Digital Lifescapes

For years, the upside potential for Stablecoins occupied a curious position in financial discourse: too credible to dismiss, too nascent to take seriously. That ambiguity is over. What we are witnessing today is a methodical, infrastructure-level shift in how money moves across the global economy, and the organizations that fail to engage with it risk being caught flat-footed. Stablecoins are cryptocurrencies pegged to the value of a fiat currency, most commonly the U.S. dollar. Unlike volatile digital assets such as Bitcoin, they are engineered for stability and utility. They inherit the speed, programmability, and continuous availability of blockchain technology while shedding the price unpredictability that long made crypto unsuitable for commerce. The result is a settlement instrument that is simultaneously familiar and transformative. Stablecoin Market Development Total stablecoin transaction volume reached $33 trillion in 2025, representing a 72 percent increase year-on-year, wit...

For two decades, enterprise Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) has been the dominant force reshaping how organizations consume business applications. Yet as artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities accelerate, a critical question emerges. Will AI apps render the SaaS model obsolete? The answer, as with most paradigm shifts, is far more nuanced than a simple yes or no. Enterprise SaaS isn't dying, but it's growing much older. And maturity, while a testament to success, brings its own set of challenges. Enterprise SaaS Market Development The U.S. enterprise software market is now highly saturated, and the momentum that once seemed unstoppable has definitively slowed. And yes, AI is a contributing factor. The B2B SaaS expansion era that defined the last decade, characterized by rising customer counts and reliable growth within existing accounts, has reached its natural limits. What's particularly telling is the shift in CIO priorities. While SaaS vendors were racing to expand their...

Legacy search engine marketing best practices are vulnerable. Why now? Generative AI (GenAI) capabilities are being rapidly adopted for technology sector marketing efficiency gains. To prepare for more shifts beyond their direct control, tech product marketers must address disruptions in key marketing channels, engagement approaches, and required investments. The savvy business-to-business (B2B) CMOs are already piloting and deploying GenAI tools. GenAI Tools B2B Market Development By 2026, traditional search engine volume will drop by 25 percent, with search marketing losing market share to AI chatbots and other virtual agents, according to the latest market study by Gartner.  "Organic and Paid Search are vital channels for tech marketers seeking to reach awareness and demand generation goals," said Alan Antin, vice president at Gartner . Now GenAI solutions are becoming substitute answer engines, replacing user queries that previously may have been executed in traditional ...

The evolution of business payments has lagged when compared to the pace of new adoption methods in other segments, marked by a gradual transformation to electronic payments, such as bank wire transfers like ACH and EFT payments. Advancements in globalization and eCommerce, accompanied by the legislation to regulate transactions and protect transacting parties, and the improvement of domestic and cross-border payment rails, have contributed to the uptake of new methods. Business Payment Market Development According to the latest worldwide market study from Juniper Research, the value of business-to-business (B2B) payments will grow by 40 percent in 2028 -- that's up from $89 trillion in 2024, due to digital payment adoption in developing markets. Instant payments will revolutionize B2B payments by enabling cheaper and more secure international trade, with instant payments reaching 42 percent of all cross-border payments by 2028, at $16 trillion -- up from just 17 percent in 2024, at...

In the Business-to-Business realm, credit cards provide access to working capital and offer rewards with enhanced controls over spending. Looking ahead, payment networks and card issuers will collaborate with Fintechs to capitalize on this growing opportunity. Virtual cards are financial tools that exist only in digital form and are utilized for online payments. Unlike physical cards, issuers can create a disposable, one-time card, whose unchangeable account numbers are randomly generated for a specific transaction. These digital cards can be linked to either debit or credit accounts, but account information is never shared with merchants. The underlying technology of these cards was first introduced to the consumer payments market almost two decades ago. Today, digital cards are used for corporate accounts. Digital Card Market Development According to the latest worldwide market study by Juniper Research, the number of credit cards issued via digital card issuance platforms will excee...

Worldwide revenue for enterprise software applications will grow from $279.6 billion in 2022 to reach $385.2 billion in 2026 with a five-year CAGR of 8 percent, according to the latest global market study by International Data Corporation (IDC). Nearly all the upside growth will come from investments in public cloud software applications, which are expected to represent nearly two-thirds of all enterprise applications revenue in 2026. While the process of migrating from legacy on-premises apps to cloud services can take years, senior executives will drive a transition to the public cloud as an essential part of their digital transformation. Application Software Market Development Companies that don't pursue this approach may sustain losses due to their competitors adopting cloud services, and their use of application programming interfaces (APIs) to gain momentum. "It's no longer enough for businesses to sit back and rely on their technological debt of software and hardwar...

