A groundbreaking whitepaper just released, titled The Future of Global Payments & Fourth Generation Payment Networks (4GPN), is setting the tone for a new era in the fintech industry. Jointly developed by Thunderbird School of Global Management and Wiseasy, the paper explores how transformative technologies, including IoT, blockchain, cryptocurrency and cloud computing, are converging to reshape the digital payments landscape, with Fourth Generation Payment Networks (4GPN) at the center of this transformation.

According to the latest industry reports, the global digital payments market is projected to grow from US$10.18 trillion in 2024 to US$32.07 trillion by 2033, reflecting a robust 13.6% CAGR over this period. This rapid expansion underscores the accelerating shift towards cashless economies worldwide, driven by FinTech innovations, government-led financial inclusion initiatives, and the emergence of Fourth Generation Payment Networks (4GPN) — a vision that Wiseasy continues to pioneer. The industry is undergoing rapid change driven by financial inclusion efforts, mobile innovation, and shifting consumer expectations. This whitepaper provides a comprehensive, regionally contextualized analysis of the key forces at play -- from digital wallets to BNPL and CBDCs to stablecoins -- making it essential reading for policymakers, payment service providers, and financial institutions.

At the core of this evolution is 4GPN: a new class of payment infrastructure that unifies traditional and next-gen methods such as EMV cards, biometrics, and digital currencies. Designed for flexibility, scalability, and inclusion, 4GPN is built to serve both banked and unbanked populations across emerging and developed economies alike.

"Financial inclusion is not just a goal — it's an imperative," the whitepaper notes, citing World Bank data showing 1.7 billion adults remain unbanked, even as 1.1 billion of them own mobile phones. 4GPN aims to close this gap by offering secure, real-time, and interoperable payment services through mobile-first ecosystems.