#184: New regulatory landscape of In-App purchases with Michael Bilotta, Head of Digital Goods & Services at Worldline

Business of Apps Podcast

There is this joke in Silicon Valley “US tech companies are great in software, Chinese ones are cool in hardware and EU make laws and regulations” Of course, there is always a kernel of truth in every joke and I would say that this one has a pretty big one.

Big Tech has been in a free fly mode since the inception of Google. There have been very few regulations for which you don’t event need fingers on your both hands to count. But things change and right now regulations are coming.

Today Michael will tell us about the EU’s Digital Markets Act - what it is and what are its implications for app developers and publishers.

Today’s Topics Include:

• Michael Bilotta's background
• What is Worldline
• Digital Markets Act: definition and implications for app developers and publishers
• Third-party payment systems providers response
• The advantages of implementing third-party billing for mobile app developers and publishers
• Trialing alternative payment systems with customers in South Korea, implications for the US
• What Mike would like to change about the mobile teach the most
• Android or iOS?
• Leaving his smartphone at home, what features would Mike miss most?
• What features she would like to see added to his smartphone?

Links and Resources:

• Michael Bilotta on LinkedIn
• Worldline website
• Business Of Apps - connecting the app industry

Quotes from Michael Bilotta:

"So the Digital Markets Act is multifaceted, and essentially what it's looking to do is regulate the way that big tech can operate in the EU really from the perspective of ensuring that there are not these monopolies that are created because of the fact that these big tech companies are so expensive. "

"So when a payment goes through the traditional app store, it goes into kind of a black box that nobody is super familiar with, nor do we really understand exactly how that payment is being processed. But through a third party payment provider, we can do things like smart routing, where if a transaction fails initially, we can try and route it to another financial institution and see if we can get an acceptance. "

Host

Business Of Apps - connecting the app industry since 2012