The Role of Developers: Building Developer Communities
Developer portals at banks will be crucial to advancing open-banking APIs in a way that ensures efficiency, consumer safety, and innovation. This Javelin Strategy & Research report details what banks can learn from their fintech counterparts, wh...
The Great Bill Pay Reset: How Real-Time Payments and Open Banking Are Upending the Status Quo
Bill pay is no longer a utility but the frontline battle for agent-driven, real-time payments. The evolution of open banking and financial automation means banks that fail to modernize their bill pay products risk losing control of the trust, in...
Oracles: The Missing Link Between Blockchains and the Real World
Smart contracts can’t function without trusted, real-world data. Oracles make that connection possible by delivering verified off-chain inputs directly to the blockchain. This report explains how oracle networks work, where they differ from trad...