The financial services industry stands at a crossroads where technology, customer expectations, and market pressures converge to create both challenges and opportunities. As we look toward 2025, industry leaders are unified in their vision: Success will come not just from processing transactions or providing basic services, but from delivering meaningful value that transforms everyday interactions into deeper, more profitable relationships. Download your copy of this eBook here.

In this collection of insights from 11 leading executives across the financial services spectrum, a clear message emerges — the future belongs to those who can embed intelligence, personalization and simplicity into every aspect of their offerings.

“The businesses that thrive will be those that simplify payments, offer real-time solutions, and build value-driven, account-based relationships to attract, retain and grow their customer base,” says Joseph Akintolayo, chief innovation officer at Ingo Payments. This sentiment echoes throughout the perspectives shared by these industry leaders, who collectively manage billions in transactions and serve thousands of financial institutions, merchants and consumers.

The push toward value-added services isn’t just about staying competitive — it’s about survival and growth in a complex marketplace. As Mike Minelli, chief commercial officer at Banyan, puts it, “2025 will be the year when payment industry players will stand out due to the ability to deliver value to their partners for marketing, fraud, risk and operations. The key word is collaboration.”

Several crucial themes emerge from these executive insights:

First, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are no longer optional extras but essential tools for everything from fraud prevention to customer service. Leaders across the board are investing heavily in AI capabilities to enhance decision-making, streamline operations and deliver more personalized experiences.

Second, the emphasis on embedded solutions and seamless integration has become paramount. Whether it’s payment orchestration, account opening or lending services, the ability to integrate smoothly with existing systems while maintaining security and compliance is critical for adoption and scale.

Third, there’s a growing recognition that data isn’t just about transactions — it’s about relationships. Companies are leveraging advanced analytics and real-time insights to better understand customer behavior, predict needs and deliver personalized experiences that drive loyalty and revenue growth.

Fourth, security and trust remain foundational elements, but they must be balanced with user experience. As fraud threats evolve, companies are developing more sophisticated protection mechanisms that work behind the scenes without creating friction for legitimate users.

Finally, there’s a clear focus on democratizing access to advanced financial technology. Whether it’s helping smaller banks compete with larger institutions or enabling businesses to offer sophisticated financial services to their customers, the industry is working to level the playing field through technology and partnerships.

These executives represent companies at the forefront of payment processing, fraud prevention, banking technology and financial software. Their insights offer a unique window into how the industry is evolving and what organizations need to do to stay competitive in a digital-first financial world. The pages that follow provide perspectives on how these industry leaders are approaching the challenges and opportunities ahead. From expanding payment options and enhancing security to leveraging artificial intelligence and improving customer experiences, their strategies offer a roadmap for success in financial services.

Whether you’re a financial institution looking to modernize your offerings, a FinTech company seeking to understand market trends, or a business leader planning your technology strategy, these insights provide valuable perspective on where the industry is heading and how to position your organization for success in 2025 and beyond.

With the Dodgers wrapping up the 2024 World Series on Wednesday, the business of Major League Baseball in the offseason gets underway. On Thursday, the A’s unveiled their financing details for a new ballpark in Las Vegas.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports how owner John Fisher and the A’s plan to finance the $1.5 billion ballpark. The club updated the Las Vegas Stadium Authority and will present documentation to the board on Dec. 5th that comes in form of four letters outlining details.

Key to the financing, the family of John Fisher will commit up to $1 billion in equity investment in the club. The Fisher family. Based on the latest Forbes valuation the family has a new value of $8.9 billion.

Debt, in the form of a $300 million construction loan from U.S. Bank and Goldman Sachs who have been working with the A’s for the past four years.

A separate letter from U.S. Bank details that there are sufficient financial holdings and equity within the Fisher family to cover the loan.

The last letter will be signed by the A’s they are in receipt of the loan and equity commitment for the ballpark.

All of the provisions are tied to customary conditions for a large project.

As Early As 30 Years The Ballpark Could Be Demolished

The deed for the ballpark provides a worst-case scenario in which the A’s exit the ballpark and, yet again, relocate. Should the ballpark outlive its usefulness – the stadium no longer hosts A’s and isn’t selling at least 150,000 tickets per year to other events – the land would be sold back to Bally’s and GLPI. The A’s would be responsible for demolishing the ballpark.

The earliest this could occur would be 30 years after completion. Should the A’s meet the 2028 planned opening date that could mean the wrecking ball as early as 2058.

As noted, that’s the worst case scenario. Should the A’s agree to continue past the initial 30-year lease term the A’s are afforded a series of lease extensions that could total as much as 99 years.

31 October 2024, London – Climate finance is going to be at the center of COP29 negotiations in Baku next month. A new study shows that annual climate finance must increase at least fivefold by 2030 to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement and to avoid the worst consequences of climate change.  

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The Global Landscape of Climate Finance 2024: Insights for COP29 report, published today by Climate Policy Initiative (CPI), found that climate finance flows reached almost USD 1.5 trillion, having doubled between 2018 and 2022.   

However, climate finance currently only represents 1% of global GDP, far short of what is needed. Emerging markets and developing economies (EMDEs) may need around 6.5% of their GDP by 2030 to meet climate goals.  

“While global climate finance has made some strides, a much more ambitious, cohesive, and effective approach is essential to address the vast funding gap,” said Barbara Buchner, CPI’s Global Managing Director. “The data from CPI’s Global Landscape report leaves no doubt that investment needs to scale across all fronts—domestically, internationally, and across sectors—to reach our mutual climate goals. COP29 is an opportunity to establish clear, collaborative commitments to finance the transformation needed for a sustainable future.” 

CPI’s report further details the cost of inaction, estimating that projected economic losses by 2100 will be five times greater than the climate finance that is needed by 2050 to stay within a 1.5°C warming scenario. The economic impact under a “business-as-usual” scenario will be exponential if climate action is delayed, further exacerbating financial strain on all economies. 

Alarmingly, investments in fossil fuels continued to rise globally throughout 2023 and 2024 to surpass USD 1 trillion, despite global commitments to reduce fossil fuel investments. Subsidies for fossil fuel consumption in emerging economies increased fivefold during the same period.  

The insights provided in this year’s Global Landscape of Climate Finance 2024, the most comprehensive overview of global climate-related primary investment, are particularly crucial ahead of COP29, which marks a critical juncture for establishing the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) to make finance flows consistent with a pathway towards low greenhouse gas emissions and climate-resilient development. 

Several large-scale processes need to occur simultaneously in the next five years to accelerate the scale, speed, and quality of climate finance amid constrained budgets and conflicting political and financial priorities. To enhance the scale and effectiveness of global climate finance, CPI proposes prioritizing the following topics: innovation and replication; targeting and allocation; domestic policies and ownership; and cross-cutting, multi-stakeholder action.  

For more information, register for the webinar on Monday, 4 November 2024.  

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Media contact: 
Jana Stupperich 
Senior Communications Associate 
jana.stupperich@cpiglobal.org  

About Climate Policy Initiative
CPI is an analysis and advisory organization with deep expertise in finance and policy. Our mission is to help governments, businesses, and financial institutions drive economic growth while addressing climate change. CPI has offices in Brazil, India, Indonesia, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States.