Dear Subscriber,

Payments are constantly transitioning, with technologies and new regulations driving an ever-changing ecosystem. The state of flux with which the sector evolves is fascinating, and one that requires market participants to constantly monitor in order to avoid falling behind the herd.

This week at PaymentEye, we look at three technologies that promise to revolutionise consumer markets: voice user interface, sensing stores, and of course artificial intelligence.

Elsewhere, we look at Sage’s approach to cryptocurrencies, inspecting how a market leader is dealing with the new asset, and make a close assessment of California’s new privacy laws.

There’s much in store this week – so keep an eye on the webite for further news and reports.

Michael McCaw

PaymentEye

Shopping by voice while you drive home or sit on the sofa. Smart stores that make you offers as you browse the shelves. Wallets that no longer need opening, let alone cash. Supply chains you can examine for yourself. This is the future – or rather the present – of shopping.

While firms have been devoting huge chunks of their time and compliance budgets implementing new GDPR processes, lawmakers in the US state of California have just tossed a curveball in passing an equally stringent package of data protection measures – and they have serious implications for the global payments sector.

It is understandable that IT teams and data protection experts are advocating improved methods to authenticate user identity in apps and cloud services.

As cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin are used more and more in day-to-day business transactions, we look at some of the distinct advantages they can offer over more traditional forms of payment. By Stacey McIntosh