Recurring research series
The Close
Our recurring research series at the intersection of finance and technology — original data on how money actually moves and gets counted.
- Editions
- First edition in production
- Opt-in tag
- the-close
Latest edition
This page is live so the series has a permanent home, but it shows no content until a real edition exists. Editions are published as articles tagged the-close in the newsroom.
What the series looks at
Each edition takes one question about how money moves and gets counted — where the friction actually originates, what measurement survives scrutiny, which parts of the stack change outcomes — and answers it with data rather than opinion. Method, period and sample are stated in every edition.
Figures are sourced in the body of each edition. Where an edition relies on third-party data, the origin is linked; where it relies on our own collection, the collection method is described.
Flagship annual research
The Payments & Finance Operations Study
The series feeds the annual report — the same questions, answered across a full year of data.
Get each edition on publish.
The series goes to the briefing list first.