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The contrasting global smartphone market: North America is caught in the thrall of the Apple and Google smartphone duopoly that is focused on handsets but extends across ecosystems including wearables, fitness, entertainment, and mobile payments.

This year will be a litmus test for trying new things. Payments incumbents that embrace change on their own terms will emerge stronger than before.

Leading cash-back credit cards need to drive acquisition in an increasingly competitive segment of the card market. Our exclusive consumer survey data reveals which emerging features issuers should invest in to win over customers.

Interest in contactless payments spiked during the pandemic and continues to grow, which should drive users to mobile payment options: Over a quarter of US consumers now prefer using contact-free payment methods, per Paysafe. However, Walmart Pay’s exclusivity keeps it from becoming a larger wallet ecosystem.

The update should help consumers feel safer using the P2P app, which may help boost Apple Cash adoption

It could eventually force Apple to open up its NFC capabilities to other mobile wallets, disrupting industry dynamics

We look back at the year’s most disruptive Big Tech payment stories and how the Big Four have expanded in the space.

Feature innovation is transforming digital wallets into everyday commerce enablers.

Showing card account info takes away an important touchpoint for banks and puts Apple at the center of the relationship

A federal judge has ruled that Google's search business is an illegal monopoly, marking a significant win for the U.S. government’s efforts to rein in big tech. The landmark decision found that Google abused its dominance by paying device makers billions annually to be the default search engine, stifling competition.

From tumbling valuations to the arrival of Big Tech firms, we run down the biggest BNPL developments of 2022.

Apple sells a lifestyle to affluent millennials and Gen Zers: We look at how its financial services offerings differ from any other traditional financial institution’s.

This year’s figure is more than double that (up 121.7%), outperforming other digital commerce stars such as smartphone grocery apps (93.4% growth in users in the same timeframe), proximity mobile payments (70.5%), and QR codes (73.0%). (To be fair, the latter two started from a higher base.). Social and retail AR are complementary.

Here’s what Apple, Google, Amazon, and Twitter are doing to build out a space in financial services—and how Big Tech’s expansion into banking will impact the industry.

But usage of the payment option remained quite limited compared with the share of buyers who use BNPL at any point during the year

Apple’s headline-grabbing buy now, pay later (BNPL), savings, and credit card products are just one part of the threat it poses in consumer banking: Its digital platform delivers an almost unbeatable user experience (UX) and is tailor-made for Gen Z. Banks must adapt quickly or risk losing market share.

Consumer behaviors will be shaped by continued uncertainty, heightened in an election year, and cultural trends spilling over into commerce (think Krispy Kreme and Ozempic). Retailers that lean into tech advancements and get back to basics will win.

Fiserv’s Tap to Pay on iPhone rollout and ACI’s expansion into larger merchants open up a big growth opportunity for these providers

After touting a recession-proof business model, the BNPL firm slashed 19% of its workforce and will restructure to the tune of $39M.

The partnership is part of the BNPL provider’s operational overhaul and pivot to a fully white-label strategy

The number of mobile peer-to-peer (P2P) payment users in the US is growing, reaching nearly three quarters (74.4%) of US smartphone users by 2028, per our forecast.