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The Payments Association – 2024 payments trends

Published

2 years ago

December 13, 2023

Reading Time: 3 minutes

To be attributed to Tony Craddock, Director General of The Payments Association

“The rise of certain technologies like generative AI in 2023 has heralded a great deal of transformative change that will shape how the payments industry develops in 2024. As these changes become more apparent, it is imperative that the payments sector cooperates to enable consumers to pay and be paid securely and conveniently.

“The three factors that will inform the payments sector over the next year will be the rise of innovative digital currencies, the new initiatives that will serve to combat APP fraud, and the importance of proportionate regulation. All three of these were highlighted in The Payment Association’s Payments Manifesto.”

“It’s imperative that we foster a flourishing digital currencies ecosystem, starting with stablecoins, or S-Money, as it is now known. This requires global interoperability, ensuring seamless transactions across borders and platforms. We must also attract talent and investment from around the world to fuel innovation and growth in this burgeoning space. In short, we need to run towards innovation, not away from it.”

“Meanwhile, we must constantly err towards the best interests of the consumer and that means combatting APP fraud, which has become a significant threat to the integrity of our services. Cross-industry data sharing is essential to effectively identify and prevent fraudulent activities. By working together, we can safeguard consumers and businesses alike.”

“Finally, we must strike a balance between innovation and regulation. In recent years, the regulatory pendulum has swung so far towards consumer protection that the entrepreneurial fire of innovation is being snuffed out. A proportionate regulatory framework is crucial to fostering responsible growth and protecting consumer interests. We must avoid stifling innovation with overly burdensome rules and enforcement of them while also ensuring that our systems remain sufficiently safe and secure. By embracing innovation, collaborating to combat fraud, and advocating for proportionate regulation, 2024 can be a year where payments are more secure, convenient and accessible to all.”

“Thinking even further into the future, here are my additional predictions:

“Open Banking: In the face of rapidly increasing fraud and new regulations around consumer duty, Third Party Payment Providers (TPPs) will need to implement enhanced fraud prevention tools to drive confidence in open banking payments and protect consumers against losses (like card scheme-based liability protection mechanisms, including chargeback dispute resolution). As the growing need for consumer protection increases the cost of open banking payments, the business case for such payments will be diminished for merchants.”

“Open Finance: As companies recognise the potential of data and AI, they will refocus their open banking efforts from payment initiation (Payment Initiation Service Provider – PISP) to data utilisation (Account Information Service Provider – AISP) to improve accuracy, efficiency, and customer experience. The data angle will become even more beneficial as we evolve into Open Finance with the participation of non-bank financial institutions, such as mortgage, insurance, pension, and investment companies.”

“Wallets: Consumers will increasingly leave the house without physical cards or cash and will demand the acceptance of digital and mobile wallets with biometric authentication to make purchases both online and in person. Merchant failure to accept popular wallets will increasingly result in shopping cart abandonment, which has already reached 70% in the case of eCommerce, due to the friction involved in needing to have the physical card available. Additionally, QR codes will increasingly be introduced across the customer journey, including information, membership, ticketing, loyalty, ordering and payments.”

“Super Apps: Wallets and digital banks will endeavour to increase their ubiquity, usage, and customer engagement by evolving into super-apps. To achieve this status, they will broaden their service offerings to customers, including investing, lending, savings, loyalty, and P2P payments, as well as embed commerce and high engagement activities through lite apps, such as shopping, ticketing, transportation, delivery, or messaging. Consumers, particularly Gen Z and Millennials, will increasingly adopt such wallets due to subscription fatigue, convenience, and slick user experience.”

“Digital Currency: The percentage of UK adults owning cryptocurrency was over 10% in 2022, compared with 4.5% in 2021, which shows a growing interest in crypto assets. In 2022, 28% of non-crypto asset holders said that they would be more likely to buy cryptocurrency if the market was regulated. Additionally, it is becoming much easier to obtain crypto assets through popular wallets, like PayPal and Revolut. As merchants observe this growing trend, they will explore new ways of accepting popular cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin and Ethereum to gain a share of spend. As acceptance increases, so will the adoption of crypto assets, creating a flywheel effect. (Note: The figures in the US are more than double that of the UK, which may propel big tech companies in the US to accept cryptocurrencies more widely than in the UK.)”

