Green Sheet
17:50:24 (UTC) 12-31-2025
Nexa Cards strengthens security roadmap with AI identity technology
17:48:19 (UTC) 12-31-2025
DeFi project Mutuum Finance achieves $19.5M in funding with Phase 7 in motion
17:44:26 (UTC) 12-31-2025
Digital banking strategic intelligence report 2025 available
17:42:57 (UTC) 12-31-2025
Vietnam alternative lending report 2025 available
17:41:36 (UTC) 12-31-2025
Poland alternative lending databook report 2025 available
17:39:24 (UTC) 12-31-2025
Jayesh Kumar replaces broken banking stacks with AI agentic orchestration
17:37:24 (UTC) 12-31-2025
Coinme resumes full operations in Washington State
17:35:06 (UTC) 12-31-2025
ezAccounting 2026 unveiled to streamline payroll, business tasks for less
Breaking News
Wednesday, December 31, 2025
Life after the penny: rounding, regulation, retail risk
The federal government's phasing out of pennies is proving problematic for America's retailers but could provide added impetus for them to embrace card payments. Pennies may be small change, but they add up, as anyone in merchant services can attest. (At 2 percent, for example, the processing fee collected on a $2 purchase is 2 cents. Multiply that by hundreds or thousands and you're getting into real money.)
Online Edition – Issue 25:12:02
2025 year in review: it was a happening year
Whenever a new administration takes charge of the federal government, businesses and individuals alike brace for changes. Couple that with ongoing innovations in commerce and payments – think artificial intelligence, digital payments, crypto payments – and it's clear 2025 was a year brimming with change.
Our flipbook edition
Calendar of Events
Events
February 3, 2026
2026 International Trade and Payments Conference
February 4, 2026
February 10, 2026
February 17, 2026
February 23, 2026
Community Voices
This week's featured contributor:
Industry Insights | BHMI
Since its founding in 1986, BHMI has become a leading and trusted provider of software solutions focused on the back-office processing of digital payment transactions. BHMI's Concourse Financial Software Suite®, a unique integrated collection of back office products, allows companies to adapt to the rapidly changing world of payments quickly and easily.
Merchant Sales Podcast
James Shephard & Patti Murphy
December 22nd, 2025
Rethinking the Agent Model for 2026
As the payments industry looks toward 2026, many agents and ISOs are realizing the traditional agent model is under pressure. In this episode, James Shepherd sits down with Keith Sampson for an honest conversation about burnout, goal setting, and why chasing high splits often leads to unsustainable businesses. Keith shares lessons from building and exiting companies, navigating personal and professional burnout, and rethinking how payments fits into a larger long-term strategy.
Together, they break down why the agent model is changing, how to think differently about referral versus dealer structures, and what it really takes to build lasting wealth in today’s integrated payments landscape. The episode also includes a Today in Payments segment with Patti Murphy, covering timely industry news and updates not included in this interview.
Company profile from GS240602
Drive revenue, scale operations with B2B cellular connectivity
OptConnect began life in 2000 as a Grant Victor company, providing cellular routers for ATMs. After years of selling routers as ATM accessories, the company expanded into other markets and established OptConnect LLC in 2009, a global wireless connectivity provider that offers a range of cellular connectivity options, from self-managed to fully managed solutions. Chris Baird, president and CEO of OptConnect, said the company is focused on simplifying connectivity. "One size doesn't fit all, especially when it comes to cellular connectivity," he said, adding that OptConnect provides IoT project expertise, resources and support.
