2024 will herald much innovation in the payments world, with digital currencies and digital wallets firmly entering the mainstream and grabbing the lion’s share of headlines. However, UNITE Global – a new entrant currently flying somewhat under the radar – could enjoy one of the most impactful debuts for many years to shape the future of a critical payments marketplace.
As the digital landscape continues to evolve at an unprecedented pace, the payments industry finds itself standing at the intersection of innovation and transformation.
On 30 October 2023, HM Treasury (HMT) issued its long-awaited policy document on the regulation of fiat-backed stablecoins in the UK. Framed as “Phase 1” of the UK’s approach to cryptoasset regulation, HMT’s paper was quickly followed by discussion papers from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and Bank of England (BOE) on the future regulatory approach to such stablecoins.
Although there are a number of steps to go before the stablecoin regime comes into effect (with implementation anticipated in 2025), the 2023 papers give helpful insights into the direction of the new regime.
The year 2023 was significant for ESG in finance. As COP 28 brought the year to a close, The Payment Association’s ESG Working Group look ahead to key themes likely to dominate the payments ESG agenda in 2024.
