Development of new payment services and the role of the fintech sector during the COVID-19 pandemic

Purpose: The purpose of the article is to present both theoretical and practical basis for development of payment services in Poland and in the whole world during the COVID-19 pandemic. Over this time there was a sharp rise in e-commerce along with a fast growth of the number of consumers making online payments. This resulted in changes in adoption of new technologies and payment services. Apart from those which were the consequence of quickening the pace of change in the consumers’ behavior, a crucial role, especially in developing countries, was played by local regulators, who somehow forced financial institutions to create new solutions, which fintech readily made good use of. In numerous countries it fostered radical and groundbreaking quickening of the pace of shifting to electronic payments and creating a new sort of payment services, adjusted to the needs and expectations of younger consumers. Methodology: The paper uses the method of an economic analysis and literature review - mostly electronic sources, descriptive and comparative analyses. Findings: From customers’ perspective, the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on development of new payment services should be acknowledged as positive, or even groundbreaking in some developing countries. Over the years 2020-2021 the number of customers making on-line payments, especially mobile payments, grew rapidly. This was the result of a fast, forced by pandemic, growth in sales in e-commerce. Consequently, it enabled to introduce and widely promote new financial services - based on open banking, and promoting solutions targeted at young consumers, e.g. deferred payments. Even though the pandemic is over, the interest rate rise and the consequences of the war in Ukraine are bound to bring further, dynamic development of such payment services, as well as their popularization on more and more new markets all over the world. Practical implications: The analysis of relations between theoretical and practical bases of widespread adoption of new solutions concerning on-line payments in the world during the COVID-19 pandemic is an important factor in the development of e-commerce market and financial services. The fact that digital forms of payments have become very common brought about the network effect, a situation when the value for the customer depends on the number of users of a particular solution. Due to that, poorer, developing countries could, making use of the solutions based on open banking and the technology provided by fintech, quickly popularize cashless, and electronic payments. Only a few years ago it was estimated that in the countries lacking the standard payment infrastructure it would take decades to reach this level. Also, in developed countries the pandemic contributed to popularization among young consumers of solutions adapted to their preferences, being an alternative to traditional credit cards. Deferred payments are a solution which is commonly used in e-commerce, and their main merits include increasing both conversion rates and average order value. However, it needs to be emphasized that this goes with a less flexible business model of the companies providing such services in high interest rate environment, as well as adverse consequences of broad access to such services. Many countries have observed a growth of customer debt - which effects both credit worthiness and problems to pay off rising debts. This results in imposing formal regulations on deferred payments markets more and more frequently.