The Green Sheet Online Edition
April 4, 2021 • 21:04:02
Letter from the editor
In the era of stand-alone terminals, the technology supporting payments was simple compared with the sophisticated advancements behind today's wealth of flexible, integrated payment solutions. Meeting the needs of merchants and other businesses seeking fast, convenient and secure payment-acceptance options is imperative for today's payments professionals. The lead article is this issue is the second of a two-part series that takes a look at the workings behind payments that enable service providers to address these needs.
Following Part 1's exploration of hardware's role in bringing physical security to digital commerce, this installment conveys insights from payments leaders about the mechanics behind today's transactions, which must be compliant as well as secure. Facilitating trusted transactions is no small feat at a time when the very POS is transitioning from payment-centric devices to distributed points of interaction in an omnichannel world. Is it just a matter of time before our favored acronym transitions from POS to POI?
And how can merchant service providers transition to thrive in the world of embedded finance made possible by the very advancements that are turning POSs into POIs? One of our contributing writers has taken on this topic, specifically delving into the three waves of fintech and what the third wave means for payments. Other advancements explored by our contributors include the advantages to cloud-based processing, the need to embrace open APIs to truly unleash a technological revolution, and how thieves are taking advantage of popular features of gift cards to perpetrate fraud during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Recent news stories highlighted in News Briefs include a spike in fraud attempts during the pandemic; the Executive Women's Forum on Information Security, Risk Management & Privacy's call for speakers for its 19th annual conference; a payments leader among the Orlando Business Journal's class of 40 Under 40; infosec experts' commentary on the Facebook breach that exposed the phone numbers of 533 million users of the platform; and an update on the Paycheck Protection Program.
Also herein you'll find one reader's thoughts on the benefits of hyperautomation; new product and company profiles; words of inspiration; and updates on numerous milestones brought to our attention by you, our readers, including awards, rebranding, outreach, partnerships, acquisitions, executive appointments and research. Please continue to send your news to us at press@greensheet.com, and email your questions, comments and suggestions to greensheet@greensheet.com. We look forward to hearing from you. 
Whether you want to upgrade your POS offerings, find a payment gateway partner, bone up on fintech regs or PCI requirements, find an upcoming trade show, read about faster payments, or discover the latest innovations in merchant acquiring, The Green Sheet is the resource for you. Since 1983, we've helped empower and connect payments professionals, starting with the merchant level salespeople who bring tailored payment acceptance and digital commerce tools, along with a host of other business services to merchants across the globe. The Green Sheet Inc. is also a proud affiliate of Bankcard Life, a premier community that provides industry-leading training and resources for payment professionals.
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