What’s the Role for Banking and Payments at This Week’s CES?
The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2015, which officially begins tomorrow in Las Vegas, is the country’s premier event for introducing high-tech gadgets. This year will see a plethora of wearable technology, supposedly capable of measuring everything from the wearer’s mood to turning his thoughts into speech. The buzzy-est item so far appears to be battery-powered rollerskates — but what will the event bring us in terms of payments and banking technologies?
Potentially, quite a bit. The exhibitor directory lists 169 e-commerce exhibitors, as well as 156 mobile commerce/digital finance exhibitors. There is naturally a great deal of overlap between these two categories, and it is not immediately clear how some of the companies, such as Honeywell International, fit in, but regardless payments are high on the agenda at CES 2015.
Payments are not as high, however, as the categories getting the most press in the run-up to the event: automotive electronics, with 406 exhibitors, and smart home/appliances with 726.
The event will also feature a virtual currency showcase called “The World of Bitcoin”:
The World of Bitcoin will feature a 2,000-square-foot island located at the Las Vegas Convention Center’s South Hall, and comprise at least 10 virtual currency-related companies, including: BitPay, Bitman, Bitstamp, Blockchain, Circle, CoPay, Kraken, Private Internet Access, Robocoin and yBitcoin.
There is also a session Tuesday morning called “The Future of Mobile Payments” featuring the following speakers:
- Sarah Clark, Editor, NFC World (moderator)
- Will Wang Graylin, CEO, LoopPay
- Adam White, Director of Business Development & Strategy, Coinbase
- Mung Ki Woo, Executive Vice President of Digital Platforms, MasterCard
LoopPay, incidentally, was the only payments-related exhibitor noticed by Chuck Martin of mCommerce Daily in his walk of the floor this weekend. Apple Watch and Apple Pay will not appear at the event — Apple is notorious for snubbing CES.
Here’s a look back at what Business Insider mattered for payments at CES 2014 — bitcoins and biometrics figure heavily. A Reddit user at CES 2014 indicated the number one question being asked was “So what exactly is bitcoin?” At least we’ve moved on from there.
Even if smart homes and auto gizmos dominate the show, the potential for payments in every connected device ensures payments should be part of the conversation.
