Issuer tokens, network tokens, EMV tokens - whatever you call them - continue to be a hot topic for merchants, payment service providers, issuing banks, processors, and the networks themselves. This “sleight of hand” substitution of a payment account number with an indistinguishable alternative carries with it a robust set of capabilities that have promised to reduce the value of breached payment account information, lower the cost of card replacement, and enable unique account numbers for...

Payments on Fire Episode 21, originally aired: June 15, 2015 Network tokenization - the promised land of payments. Like most promised lands, the journey there is epic and, well, hard. One question we hear from our clients, workshop participants, and the folks in our Merchant Round Table is: Are we there yet? We dug into our vault to understand the journey - where we started and how far we’ve come. We found Episode 21, when George Peabody and Russ Jones discussed network tokenization (aka...

While payment facilitation has opened up a new segment of service providers within the payments industry, embedded finance is opening up the world of payments to every company. The allure of embedded finance is rooted in the deepening of the customer relationship through offering meaningful financial products. This deeper relationship comes in the form of increased customer loyalty - or “stickiness” - and new revenue streams accretive to the company’s core business. This is all well and...

With all its associated technologies (neural networks, symbolic reasoning, search algorithms, probabilistic reasoning, expert systems, and more), AI has been evolving in universities, the government, and corporations for decades. But only those with a keen interest in this technology have been paying close attention to its progress. Meanwhile, a chatbot helped you when you contacted support. Or you used Alexa or Siri to answer a question, play some music, turn on your lights, buy something...

Payments on Fire Episode 1, originally aired: September 7, 2014 Innovation in the payments industry is a funny thing. Sometimes payments lead. Sometimes technology leads. Increasingly around the world, regulators lead. In preparing for an upcoming podcast on AI, Yvette thought about Glenbrook’s first Payments on Fire podcast episode - in 2014 - on Bitcoin. So we’re pulling it from the vault to share.   If you have ever wanted to be a fly on the wall while industry thought leaders...

In Part 2, Yvette Bohanan continues the conversation from Episode 206 with the commercial practice team at Glenbrook. We cover some new topic areas, including banks, risk and fraudsters, and the investment community in this macroeconomic environment. Listen in to see what we're watching, where we might see some blind spots, or where the next set of curveballs will be coming as we get into the back half of 2023. 

Russ Jones chats with Yvette Bohanan about Glenbrook's new Payments Boot Camp Intensive workshop. Listen in to hear more details including agenda highlights, workshop format, and who should attend. Register for any session before July 10 to automatically receive a 10% discount!

Each month, Justin Pituch recaps the news that got Glenbrook talking in his Payments Post. In May, he observed a burst of news highlighting new technology reshaping how American consumers make purchases and verify their identity. At the same time, other articles underscored how American consumers are struggling to fulfill financial obligations against the backdrop of continued economic uncertainty. In this Fanning the Flames episode, Justin and Yvette Bohanan consider these forces and...

Some people know Glenbrook for our Payments Boot Camp workshops, some know us for our book - Payment Systems in the US - while others know us for this podcast. Interestingly, while we do all of those things, we are, in fact, a consulting firm. A consulting firm that believes educating industry professionals is a great way to make the industry stronger. Our consulting practice gives us a front-row seat to stakeholders across the value chain. Whether they are in start-ups or central banks, we...

In payments, as it is in life, a simple question is often wrapped in complexity. The complexity of the payments acceptance landscape, with an increasing number of stakeholders and technology providers, changing regulations and rules, and Issuers implementing new authentication and authorization mechanisms - any one or a combination of these could lead to major and minor impacts to the operational and financial performance of a business. And while this has been the case for several decades,...

In the US, fast payments discussions have centered around person-to-person, business-to-business, bill payment, and digital wallet funding in/out scenarios. In 2022, RTP® processed $72B, the majority of this volume communing from PayPal and Venmo funding activity. Zelle has reached a highly respectable $629B in person-to-person payments, traversing into “person-to-sole proprietor” territory. ACH, the workhorse of bulk payments is, as we say “hotter than ever” with Same Day ACH seeing an 86%...

A 2022 report from the CFPB titled Buy Now, Pay Later: Market trends and consumer impacts noted that from 2019 to 2021, the dollar volume of BNPL originations through five lenders surveyed grew by 1,092 percent, from $2 billion to $24.2 billion. BNPL adoption continues, not just in the US but globally, making it one of the most watched payment methods in the world.  BNPL’s rapid ascent has raised questions about its use: Who is choosing to use BNPL? Is it helpful or harmful to consumers’...

