Few industry sectors have embraced digital technology as enthusiastically as payments with digital payments forecast to reach a record 726 billion by 2020.

With the sector developing and evolving at such a rapid pace, we have joined our editorial expertise of Cards International and Electronic Payments International with our digital publishing platform into a one stop shop for everything you need to know about the payments industry.

One of the biggest developments in recent years is the sheer amount of choice now available for payment. Cash, card, and mobile are all options, with a plethora of options within those three methods.

We hone in on mobile payments in this issue and how the smartphone has completely reinvented the form. This device, as well as contactless cards, cryptocurrencies, and in-app payment have brought society closer to being completely cashless. In regions such as Scandinavia, they are already there.

Banks have seen this trend and reacted, but is it too little too late? Players such as PayPal and Alipay have been working on this for years and can adapt at a higher speed than large, unwieldy incumbent banks.

The growing popularity of the ‘Pays’ such as Apple Pay, Samsung Pay and Android Pay has shown that tech giants also want to dip their toe into these waters, but is there enough room for them all? This year’s Mobile World Congress highlighted that a lot of companies are trying to gain market share and we look at some of the biggest announcements from the event.

In this issue read about the online retail giant Amazon and its launch of a brick-and-mortar store, Amazon Go. Is this a vanity project by Amazon? Some say it is the next step for full automation of the retail and payments experience.

Please email us with any feedback on the issue to Editor Douglas.blakey@verdict.co.uk

Verdict Payments Editorial