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Recently, SRM identified the use of artificial intelligence (AI) as a trend that would have a significant impact on the financial services industry in 2019.  Narrowly defined AI is the ability for machines to use complex algorithms to interact and learn to do tasks previously performed by humans. 

Our colleagues at SRM Europe in London recently shared with us how fewer people are using cash to pay for goods and services.  In the United Kingdom the thought of a cashless society is not necessarily a welcomed development for some. 

As noted in the previous blog, cards in the UK are continuing to be adopted by more and more consumers because they are more convenient and, in many cases, safer than carrying cash.  Due to these benefits the use of payment cards to purchase goods and services will continue to climb, However, some feel that this progression toward a cashless society is everything but harmless.  Here are their reasons why.

Most know that fewer and fewer people are using cash to pay for goods and services.  The actual rate of decline and habits around the use of cash or payment cards varies from country to country.  Our colleagues across the pond at SRM Europe in London recently shared with us how this trend is manifesting in the United Kingdom and why the thought of a cashless society is not necessarily a welcomed development for some. 

Our CEO, Brad Downs recently shared SRM’s key fintech trends for 2019, with a focus on items that banks and credit unions should factor into their near-term planning. Allow me to build upon those by looking more specifically at payments trends while also applying a broader time horizon, isolating the macro-level developments that have been underway for some time and continue to shape the industry.