We’ve seen a lot of innovation in payment initiation over the last few years. Apple Pay, Android Pay, Walmart Pay and their like have filled Payments News headline stories. But this year, at Money20/20, consumer-facing innovation downshifted to a lower gear. And...
Today, Glenbrook celebrates its 15th birthday. It’s been quite a journey - an amazing one in so many ways - yet it also sometimes feels like we’re still on Day One! There’s so much happening in payments - and, more broadly, in commerce, financial inclusion, and...
As the Internet of Things (IoT) gains momentum, people are starting to speculate about how it will be monetized and where payments will fit in this world of the future. Some think what’s needed is already what their company does best. How fortunate for them! Others...
One of the truly interesting presentations at this year’s Money2020 was the speech by Ben Lawsky, superintendent of New York’s Department of Financial Services. Lawsky’s remarks focused on his department’s BitLicense proposal and demonstrated the struggle Lawsky...
Wikipedia says, “Bitcoin is a software-based online payment system.” But what sort of payment system is it? We get this question all the time when we talk about Bitcoin in our workshops. At Glenbrook we like to start each Payments Boot Camp talking about payments...
Time is a vacuum at Sibos. It’s a great time to catch up with old friends and meet new colleagues. The exhibition floor is overwhelming, even now after banks have scaled back their presence at events like these. There is a plethora of panels on a broad range of...
I was delighted and fascinated to see that the Gates Foundation has issued a “Grand Challenge” on enabling universal acceptance of mobile money payments. The Foundation’s previous best-known challenges have been in healthcare, notably for toilets and condoms, so...
We're at it again. We're conducting our second annual Bitcoin and Payments Survey. Please participate! The survey takes about 7 minutes, maybe less. Do it from your smartphone while you're waiting in the market's check-out line or on the sofa using your tablet. The...
As is the case with many people in our industry, I’ve been giving a lot of thought recently to Bitcoin. When ever I run into something new, or puzzling, I try to find comparisons to help me understand it. And comparisons abound in Bitlandia. Many people compare...
Since the media latched onto Bitcoin as good fodder for the 24 hours news cycle, the hard focus has been on Bitcoin, its merits, and shortcomings, as a currency, commodity, and as next generation payment rails. My thinking on its currency and commodity aspects is...
