The Changing Retail Payment Systems Landscape

Retail payment systems are going through rapid change as a combination of technology innovation, new transaction types, and fraud drive improvements to existing systems, as well as the development of a large number of new alternative payment methods. Although many of the individual new systems will fail, clear winners are already emerging. Contactless systems are poised for take off, with the adoption of contactless electronic purse systems booming in Japan and contactless card authorization systems growing fast. By contrast, the prospects for over-the-network mobile payment and contact-based electronic purses look grim.