Latest News

Beyond Season’s Greetings: GR8 Tech Unveils Strategic ‘Holiday Calendar’ for Operators

Published

40 minutes ago

December 22, 2025

George Miller

Editor’s Take

Why this matters: Most B2B holiday campaigns are fluff—digital greeting cards that get deleted instantly. GR8 Tech is taking a smarter approach by wrapping high-value strategic advice into a seasonal format. By focusing on 2026 goal-setting (tech upgrades, market wins), they are positioning themselves not just as a platform provider, but as a strategic partner for operators currently in their planning cycles.

The Full Story

GR8 Tech, the award-winning sportsbook and iGaming platform provider, has launched a new initiative designed to turn the holiday season into a period of strategic preparation for operators.

Dubbed the Holiday Calendar, the campaign is an exclusive newsletter experience that moves beyond standard festive greetings to deliver actionable, data-driven insights aimed at helping iGaming champions define and achieve their goals for 2026.

Unwrapping Strategic Insights The initiative runs as a 4-week series, consisting of eight curated email editions. Each edition focuses on a specific “iGaming wish”—ranging from stronger growth and smarter tech to smoother operations.

Instead of leaving these as abstract concepts, GR8 Tech pairs each goal with practical insights from its own data and technology stack, offering a roadmap for how operators can realistically achieve them in the coming year.

Management Commentary Yevhen Krazhan, CSO at GR8 Tech, explained that the campaign mirrors the ambitious mindset of their clients:

“Every operator has a vision for the year ahead: targets they want to hit, markets they want to win, experiences they want to deliver. The GR8 Tech Holiday Calendar is our way of celebrating ambitions and showing how the right insights and technology can turn them into reality.”

How It Works Operators can subscribe via the GR8 Tech website to receive the series. Each message “opens a new tile” on the digital calendar, revealing a specific insight designed to be applied to future business strategies.

The campaign effectively showcases GR8 Tech’s broader value proposition—including its Hyper Turnkey solution and ULTIM8 Sportsbook—by demonstrating how these tools solve specific operator challenges. It comes on the heels of a successful year for the provider, which recently secured the title of Platform Provider of the Year at the SBC Awards 2025.

The post Beyond Season’s Greetings: GR8 Tech Unveils Strategic ‘Holiday Calendar’ for Operators appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry Newsroom.

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ComeOn Group Fortifies C-Suite: Michela Tabone Valetta Named New CPO

Published

40 minutes ago

December 22, 2025

George Miller

Editor’s Take

Why this matters: In the current iGaming climate, “sustainable growth” isn’t just a buzzword—it’s a survival strategy. By bringing in a seasoned CPO like Michela Tabone Valetta (ex-Bally’s, Gamesys), ComeOn is signaling a focus on organizational maturity. Furthermore, the specific addition of a Country Manager for Ontario (Mark Cheeswright) suggests a deeper entrenchment in North America’s most competitive regulated market, moving beyond general expansion to targeted regional dominance.

The Full Story

ComeOn Group, the leading international iGaming operator, has announced a significant strengthening of its leadership structure, headlined by the appointment of Michela Tabone Valetta to its Executive Team as Chief People Officer (CPO).

The move is part of a broader recruitment drive that has seen the company fill critical senior roles across Compliance, IT Security, Commercial, and Market Management, positioning itself for a new phase of regulated market expansion.

New Chief People Officer Michela Tabone Valetta brings two decades of HR leadership experience, with nearly half of that time spent in the iGaming sector. Her resume includes senior tenures at major industry players such as Vera & John, Gamesys, and Bally’s Corporation. Most recently, she served at BoyleSports, where she supported a workforce of nearly 3,000 employees.