Business-to-Business (B2B) payments represent a significant upside growth opportunity for fintech vendors. While many businesses have been transferring funds to each other for a long time, the typical process remains difficult to navigate due to the many workflow challenges. B2B payments can take a variety of forms ranging from basic cash payments to sophisticated instruments like virtual cards, which solve the problems of B2B payments to varying degrees, but some core challenges remain. The ever-greater use of process automation is also a key trend within the B2B payments arena and represents a potential solution if the underlying payment systems can support the necessary elements. B2B Payments Market Development According to the latest worldwide market study by Juniper Research, the transaction value of B2B domestic payments across payment methods will exceed $54 trillion in 2023 -- that's up from $49 trillion in 2021. The research findings predict a growth rate of 10 percent, re...

Leaders of Customer Care and Support teams have discovered that the legacy approach of designing and building call centers with rows upon rows of agents in tiny cubicles is obsolete. Staff turnover is typically very high in these environments. Now, there's a better approach on the horizon, as a result of experience gained from the COVID-19 pandemic era. Contact center as a service (CCaaS) will likely reach full mainstream adoption in less than two years, according to the latest worldwide market study by Gartner. Some customer service and support early adopters of CCaaS have overcome the initial hurdles and are beginning to experience the benefits. "CCaaS is a growth market," said Drew Kraus, vice president at Gartner . "The technology offers greater software agility with a lower cost of ownership, making it a key area of investment in innovation and customer service applications that surpasses the offers of legacy premises-based or server technology." Contact Ce...

The global pandemic has accelerated the expansion of eCommerce deployments and the adoption of new and innovative online payment methods. Moreover, instant or real-time payments are having a disruptive effect on the traditional payments market by enabling rapid transaction processing. However, the transition to instant payments is not happening in a universal way. Rapid payment schemes tend to be updated versions of legacy payment settlement approaches that were created by individual authorities in countries. Debit card payments, while certainly fast, do not tend to lend themselves to the same use cases as instant payment applications, given the requirement for the supplier to accept the card transaction -- which historically include significant transaction processing fees. Instant Payments Market Development While instant payments are somewhat unique -- in terms of replacing old payment schemes to enable faster payments -- the outcome of this approach is not unique by any means. Acros...

How businesses pay each other is an essential process for all organizations. They have suppliers, and therefore all need access to effective payment systems. That said, the lack of meaningful digital transformation within the business-to-business (B2B) payments sector has challenged the established systems. In this context, the digital disruption of the traditional B2B payments ecosystem is now more important, to enable companies to perform financial transactions as efficiently as possible. Fortunately, there's a multitude of forces developing in this market, with more new vendors attempting to drive innovation. B2B Payments Market Development According to the latest worldwide market study by Juniper Research, the volume of B2B payments facilitated by non-banks will exceed 53 billion in 2022 -- that's up from a COVID-related low of 38 billion in 2020; representing 42 percent growth. These new vendors will account for 12.6 percent of B2B payments by volume in 2022. Despite the s...

How companies pay each other is important. All enterprises need access to effective B2B (Business to Business) payment systems in order to compete effectively. So, what's changed, given the current economic environment? The payments market has been the target of disruption. That said, despite the introduction of new innovations, traditional payment methods are still dominant in the B2B marketplace. It's a highly challenging financial system for many businesses, with a lack of transparency causing difficulties for decision-makers. Traditional commercial bank transfers are not fast enough to make B2B payments management a streamlined process. In the cross-border arena, these challenges are magnified due to high costs. Furthermore, the slow digital transformation of B2B payments means that established systems are unable to cope with the current global pandemic. Therefore, the B2B payments ecosystem must evolve. B2B Payments Market Development According to the latest wo...

Globalization has removed several barriers for companies to conduct business abroad. However, exposure to foreign exchanges remains a challenge. The fees involved in international money transactions can make the process onerous, particularly to small organizations that lack financial expertise. Meanwhile, incumbent banks have typically been resistant to re-invest in new technologies within the business-to-business (B2B) payment sector. However, they now face new competition from non-bank start-ups that offer less-expensive services by using automated processes, reducing the need for intermediaries. Digital Payments Market Development According to the latest worldwide market study by Juniper Research , B2B transactions processed by pureplay digital payment operators will reach $14 trillion by 2023 -- that's up from $6.7 trillion in 2018. Juniper analysts found that traditional banks can struggle to quantify a return-on-investment from the implementation of digital technologi...

Despite having existed for more than a decade, virtual cards have been applied to a limited range of business cases for much of their history; primarily Business to Business (B2B) travel purchasing and commercial vehicle fleet management. However, the benefits of card virtualization are starting to evolve outside this narrow application, which is already having an impact on adjacent sectors -- including a move by several fintech players into the business to consumer space, thereby augmenting online account security through the use of their virtual cards. Virtual Card Market Development According to the latest worldwide market study by Juniper Research, the annual value of virtual cards (e.g. temporary card numbers only available for a single transaction or limited time) used by businesses will grow by 90 percent over the next four years -- exceeding $1 trillion by 2022. This is up from an estimated annual value of $568 million in 2019. However, Juniper analysts believe that the...