In this episode, we explore the intersection of three significant payment trends: helping small businesses modernize their payment acceptance options, embedded finance, and the consumer lending phenomenon known as  Buy Now, Pay Later. We look at the potential market - asking ourselves if there is demand from small businesses and consumers. Then we unpack the opportunity using our BNPL “flywheel” to examine the critical success factors for any BNPL solution. Yvette Bohanan and Debbie Bartoo...

In this episode, we are taking a closer look at the relationship underpinning much fintech innovation in payments – the fintech, bank, and BaaS trilogy. These 3-way partnerships have spurred innovation, increased access to financial services, and created offerings that appeal to a broad range of businesses and consumers. But in the context of these 3-way partnerships, new and existing risks abound, and relationships between counterparties are not well-established – making this a perfect haven...

There are a lot of headlines in the payments world. Payments News is Glenbrook’s curated news feed of the headlines that matter most every day, but we’ll readily acknowledge that it can be a lot to digest. That’s why we’ve introduced Payments Post, a month-end roundup of the news items that got us talking as a team along with some commentary about why we think they’re particularly important to the direction of the industry. Glenbrook’s Justin Pituch joins Yvette Bohanan in this Fanning the...

Cloud-based platforms, machine learning that increasingly improves or eliminates routine tasks, the phenomenon of “everything” as a service - platforms that stand on their own and tech stacks that embed complex capabilities into other software with minimal coding - these are just some of the technologies reshaping what is commonly referred to as “back office” financial operations. At the same time, these technologies are reshaping the customer journey - particularly when it comes to...

Wrapping up our three part series exploring Brazil’s Pix, Carlos Brandt, Head of Management and Operations for Pix at the Central Bank of Brazil, sits down with Yvette Bohanan and Elizabeth McQuerry to discuss some of the keys to Pix success and what the future looks like as Pix continues to transform Brazil’s payments landscape.

In the second installment of our series on Pix, Carlos Netto, CEO and Co-Founder of Matera and Sarah Hoisington, Vice-President of Strategy and Marketing discuss what makes Pix “tick", and the challenges and opportunities presented to the banks responsible to implement this new payment system.

There are a lot of headlines in the payments world. PaymentsNews is Glenbrook’s curated news feed of the headlines that matter most every day, but we’ll readily acknowledge that it can be a lot to digest. That’s why we’ve introduced PaymentsPost, a month-end roundup of the news items that got us talking as a team along with some commentary about why we think they’re particularly important to the direction of the industry.  Glenbrook’s Justin Pituch joins Yvette Bohanan in this Fanning the...

Call them what you will - Instant Payment Systems, Fast Payment Systems, Real Time Payments - or by their brands UPI, RTP® and more - these payment systems are experiencing success around the world. As the US stands weeks away from launching FedNow, we decided to take a closer look at the success of one of the hottest newcomers to the instant payments scene - Brazil’s Pix. As it turns out, there is much to be learned from success. Launched in November 2020, in just 2 years Pix had...

In this latest episode of Fanning the Flames, Yvette Bohanan catches up with Joanna Wisniecka and Cici Northup after their recent attendance at the 2023 Payments Summit and the Fintech: Innovation, Inclusion, and Risks Conference. Listen in to hear why “FOMO is not the answer” when implementing fast payments (or anything, really), and their other key takeaways on the digital currencies and fraud topics.  Joanna is currently on the road again at the Women in Payments USA Symposium, moderating...

What do Fintechs have to do with the cereal aisle? Tune in to this episode of Payments on Fire: Fanning the Flames to hear the answer to that question and more, as Glenbrook’s Chris Uriarte and Drew Edmond prepare for MRC Vegas 23. 

Nacha's Phixius is one of the better kept secrets in the U.S. payments landscape. Maybe that needs to change. Take a listen to Yvette Bohanan and George Peabody as they speak with George Throckmorton, Senior Director at Nacha and the head of Nacha’s Phixius data network initiative.

We’ve reached our final destination on Glenbrook’s 2022 tour of local payment methods around the world. Joanna Wisniecka joins Yvette Bohanan on this episode of Fanning the Flames to chat about her recent trip to Jordan. Joanna walks us through her experience opening and making payments with a Zain Cash account, and also provides insights into JoPACC (Jordan Payments & Clearing Company) initiatives throughout the country. 

With many of us still experiencing cold and rainy winter weather, let’s look to warmer climates as Glenbrook’s Chris Uriarte walks us through his payments journey in French Polynesia.  If you’ve attended a Payments Boot Camp, you’ve heard us say that payment systems are domestic by nature. The experience Chris has in the islands of French Polynesia really brings that point home. Listen in to hear his observations and key takeaways on local payment methods.