Scale, Speed and Differentiation – How Acquirers Can Thrive in the 2020s

New players, changing consumer behaviors and expectations, shrinking margins and more regulations – the world of acquiring is changing fast. How can acquirers thrive in the 2020s? ACI debated this question during a recent webinar, and I talked to the participating panellists – Carlos Perez Rubio, senior principal product manager, ACI Worldwide, George Peabody, partner, Glenbrook and David Gale, vice president – Technology, Moneris – and asked them how acquirers should prepare for the future.

Changes in Consumer Search Behavior in the Wake of COVID-19

It’s been several months since COVID-19 became a widespread pandemic and a central focus of every aspect of our lives. Businesses are evolving to meet demands and consumers are thinking about their personal finances very differently, especially when it comes to paying bills. Consumer search behavior has drastically changed during COVID and will continue to do so, especially as 1 in 4 consumers who pay a monthly bill have contacted their biller(s) for payment arrangements or deferrals during this time.

Will COVID-19 Accelerate Friction-Free Payments in the Fuel Sector?

Today’s consumers expect easier and more frictionless ways to pay. The upshot for merchants is that consumers who do receive convenient, friction-free experiences tend to spend more and show greater loyalty.

Fraud Prevention Is the Frontline of Customer Experience

Digital transformation has done more than disrupt business models. In almost every consumer-focused market – and most business-to-business ones, too – it has fundamentally re-oriented the competitive landscape around customer experience as a core differentiator.

Payments Modernization and Cross-Border Payment Corridors: How Nordics’ P27 Is Leading the Pack

The understandably large level of attention generated by the Nordic region’s P27 initiative is the antithesis of its relatively small place on the global map. Much of that is down to the impressive scope of its ambition: to build the world’s most cutting-edge, cross-border payments system, encompassing multiple currencies and payment types (including real-time), plus building out the services to sit on top of the rails, which will drive further value.

Going Digital at the Deadline: America’s Electronic Tax Revolution

The Beatles once famously sang, "I'm the taxman, and you’re working for no one but me.” Though the sentiment may be true, governments looking to drive more on-time collections must also accommodate shifting citizen tax and bill payment preferences.

Taking the Pulse of Biometric Authentication in 2020

Growing demand for digital payment methods in recent years, including a plethora of mobile payments and person-to-person payment applications, has already put biometric authentication firmly at the forefront of payments and fintech. Moreover, the COVID-19 global health crisis has introduced new norms that have discouraged non-essential physical interaction, which has further boosted the popularity of digital payment alternatives. Already in March, CNBC noted that there had been a surge in the number of Americans preferring ‘”tap and go” transactions through digital wallets, like Apple Pay or Google Pay, overwhelmingly secured with biometric (mainly fingerprint) authentication.

How Does Brazil Measure Up Against the 5 Key Indicators of Real-time Payments Success?

Read this blog post in Portuguese

Real-time payments, or immediate payments, have experienced explosive adoption in many markets around the world. While some have developed their own approach to deploying real-time payments, the COVID-19 pandemic has served as an accelerant in the implementation of real-time payments and digital modernization. With real-time payments volumes now increasing in some markets due to the pandemic, it’s important to look at how Brazil measures up against these 5 key indicators of successful implementations and to understand how the country can drive adoption of its new real-time system, PIX.

For LATAM’s Financial Institutions, Long-Term Success Runs Through the Public Cloud

In just a few short years, the public cloud has become an invaluable driver of innovation, cost savings and security for businesses throughout the world. For the LATAM region, which is already experiencing an acceleration of its modernization efforts due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the public cloud can serve as a gateway for transformation — helping to deliver long-term success, particularly as we enter the era of real-time payments.

The Digital Transformation of Tax Filing and Payment and Why Some Communications Still Require Paper

With the extended 2019 income tax filing deadline approaching, Americans now have more options than ever to submit their returns and pay taxes using digital methods. While Form 1040 has been around for more than 100 years, digitally filing income tax returns started off slowly in the mid-1980s.