Resources & Guides

Alternative payment methods (APMs) are any transaction options that do not rely on traditional card-based networks (Visa, Mastercard, Amex). They include digital wallets, BNPL (Buy Now, Pay Later), direct bank-to-bank transfers, mobile money, and cryptocurrencies. Globally, alternative payment options now account for over 55% of all e-commerce transaction volumes. In key growth markets like Brazil and India, APMs represent upwards of 70% of digital checkouts. Offering local checkout preferences is the single highest-leverage optimization a merchant can make to improve cross-border cart conversion rates.

Open banking regulations, such as PSD2 and the upcoming PSD3 standards in Europe, mandate that banks expose secure Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) to authorized third parties. This allows financial technology applications to initiate payments directly from the customer's checking account with biometric authorization. For online merchants, open banking eliminates credit card networks and interchange fees, settles funds in real-time, and guarantees zero chargebacks. This guide details PSD3 implementation dates, security compliance requirements, and integration methods using modern payment APIs.

Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) has grown from a niche offering to a mainstream payment expectation across e-commerce. This guide covers the BNPL landscape for merchants evaluating integration: how pay-in-4 and pay-in-30 structures work, typical merchant discount rates (3-6%), the impact on average order value (typically +30-50%), and how to choose between Klarna, Afterpay, Affirm, and PayPal Pay Later based on geographic coverage and customer demographics.

Launched by the Central Bank of Brazil in November 2020, PIX has become the dominant payment method in the Brazilian market, with over 70% of adults actively using the system. PIX enables instant settlement 24/7, zero or near-zero transaction fees, and payment initiation via QR codes, random keys, or manual entry. For international merchants, integrating PIX is essential for accessing the Brazilian e-commerce market, which represents over 60% of Latin American online sales.

Mobile money has become the backbone of digital payments in many emerging markets where traditional banking infrastructure is limited. With over 1.6 billion registered mobile money accounts globally — concentrated in Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia — platforms like M-Pesa (Kenya), GCash (Philippines), and bKash (Bangladesh) process billions of dollars in transactions monthly. For merchants targeting these markets, accepting mobile money is not optional; it is the primary digital payment rail.