Digital Payments Simulation

In the simulation, participants will:

• Review simulated data on consumer behavior, competitor moves, and regulatory announcements.

• Choose which customer segments to target and which payment products to develop or enhance.

• Allocate budget across R&D, marketing, security, and compliance.

• Negotiate with simulated banking and retail partners to expand their network.

• Respond to real-time events like fraud attacks, system outages, or new market entrants.

• Communicate their strategy and performance to simulated investors or a board of directors.

• Refine their approach each round based on performance feedback and changing market conditions.

• Map the core components and revenue flows of the digital payments value chain.

• Design a viable business and product strategy for a digital payments service.

• Evaluate the impact of key financial regulations on product design and operations.

• Analyze the trade-offs between growth investment, risk management, and profitability.

• Develop strategies to build network effects and manage key partnerships.

• Communicate a coherent payments strategy to technical and non-technical stakeholders.

• Anticipate how emerging technologies could disrupt the payments landscape.

• Build confidence in making strategic decisions under uncertainty in a high-growth sector.

1. Receive a Market Brief Teams are introduced to their simulated company and the current market landscape.

** 2. Analyze and Plan** They assess their position, study competitor intelligence, and review financial dashboards.

3. Make Strategic Decisions Teams submit their plans for product development, marketing, partnerships, and risk management through an intuitive interface.

4. Collaborate and Negotiate Teams may interact to form alliances or compete for exclusive partnerships in a multiplayer environment.

5. Receive Round Results The simulator processes all decisions, generating outcomes on market share, financial performance, and operational incidents.

6. Review and Adapt Teams receive detailed feedback on their performance metrics. They then refine their strategy for the next round, responding to new market developments.

• Who is the Digital Payments Simulation designed for? It is ideal for university students in finance, business, or technology programs, as well as professionals in banking, fintech, consulting, or any role seeking to understand the dynamics of the modern payments industry.

• Do I need a technical background or prior fintech experience? No prior experience is required. The simulation includes foundational instructional content, making it accessible to beginners while providing depth for those with more background.

• How long does the simulation typically run? The core experience is designed for 3-4 hours but can be modularly adjusted to fit shorter workshop formats or extended into a multi-session project.

• Is this an individual or team-based activity? It supports both formats. The team-based version encourages collaboration, mirroring real-world cross-functional strategy development in companies.

• What real-world scenarios are covered? Scenarios include managing a data breach, responding to a new regulatory mandate, launching a product in a new geographic market, and countering a competitor's pricing war.

• Can the simulation be customized for our specific learning goals? Absolutely. Facilitators can emphasize specific modules, adjust market parameters, and introduce custom scenarios to align with course or training objectives.

• How is participant performance measured? Performance is measured using a balanced scorecard including key metrics like market share growth, profitability (EBITDA), regulatory compliance score, system uptime, and partner satisfaction.

• What roles does this simulation prepare participants for? It prepares participants for roles in fintech product management, payments strategy, business development, financial regulation, consulting, and innovation teams within traditional financial institutions.

• Growth in key metrics like active users, transaction volume, and profitability.

• Effectiveness in maintaining security and adhering to regulatory rules.

• Coherence and adaptability of their product and partnership strategies.

• Clarity and persuasiveness of investor pitches or board updates.

• How effectively the team works together to analyze data and make decisions.