Credit Card Issuing Industry KPIs Q2’25
Bank Card Programs Defy Expectations and Drive Stronger Profitability The second quarter of 2025 marked a significant rebound in bank credit card program NCL rates, reversing from what had been their highest levels in more than a decade. Coupled with near record-high loan balances and widening credit spreads, bank-managed credit card programs are outperforming expectations […]
Podcast: The Battle Between Local and International Card Schemes in Europe
Local card schemes like Girocard, Bancomat, Dankort, BankAxept, and Carte Bancaires are losing ground fast to Visa and Mastercard – but is that decline inevitable? In this episode, Elisabeth Magnor talks with Flagship partner Yuriy Kostenko about what the data really shows, why domestic schemes have fallen behind on innovation, how PSPs and merchants actually […]
Why European APMs Need More Than Apple’s NFC to Win In-Store Payments
European alternative payment methods (APMs) have a long history of failed attempts to succeed at the physical point of sale (POS). In contrast, Apple Pay has achieved tremendous success. Apple’s tight control over the iPhone’s NFC chip has fueled iOS’s dominance in contactless payments (see Figure 1) while blocking APMs from delivering a comparable user […]
Whitepaper: Quick Start Guide For New Card Programs
Launching a card program is an exciting opportunity, but navigating the ecosystem requires clarity, the right partners, and strong execution. In collaboration with Paymentology, we explore the key considerations, common pitfalls, and strategic decisions that shape a successful program launch.
Legacy POS is Declining in Europe, Creating Software Imperative for Providers
The number of POS terminals is shrinking across several mature markets, most notably the UK and the Nordics, signaling a sustained downward trajectory for traditional devices. This decline is being propelled by a mix of macro-economic pressures, accelerated retail digitalization, and the growing adoption of alternatives such as SoftPOS. If this trend marks the beginning […]
Podcast: Why Embedded Lending is the Next Big Wave in Embedded Finance
This episode explores why embedded lending is emerging as the next big frontier after embedded payments in Europe and North America. Charlotte Al Usta (Flagship) and Luke Trayfoot (YouLend) discuss how lending delivered through platforms can finally fix SMBs’ chronic access-to-credit problem by leveraging real-time data instead of slow, paperwork-heavy bank processes. They dive into […]
Fintech-oriented Issuer Processors Demonstrating Strong Revenue Growth
The issuer processing market continues to show a clear divergence in performance between fintech-oriented and bank-oriented issuer processors. Fintech-focused processors are still achieving strong, double-digit revenue growth, while bank-oriented processors are experiencing more modest, low single-digit increases. However, growth across both segments has slowed compared to their five-year CAGRs, reflecting a broader normalization in the […]
U.S Acquiring BIN Sponsorship: To Sponsor or Not to Sponsor
A $170M Revenue Opportunity for Banks Only licensed U.S. banks can provide acquiring BIN sponsorship, and while there are thousands of U.S. banks, only a handful operate acquiring BIN sponsorship businesses. The scarcity of acquiring BIN sponsors is primarily due to banks’ concerns with compliance / risks and a lack of BIN sponsorship experience. Recently, […]
Podcast: The Rise of Agentic Commerce
A panel discussion on the future of agentic commerce with Ben Brown (Partner, Flagship Advisory Partners), Craig DeWitt (Chief Product Officer, Skyfire), Robin Gandhi (Chief Product Officer, Lithic), and Colin Luce (Chief Executive Officer, Basis Theory). Together, we explored how agentic commerce could transform payments, digital identity, and risk, and discuss the opportunities and challenges […]
Decoding the Stablecoin Opportunity: An Introduction
In the last 12 months, a first wave of corporates and financial institutions began using fiat-backed stablecoins to cut cross-border settlement times from days to minutes and reduce costs without taking the price risk inherent in established cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum. Those early adopters will drive stablecoin payment volumes to hit $140-195B this year, […]