Deep expertise

Banking & Payments Group is grounded in sector specialization, bringing clients unmatched expertise in the banking and payments markets.

Our team has worked on some of the industry’s most important studies, tracking the evolution and performance of the market, and helping to set the course of numerous organizations.

Select studies

The Debit Issuer Study

The definitive assessment of the US debit card market, analyzing a data set of over 150 million cards, to track key performance indicators

COVID-19’s Impact on US Card Issuers

Tracking the pandemic’s effect on issuers together with recommended response strategies

The Digital Payments Study

Measuring the adoption and use of various digital payment methods

Achieving Top of Digital Wallet

Point-of-view regarding how the payments market may change as plastic cards shift to digital wallets

The Regulation of Traditional and Alternative Electronic Payments

Extensive discussion of the regulations applying to different payment methods (prepared for the Federal Advisory Council of the Federal Reserve)

The ATM Deployer Study

Industry outlook and performance metrics for FI and ISO ATM deployers (multiple years)

Study of Consumer Payment Preferences

Analysis of 3,000+ consumers to understand why consumers make different payment choices

Global experience

Our team has worked with clients on-the-ground in almost every major region worldwide.

Click on a region to view examples of the global experience base we leverage in every engagement.

Developed a national payments strategy for a Central Bank in the Middle East, with the objective of accelerating the adoption of electronic payments
Re-designed the commercial model, and pricing construct, for a major payment scheme in Singapore
Recommended an alternative merchant services’ operating model for a Top 3 bank in the United Arab Emirates (UAE)
Identified and executed on a number of retail banking and retail payments initiatives to improve performance for a Top 3 bank in Indonesia
Diligenced the brown-label ATM market in India, together with cash-in-transit vendors

Designed the operating model for a new domestic payment scheme
Developed an enterprise-wide payments strategy for one of Australia’s Four Pillar banks
Created the business case for prepaid cards for a Top 5 merchant
Built the initial technology roadmap for a new domestic payment scheme

Interviewed the head of payment processing across a broad sample of European banks, gauging the likelihood that they will utilize new technologies and/or providers
Assessed whether the “payment factory” of a major continental European bank was well prepared for future industry developments
Structured a prepaid card joint venture between a payment processor and a major French merchant
Evaluated the business plan of a new-to-market payments provider, benchmarking their capabilities against incumbents
Diligenced the Independent ATM Deployer (IAD) market in the UK

Examined the co-brand credit card market, focused on potential partners across the value chain and modeling projected economics
Extensive analysis of transaction-level interchange yields to help optimize routing and contractual terms
Evaluated the business and operating model of a Top 3 Canadian merchant acquirer, and identified initiatives to compete in the ISV/VAR market
Deep-dive assessment of the US healthcare payments market to identify potential expansion opportunities
Developed the strategic plan for one of the top domestic payment processors in Mexico
Diligenced a potential investment in a U.S. bank, evaluating the bank’s competitiveness and business outlook, together with potential risks and synergies

Client feedback

We are committed to excellence, working with clients to deliver nothing less than extraordinary impact.

I have had the pleasure of working with Tony multiple times throughout my career to address a number of critical, payments-related issues. He tackled every engagement with a wealth of industry expertise and generated detailed and actionable plans. Overall, just an incredible experience that delivered significant value for the teams!

CEO, Top 50 U.S. Bank

Looking to serve our own end-clients better, we were eager to explore complementary, adjacent market opportunities such as small business lending and mortgage lending. Tony and his team knew these markets incredibly well and helped us to “navigate” the options efficiently and effectively. There was a true collaboration between my team and Tony’s, and we were able to arrive at the right answers for our end-clients with Tony’s guidance and support.

Head of Corporate Strategy, Top 10 Insurance Company

The payments market is changing rapidly, across technology, customer behavior, new competitors and regulatory requirements. Tony and his team helped us benchmark our costs, technical capabilities and agility, and we identified three future scenarios and actions we could take. Tony brings a lot of knowledge, from infrastructure to local market characteristics, and brings in refreshing strategic views.

Payments Strategy Lead, Major European Bank

We needed to implement a capital management and stress testing framework in a very short timeframe. Tony and his team were able to assist us in designing the approach and successfully delivering detailed results on time and to the satisfaction of our Board of Directors and regulators. Tony has a unique ability to think strategically at a high level, generate ideas and get his hands dirty in the details, while working across many levels of the organization.

Head of Capital Planning, Top 50 U.S. Bank

I worked with Tony on multiple engagements while serving as head of strategy at a Fortune 200 financial services firm. Tony and team took over a difficult project that was off track from a big consulting firm and turned it around in a matter of weeks. The depth of expertise and results oriented execution focus, combined with deep strategic insights, is what set Tony and his team apart. Tony is an asset to any firm as a strategic advisor.

Head of Strategy, Top 3 Payments Processor

As the fintech lender boom hit, we were fortunate enough to connect with Tony and his team to get our arms around the rapidly changing marketplace. When it comes to understanding strategic and tactical approaches to solve complex problems, Tony is a master at separating signal from noise. We truly value our long-standing partnership and will continue to seek opportunities to collaborate with Tony and his team as the banking industry evolves.

Managing Partner, Leading Bank Advisory Firm

Tony led the team to help comprehensively review the largest and most complex commercial credit model the bank had. They delivered an outstanding result – a solid quantitative review of near scientific quality yet filled with practical insights, and with conclusions that allowed us to make significant improvements the following year. Expertise, integrity, and professionalism cannot be faked – and Tony has these in spades.

Chief Model Risk Officer, Systemically Important Financial Institution

Tony’s research skills combined with his knowledge of the payments industry set him apart from his peers. He knows all of the top issuers and these FIs trust his integrity to maintain the confidentiality of their data, a vital attribute for any research project. His work product always combines the necessary blend of detailed data analyses and strategic takeaways. And every project is always precise, delivered on time and on budget.