Author: Stephen

PayPal spins off to capitalize on mobile payments

| October 2, 2014

eBay has announced that PayPal will be its own, separate company from now on

PayPal is finally being spun off as an independent company. As mobile commerce continues to grow at a rapid pace, eBay has decided to separate itself from PayPal, allowing the company to march into the future on its own. PayPal has seen tremendous growth with the help of eBay, but the company may now be prepared to take its future in its own hands. There are also rumors concerning eBay’s future, which may end up intertwined with Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba.

PayPal continues to see strong growth in the mobile sector

PayPal has seen strong growth this year already. The company’s payment volume grew by 29% over what it had been in June of 2013, reaching $55 billion in transactions processed. The company has established a strong foothold in the mobile commerce space, well ahead of other companies that were looking to do the same a few years ago. While PayPal has become one of the most popular names in the mobile payments field, the company is expected to see strong competition come from Apple, Google, and even Facebook. This time, however, it will not have the support of eBay.

Alibaba may seek to purchase eBay or PayPal

paypal - mobile paymentsThere are rumors that Alibaba, one of the largest e-commerce organizations in the world, will purchase eBay, or perhaps PayPal, within the near future. These rumors have little evidence to support their substance, but Alibaba has been known to purchase companies that have been competing with it in the digital commerce space. Whether or not eBay would agree to be acquired by Alibaba is little more than a matter of speculation currently.

Mobile payments market expected to reach $721 billion by 2017

The mobile payments market is expected to see significant growth over the next few years. A recent report from Gartner suggests that the market will reach $721 billion in valuation by the end of 2017. PayPal has a lot to gain from this growth, but the company will have to prove that it can be competitive with new mobile commerce services entering the global market.

Banks could see fee revenue drop because of mobile payments

| September 30, 2014

Australians planning to purchase a new iPhone could avoid bank fees

The new iPhone 6 may have an impact on bank fee revenue in Australia, according to a report from Roy Morgan Research. The report shows that more than 1.5 million consumers throughout Australia have plans to purchase an iPhone within the next 12 months. While buying a new mobile device would not usually affect banking revenues, the new iPhone will serve as a mobile payments platform, supported by the Apple Pay service. The service could do away with banking fees entirely.

Report shows that many people planning to buy a new iPhone are already aware of mobile payments

The report shows that many people planning to purchase a new iPhone are already familiar with mobile payments. An estimated 29.4% of consumers in the country make a mobile payment regularly throughout any given month and these people are likely to embrace Apple Pay with enthusiasm. Many financial institutions are supporting the new payment service, but in doing so they may see reductions in the revenue they acquire through fees.

Younger consumers may be more apt to use Apple Pay

Australia Mobile PaymentsThose planning to make use of the Apple Pay service in Australia are also considered to have a “high spend potential.” The report shows that many of these people have a higher than average household income, but are not necessarily knowledgeable about mobile commerce. Younger consumers are expected to use the Apple Pay service more regularly, while older consumers may favor traditional commerce platforms that they have become quite comfortable with.

New mobile commerce services allow consumers to avoid bank fees

Mobile payments are becoming more common throughout Australia and the demand for mobile services is on the rise. Banks are beginning to accommodate this demand by offering their support to services like Apple Pay, but in doing so these banks may be exposing themselves to new risks. One of these risks involves a drop in fee revenue. Services like Apple Pay often allow consumers to avoid certain services offered by banks, which allows people to also avoid bank fees.