THE RESEARCH STUDIO
An independent repository of strategic audits, deconstructed narratives, and structural analysis of the payment ecosystem.
The Core Pillars OF MY WORK
Beyond Infrastructure: Payments as Power
Payments aren’t just rails; they are a complex web of power relations. I analyze the intersection of Governance (who dictates the rules), Culture (how habits shape adoption), and Infrastructure (the material reality). I bring to light the silent struggles that business commentary usually ignores
Strategic Autonomy in a World of Co-opetition.
In an industry where your partner is often your competitor, independence is the only real leverage. I help leaders navigate these dependencies and design strategies that ensure long-term sovereignty over their own roadmap
Radical Insight: No More 'Industry Secrets'
I reject the culture of ‘edging’ and backroom whispers. Knowledge shouldn’t depend on who you know or your ability to decode subtext. I provide clear, deep, and accessible intelligence to level the playing field. No gatekeeping, just pure insight.
Facade vs. Operational Reality
The industry loves a good story, but the gap between ‘Visionary AI’ and the reality of manual workarounds is widening. I deconstruct the marketing hype to expose the operational truth—because a strategy built on a facade is a liability, not an asset.
Deep Dives: Where these pillars come to life.
The Unified Commerce Illusion: A 4-Step Deconstruction on the grand promise of industry
I analyse in detail the roots of the crisis in Retail, the lack of desirability, the need to find a saviour, and how the payment industry leveraged retail distress to push pre-packaged ‘solutions’ that ignore the merchants’ actual needs.
I pivot from technical jargon to power dynamics. I prove that ‘Omnichannel’ isn’t an API problem; it’s a political fight over data ownership and a game played where the merchants is the prey to be hunted. Payments became a predator of retail, not just a service provider fueled by a whole ecosystem who sold unified commerce as innovation
I use China as a benchmark to define what ‘Unified’ actually means when infrastructure and culture align. This further highlights the West’s structural fragmentation. Understand the blueprint before you try to build the house
The ultimate proof. I document how a ‘Platform Commerce’ powerhouse, HeyTea, struggles to translate its model into the Western ‘Scheme’ reality. Operational reality always wins against strategic storytelling
Research is here to identify the friction; Strategy navigates it.
While the Studio is a space for public deconstruction,
the Practice is where these insights are applied to specific, high-stakes roadmaps.
You can also claim your copy of the Studio Report, my monthly report on the activity of the Studio, enrol here under to receive it