At ComeOn, Valetta will lead the People & Culture function, tasked with refining talent strategy and organizational development as the operator scales its global footprint.

Strategic Senior Appointments alongside the C-level addition, ComeOn Group confirmed four other key strategic hires made earlier this year to bolster its operational foundations:

Mark Cheeswright (Country Manager, Ontario): A veteran with over 20 years in iGaming (LeoVegas, William Hill, BetVictor), Cheeswright is tasked with steering the company’s growth in the highly competitive Canadian province.
Thomas Mifsud Tommasi (Head of AML): Joining from LeoVegas and BetClic Everest Group, Tommasi brings over a decade of financial crime compliance expertise to the group.
Radek Ostojski (Head of Information Security): With a background in cloud architecture and DevOps at Swintt and KingMakers, Ostojski will lead the operator’s cybersecurity initiatives.
Rebekka Rogers (Head of Commercial, Casino): Formerly of Evolution, Rogers will drive commercial performance and strategic growth within the company’s core Casino vertical.

CEO Commentary Juergen Reutter, Chief Executive Officer at ComeOn Group, emphasized that these appointments are about building depth for the long term:

“We are delighted to welcome Michela to our Executive Team. Her extensive expertise in people and culture, organizational development, and leadership strategy will be instrumental as we continue to grow and strengthen our operations globally.

“Earlier this year, we also welcomed Radek, Thomas, Mark, and Rebekka into key leadership roles… Their contributions are already reinforcing our strategic foundations, and together with Michela’s arrival, they significantly enhance the depth and capability of our leadership team.”

The post ComeOn Group Fortifies C-Suite: Michela Tabone Valetta Named New CPO appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry Newsroom.

Latest News

Tom Horn Gaming Unlocks New Markets with Major Alea Aggregation Deal

Published

40 minutes ago

December 22, 2025

George Miller

Editor’s Take

Why this matters: In the race for distribution, direct integrations are becoming less common for mid-sized studios. Partnering with a “super-aggregator” like Alea—known for its focus on API performance and data security—gives Tom Horn Gaming instant access to hundreds of operator brands without the technical bottleneck of individual integrations. This move signals a push to maximize the yield from their back catalog of 100+ games in both mature and emerging markets simultaneously.

The Full Story

Tom Horn Gaming, the omnichannel software supplier, has significantly widened its distribution capabilities by signing a new partnership with Alea, the award-winning iGaming aggregator.

The agreement sees Tom Horn’s entire portfolio of over 100 titles integrated into Alea’s aggregation ecosystem. This includes the supplier’s best-performing classic slots such as 243 Crystal Fruits and The Secret of Ba, as well as recent releases like Tao Tree Coins.

Technical & Strategic Fit For Tom Horn Gaming, the deal is a strategic lever to penetrate new jurisdictions more efficiently. By plugging into Alea’s centralized API, the studio gains immediate access to Alea’s extensive roster of operator partners. The collaboration focuses heavily on delivering “localized” content—games specifically tailored to regional preferences and regulatory requirements—without the friction of individual technical setups.

Management Commentary Both companies emphasized the role of compliance and technical reliability in the deal.

Ondrej Lapides, CEO of Tom Horn Gaming, commented on the strategic alignment:

“Partnering with Alea allows us to bring our games to even more operators and players in markets where we’ve long been committed to delivering tailored, reliable, and engaging content. Alea’s focus on compliance and seamless delivery perfectly complements our own ambitions for growth in both mature and emerging regions.”

Eduard Verdaguer, Partnerships Manager at Alea, highlighted the supplier’s reputation:

“Tom Horn Gaming has built a strong reputation for creating accessible, market-tailored content that players know and trust.”

This partnership marks the latest in a series of commercial expansions for Tom Horn Gaming in late 2025, reinforcing its status as a staple content provider for regulated markets.

The post Tom Horn Gaming Unlocks New Markets with Major Alea Aggregation Deal appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry Newsroom.