It’s Earnings Season: What We’ve Learned So Far

From a leading card network’s digital ambitions to greater clarity on a social network’s payment strategy, this year’s earnings season has produced lots of interesting insights for folks in the payments industry. To bring it all together, PYMNTS.com has summarized what we’ve learned so far from some of the top public companies that have reported their quarterly earnings and where their CEOs have discussed payments trends and strategies with analysts and investors.

Each quarter, the CEOs of public companies get to talk to analysts and investors about what their firms have done to drive revenues and, in some case, change the payments industry landscape. But it also provides an opportunity for them to clarify their positions on various issues as well.

Below is a summary of what we’ve learned so far during the current earnings season from some of the top public companies that now or potentially could play a significant roles in payments.

Amazon

Online marketplace Amazon surprised investors with in second-quarter performance. Their tank stocked as analysts criticized them for having their fingers in too many pies and seemed fatigued by another bout of losses – after all, it’s only been about 20 years of them. Click here to find out what has investors so concerned and what Amazon financial head Tom Szkutak had to say about it.

Apple

The world was waiting with baited breath not for the sales of iPhones (up) and iPads (not so much) but for Apple to announce what its plans are, if anything, to take on a major role in the payments industry. Analysts had their chance to ask CEO Tim Cook about those plans. Click here to find out what happened.

Bank of America

The Great Recession is over, and card spending is again on the rise. That’s the case at Bank of America, but at what momentum? Click here to find out how much growth the issuer experienced in the last quarter.

Citi

Citi’s card performance similarly is rising, but it’s also showing an increased interest in merchant card portfolios. Click here to find out the impact from some of its more recent partnerships and what execs at the issuer see as the potential for the future in the merchant card market.

Discover

Discover is finding success in growing sales volume for its flagship Discover It card, but its Pulse debit network is facing increased competitive pressures. Click here to find out the impact those pressures could have on the debit network’s volume next year.

eBay/PayPal

PayPal continued to be a chief driver of overall revenue for parent eBay. PayPal saw its mobile volume increasing by 68 percent and contributing to 20 percent of enabled eCommerce. Click here to find out what eBay President and CEO John Donahoe had to say about the reasons why PayPal is performing so well.

Facebook

Buy buttons aside, Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook founder and CEO, clarified where the social network sees itself in the payment scheme of things and it seems like it is a long way off. Well, that is the public word. Click here to see what both he and Chief Operating Officer Cheryl Sandberg had to say about Facebook’s payments strategy.

JPMorgan Chase

Like Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase saw its card-spending volumes rising during the last quarter. But it’s also seeing a sizable jump in mobile users. Click here to find out by how much.

Starbucks

As Starbucks reported that 15 million people have now downloaded the Starbucks app, it appears that its mobile payments ambitions could be getting a head of steam. In his quarterly earnings report, Starbucks CEO Howard Shultz tipped its hand about future changes in its popular mobile-payment app. Click here to find out what initiatives the coffee retailer has in store for the app and what its doing to drive more mobile-based sales.

TSYS

TSYS has an exceptional quarter with a significant gain in revenue, aided by card-processing conversions. Click here to find out how much the gain was and where it stands among TSYS’s historic revenue gains. CEO Phil Tomlinson also discussed his upcoming retirement at the end of the month.

U.S. Bancorp

Richard Davis, U.S. Bancorp chairman, president and CEO, said he sees a bright future for mobile. Click here to see why he thinks so and where he views the industry eventually will benefit.

Visa

Visa is quiet no more about its digital ambitions. CEO Charlie Scharf laid out the groundwork for Visa to dominate in the digital world the way they have dominated in the physical world. Click here to learn the details and some of the key players that Visa plans to work with in driving digital payments forward.

Well Fargo

Wells Fargo experienced a strong quarter, with card sales up. Click here to learn what John Stumpf, Wells chairman, president and CEO, said about some of the challenges the issuer faces in getting new cardholders to use their cards.