Money20/20 day one

Are consumers ready for the responsibility that comes with the control of their own identity?

Attendees were treated to some weighty questions at an early session on self-sovereign identities (SSI), setting a punchy tone at the start of Money20/20 Amsterdam. Panelists (including J.P. Morgan’s Tyrone Lobban) debated the future of digital identities, how to prove who you say you are and how to protect that identity. While not all may have agreed with the custodial vs non-custodial wallets, they were on the same page that the enabler of transactions will be credentials, not identity. Also core to the discussion was the role of Web3 - and the possibility that it could be the vector of digital identity infrastructure.

As for trusting the consumer with their own identity? The experts all agree: no, no, and definitely no.

What customers don’t need to know

Next up: how can mobility solutions create new revenue streams? Tristan Attenborough quizzed Raja Kuppuswamy, CEO of VW Payments, on how mobility solutions could create new revenue streams. Bringing the potential of connected car to life, Raja explained how your car can become wallets to both fund and pay – even collecting loyalty points to encourage return business and customer retention. The fascinating evolution of mobility services, now mirrored by growing customer expectations, all comes down to user experience. The beauty is in the complexity, and the fact that it’s a simple solution for customers.

The evolution of the marketplace

The eminently quotable Daniel Marovitz took us on a trip from Booking.com’s status as one of the world’s leading travel sites to one of the biggest e-commerce marketplaces in the business. When we stream a movie, the payment goes through and you get the product straight away. Compare that to the travel business – across borders with different operators and up to 24 ,months in advance. Daniel’s team have brought the seamless experience of the former to the complex world of the latter.

Trust: no longer checking banknotes in the light

The frictionless challenge was one continued by Gilles Grapinet from Worldline, who told J.P. Morgan’s Veronique Steiner that merchants are dreaming of a seamless process. It’s not there yet, but as he revealed the advent of PSD3 (who’s ready?), the industry is more than ready. Describing open banking as a ‘leap of faith’ Gilles imagines a future where generations of payers have trust in the system, and where frictionless payments are a standard.

Instagram vs reality…

…is how Sara Castelhano thinks about Pay-by-bank. Her session, also on the J.P. Morgan Summit stage, laid out a vision for a future of connected commerce in one single application. Super apps, the rise of 5G, the internet of things are all steps toward the end goal, hampered by the cumbersome addition of two factor authentication. With an on-the-nose turn of phrase, Sara described PSD2 as ‘band aids for the fact that fraudsters are still the ecosystem’. And that, she says, is why Payments-as-a-strategy should be your new business model.

Other people’s money

Biometric payments will be worth $18.6bn by 2026. How do you manage this when so much of it is considered Third Party Money? J.P. Morgan’s Priyanka Rath emphasized to the crowd the opportunities for treasurers to seize the initiative and enable their company’s digital transformation and ecommerce growth ambitions. The big takeaway from Priyanka’s session? Creating and capturing commercial value from third-party money may seem challenging, but with the right financial partner can be more easily navigated.

WHAT EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT: A certain Collison brother described crypto as a ‘movement’, generating giggles at the main stage. Apple’s announcement of their BNPL option reflects one of the big topics of the week’s sessions. And did anyone try the pumpkin ravioli? 

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