With COVID-19 and changes to the political landscape in UK and US, both the public and the markets are going through a turbulent 2020.
Here at Worldpay from FIS, we’ve had to adapt quickly to respond to these market pressures to help our brokers and merchants the best we can. As the year draws to a close, we have observed a few trends and influences in the trading markets and have noted some interesting windows of opportunity.
The knock-on effect of COVID-19
Despite its challenges, COVID-19 has caused an uptick in volatility in the trading markets, stimulating the markets such as forex, which had a sustained period of low volatility in 2019. This has spurred on a new interest in trading overall – with brokers experiencing a wave of either new clients or the return of dormant traders.
In 2019, it was revealed that 43% of forex retail traders are millennials and only 15% of forex traders are over 45. In tandem with record-low interest rates and, as a result, unappealing options for savings, some younger individual traders are considering investing their money elsewhere for potentially better gains, from forex and commodity trading to contracts for difference (CFDs).
The benefit of diversification
Many popular brokerages are broadening their product lines, with many now including currencies, commodities, equities and indices, as clients’ desire to garner exposure to regulated markets has been increasing. A recent trend shows the growing popularity of CFDs on exchange-traded funds (ETFs), as investment vehicles that offer low-cost diversification and arbitrage options for retail traders. ETF CFDs not only help expand trading capabilities but also attracts more traders looking to diversify their trading options on the same platform.
Offering multiple investment options to users is proving increasingly popular due to the simplicity of analyzing one’s overall portfolio and assessing risk levels and potential gains in one place. This demand is again influenced by the nature of a younger customer base who are looking for accessibility and a slick user experience.
Where do Payments fit in?
Worldpay from FIS has wide-ranging payment capabilities to help optimize payments processing which, in turn, may improve customer satisfaction. Through working with largest online brokerages across a vast range of countries and jurisdictions, we have gained strong expertise in this sector and understand the challenges and requirements for brokers.
Our consultative approach is bespoke as we can utilize data Analytics across all payment methods to understand users’ payment behaviors and activity, helping drive engagement and maximize customer acquisition and retention. We can collaborate with you to understand your strategies to help you be better equipped to meet your customers’ preferences and demands.
With one integration, brokerages can leverage their payment experience to aid in meeting the level of convenience which this generation of millennial customers may be looking for. Offering alternative payment methods (APM)s and mobile optimized eWallets as payment options could complement your platform and boost user satisfaction, all whilst monitoring helping to minimize the potential threat of fraud and chargebacks.
For more information on what we can offer, please visit our website at fisglobal.com.
