Even when no definitive evidence of a threat exists, fear can quickly change people's behavior, and a herd mentality can take hold. We are witnessing that in the payments industry as people shy away from using cash. Fear-based or not, this is a positive development for contactless payment schemes in the United States, which has lagged behind other regions in contactless payment adoption. The need for safe, secure payments has never been greater, and this issue's lead article delves into how the COVID-19 pandemic is driving change in payment preferences and how payments companies are stepping up with products and services that will serve all stakeholders well not just during the present crisis, but also into the future.
According to one industry expert contributing to this issue, now is also an opportune time to explore affiliate marketing, which can provide a new revenue stream when researched property and set up with certain guidelines in mind. Other payments leaders have written articles on how consumers' payment preferences are diverging and how merchants can accommodate a range of options; high-performance strategies that get results in business and in life; the importance of asking fresh, engaging questions and how to make sure the questions you ask lead to discovery and new possibilities.
We continue to post breaking news stories regularly on our home page. Some of those stories are highlighted herein, including Fiserv's agreement to pay the Federal Trade Commission more than $40 million to settle allegations that First Data Merchant Services, which Fiserv acquired in 2019, knowingly processed transactions tied to scams; the FinTech Forward 2020 virtual summit, which featured fireside chats with app developers, device manufacturers, cybersecurity experts, payment processors and financial service specialists; a Group Futurista webinar that explored the promising future of contactless payments; and new federal legislation signed into law that relaxes forgiveness requirements for the Paycheck Protection Program. To see these and other full stories, please visit www.greensheet.com/breakingnews.php?flag=previous_breaking_news.
Also included are company and product profiles, a feature offering a peek at new developments at The Green Sheet, and brief items about professional and industry milestones such as appointments, research, partnerships, acquisitions, awards, innovations, and other noteworthy occurrences−all of which point toward an industry that continues to adapt and thrive.
Thank you for allowing us to support your professional journey. Please send your questions and suggestions to greensheet@greensheet.com. And do keep your press releases coming to press@greensheet.com. 
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