In our last article (the first in this series on ‘Collaborative Finance’ with specific focus on digital payments), we explored how the diverse landscape of consortiums, partnerships, and ecosystems are transforming the industry; through setting industry standards, fostering innovation, and amplifying synergies for scale and value. We have seen such collaborations emerging from various sources: some driven by governmental bodies and regulatory entities; and some by private enterprises, including industry giants and nimble startups. Today, we focus on three groundbreaking partnerships/collaborations that have already left a significant mark and are poised to have an even greater impact in times to come.

Ripple’s XRP: Revolutionizing Cross-Border Payments

Cross-border payments have emerged as a catalyst for innovation in the digital payments space, and in our last article, we explored pioneering work from Government bodies in this regard, from setting standards (e.g., SEPA) and forming bilateral arrangements (e.g., India and Singapore) to conceptualizing Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs). Additionally, we briefly touched upon the influx of stablecoins, and how it seems that everybody and their uncle are launching one coin after another, blowups notwithstanding. The latest entrant in this area is PYUSD, which came from PayPal and was made available for eligible U.S. PayPal customers as recent as in Aug, 2023.

Our first candidate in today’s discussion is a cryptocurrency that is not a stablecoin, but holds a lofty vision to revolutionize cross-border payments and settlements. Meet Ripple’s XRP. Operating on a decentralized network with the Ripple Protocol Consensus Algorithm (RPCA), XRP enables near-instant cross-border payments, eliminating the need for maintaining reserve funds. The RPCA fosters consensus through a distributed mechanism, bypassing the competitive mining prevalent in other cryptocurrencies. XRP, the native cryptocurrency, facilitates transactions and provides liquidity across borders, with seamless conversion into other currencies using the Ripple protocol.

Ripple’s extensive network boasts partnerships with numerous financial institutions, including banks and payment service providers. Renowned names such as Santander, Standard Chartered, Westpac, American Express, MoneyGram, and SBI Holdings have strategically aligned with Ripple. Ripple’s appeal lies in its ability to overcome inefficiencies associated with traditional cross-border payments, offering speed, affordability, accessibility, liquidity, and transparency.

Alipay: Redefining Boundaries in Digital Payments

Our next candidate today has also transformed international payments, and has relied tremendously on collaboration in doing so. By partnering with financial institutions, payment processors, and fintech disruptors worldwide, Alipay has rendered international transactions as seamless, efficient and cost-effective as domestic payments. The partnership with Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) has notably simplified cross-border transactions within the Eurozone, uniting millions of users under a single payment experience.

Alipay’s dedication to financial inclusion is equally commendable, evident through partnerships with governments, NGOs, financial institutions, and technology innovators. Notably, the “Ant Forest” initiative encourages users to adopt eco-friendly behaviours, with each eco-friendly action planting a tree. This collaborative effort addresses societal and environmental issues while extending the formal financial system’s reach to the unbanked and the underbanked.

Alipay’s role as a payment aggregator further simplifies the fragmented payment ecosystem. By consolidating various payment methods and services, Alipay offers users a comprehensive financial solution. Beyond payments, Alipay integrates tools spanning fraud prevention, credit solutions, vendor payouts, and loyalty programs, enhancing user journeys while reducing friction.

Over time, China’s Alipay has transformed itself into a financial super app, having bundled integrated financial services (e.g., savings, credit, insurance, payments and transfers, and investing services) with broader and interactive commerce functionality – all within an integrated and seamless user experience.

Apple-Goldman Sachs: Transforming Credit and Banking

And that brings us to our final contender in today’s conversation: Apple, the world’s largest company by market capitalization. Apple has been gradually building an ecosystem of hardware, software, and services that offers users an increasingly integrated and comprehensive range of financial tools and features. As Apple continues to expand its offerings in the financial space, it could eventually develop into a financial super app on the lines of Alipay, providing a wide array of financial services within a unified platform.

A comprehensive deep dive on this sustained progress that Apple has been making is beyond the scope of this discussion, but we will touch upon one specific collaboration that is furthering Apple’s lofty vision. The collaboration between Apple and Goldman Sachs.

The first launch from this partnership came in the form of the Apple Card, which reimagined the credit card experience. The physical card boasts of a minimalist design, having removed

the card number, CVV, expiration date, and signature. Additionally, the digital-first approach, tight integration with Apple Pay, zero annual fees, detailed transaction insights, and flexible payment options have redefined user expectations. Subsequently, Apple Pay Later, which is a Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) service; and a high-yield savings account linked to the Apple Card have further expanded the financial offerings emanating from this partnership.

Goldman Sachs, renowned for its institutional business, finds an entry into consumer banking through this partnership with consumer-focused Apple, leveraging its vast and loyal user base. Apple, on the other hand, strengthens its ecosystem and is likely to expand into investment management services, among others, to be a one-stop shop for its customers. Regulators willing, we may even witness an Apple Bank real soon. Think about it. If you are regarded as one of the world’s most trusted companies, how hard will it be to convince your loyal consumers to trust you with their money. But that is a story for another day!

In conclusion, Alipay, Ripple, and the Apple-Goldman Sachs partnership exemplify how collaboration in digital finance is reshaping the industry. These collaborations transcend traditional boundaries, offering innovative solutions that simplify payments, foster financial inclusion, and redefine credit and banking. The future may hold even more financial innovations as these partnerships continue to thrive in the evolving landscape of collaborative finance. Stay tuned for more insights in this collaborative finance series.