Helsinki, Finland — [4 June 2026] — Mobey Forum’s Payment Expert Group has published a new interactive infographic titled Payment is not just a payment that provides a practical comparison of debit card, credit card, and account-to-account (A2A) payments.
By mapping the end-to-end payment lifecycle for card and A2A payments, the infographic acts as a strategy tool for banks, payment service providers, and other players in the payments ecosystem, clarifying the responsibilities, processes, and participant roles differ across payment rails. It addresses questions such as does the reconfiguration of intermediaries really lead to a better payment system — or simply shift the value elsewhere? What actual gaps are there between card and A2A rails? How are the business models evolving as banks and fintechs take over the roles traditionally held by acquirers and card schemes?
Comparing Payment Models Across the Full Lifecycle
The infographic maps payment journeys across four stages: onboarding and issuing, payment initiation, transaction processing, and post-processing activities. Comparing debit, credit, and A2A payments side by side highlights differences in participants, controls, timing, user experience, and post-transaction processes.
The analysis shows that while many payment processes are similar across rails, important distinctions remain. Card payments benefit from mature operating frameworks and standardization, while A2A models enable direct account-to-account fund transfers without card-scheme intermediaries and are gaining momentum through faster settlement, cost efficiency, and regulatory support.
“Too often, discussions about payments focus on individual features or costs rather than the end-to-end process,” said Pål Krogdahl, Co-Chair of Mobey Forum’s Payment Expert Group. “By mapping payment journeys step by step, we wanted to provide a practical framework for understanding where different payment models share common foundations and where meaningful differences exist.”
Understanding the Differences Between Payment Rails
The infographic also explores areas where payment models diverge most significantly, including dispute handling, exception management, acceptance across different channels, and the distinction between pull-based and push-based payment models.
It reinforces that comparing payment rails alone can be misleading. User experience, trust, and value creation depend not only on the underlying rail, but also on the business rules, risk management approaches, and ecosystem participants supporting each payment model. The infographic also shows how different payment rails distribute responsibilities and value across the ecosystem in different ways. As new payment services emerge, both card and A2A ecosystems continue to evolve and learn from one another.
“The future of payments will not be defined by a single payment rail,” said Ville Sointu, Co-Chair of Mobey Forum’s Payment Expert Group. “Understanding the strengths, trade-offs, and evolving roles of card and account-to-account payments is essential for banks, payment providers, and merchants as the ecosystem continues to develop.”
The full infographic, Payment is not just a payment, is available HERE.
About Mobey Forum
Mobey Forum is a not-for-profit, member-based knowledge and networking platform that focuses on emerging technologies and business models in digital financial services. We connect banking practitioners around the world who are navigating similar challenges within their organizations and provide a trusted environment for sharing practical and behind-the-scenes information among members. Our Member Meetings and other activities enable our members to gain clarity on the latest trends and create content that shapes the industry. Familiar names in our membership include HSBC, Nordea, DNB, CaixaBank, Erste Group, UBS, RBC, and Visa. More about us: www.mobeyforum.org
For further information, please contact Annamária Búriová (annamaria.buriova@mobeyforum.org).
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