1、Q1 2020 2019 was the year of the takeover attempt, with Apple, Google, Facebook, and Amazon all announcing major forays into payments and financial services. They are following the lead of Chinese tech giants Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent, and Xiaomi, all of which have succeeded in linking payments and ba
2、nking into their offerings. As a new decade dawns, the battle for dominance in payments and financial services is only beginning. What do all these moves mean for banks, networks, and traditional acquirers? At first glance, it appears they are adopting a more collaborative approach, with Citi joinin
3、g forces with Google, Goldman Sachs partnering with Apple, and JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America enabling Amazon. In Europe, the largest banks are exploring a banking consortium for new account-to-account payment solutions. In the United States, which has lagged other markets in terms of payments d
4、isruption, the result is not yet clear. What is clear is that there is significant pressure from all sides (including merchants) for the incumbents to transform. The question is whether they can outflank the big tech companies, or whether big tech can use its financial muscle and access to and knowl
5、edge of customers to succeed in payments and banking. In this edition we present an overview of the digital payments market, merchant and customer reactions, alternative lending, and account- to-account payments. Our objective is to highlight market movements and to share perspectives on the complex
6、 and exciting evolution of payments, because the winning formula is still very much an open question. We hope you enjoy and, as always, please let us know how were doing. Best wishes, Martina Weimert Partner and Head of EMEA Payments PAYMENTS UNDER PRESSURE PAYMENTS PLUS / MARKET DEVELOPMENTS PAYMEN