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September 14, 2020 • Issue 20:09:01

Manifesting our digital commerce

destiny — Part 1

responders" whose essential services help businesses stay
active, informed and connected.

In this series, fintech leaders discuss the intricate
relationship between humans and technology in our
sphere. These discussions, which have taken place in virtual
settings amid the pandemic, provide insights into current
trends and how they will shape our collective future.
Staying connected
The ongoing pandemic has been a proving ground for the
payments industry's core values. In a June 2020 interview
with The Green Sheet, Jodie Kelley, CEO of the Electronic
Transactions Association, commented that all humans
share a fundamental need to connect. This need formed the
very heart of the ETA's conference, TRANSACT Connect,
which took place entirely online in May 2020. In the absence
of physical venues, this basic need continues to drive an
By Dale S. Laszig array of virtual events in numerous industries beyond the
payments and financial services sphere.
n a perfect world, digital commerce advocates would
have chosen a friendlier accelerant; nevertheless, TRANSACT Connect attendees and participants were able
the COVID-19 pandemic kicked global adoption to generate leads, hear thought leaders, schedule one-on-
I of mobile and virtual payments into high gear. one meetings and expand their professional networks,
Ecommerce continues to proliferate as stores remain closed, Kelley stated. "Every speaker addressed the situation we
and contactless technology is scaling as people remain cau- find ourselves in now," she said. "We covered topics that
tious about touching POS devices. These are positives for we've been talking about for a long time but through the
the future of payments. lens of the pandemic."

From the industry's earliest days, payments professionals
have modeled the way to more secure, compliant and
flexible forms of payment acceptance. And payments Contributed articles inside by:
industry veterans who converted merchants from paper
receipts to electronic transactions in the 1980s may find
similarities between yesterday's mass migration and Marc Beauchamp ..................................................................................25
today's push to contactless and virtual payments. Sandra Higgins ......................................................................................28

Today, as in the past, merchant level salespeople (MLSs) TOC on page 3
and payment service providers (PSPs) donate time, effort
and resources to help small and midsize businesses (SMBs).
Some describe their role during the current crisis as "second
Continued on page 22