Electronic Payments Market Report: 2008 Edition

Electronic Payments Market Report: 2008 Edition

The payments industry includes transactions made in cash or electronically or through a payment card and in this sense has a very wide coverage, as it would cover all the transactions that are materialistic in nature. The industry is witnessing a worldwide shift from paper-based payments to card-based payments.

Just as the industry is very wide, the structure and mechanism of the industry is very complex. The market is also very competitive as a whole and at different points within the industry. There are many different players involved in this industry, like network operators, merchant processors among others. The essence of this market is the two-sided aspect of this market, with cardholders at one side and merchants at the other side of the market.

Countries like France, US and UK are on the mature side of the industry, while regions like Asia Pacific provide the growth impetus to the industry. The prominent card networks are Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover. Visa and MasterCard operate on an open-loop network and do not issue cards by themselves, while American Express and Discover operate through the closed-loop network and issue their own cards. Apart from these players, merchant processors like First Data, Bank of America Merchant Services, Nova, Fifth Third Bank and Global Payments also play a crucial role in the industry.

This report is an effort towards exploring the evolution of the card-based payments, understanding the structure and mechanism of the card-based payments, focusing on the global trend towards greater acceptance of the card-based payment system. The industry is being touched upon at the global level, with the discussion of trends, drivers and issues affecting the industry worldwide. At the company level, main network operators are profiled along with discussion of the competition, between the network operators and also within the merchant processing industry.

1. Evolution of Electronic Payments

2. Overview of Payment Industry

2.1 Two-sided Market – Inherent Feature of Payment Industry
2.1.1 Mechanism of Electronic Payment system

3. Merchant Processing Industry

3.1 Structure of the Market
3.2 Mechanics of a Transaction Process and the Role of a Merchant Processor
3.3 Merchant Services Sales Channels – Direct and Indirect
3.4 Merchant Services Competitive Landscape

4. Electronic Payments Market Size

4.1 Global Electronic Payments Market

Payment Card Transactions Volume
Growth Rate of Payment Card Transactions
Forecasted Growth

4.2 US Electronic Payments Market

Payment Card Market Share
Debit Card Market Share

4.3 European Electronic Payments Market

Payment Cards Volume & Growth

5. Market Activities

5.1 Market Trends

5.1.1 Increasing Dominance of Debit Cards
5.1.2 Private Label Cards
5.1.3 Increase in Use of Commercial Payment Cards

5.2 Market Drivers

5.2.1 Increase in Global Travel
5.2.2 Continued Shift to Card-Based Payments
5.3.3 Security Standards
5.3.4 Contactless Technology

5.3 Market Issues

5.3.1 Regulation of Interchange Fees

6. Competition

6.1 Visa vs. MasterCard: Advantage Visa
6.2 Discover acquires Diners Club

7. Company Profiles

7.1 Visa Inc

Overview
Business Strategies
Expanding the network
Expand into New Geographies/Market Segments

7.2 MasterCard

Overview
Business Strategies
Increasing Brand Power
Gaining foothold through innovative solutions

7.3 American Express

Overview
Business Strategies
Benefits and Rewards
Online Card Member Communities
Innovative, Exclusive Cards
Consumer Travel Experiences

7.4 Discover

Overview
Business Strategies
Increase acceptance of Discover Network cards
Increasing volume on payments networks

List of Tables

Major Functions of Major Participants in Payments Network
Merchant Processors: Outlets & Average Transaction
Forecasted Growth Rates in Payment Card Transactions (2006-12E)
Major Network Operators’ Cards Volume Comparison (2006)
Operating Margin Comparison of Payment/Data Processor Players (FY08E)
Comparison of Key Financials of Visa & MasterCard (Q1 2008)
Key Facts - Visa Vs MasterCard (Q1 2008)

List of Charts

Structure of Payment Industry
Working Mechanism of Interchange Procedure
Distribution of Interchange Fees under Visa or MasterCard Payment Network
Top US Bank Card Acquirers/Merchant Processors
Growth of Payment Card Transactions by Region (2000-12E)
Debit & Credit Transaction Growth by Region (2006-12)
Asia-Pacific Payment Card Market Share (2008)
Market Share of Global “General-Purpose” Card Purchase Volume (2007)
Market Share of Global Credit Card Purchase Volume (2007)
Number of POS Terminals (per million residents) by Region (2006)
Payment Card Market Share of Credit Card Issuers in US (2008)
Market Share of US Debit Card Market (2006)
Payment Card Market Share of Latin America (2008)
Payment Cards Volume & Growth in European Region (2006)
Debit Card’s Share of US Purchase Transactions (2006/11E)
Region-wise Usage of Commercial Payment Cards (2007)
Key Reasons for Usage of Commercial Payment Cards
Payment Volumes Share in US (2006/11E)
Sales Growth of Visa (2003-07)
Sales Growth of MasterCard (2003-07)
Sales Growth of American Express (2003-07)
Sales Growth of Discover (2003-07)