Visa Buys into the Mobile Payments Space: Search for Ubiquity or Complicating the Mix?

Featuring: Brian Riley, Research Director, Bank Cards

Moderator: Ralph Silva, Research Director, European Banking & Payments

Visa International recently invested in mobile payment technology provider Monitise plc. Although the minority investment is of note, TowerGroup believes it is not unique and will not change the marketplace. Monitise will compete in a space with well-funded companies such as Qualcomm's Firethorn and providers such as ClairMail, mFoundry, Vivotech, and Obopay, which maintain alliances, ventures, and investments with competing networks American Express, China Union Pay, Discover Network, JCB Card, MasterCard Worldwide, and leading card-issuing banks. In this week’s TowerGroup View, Brian Riley provides insight on the impact of this investment and how it relates to the payments industry, the acquired company, and the mobile payments industry.