"Payments" articles

This morning, activist investor Carl Icahn issued an open letter to Apple, urging the technology innovator to buyback more shares. As an industry analyst, I am more interested in Mr. Icahn’s rationales and assumptions about Apple’s future growth, and there are plenty in that open letter. We agree with Mr. Icahn on many fronts but also disagree with him on several other areas. Here is a quick summary of how I dissect his arguments. What we agree with Mr. Icahn:...

Alongside the headline-grabbing Apple Watch and the new, improved, and enlarged iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, comes the most eagerly-awaited news for those in the payments and retail space: Apple Pay. Apple has sat aside and watched while major competitors got a several-years-long jump on the mobile payments marketplace, only to founder and generate very little traction. As is its custom, Apple strategically assembled all necessary pieces of its planned product first and then waited for...

The Financial Times reported on Sunday that Facebook is preparing to offer financial services. According to the report, Facebook plans to allow its users to send money to each other and make international money transfers, though details on other potential payments services – such as electronic bill pay or payments for goods and services outside of Facebook’s own ecosystem – are slim.  Facebook’s move into the payments market is not surprising; its top tech competitors...

Parks Associates announced that almost 66% of U.S. consumers have altered their spending habits in 2008 as a result of the country’s deteriorating economic conditions. These changes have had the greatest impact on entertainment spending outside of the home, according to Digital Media Evolution , a new consumer survey, but also open new areas for growth in customer support services. Parks Associates reports consumers have cut spending in 2008 primarily on outside entertainment...