By Ron de Bos, Director Product Management – Payments, at Digital River

The rapid evolution of payments continues to grow. Consumer behaviour and expectations are seeing their biggest shift in a decade, fueled by the pandemic, digital payment methods and mobile wallets.

These developments bring with them innovation and opportunity, but they also create their own unique challenges for businesses. We reflect on how these challenges will likely manifest over the course of the year, and what the payment landscape could look like beyond 2022.

Pick-and-mix payments as standard

The pandemic heightened customer expectations for payments, accelerating the thirst for an expanded suite of payment methods. Buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) and digital wallets, to name two, have exploded. Instant payments and e-money payments will account for more than 25% of global non-cash transactions by 2025, with cards continuing to stagnate, and cash further diminishing.

To meet shopper expectations, more existing payment providers are partnering with BNPL providers (e.g., Square with Afterpay). Brands themselves also transforming payment schemes, offering additional local payment methods through a digital wallet, like Alipay+. Following current trends, 2022 will also see the rise of so-called super-apps, which offer a variety of services for shoppers, such as those unveiled in recent months by PayPal and Klarna.

By the end of this year, e-commerce merchants who have not embraced a blend of expanded digital payments will be left behind, as this becomes the base standard. Next year, differentiation and growth will result from the exploration and adoption of next-generation payments, including invisible, biometric, and cryptocurrency methods that will rapidly gain traction.

Digital currency: playing the long game

Cryptocurrency is already entering the ecommerce industry, but the challenge of volatility remains, which will slow customer adoption. Providers must decide when the right moment is to step in and support it. There’s no definitive answer to this yet, however in the next 12 months, providers should begin preparing for the digital currencies in terms of infrastructure and process readiness.

We’re also seeing Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) emerging globally, which could open a new chapter in the current payments landscape over the next year. While it will be seen as more mainstream and trustworthy than other digital currencies, broader political context may hinder its progression, so it’s a case of ‘watch this space’.

Responding to evolving compliance, regulation, and cybersecurity challenges

The change from a cash-based economy to a digital payment ecosystem forces the industry to protect sensitive data and mitigate cyber risks. Over the next year, this means providers must reinvest in automation and advanced analytics to build consumer confidence for online payments. Similarly, B2B payments becoming a top priority means ecommerce providers must demonstrate rigorous compliance and security.

The popularity of contactless payments has also prompted the need for a robust digital identity infrastructure in the payment industry. Across the world, governments are launching national identify initiatives, and local providers are introducing solutions. Alongside innovations in open banking this will present cybersecurity challenges. Shared and integrated digital I.D schemes that facilitate payment authentication systems which customers can access anytime, anywhere, and on any device, will open incredible opportunities. It also means security must be watertight.

An evolving payment landscape inevitably heralds regulatory evolution. In the next year, expect to see more local regulatory changes like that of India central bank’s tightened regulation around data storage and recurring payments. We are expecting more regulatory changes in the UK, particularly around safeguarding customer funds and customer communications, as well as anti-money laundering controls and governance practices. In addition, there will be changes to buy now, pay later (BNPL) solutions, which are now being used widely. Where payments are missed, consumers could end up paying penalties or high interest rates. The FCA has recently finalised changes to guidance on safeguarding, and firms will need to ensure they adhere to this. And, with BNPL gaining even further traction, new protections for consumers and compliance requirements for processors will be introduced by regulators around the globe, especially in Europe and Australia.

The next step

It goes without saying that providers and brands need to be on top of any regulatory shifts and technological changes as the payment industry becomes ever-more complicated. As a result, the number of brands outsourcing global compliance solutions will continue to rise. From data privacy laws and export rules to tax compliance, crypto to automation, payments will continue to be one of the most complex obstacles vendors face. Increasingly, e-commerce merchants will be looking for expert partners to help them navigate the complexity.