G+D Talks Digital Payment Evolution at Money20/20

Speaking exclusively to FinTech Magazine at Money20/20 in Las Vegas, Gabrielle Bugat, CEO of Giesecke+Devrient (G+D) ePayments, shares insights into digital payment evolution, cross-market standardisation challenges and the company's vision for inclusive financial services.

US Market: A Complex Contactless Landscape 

While contactless payments gain momentum across America, adoption faces unique hurdles in this diverse payment landscape. 

“Six out of 10 cards issued are contactless, and we see increased use of contactless with mobile,” says Gabrielle. 

Yet significant fragmentation persists at point-of-sale: “Every merchant you go to has a different user experience whether you're using mobile or your card. You may have to tap several times regardless of payment method, and different things appear on terminals across locations.”

Market-driven approaches in the US create stark contrasts with Europe's regulated environment, leading to inconsistent authentication requirements. 

According to Gabrielle, these variations pose particular challenges for international visitors: “Sometimes you need to sign on contactless, sometimes you need to enter your zip code. When you come from chip and PIN countries, the fallback is not straightforward. The US is on the journey to contactless, but it's not there yet.”

Security and Innovation in Digital Payments 

Serving more than 160,000 merchants and over 5,000 banks, G+D continues pushing boundaries in tokenisation and wallet solutions. 

“We have products with biometric sensors that provide reassurance even without PIN entry, using fingerprint security instead,” explains Gabrielle. 

Looking ahead to 2030, major schemes like Mastercard are mandating tokenised and authenticated e-commerce transactions - a move Gabrielle welcomes: “When it comes to security, there shouldn't be any 'buts' because it's about user trust.”

Financial Inclusion Through Digital Innovation

Pioneering work with fintech companies across emerging markets demonstrates G+D's commitment to financial inclusion. 

“Originally, card rails were built for people with money,” notes Gabrielle. “But true inclusion requires different approaches - you don't do inclusion to become rich, you do it to develop a country's economy.”

Partnerships with Mexican fintechs have yielded promising developments in underserved segments. “New players are using advanced technologies for better risk scoring through improved data access,” Gabrielle says. 

“Working with them, I've met passionate people who are proud that their offerings are developing the country. They're tailoring credit profiles based on multiple parameters, adapting card capabilities to individual needs.”

Instant payment systems have emerged as powerful tools for financial education, particularly in rapidly developing markets. 

“In India, it's become a formidable tool for financial education, teaching people how to handle digital money,” Gabrielle explains. 

“One of the challenges is moving from instant payments to credits, using payment history for credit applications. This is already happening in India, and it brings real virtue to instant payments because suddenly all this education helps people access more advanced payment needs without starting from scratch.”

**************

Make sure you check out the latest edition of FinTech Magazine and also sign up to our global conference series – FinTech LIVE 2024. 

**************

FinTech Magazine is a BizClik brand.