Monitise is for sale, citing changes to business model and a turbulent mobile payments market
Mobile payments and banking firm Monitise has put itself up for sale. The company, which is based in the United Kingdom, is citing changes in its business model for its third revenue warning that it has received in a year. Shares in Monitise have fallen by 20% as doubts begin to emerge concerning the company’s ability to find a buyer. The company has been experiencing some turbulence in the UK market recently, despite the growing adoption of mobile payments.
Firm adopts a subscription-based model that does not seem popular among clients
Monitise made a significant change in its business model recently, moving from a licensing model to a subscription-based structure. The company provides software solutions for mobile devices, allowing its clients to support mobile transactions. Among its clients are the Royal Bank of Scotland and Banco Santander, both of which have begun showing strong interest in the emerging mobile commerce space.
Mobile commerce is growing throughout the United Kingdom
Mobile payments have been growing throughout the United Kingdom in recent years. Consumers are beginning to rely on their smartphones for more than just basic entertainment and communication. These devices have become shopping platforms, allowing consumers to shop for and purchase products in a convenient manner. As the demand for mobile payment support grows, more banks are showing interest in offering their customers mobile-centric services. Monitise is one of the companies that was able to satisfy this need among banks, but changes in market trends have made it more difficult for the company, and those like it, to remain financially sustainable.
Monitise is expected to miss its revenue growth estimates for this fiscal year
Monitise expects to miss its revenue growth estimates of 25% for the fiscal year ending in June. The company expects to generate between $136 million and $151 million in revenue this year, compared to the $143.7 million it generated in 2014. Monitise stock was the most heavily traded stock on the London Stock Exchange this week.
Google could be looking for a way to be more competitive in the mobile field
Google may be looking for ways to better compete with Apple in the mobile payments field. The company made its first significant entry into the mobile payments field with the launch of Google Wallet in 2011. The Wallet was troubled by security issues in its early days, but went on to find modest success among consumers and businesses. With the launch of other payment services, such as Apple Pay, Google has begun to worry about its ability to compete.
Company may unveil changes to its payment service in the coming months
The mobile payments space is fiercely competitive, largely due to the huge companies that are investing heavily in their own dominance of the sector. Finding ways to compete in this sector is not easy, as most mobile payment platforms tend to offer the same features as one another. Google may choose to showcase its plans for the future of mobile payments at its upcoming Google I/O conference, which will be held in June of this year. If the company introduces any major changes to the Wallet platform, the event will be the most likely place to do so.
Analysts predict that Google will become bolder in the mobile payments sector
Analysts from Piper Jaffray are predicting that Google will take bold moves in the mobile commerce space. The company has not made reference to such moves yet, but Google has long held an interest in mobile transactions and engaging mobile consumers. With Apple Pay being a direct competitor to Google Wallet, the company may take steps to ensure that it can capture the support of consumers and businesses and make its own payment platform more attractive than those being offered by other companies.
No single mobile commerce service has yet become a mainstream success
Apple Pay has helped propel mobile payments into the mainstream, but the payment platform itself has not yet become a widespread success. Very few payment services have managed to find reliable support among consumers and businesses. Part of this is due to the fact that consumers can move from one payment service to the next, depending on what features they want to use at any given time.