While it is true the dynamic payments sphere is always changing, some things remain constant. One is the need to be vigilant about adhering to best business practices; another is the importance of opening the door of opportunity to a diversity of people who will provide essential insights and direction for payments as a whole. The professionals who care about these issues and donate their time to regional acquirers associations, the Electronic Transactions Association, the PCI Security Standards Council and other organizations vital to our realm are true industry leaders. In the Readers Speak section of this issue, you will hear from two such leaders discussing parity in payments and the ETA Certified Payments Professional program.
The lead article in this issue reports on the state of Europay/MasterCard/Visa implementation in the United States. The 2013 Target Corp. breach brought wider awareness among the public and legislators of the need for better data security practices at retailers. This, and the looming 2015 EMV implementation deadline for most retail sectors, has spurred action among some key players in the payments chain. However, disagreements remain about whether the 2015 deadline is realistic and how effective EMV will ultimately be in combating fraud.
Our news stories also cover EMV developments and security issues. Independent ATM deployers have to rely upon issuers and retailers for EMV implementation, but those parties appear to be at a standstill. Square Inc. intends to issue an EMV reader this year. Meanwhile, Backoff, a new security bug has been unearthed. We publish more news than we have room to print, too. You can find additional stories under Breaking Industry News on our home page. Also, The Mobile Buzz highlights the mutually beneficial intersection of mobile wallets and prepaid services, and ISOMetrics provides an at-a-glance update on POS trends.
Contributing writers delve into how to measure one's success, the multiple benefits and opportunities gift cards present, how to protect your business from draconian government agency actions, and why it makes sense to embrace, rather than fear disruption in payments.
Of course, we always make plenty of room for news of relevant company milestones, profiles, new products, acquisitions, appointments, partnerships, research, upcoming events and more. If something newsworthy is happening at your company, please send a press release to press@greensheet.com. And if you have questions or other feedback for us, email us at greensheet@greensheet.com or call 800-757-4441. 
The Green Sheet Inc. is now a proud affiliate of Bankcard Life, a premier community that provides industry-leading training and resources for payment professionals. Click here for more information.
Notice to readers: These are archived articles. Contact names or information may be out of date. We regret any inconvenience.
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