The Future History of Payments – a whitepaper from Kapronasia and Finastra

Even as the entire financial industry changes rapidly, nowhere has the change been as evident as in the payments segment. Around the world, banks, consumers, and businesses are making a shift in the way they exchange value.

Technological advances such as more affordable smartphones and the growing footprint and speed of mobile telecommunications networks have enabled this shift as have social-economic factors. In China, digital payments have underpinned the development of lifestyle platforms that are used by hundreds of millions of individuals every day. In Africa, digital payments have created security, transparency and economic empowerment for millions of farmers, merchants, and individuals who often live in remote locations.

It is clear that the world is shifting digital, but how and where it is happening is also critical. There are a unique set of circumstances that have enabled change in China. Could those same factors influence change in the United States? Change in Africa was driven by the need to bank the unbanked. Could the African case-study hold lessons for a well-banked European continent?

These are critical questions for anyone in the financial industry as they consider future strategic business and technology decisions.

To address these issues, we are pleased to bring you a Kapronasia report sponsored by Finastra entitled the Future History of Payments. Based on both primary and secondary research, the report is one of the most comprehensive studies published looking at the future of global payments.

The report starts by taking a look at where payments are today and the key trends,issues, and opportunities that the industry faces. The paper then takes a brief look at the trends that are shaping payments regionally around the world. Finally, we take a look at the future of payments, including the technologies and business models that are likely to dominate the future.