Perhaps you’ve heard of this thing called Apple Pay? Perhaps you will also recall that more than a few “experts” proclaimed NFC dead. Years ago.

Yet, along comes Apple — bolstered by a little something called the iPhone — and completely turns the payments game upside down to the point where companies like Square went from hot to who cares in about the length of time you can say “I’ll take a double latte.”

It is not just that Apple has arguably the most remarkable brand in the world. It is equally not just that Apple has arguably some of the best products in the world. It is that Apple over the last year has crystallized the fact that its brand and products are so thoroughly applicable to financial services. We have long written here about how Apple was such a threat to financial services, what with all its customers and their financial details in its possession. Some of those predictions have come true. And will continue to come true over the next year. Oh, you’ll hear about it. You’ll certainly hear about.

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