2021: A Year in Review
The prevalence of digitization characterized the last year in payments across Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa (CEMEA) and beyond. We saw governments take new steps to accelerate cashless payments, expanding their historic role from regulators to enablers. We saw traditional banks integrate digital technology into various areas of their businesses. Elsewhere, new innovations such as the development of SuperApps, the adoption of biometric payments and cloud-based AI enhanced services have taken root; offering new ways for merchants to engage customers and offer seamless online experiences. In light of the lingering effects of the pandemic, the fintech sector has also been crucial in supporting SMBs in the region and facilitating the economic recovery.
In this article, we also look back on the past year and consider which trends we expect to take off in the future - from increased demand for digital currencies to embedded finance and the metaverse.
Lastly, we reflect on Visa’s own actions and successful partnerships over the last year; and present one of the biggest refreshes to our brand in company’s 60-year history.
The secret to SuperApp success
In most of the world, smartphone users switch between apps dozens of times a day, chatting to friends, shopping and banking online and booking services such as cabs. Not so in China, where the WeChat SuperApp accounts for as much as one third of all screen time, offering a range of services under one roof.
Trending in banking - Is creating a digital challenger bank the best way to compete?
It’s a transformative time for traditional banks. The digital acceleration of the banking sector continues at pace, and banks face several key challenges now and in the years ahead: how to integrate digital technology into all areas of the bank, how to rethink the way they operate and deliver value, and how to evolve the culture to be more agile and autonomous.
How governments are accelerating digitization of payments in CEMEA
COVID-19 is accelerating payment digitization in CEMEA as more consumers and merchants turn to eCommerce and touchless contactless payments. Amidst the changing landscape, Visa CEMEA’s Salvador Perez-Galindo, Vice President of Government Engagement, explores how governments are implementing policies and regulations to accelerate the move to digital, and what happens next.
More than face value: how biometric payments are shaping the future of commerce
Amid the accelerating shift to digital payments, consumer interest in biometric authentication payment methods is growing rapidly. Visa’s experience across CEMEA, working with banks and retailers to offer solutions, shows that integration and education are the key to widespread acceptance.
The future of B2B payments: Innovation at a consumer-centric pace
Innovation in digital payments has progressed at breakneck speed in recent years, as consumers have sought out more efficient and secure methods of paying for goods and services online or via mobile phone, whether that’s via QR codes, wearable technology, or biometrics.
Fintech entrepreneurial spirit can catalyse economic recovery and growth
Andrew Torre, Visa’s regional president for Central & Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa (CEMEA), shares how fintechs across the region are playing a key role in enabling SMB recovery, and how the Visa Everywhere Initiative is connecting start-ups to create global action on major challenges.
Why it’s time to open the loop: urban mobility and the future of contactless travel
The shift to contactless payments is unrolling rapidly across urban transit networks, in a way that is unique to the sector. Visa examines emerging transit payment trends across Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East, and Africa (CEMEA) region and what they mean for the future of urban mobility.
Visa’s brand evolution: in conversation
Visa has recently introduced one of the biggest refreshes to our brand in our company’s 60-year history.
Four Artificial Intelligence trends powering the future of commerce
Breakthrough technologies play a crucial role in shaping the world around us. The world of commerce has seen tectonic technology shifts recently, as retailers rapidly digitized due to the pandemic. Now, retailers are using new technology, which taps into the power of AI and automation, to maintain and grow customer loyalty, build their business and promote their brands. The sector is growing and by 2025, revenue from AI is projected to reach $36.8 billion globally. Here are four key AI trends that are transforming the commerce sector.
Payments Trends: Four CFO Priorities for 2022
The past 18 months have tested Chief Financial Officers (CFO) across the globe. Here, Fadi Moukaddem, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa (CEMEA) at Visa, highlights the ways in which the role of the CFO is set to evolve in 2022, and outlines the principal challenges facing businesses as well as the finance function in a post-pandemic world.
Digital currencies go mainstream – How to prepare?
As interest and demand from consumers and businesses grows, the cryptocurrency market capitalization touches US$2 trillion and governments look at the issuance of their own digital currencies, many financial institutions are looking at the implications of digital currencies for their own business – and the potential to provide related products and services.
Three payments trends to watch in 2022
2022 is set to be another year of change in the world of payments, with three key trends: embedded finance, the Metaverse and crypto, likely to shape how we all view payments. Godfrey Sullivan, Senior Vice President, Head of Strategy CEMEA at Visa, takes a look at these three big themes and Visa’s role in supporting them.
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