More women in business, the development of local tourism, and increased consumer savings – these are just a few of the positive post-pandemic trends discussed by key figures within Mastercard's global structures during the recent Impact’21 conference. 1. Acceleration of Digitalization The trend of directing companies and consumers towards all things digital, intensified in 2020, is set to stay with us for longer. Consumers have permanently changed their purchasing behaviors, shifting towards contactless payments and online commerce – indicated Gilberto Caldart, President of International Markets at Mastercard. "We estimate that 20–30 percent of the peak global shift to e-commerce will remain. For example, in the USA, this transition accelerated by 2 years. (...) According to our analyses of returning to normalcy, the e-evolution of commerce in 2020 amounted to 900 billion dollars. This is how much more was spent in retail online stores in 2020, as Covid-19 kept consumers at home. Globally, e-commerce earned roughly one dollar out of every five spent in physical stores." Caldart also added that this trend applies to all age groups. This means that digitalization has expanded to include generations who previously didn't necessarily use online shopping. 2. Women on Boards and Supervisory Councils Ann Cairns, Executive Vice President at Mastercard and head of the 30% Club, an organization advocating for the employment of women in senior business positions, points out that the world's largest investors are now introducing requirements for more gender-diverse boards and supervisory councils. "The reason they are doing this is that they see improved company performance, and they want to maximize their profits. (...) Gender equality in business is an absolute business imperative. (...) McKinsey's report shows that the most diverse companies achieve about 25 percent better results than others" – Cairns stated at this year's Impact’21. Ann Cairns added that the 30% Club's work in encouraging company boards and supervisory councils worldwide to have at least 30 percent women in senior leadership and teams contributes to a cultural transformation in how women are perceived in business. "The reason the 30% Club is very successful in places like Australia, the UK, and the United States is that the chairmen and CEOs who are members of the club are men supporting women – because the majority of them are men – who have declared on behalf of their companies that they want more than 30 percent women on their boards and over 30 percent in their sales teams. This is not a target, it's a baseline. This is also the moment when you see the change happening" – Cairns said. However, the Mastercard Vice President indicated that there are still too few women in the technology sector. "I believe women are insufficiently involved in designing the future, and this future will include areas like artificial intelligence, 5G, etc. We are losing crucial perspectives here" – she stated. 3. A New, Cashless World Gilberto Caldart, Mastercard President for International Markets, identified the growth of international online trade and the popularization of cashless payments across various industries as further trends. "We estimate that the Covid-related lockdown accelerated the shift from cash to digital payments in American stores by a year, and in the rest of the world, by a much longer period." Due to the closure of numerous local restaurants and shops, business moved to the virtual world. Caldart said that in the USA alone, 74 percent of new retail businesses established since April have no physical points of sale. "This trend will continue, and more and more companies will create virtual stores to reach more customers while minimizing costs." Mastercard's research shows that the adoption of new payment technologies is significantly accelerating, and consumers' desire to use fast and flexible payment methods is increasing. "The new Mastercard Payments Index, conducted in 18 markets worldwide, shows that 93 percent of people are considering using at least one new payment method, such as cryptocurrencies, biometrics, or contactless or QR code payments in the coming year" – said Gilberto Caldart. "In the first quarter of 2021 alone, Mastercard recorded one billion more contactless transactions than in the same period in 2020." Interestingly, according to Mastercard data, this trend is set to continue. "Consumers also show growing interest in new payment technologies. As many as 71 percent of them expect to use cash less in the future." Furthermore, trust in and interest in biometric payments are increasing. "Six out of ten customers say they like the convenience of biometric verification, such as heart rate measurement or fingerprint authorization. Due to all these changes, companies have been forced to quickly adopt new payment trends. (...) Currently, in physical retail and service points, nearly 90 percent of personal transactions worldwide occur with merchants offering contactless payment options" – Gilberto Caldart stated during the Impact’21 conference.