 This may look like a graveyard of old point-of-sale devices, those machines that take credit and debit cards, but it's actually a table at an upscale shop where the store owner has to use 20 different devices to sell goods and services. They change depending on the customer's bank or the shop's internet connectivity. Why don't we have the same issue in the United States? Because our electronic payment system is interoperable. Electronic payments are supposed to be safer, faster, cheaper, more transparent, just all around better. But this image really brings to life the massive challenge that businesses and individuals face trying to navigate electronic payments in places that haven't fully developed these interoperable systems. Electronic payments need to work for everyone, or they're likely to struggle to have any real impact.