October, 2019

• 1 October

  How to Help SMBs Compete And Thrive

  

  Unified token payments offer benefits that include but go well beyond enhanced security. That’s why they’re just what merchants need in today’s hypercompetitive marketplace. Retail today is undergoing significant transformation. Businesses must quickly adapt to shifting consumer demographics, preferences, and technology to remain competitive or face the harsh realities of …

September, 2019

• 3 September

  Rethinking Consumer Engagement

  

  More and more, retailers are learning that the key to powerful loyalty programs lies in payments. Technology has evolved beyond comprehension over the years, and so customer behavior is changing. The consumer is ever-more demanding, and no more so than in the services industry. It’s getting harder to retain customers, …

July, 2019

• 1 July

  How Merchants Got Stuck With Card Fraud

  

  The history of battling fraud within rules set by the card networks has been a somber one for merchants. And the picture isn’t likely to brighten any time soon. It used to be when a merchant got an authorization—an approval from a card-issuing bank resulting from a request by the …

June, 2019

• 1 June

  Don’t Get Swamped by the POS Credit Wave

  

  Fast, frictionless credit at the point of purchase, delivered via mobile apps, threatens to sideline banks. It won’t—if they look upon new fintechs as friends rather than foes. We increasingly use smart phones to make contactless payments and apps to collect rewards. And now, we use new and fast-growing short-term …

May, 2019

• 1 May

  A Year of Opportunity for Retail Petroleum

  

  Independent gas stations will have their hands full with the shift to EMV, but there are ways to mitigate the pain. And ISOs can help. Things are looking up for U.S. gas stations. In 2018, vehicle registrations hit 276 million—up 6 million from 2017. And that number is set to …

April, 2019

• 1 April

  Why It Makes Sense for Fiserv to Buy First Data

  

  Few foresaw this combination, but the deal is far from baffling once you understand Fiserv’s history and long-term strategy. Every so often, a deal comes along that makes the market take notice. One such moment was the announcement in January of the Fiserv Inc.-First Data Corp. multibillion-dollar acquisition/merger. Essentially, the …

March, 2019

• 1 March

  PayPal: Secrets of a Relentlessly Relevant Juggernaut

  

  Staying on top in payments requires close attention to a few ironclad rules, say Saurabh Wahi and Davis Ward. In the fourth annual Prophet Brand Relevance Index (BRI), PayPal Holdings Inc. was once again, and by far, the best-performing financial-services brand. It’s not just that it continues to outperform such …

January, 2019

• 31 January

  The Fundamentals Still Apply

  

  Want to start—or bet on—the next big thing in payments? Forget glitz and glamor and focus on startups that address pressing problems with substantial and realistic solutions, argues Eric Grover. Successful payments fintechs such as Adyen, Ant Financial, Klarna, Stripe, and Square have generated enormous excitement. With the arguable exception …
• 1 January

  It’s Past Time To Hire—And Promote— More Women

  

  Too many companies are still ignoring the talents women can bring to senior roles in finance, technology, and other areas, says Karla Friede. We need more women leaders in technology companies. Having personally experienced gender bias during my career, it’s hard for me to say this because the last thing …

December, 2018

• 1 December

  Balancing Consumer Expectations And Fraud Prevention

  

  There are no perfect solutions for account-takeover fraud, but tactics such as consumer education and prevention at log-in can make a big difference, says Rich Huffman. According to Javelin Strategy & Research’s report entitled, “2018 Identity Fraud: Fraud Enters a New Era of Complexity,” account takeovers (ATOs) tripled in 2017, …