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.

The credit union industry has always been committed to innovation. This idea is especially important in the fast-paced, tech-driven modern world that we're living in. In an effort to not only maintain growth but to accelerate it as much as possible, credit unions need to embrace new solutions like digital payments wherever possible.

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.

In a not-so-distant past, digital payments revolutionized commerce. Today, however, commerce is poised to revolutionize the way money is moved. From manual and paper-based, payments are speeding toward automation, paperless, cloud-based solutions to simplify the buying and selling process.

The world of payments is on a fast-paced roller coaster to an all-digital destination. The already speeding locomotive received a jolt of energy via COVID-19, which further increased the demand for digital, online, contactless, frictionless, and speedier payments. While most generations show an interest in digital payments, it comes as no surprise that the largest push is being generated from the rear.

The first known form of currency--the Mesopotamian shekel--emerged nearly 5,000 years ago and cash has been used to purchase goods and services ever since. Until recently, it was a safe bet that cash would be around for the foreseeable future...that may not be the case anymore.

A cashless society is a common theme in science fiction novels. But with the rise of digital banking and cryptocurrencies, together with global crises and tech-savvy consumer demand, those works of fiction are becoming closer to fact. Cash is not going away, at least not anytime soon, but the popularity of non-cash transactions continues to grow.

For some time now, cash has taken a backseat to credit and debit cards in America, and digital and mobile banking has been evolving. The events of the past few years have only accelerated the transformation of more and better digital banking services, digital wallets, and other digital solutions to fill customer and member needs. Those credit unions who adapted and enhanced their digital banking platforms likely satisfied and maintained their members, but some might wonder if digital banking will replace all in-person transactions and maybe even cash itself.