The era of smart payments has arrived

Modern A2A doesn’t patch legacy problems—it erases them, optimising every transaction for the demands of today’s digital world.

For decades, online merchants have been forced to operate within a payments system that was never designed for them. It was built for banks, for card networks, for middlemen who take their cut at every turn. What started as a bridge to move legacy payments online has become an expensive, convoluted mess that no longer serves businesses in a digital-first world.

Every transaction is taxed by outdated infrastructure. Acquirers, issuers, card networks, fraud prevention tools—each one takes a cut, justifying their role with layers of complexity.

And merchants? They’re the ones who pay.

With every false decline, every abandoned cart, every chargeback—it’s not just revenue that’s lost. It’s trust. Its customers. It’s an opportunity.

For too long, we’ve been conditioned to believe this is just how payments work. Those slow settlement times, rising fees, and endless friction are simply the cost of doing business.

They’re not.

Payments should be simple. A customer pays a merchant. The merchant receives the money. Instantly. Securely. Without hidden fees, unnecessary friction, or outdated intermediaries slowing the process down.

This is the promise of smart payments. And it’s already here.

We call it modern A2A—a fundamental shift beyond traditional account-to-account payments, designed for the businesses that refuse to accept the status quo.

The broken system we’ve accepted for too long

The payments industry isn’t fixing its problems—it’s layering on complexity. More fraud tools, more authentication steps, more intermediaries. Each addition is meant to solve inefficiencies, yet all they do is add cost, friction, and failure points. What should be a simple, seamless transaction has turned into a system riddled with obstacles.

The impact is clear. Fees keep rising—card issuers have increased costs by 25% above inflation since 2017, shifting the burden onto businesses and their customers. Fraud solutions are overly aggressive, blocking legitimate transactions as often as they stop crime. Chargebacks drain revenue. And checkout? It’s an outdated obstacle course, where every unnecessary step is a chance for the customer to walk away.

The so-called fixes don’t solve the real problem. Tokenisation, card updater services, and fraud tools still depend on the same ageing infrastructure. They don’t eliminate inefficiencies—they just make them more expensive.

Payments don’t have to be this way.

The shift to modern A2A isn’t about adding another workaround. It’s about eliminating the problem at its core.

The alternative: payments purpose-built for the digital era

Modern account-to-account (A2A) payments are more than just a new way to move money—they are a new way to think about payments.

Unlike credit cards, direct debits, or even standard Open Banking payments, modern A2A goes beyond just transferring funds. It makes every transaction smarter.

It removes the rigid structures of the past—no more reliance on static credentials, outdated billing cycles, or fragile card networks. Payments adapt in real time, optimising success rates, reducing fraud, and eliminating unnecessary steps at checkout.

For consumers, this means instant, seamless payments—no extra logins, no manual data entry, no friction. Just a direct, secure transfer in seconds.

For businesses, it means instant settlement, fewer failures, and lower costs. Chargebacks, false declines, and payment processor fees no longer eat into margins. Instead of dealing with disputes and revenue leakage, businesses can focus on growth—offering customers an experience that is fast, intuitive, and built for the way they want to pay.

And not all A2A solutions are created equal. The real transformation comes from those that go beyond Open Banking—companies that own the entire payment flow, embed intelligence into every transaction, and engineer payments to be a seamless extension of the digital experience.

Modern A2A isn’t just a better version of the old system—it’s a completely new standard. And it’s already changing the way money moves.

The power of smart payments: new opportunities unlocked

Payments aren’t just a backend necessity—they’re a strategic advantage for businesses that get them right.

Driving retention in the subscription economy

For subscription businesses, payments should be invisible. Instead, they’re a constant source of friction.

Cards expire. Banks issue new details. Rigid billing cycles cause avoidable declines. 53% of involuntary churn is caused by failed payments.

The result? Customers who would have stayed end up leaving. Not because they wanted to, but because their payment method failed them.

Modern A2A fixes this. Returning customers are instantly recognised, banking details never expire, and payments happen only when funds are available—reducing churn and keeping revenue predictable.

No friction. No unnecessary failures. No lost customers.

Fixing the friction in e-commerce

In e-commerce, hesitation kills conversion.

Every additional step at checkout—manually entering card details, verifying credentials, navigating security checks—gives the customer another chance to walk away.

And they do.

Modern A2A eliminates these barriers. No card numbers to enter. No false declines. No settlement delays. Customers pay instantly with their bank, authenticated in real time, turning checkout into a seamless, almost invisible experience.

When payments become frictionless, conversion rates rise. And in an industry where even a small increase in conversion can mean millions in additional revenue, that shift is transformational.

The future of payments is already here—will you lead or lag?

The transition to modern A2A isn’t theoretical. It’s happening now.

Consumer adoption is accelerating. Juniper Research has forecast that global A2A transactions are projected to surge from 60 billion in 2024 to 186 billion by 2029—a 209% increase.

The businesses making the shift today aren’t just improving payments; they’re future-proofing their entire operation. They’re eliminating inefficiencies, reclaiming lost revenue, and taking control over how they get paid.

And yet, many businesses still hold on to the belief that traditional payments are "good enough." That the mounting fees, the failed transactions, and the rising fraud risks are just part of doing business.

But the cost of doing nothing is rising. And the longer businesses wait, the more they stand to lose—not just in fees, but in customers, conversions, and competitive edge.

The future of payments isn’t just about speed. It’s about removing every ounce of unnecessary friction. About making payments so seamless, so intelligent, that they disappear into the background—leaving only the experience, the transaction, the connection between business and customer.

The businesses that recognise this shift won’t just process payments. They’ll redefine them.

So the question isn’t whether the smart payments we’ve been waiting for are coming.

They’re already here.

What is Modern A2A?

Modern A2A payments go beyond basic bank transfers by embedding real-time data, AI, and Open Banking into the payment flow. Unlike traditional A2A, which simply moves money, modern A2A optimises every transaction—reducing failures, enhancing security, and streamlining checkout.

With instant customer recognition, pre-filled banking details, and adaptive payment timing, modern A2A cuts transaction times in half while eliminating friction and unnecessary fees. The best solutions own the entire payment flow, leveraging deep banking networks for a seamless, intelligent experience.