Alex Rolfe

For decades, the Point of Sale was a fixed destination: a counter, a terminal, a moment at the end of the customer journey. That mental model is now obsolete.

Speed has become the defining feature of modern payments. Real-time rails now move money in milliseconds rather than hours, reshaping customer expectations and competitive dynamics across banking and fintech.

Britain's long-anticipated shift towards a cashless economy continues to look overstated.

Barclays has taken its first direct step into the stablecoin ecosystem, investing in US-based clearing and settlement platform

In 2026, global e-commerce passes a symbolic and economic landmark, for the first time.

Bank-related fraud is beginning the new year on an alarming trajectory, with fresh evidence showing that financial crime continues to migrate towards high-value, high-frequency payment channels.

Friendly fraud is not immune to the march of AI, and indeed, the emergence of automated tech as a defence against chargebacks has been embraced in industries with the strictest regulations.

Brazil's central bank is exploring how its system could connect with overseas payment networks, potentially extending one of the world's most successful domestic payment schemes into cross-border commerce.

Swift has declared its new , with 17 major banks preparing to pilot live tokenised deposit transactions across six continents.

Mobile wallet adoption continued to accelerate in the UK last year, with almost two-thirds of adults now registered for at least one service as digital payments become increasingly entrenched in everyday spending.