The money transfer segment of the commercial financial services sector is vast, with transactions taking place on both a domestic and international cross-border basis. A recent Juniper Research market study found that global cross-border B2B money transfers totalled $136 trillion in 2017. Yet, to date, the B2B money transfer industry has not experienced the start-up innovation and disruption like other areas in the finance and commerce space. That being said, we can anticipate that 2018 will be pivotal, as more fintech entrepreneurs pursue this previously untapped opportunity. B2B Money Transfer Market Development New study findings have concluded that the cross-border B2B money transfer market is ripe for disruption, as new technologies and legislative changes redefine traditional banking practices across the globe. Cross-border B2B transactions will exceed $218 trillion by 2022, up from $150 trillion this year. In comparison, global GDP was placed at just $77 trillion last ye...

The ecosystem for Internet of Things (IoT) applications in the B2B market continues to blossom, as more vendors develop new offerings. In a recent analysis of more than 500 companies and their IoT service capabilities, ABI Research found that both partner programs and their member companies are maturing, with 59 percent of listed organizations receiving a high grade. This is nearly double the number of organizations that received a high maturity ranking when ABI Research first analyzed these IoT ecosystems in September 2015. This increase in IoT maturity stems in part from the actions of partner program parents who offered their members access to training and certification programs. Internet of Things Market Development "Within these ecosystems, there is a continuing shift from traditional volume-based partnerships to value-based partner engagements," says Ryan Harbison, research analyst at ABI Research . These IoT programs require a higher level of engagement from bo...

According to the findings from a recent market study, when generating new content from scratch, establishing prospective customer engagement is a common objective for business-to-business (B2B) marketers. But what constitutes meaningful engagement? Apparently, it's all about the inherent power of a good story. eMarketer reports that eighty-one percent of B2B technology marketers worldwide cited "engaging and compelling storytelling" as the most important elements of effective content marketing. Regardless, few actually practice what they profess -- given the content they routinely produce and distribute as marketing communications professionals. Within the highly technical or complex industry sectors, engagement and originality trumped professional writing when generating content marketing assets. Once again, indicating marketer recognition that customers and prospects will rely on substantive content to make their decisions, we know that people are initially draw...

Do you remember the time when it was in vogue for nearly all upcoming marketing consultants to claim that they were "experts" in search engine optimization (SEO)? I remember it well.  After most of these folks discovered the social media trend, then they quickly shifted their focus. Regardless, today search remains a key component of savvy digital marketer campaigns. Perhaps the huge flock of self-proclaimed social media experts will rediscover search, once the current "social everything" fad has lost its appeal -- we'll have to wait and see. According to the latest market study by eMarketer , search can help to build strong brands by bettering their brand-health metrics. But creating long-term relationships with their valued customers is usually the top priority. eMarketer says "even though a majority of business-to-consumer (B2C) marketers now believe that search affects brand-building, digital marketing executives sometimes still find it tough t...

More forward thinking companies that market their business-to-business (B2B) offerings online are using social media as a key ingredient of their marketing mix. Marketers believe that the more focused B2B networking sites, such as LinkedIn, are an effective way to generate leads -- while more casual social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, are helping to reach customers in new ways. "Leveraging social media for branding and awareness-building can help humanize B2B companies, establish them as thought leaders, and offer new touch-points for connecting with customers and prospects,” said Kimberly Maul, analyst at eMarketer . Social Media Marketing as a Mainstream Practice As of May 2011, 89 percent of U.S. based B2B companies were using social media marketing , according to web survey company iTracks. Their survey was conducted among Business Marketing Association members, CMOs and other senior employees overseeing B2B marketing programs. The majority of sur...

I'm eagerly awaiting my review copy of a new book entitled "Managing Content Marketing: The Real-World Guide to Creating Passionate Subscribers to Your Brand" by Robert Rose and Joe Pulizzi. This book builds on the foundation of "Get Content, Get Customers" that Joe Pulizzi co-wrote with Newt Barrett at the outset of the content marketing phenomenon, back in early 2008. Today, I'm sensing that savvy marketers everywhere are ready to move their budgets away from under-performing advertising, to something that's potentially more appealing to their customers. Yes, it's about time. eMarketer reports that with the average cost-per-lead increasing -- and too many marketers competing for the same buyer's attention -- traditional tactics are no longer enough to influence the sale. Business-to-business (B2B) companies are looking to content marketing as a way to proactively boost their return on investment. “Informative, nonpromotional content i...

Today's technology-centric business success often hinges on the ability to inform and guide prospective customers who are entering the buying-cycle for complex products and services. However, few marketers have mastered this essential skill -- informing and guiding via digital multimedia content -- in a meaningful way. That said, eMarketer reports that findings from Focus Research indicate business-to-consumer (B2C) marketers are more likely to direct their attention to improving client understanding and retention this year than their business-to-business (B2B) counterparts, who are placing a higher emphasis on filling the sales pipeline. Among B2B marketers, lead acquisition was the top priority for 55 percent of respondents, followed by lead conversion (45 percent). Both B2B and B2C marketers were equally focused on building brand awareness. The inherent complexity of the B2B buying process often requires better sales support tools -- that facilitate and accelerate the ...