The Green Sheet Online Edition
December 12, 2024 • 24:12:02
Letter from the editor
When it comes to paying for goods and services, choice has become the cornerstone of the contemporary payments experience. In 2024, consumer demand grew for a range of payment options, from cards and cash to digital wallets and payment plans. Shoppers also want flexibility in how they use these methods—whether it's swiping plastic, tapping devices or securely using cards on file. This growing variety reflects not just convenience but also evolving consumer habits and technological advancements.
Merchants of all stripes value choice, too. They aim to accommodate customer preferences while managing the ever-contentious issue of costs, especially interchange fees. As highlighted in this issue's front-page feature, interchange remains a hot-button topic inside and outside of the payments industry, with Senator Richard Durbin's latest push for "Durbin 2.0" reigniting debate. States like Illinois are also stepping into the fray with new laws targeting interchange on gratuities and taxes.
Just as our lead article explores significant trends, our contributing writers address areas of vital interest to payments professionals, including how partnerships between ISVs and payment providers empower businesses to streamline operations, enhance customer experiences and drive growth; the reasons why residual reports are crucial for merchant level salespeople and why they need learn to interpret and use them; the steep challenges European fintechs face when entering the U.S. market; potential major ramifications of the DOJ's antitrust lawsuit against Visa alleging anti-competitive practices in the debit market; and a deep dive into the booming used car market and how streamlined secure solutions can help overcome dealerships' unique challenges.
Highlights from the news include coverage of escalating targeting of faster payment systems by authorized push payment scams; the increasing popularity of buy now, pay later plans this holiday season; estimates before the Thanksgiving-Cyber Monday weekend predicting record high shopping; Elon Musk's call to eliminate the CFPB; early results posted after the Thanksgiving-Cyber Monday shopping period indicating 191 million people shopped with strong sales across several categories; and The Clearing House's decision to raise the transaction limit to $10 million in 2025.
Be sure to check out the profiles, updates, media partners and other features included just for you. As 2024 comes to a close, we wish to thank you for relying on us and hope to serve you even better in 2025. If you have news, send a press release to press@greensheet.com, and send us your feedback to greensheet@greensheet.com. 
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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