IP owners have been testing various forms of financial services as potential avenues for licensing. Branded credit and, more recently, debit cards have become a must-consider category, of course, with properties from chef Jason Santos to Star Trek and Garfield to Pan Am—among many others—having deals in place. But other areas of exploration have started to emerge as well:
- ATM machines. This fall, boxer Mike Tyson lent his name to a Bitcoin ATM at the LINQ Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, in a venture with Bitcoin Direct.
- Mobile payment devices. Fashion designer Vivienne Tam partnered with Square for a mobile credit card reader.
- Bank accounts. The NBA licensed BBVA Compass for NBA Banking, an online/mobile checking and savings account.
- Credit solutions. Univision paired with Experian to launch a Spanish-language credit-monitoring service.
None of these sectors has become anywhere near debit-card like in its reach; in fact, each has seen just one to a handful of deals over the past five years. But together these examples illustrate that a variety of financial services, beyond debit and credit cards, may offer potential for properties that are a good fit with the category.
RaugustReports will not be published this coming Thursday due to the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday. We return to our twice-weekly schedule next Monday, November 30.
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