We totally agree w the future where merchants demand more customised solutions. Tembo is a leading Infrastructure fintech in Tanzania and they have been building solutions for different types local and international merchants. From the likes of Uber to Coca-Cola FEMSA and Netflix to Swahilies in Tanzania 🇹🇿
The Payments Strategist | Helping Payments Companies Scale. Sharing Research, Strategy & Tactics.
Why These Are The Best Payments Strategy Insights I Have Learned In 2024 With the year winding down and many preparing to unplug for the holidays, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on 2024 and share the biggest lessons I’ve learned about payments strategy. 1) Strategy First, Tactics Second I’m not saying tactics don’t matter. I’m just saying that focusing on short-term wins without a clear, long-term strategy is why most payments companies stall. Stripe prioritized infrastructure. Checkout.com played the long game with their market-follower strategy. Adyen’s merchant-centric focus continues to dominate. Winning in payments is all about aligning a clearly defined vision with execution and avoid getting lost in the weeds of daily operations. 2) Adaptation is Essential Contrary to popular belief, “sticking to what worked before” is a myth. Blockbuster didn’t adapt fast enough to streaming. Traditional PSPs ignored the rise of Payment Orchestrators. Big-box retailers underestimated e-commerce. "Sticking to what worked" is a fast track to irrelevance. The payments landscape rewards those who embrace shifts, especially the disruptive ones. 3) Leverage Data as a Competitive Advantage “Most people” gather data. Which leads to… - Data silos. - Poor decision-making. - Missed opportunities. Clearly, gathering data isn’t enough. The companies that thrive, like Stripe, Adyen, and Klarna, didn't just take steps to prepare themselves years ago with robust data infrastructures, they also acted on it by developing analytics and AI-driven tools. Every transaction and refusal reason is a chance to refine, improve, and grow. 4) Global Thinking Requires Local Precision 99% of the time, applying the same playbook everywhere is a giant mistake. Instead, the OIL Framework offers a clear path for scaling globally without missteps: Opportunity: Assess market size and revenue potential. Information: Evaluate performance data and local insights. Landgrab: Tailor strategies to beat competitors on their home turf. This last year, I explored Asia, Latin America, and Africa, and I learned that each demands a nuanced, localized approach to succeed. 5) Merchant-Centricity is the Future Pursuing “one-size-fits-all solutions” is a silly goal. Because merchants’ needs are becoming more specific, not less. They want tailored solutions, including embedded payments, orchestration tools, and vertical-specific platforms. They reduce friction. They build trust. They drive revenue. Merchants don’t just want a payments partner. They want a strategic advantage. If you want to dive a bit deeper into these topics, today I published my newsletter, the Payments Strategy Breakdown, which goes deeper into this and the lessons learned. Check it out here https://buff.ly/4gHYQE8 What’s your biggest lesson from 2024? Let me know in the comments.