Welcome to Part 2 of our Complete Guide to Innovative Digital Payment Options. In Part 1, we provided a brief overview of the advanced technology that underpins digital payments and explained why they are increasingly crucial for credit unions. As we mentioned earlier, comprehending the fundamental aspects of this technology and its workings is essential to seamlessly integrate it into your credit union, thus benefiting both members and the institution.

The recent explosion in popularity of digital payments can be attributed to many things--from a younger and more tech-savvy generation of consumers becoming more financially stable to the rise of eCommerce and beyond. Regardless, 2/3rds of adults worldwide now make or receive digital payments regularly--a trend that shows no signs of slowing.

Each year, our lives become more and more digitally focused--to the point where most people spend the majority of their days interacting with some form of technology. Often, this happens in ways that would have seemed odd or even unthinkable in the past.

If you've ever opened the built-in "Wallet" app on your iPhone, you're no doubt at least passingly familiar with how convenient digital wallets can be. With a few taps of your finger, digital representations of all of your credit and debit cards are available and can be instantly used to make contactless purchases and other digital payments.

As recently as a decade ago, the idea that we were headed towards a "cashless society" seemed laughable. Now, with more and more people making purchases online and with options such as contactless payments becoming the "new norm" for in-person experiences, we may be a lot closer to a cashless society than we think.

In the 16 years since the iPhone was introduced, the world has changed immeasurably. Not only has nearly every facet of our lives become highly digitized, but it's also all hyper-connected as well.

A critical thing to understand about modern-day credit union members is that they want more options, not fewer. If they want to be pigeonholed into a cold, personal experience with a narrow focus that technically meets their needs but not in any particularly satisfying way, they'll do business with one of the larger, national banks. Instead, they want more flexibility and versatility than ever and credit unions (CUs) need to rise to that challenge.

If you had to make a list of some of the most invaluable assets that credit unions have, loyalty is undoubtedly right at the top.

In a period of significant global economic instability, the financial services sector is going through a significant period of disruption. This has been especially challenging for credit unions, who need to leverage a variety of methods to keep cash flow as stable as possible. Thankfully, there are ways to use this newfound disruption to optimize revenue streams moving forward. They require organizational leaders to keep a few key things in mind.

As a credit union, you must adapt to your members' needs and wants, which include the adoption of new technology. According to a recent report from Experian Global, the number of people with mobile wallets and traditional payment methods is essentially the same. Out of 6,000 consumers and 2,000 businesses surveyed worldwide, 62% responded that they use mobile wallets, 63% said they use traditional payments, and 64% said they use a debit card for making transactions. In addition, the survey discovered that consumers are also using digital payment methods just as much as they use their email. With all of these statistics, it's safe to say that consumers are steadily becoming more tech-savvy. So, the real challenge for credit unions is to recognize the significant increase in digital spending and rise to the occasion.