What PYMNTS Intelligence Is
PYMNTS Intelligence is an independent research arm of PYMNTS.com, conducting original, quantitative analysis of artificial intelligence, commerce, payments, financial services and consumer behavior. Our work is designed to identify structural trends, behavioral shifts, and economic realities shaping how people and businesses transact.
PYMNTS Intelligence produces primary research, or data that is collected, analyzed, and interpreted by our data analytics and research teams rather than repackaged from third-party sources or vendor-provided materials.
What PYMNTS Intelligence Is Not
PYMNTS Intelligence does not produce promotional content, advertorial research or vendor-directed analysis.
Although PYMNTS Intelligence research is supported through external funding, it is not commissioned to promote specific products, companies or commercial outcomes.
Research Independence Statement
All PYMNTS Intelligence research is:
- Hypothesis-driven
- Independently designed by PYMNTS Intelligence analysts
- Fielded using PYMNTS Intelligence-controlled sampling strategies
- Analyzed and interpreted exclusively by PYMNTS Intelligence
- Written and framed without external editorial control
Research partners provide funding support for PYMNTS studies but do not:
- Select research hypotheses
- Influence survey design or methodology
- Control sampling, fielding or data collection
- Change conclusions, insights or framing
PYMNTS Intelligence retains full and final authority over all research outputs.
Methodological Rigor
PYMNTS Intelligence applies analytical standards consistent with academic economics, applied social science and top-tier management consulting, including:
- Pre-defined hypotheses established before fielding
- Transparent sampling methodologies
- Statistical validation and robustness checks
- A commitment to rely exclusively on real-world data rather than synthetic, artificially generated datasets.
Our research teams include economists, data scientists and social science researchers trained in quantitative analysis and experimental design.
Economic Model Transparency
PYMNTS Intelligence operates under a research patronage model.
Organizations support PYMNTS research through funding partnerships that provide access to insights and data. This model enables enterprises to benefit from management-consulting-level rigor at a fraction of the cost typically associated with advisory engagements, often four to five times more expensive for comparable analytical depth.
Funding provides access, not influence.
Commitment to Objectivity
PYMNTS Intelligence publishes findings regardless of whether they align with prevailing narratives, industry assumptions or partner expectations. When data contradicts market claims or vendor positioning, PYMNTS Intelligence reports the contradiction.
This commitment is central to PYMNTS Intelligence’s role as a trusted research authority.
Why PYMNTS Intelligence Research Matters
Because PYMNTS Intelligence maintains full methodological and editorial independence, its research is used by:
- Enterprises and financial institutions
- Policymakers and regulators
- Investors and strategists
- Academics and analysts
PYMNTS Intelligence is cited as a primary source of original data, not as sponsored or promotional content.
The PYMNTS Research Credo
Data before narrative.
Hypotheses before conclusions.
Independence before sponsorship.
PYMNTS Intelligence research is independently designed, fielded, analyzed and written by PYMNTS Intelligence with real-world data collected through rigorous survey sampling methods. Research partners provide funding support but exercise no control over methodology, data collection, findings or conclusions.
