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Letter from the editors

hen private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis
Roberts & Co. agreed to purchase First
Data Corp. for $29 billion back in April
W 2007, the acquisition was huge news.
The deal closed in September of that year to cheers
on the part of some and consternation on the part of
others. The professionals at KKR were known as take-
over artists, and some observers felt the move into the
payments space was egregious; others even predicted
First Data's ultimate demise. However, through vari-
ous restructurings and reorganizations, including an
IPO in 2015, First Data has continued to thrive.

Today, so many big players in the payments space
are being acquired, merging and receiving large
infusions of cash ‒ in addition to forming new
strategic partnerships that take them into whole new
realms of business services ‒ one acquisition doesn't
make waves anymore. However, acquisitions and
mergers are occurring at breakneck speed. As we
were finalizing the lead article for this issue, which
is all about the dynamic mergers and acquisitions
landscape in payments, news that Paysafe intends to
acquire iPayment hit the wire, and we worked that in,
as well. The article delves into several recent deals,
noting distinctions among them and offering insights
about their rationale and potential impacts.

Meanwhile, our contributing writers have offered a
diversity of useful insights on other areas of payments,
including: an overview of card brand initiatives that
drills down to details on BINs, PAR and PAN, QIR and
more; a discussion of how top salespeople translate
strategy into behavior that leads to results; feedback
on a recently implemented cash discount program;
explanation of how machine learning can power fraud
prevention; tips on how small and midsize businesses
can overcome international business complexities.

Also inside you'll find highlights from full news
stories recently posted online ‒ the end of signature
requirements at the POS, the growth of mobile
wallets and litigation associated with initial coin
offerings, for example ‒ as well as updates on a range
of developments, from appointments to awards,
partnerships to acquisitions, and more. And we've
included individual, company and product profiles
that exemplify the excellence in our thriving industry.

To spread the news of what's happening in your
company, send a press release to press@greensheet.com.
We'll post it under our popular News from the Wire.
And if you have questions or helpful feedback, do not
hesitate to contact us at greensheet@greensheet.com.

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