Mark Ranta

19 for 2019 (Payments Predictions Galore!)

As I’ve bid adieu to 2018, once again mumbling my way through Auld Lang Syne (reciting Burns poetry was never really in my 'wheelhouse,' as they say) I’m squarely focused on 2019 (and beyond), and the payments prognostications that typically accompany the start of a new calendar year.

A Postcard from Money20/20

Greetings from Las Vegas. By the time this note finds you, I will be back at my desk pouring over my follow-up notes from another crazy, wonderful, insightful and totally exhausting Money20/20. The event itself has grown to become the annual ‘must-attend’ on the financial technology schedule, and this year’s event didn’t disappoint with new attendees, old friends and an agenda that kept you on your feet for 4 days (and nights).

To Regulate Or Not To Regulate – Is That Thy Question?

Debates are healthy, and as someone who spent a little time during my college years dabbling around the edges of the speech and debate team, I can tell you it’s something that I personally relish.

Winners and Losers in the Regulation Vs Competition Debate? How About New Business Models?

As Summer has abruptly turned to Fall, I have found myself daydreaming of a European vacation (and yes, I realize it’s Fall there too… or rather, Autumn). Maybe it’s the Instagram feed full of friends on a summer sojourn to Italy, France, or Germany, or the constant barrage of Premier League kickoff commercials on the NBC Networks (Let’s Go Gunners!), but yesterday it was something else entirely that had me drifting off into a memory-induced Nutella-crepe state of euphoria.

Mid-Year Payments Reflections… And What 2018 Has Left Up Its Sleeve

It has been a while since I had a chance to collect my thoughts, nee, reflections. My all-time favorite movie reminds us all that “Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” And with this advice in mind, I want to share my thoughts on the ‘Big 3’ of 2018 so far… and prep us all on what to look for as the calendar churns through its last six pages.

APIs and Cash Management (Harnessing the Hammer, Part 2)

In my last blog post, we talked about the hammer and the nail

The Hammer Finds Its Nail: Open Banking and Commercial Cash Management

Globally, the Open Banking story has been shaped by Europe, thanks to PSD2 (The Revised Payment Services Directive) and the effect that it will have on us as everyday consumer banking clients. This will forever change our experience with financial tools for the better. The banks that have traditionally served us will modify their models to support the foundational layer of a new ecosystem of co-invention and partnership. This story is all well and good, but so far most – if not all – of the discussion has surrounded the consumer experience and has neglected where the most fertile ground for change and disruption lies—corporate and commercial banking.

Oh payment trends, oh payment trends….

As the first flakes start to fall and the smells in the air start to change (as my esteemed colleague Seth mentioned in his recent post), my favorite sign of the holiday season begins to appear—the trends to watch in the coming year.

Security, the New Payments Ecosystem and the Need to Educate the Consumer (Or Ask Them to Unclog Your Sewer!)

When it comes to any payments ecosystem, you must remember that we are talking about MONEY. More importantly, people’s money (like yours and mine). In any conversation in this space, secure is something that is assumed. A consumer simply won’t use a new system if they don’t believe it is secure. Unless of course it’s free Wi-Fi. As we have seen, folks are willing to do almost anything to get free access on their devices, even agreeing to clean toilets! (This was a real thing… one hotspot operator added it to their Terms of Service fine print). When we talk secure, it’s important that we keep this in mind: secure is not just a piece of the Hierarchy of Payment Needs, it’s an integral part of it, which is why it sits directly on top of the foundations. Without this layer, the whole ecosystem collapses.

API Stairway: The Five Steps to Open Payments

In my pre-EBAday rantings, I discussed Open APIs in the context of one of the greatest rock songs of all time (Stairway to Heaven, for the uninitiated). Waxing poetic about a topic is one thing, but marrying it to concrete steps is another. So, while our Stairway to Open API utopia was a nice background, it’s time to talk about the flights of stairs we’ll have to take to arrive at those pearly entry gates.

Open Payments Require Collaboration for Successful Innovation

There are a few things in my life I enjoy more than the serenity of a garden. There is nothing more fulfilling than starting off with something as innocuous as a planted seed, only to watch it bloom during the course of the spring and summer, and end its journey in a bounty of produce. As anyone with a green thumb would tell you, it’s not just the quality of the thing you start with, but the care and watchful eye you give it along the way; when to water, when not to, when to weed, when the seedlings may need cover from a pending cold snap, and when you just need to let nature take its course.

Payments Buzzwords Bingo: Mid-Year Report Card

Summer is in the air (and it’s 95 degrees this week!!). As we move properly into ‘flip-flops and shorts’ season in the North East, it’s about that time to check in on our annual calls from the New Year (and begin to look forward to counting down to the next set of predictions). Hard to believe that 2017’s Christmas is now closer than 2016’s, but so goes time, and nobody can slow that down.