The idea of using biometrics for payments is nothing new – in fact, it has been around for years. However, with recent developments in the US and abroad, the use of biometrics has become a niche reality and could take payments by storm. In July of 2012, South African Social Security Agency “SASSA”, Net1 UEPS
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The problem with investors is they’re like you and me as regards our cars: we can’t really tell you how they work, but we know when they’re running smoothly. The problem, if it is a problem, with us, is that as payments professionals, you and I are more like mechanics than we are like ordinary
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What happens in an economy where smart phones outsell computers by 75 percent and half of a continent’s population is younger than 20 years old? The emergence of a technology-literate generation, with a strong mobile aptitude and growing digital expertise. Nairobi, Kenya, along with several other African urban centers, is emerging as a leading international
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Free social networking services such as Facebook have an interesting story to tell regarding their revenues. They are free for users, but they use the information those users provide about themselves to sell advertising. Looking at full year 2011 revenue numbers provided to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as part of Facebook’s recent
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Increased consumer spending? Check. Increased disposable income? Check. Increased household net worth? Check. Decreased current consumer confidence? Wait, this can’t be right. If all the standard economic measures of well-being, like gross domestic product, personal consumption expenditures and income indicate a recovering economy, why is present situation consumer confidence falling and unemployment so high? It
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The Twitter page for payments company Square Inc. had an interesting news item on Aug. 16. The tweet simply said “Square is leveling the field for small businesses with new revolutionary pricing. Introducing one monthly price: https://squareup.com/pricing“ The link takes you to a page where Square details their new idea: two pricing options for merchants.
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We here at the Global Insights team at MasterCard have long believed that increased customization of the consumer experience is more than just a trend, it’s a permanent fixture of shopping. Untargeted advertising is a wide net, and while it often catches the demographic it wants, it also may ensnare many who would rather not
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