Tag: mobile payments industry

Mobile payments worries are continuing to rise

Mobile Payments SecurityAs the industry continues to grow and more people consider the use of the services, concerns increase.

Consumers and mobile payments service providers, alike, are expecting this technology to have a considerable impact on the way that business is conducted and products are purchased, but at the same time, there remain a number of concerns that are keeping people from actually using it, quite yet.

There is still growth in in-store purchase, paid bills, and money transfers through smartphone transactions.

At the same time, many experts who are examining this new technology and what mobile payments are doing in the industry say that there are many questions that remain about its privacy and security. This is holding back its progress to a considerable degree as consumers simply don’t trust it enough to feel safe and confident in its use, so far.

At the same time, mobile payments industry execs are saying that the technology is already good and is improving.

Though consumers are hearing that message, they seem to be willing to wait for those improvements to be implemented before they actually put it into use. At the same time, experts in security are also pointing out that the rapid growth of the use of smartphones for mobile payments is also attracting the attention of those who would use it for fraud.

It is precisely this worry that has consumers stepping back and either using the device less than they otherwise would for mobile payments, or simply choosing not to use it at all until they feel that the risks have dropped.

According to a Dallas based organization called NQ Mobile, a company that offers smartphone security software, it witnessed a growth of over 65,000 new malware threats released around the world, last year. This was a massive increase over the 24,000 new threats that were introduced in 2011. This type of issue can cause unsuspecting device users to head to sites where they reveal their financial data so that it can be stolen and used by unethical third parties.

According to Gavin Kim, the company’s chief commercial officer, “It’s a real problem, and it is growing.” Security will clearly be a key issue to overcome before mobile payments can truly take off.

Mobile payments could break the $1 trillion mark in three years

Mobile Payments 1 TrillionThe latest Heavy Reading report has revealed its latest predictions for the market for 2015.

The popularity of mobile payments is already growing, despite a rather slow and rocky start, and according to Heavy Reading Mobile Networks Insider, this has set the market on the path to breaking the $1 trillion mark in transactions by the close of 2015.

The industry is also at the point that it is growing quickly and is creating heavy competition even before becoming mainstream.

The mobile payments industry is now offering a vast array of different solutions for generating revenue. This latest Heavy Reading report has forecasted that within the next three years, the market will have skyrocketed to the point that its transactions will have been worth more than $1 trillion, worldwide.

The report has also predicted that mobile payments will be an important factor in the success of m-commerce.

It looked into mobile payments as a whole and came up with a number of predictions in terms of market drivers in addition to the challenges that this industry could face. It also performed a comparative analysis of the various types of solutions that have become available within this ecosystem and attempted to provide details regarding the types of trends that are likely to happen if the industry continues in the same direction over the upcoming year and a half to two years.

According to Heavy Reading report author, research analyst Denise Culver “Mobile payments have gone from being a cool-to-talk-about concept to a disruptive technology in a relatively short time frame.” She went on to say that “MNOs and payment vendors should be looking at different ways to drive demand for mobile payments, which have the potential to create significant revenue throughout the entire mobile ecosystem.”

Some of the report’s data has indicated that consumers that are already comfortable with making payments online, such as for purchasing products and services and for paying their bills, are among those who are already using their smartphones and tablets for these same tasks. Culver has predicted that as the penetration of these devices continues, it will be “only natural” that these same individuals will increase their desire and likelihood to apply those devices for transaction purposes.