1、Distributed inPublished in association withFO R E I G N TR ANS FE RSR E A DY M O N E YB O DY TA L KFixing the fragmented$250tn cross-border payments marketWhat does the future hold for the pound in the UKs pocket?Biometrics tech could improve payment security but risks remain060911INDEPENDEN T P U B
2、 L I C AT I O N BY02/10/2022#0835RACONTEUR.NETTo give an idea of the impact of making transactions as smooth as possible,a study of online shoppers by the Marketing Science Institute in 2020 found that,on average,they“increased their purchase amount by 17.4%over a period of 12 months after adopting
3、one-click buying”.Given the commercial importance of convenience,the integration of financial products that can work across both digital and fiat currencies will become the norm.Thats the view of Pavel Matveev,co-founder and CEO of Wirex,the provider of a multi-currency payment card offering real-ti
4、me conversion at the point of sale.He says:“Interoperability of payment providers will be key.Companies that have developed crypto-enabled cards will allow users to seamlessly utilise both the physical and digital world of the metaverse.”Matveev believes that the benefits of such innovations could e
5、xtend far and wide.“More than 1 billion unbanked peo-ple worldwide will finally be included within this ecosystem,”he predicts.“With the development of the digital economy,where its estimated that nearly 80 million people own a crypto wallet,this is already starting to happen,although theres still a
6、 long way to go until it becomes a fully mainstream proposition.”James Booth,vice-president and head of partnerships in EMEA for PPRO,which works with global payments platforms,also sees the potential for reaching a new customer base.“Arguably,one of the most valuable pos-sibilities of the metaverse