June, 2018

• 1 June

  Behind the M&A Boom

  

  To explain today’s mergers and acquisitions in merchant acquiring, mix a hefty dose of technology and a dash of foreign spices with traditional flavors like greater scale. And don’t forget a little fear. For years, greater scale seemed to be the big driver of mergers and acquisitions in the merchant-acquiring …

May, 2018

• 1 May

  What Ails the Mobile Wallets?

  

  General-purpose mobile wallets have yet to convince most merchants and consumers that they have real value. Can that change, and if so, when? The hype over mobile wallets hasn’t ceased ever since Google Checkout launched way back in 2006, and it’s only become louder since Apple Inc. unveiled Apple Pay …

April, 2018

• 2 April

  The Trump Effect

  

  Payments providers expect the Trump Administration’s lighter regulatory touch to make it easier to bring new products to market faster and more cost effectively. For better or worse, President Trump has made good on his campaign pledge to lighten the regulatory load on businesses. In fact, the brisk pace at …

February, 2018

• 28 February

  Reduced Speed Ahead

  

  It’s been a great run for credit cards—eight straight years of volume growth after a nasty reversal in the Great Recession. But what are the implications for acquirers’ bottom lines when this long growth spurt ends? Credit card issuers take delight when their cardholders spend freely, pay their bills on …
• 1 February

  No Shortcuts To Becoming a PayFac

  

  As the payment-facilitator model gains favor, understanding the process to become one has become more important than ever. A few years ago, deciding on a payment model was a simple choice for a software vendor or event organizer: Find an independent sales organization to work with or become one. Then, …

January, 2018

• 2 January

  Bitcoin Accepted Here?

  

  For all the hype lately, the digital currency remains a niche opportunity for independent sales organizations and other third-party acquirers. On the eve of the 76th anniversary of Pearl Harbor, Valve Corp. dropped a little bomb of its own. The Bellevue, Wash.-based parent of Steam, a marketer of popular online …

December, 2017

• 1 December

  Let’s Make a Deal

  

  It’s been a busy year on the M&A front for merchant acquirers. What’s driving the deals, and what’s ahead in 2018? The year is coming to a close with nearly $14 billion in mergers and acquisitions either announced or completed in the merchant-acquiring industry. The number of deals could easily …

October, 2017

• 31 October

  Fee Fest

  

  Welcome to the murky world of bank card network fees, on which Visa and Mastercard make handsome livings. The fees reward investors, but what about acquirers and card issuers? Mastercard Inc. and Visa Inc. have become two of the most beloved companies on Wall Street since their initial public offerings …
• 1 October

  Paying Attention to Unattended Payments

  

  The segment could play a key role in expanding electronic payments as fewer consumers carry cash. Factors ranging from payments to technology companies to changing consumer behavior are heightening attention to unattended payments. While electronic payment acceptance in this space, which includes vending machines, parking garages, and car washes, has …

September, 2017

• 1 September

  The Quickening Pace of EMV

  

  EMV is getting faster at checkout, at least for customers. Now, as smaller businesses look to adopt chip card acceptance, swifter transactions may have larger implications. Shoppers who try an EMV card at the checkout counter and are turned off by the tortoise-like pace of the transaction are the bane …