Over the last eight months or so, our team has been heads down working on a new and exciting project—the MasterCard Mobile Payments Readiness Index—to be launched next month.  While we are not ready to share all of the findings yet, one of the headlines is mobile commerce (m-commerce) is the payment type consumers are
Read More

As we end the year and begin a new one, many lists of top trends surface – recapping the past and forecasting the future.  I have to admit that I take pleasure in reading these and am always drawn to a good top 10 list.   Last week on www.CNN.com several lists caught my eye, mainly
Read More

The other day I was walking down the street in New York City and noticed a group of about five young boys—in their early teens, if that—sitting together at a cafe.  What struck me was that none of them was talking to each other.  They were all staring at their mobile phones—iPhones. I was surprised
Read More

When I sat down recently to write a paper on how consumer trends are affecting the payments business in the United States, I was surprised to learn the number one consumer trend across all segments (excluding those aged 15-17).  I asked colleagues at work and few friends to guess; most thought the number one trend
Read More

The banking business has always been competitive with one bank emulating the practices of another to “keep up with the Joneses” (think free checking and ATM fees). But banks may no longer have the luxury of simply meeting the competition. New competitors, who see the opportunity to revolutionize financial services, are encroaching on banks’ domains.
Read More

I recently gave a presentation to a client on how demographic trends are affecting banking and payments.  During our discussion, it struck me that we are watching the “prequel” to a trend becoming a way of life in the payments arena. The trend I am talking about is “Instant Everywhere”,  identified by GfK Roper as one
Read More