State of Play: in-depth analysis of the fintech landscape
Each month, Philip Benton explores a new topic and assesses the “state of play”, providing an in-depth analysis and understanding of the fintech and paytech markets landscape.
Philip Benton is a Principal Fintech Analyst at Omdia and writes analysis on the issues driving technological change in financial services. Prior to Omdia, he led consumer trends research in retail and payments at strategic market research firm Euromonitor.
In this column, he discusses the technological implications and consumer expectations of the latest fintech and paytech trends.
You can find more of Philip’s views on fintech via LinkedIn or follow him on X @bentonfintech.
State of play: accessibility in fintech
My hope for 2025 is that ‘accessible by default’ is used in conversation as commonly as digital, cloud and AI.
State of play: Pay by Bank
Pay by Bank, also referred to as A2A payments, has emerged as a credible contender to card-based payments.
State of play: payment hubs
Payment hubs are increasingly seen as an attractive solution to manage the new world of payments.
State of play: card networks
The emergence of alternative payment rails has forced card networks to evolve to ensure their continued success.
State of play: US fintech
Despite a decline in global funding rounds, it was evident at FinovateFall that US fintech continues to thrive.
State of play: cybersecurity in financial services
The current cybersecurity threat landscape remains dynamic and challenging for financial services firms.
State of play: cloud in financial services
It’s easy to forget that until recently, cloud was seen as the most transformational technology in FS.
State of play: Money20/20 Europe 2024
Money20/20 Europe was a glimpse into the progress that the fintech industry continues to make.
State of play: the future of credit
Alternative data sources will be key to ensuring the future of credit is affordable, inclusive, and accessible.
State of play: core banking
Investment in core banking technology will continue to be the utmost priority for the industry.
State of play: banking
Banks are facing a myriad of challenges, from transformative technological shifts to increasing competition.
State of play: payments
Today, consumers have more options than ever to make payments. So which method will ultimately win?
State of play: GenAI in financial services
Generative AI is currently in the ‘experimental phase’ in the financial services industry.
Sibos 2023: State of play – open banking and open finance
To see real progress in open finance, it requires the industry to collaborate - a key theme of this year's Sibos.
State of play: 2023 so far
What's the current state of play for the financial services sector and what can we expect for the remainder of 2023?
State of play: European fintech
The recent FinovateEurope conference featured a number of key discussions on the European financial services sector.
State of play: neobanks
Neobanks as a sector are now approaching their teenage years and quickly maturing.
State of play: BNPL
BNPL has become one of the most divisive credit products of the modern age.
State of play: fintech partnerships
Incumbents and fintechs are increasingly forging equally beneficial partnerships to lead innovation.
State of play: central bank digital currencies (CBDCs)
CBDCs must have interoperability at their core if they are to be adopted at mass scale.
State of play: Money 20/20 Europe
Fintech analyst Philip Benton recaps key themes and trends at Money 20/20 Europe.
State of play: account-to-account (A2A) payments
In-depth analysis and understanding of the market landscape by our resident fintech analyst.
State of play: digital banking platforms
Selecting the right digital banking platform is a lengthy process that requires careful consideration.
State of play: digital wallets / super apps
What does it take for a digital wallet to achieve the "super app" status?
State of play: fintech and telco
How we pay, what we pay, and who we pay is changing, and telco firms are well positioned to take advantage.
FinTech Futures: Top five news stories of the week – 14 March 2025
Our pick of the top fintech news stories this week includes the PSR, Green Dot, Binance and more.
ICYMI fintech funding round-up: Zocks, EquiLend, Fortis, and LiquidTrust
A handy round-up of the recent funding endeavours of fintech companies across the globe.
Bilt Rewards announces first acquisition with deal to buy receipt data tech firm Banyan
Banyan’s item-level receipt data solutions will integrate detailed purchase data into Bilt’s rewards platform.
MoonPay buys German stablecoin payment infrastructure start-up Iron
The deal is MoonPay’s second acquisition so far in 2025, following its purchase of Helio in January.
Crypto payments start-up Mesh bags $82m in Series B funding round
An undisclosed majority of the investment was settled in PayPal USD (PYUSD) stablecoin.
Victor Dodig to step down as CIBC CEO, capital markets head Harry Culham named as successor
Dodig started with CIBC in 2005 and assumed leadership of the bank in September 2014.
Euronext puts down €398m for Visma’s Admincontrol in Nordic SaaS expansion drive
Euronext intends for the purchase to strengthen its SaaS offering and position in the Nordics.
US fintech start-up Worth raises $25m for onboarding and underwriting automation platform
Worth is the brainchild of Stax Payments founders Sal Rehmetullah and Suneera Madhani.
Binance lands record $2bn crypto investment from Abu Dhabi’s MGX
Binance’s $2 billion injection represents the “single largest investment into a crypto company”.
Neobank start-up Zolve raises $251m in mix of debt and equity
The raise reportedly includes $51 million in equity and a $200 million credit warehouse.
