The Green Sheet Online Edition
November 10, 2025 • 25:11:01
Letter from the editor
Every day, payments professionals hear directly from merchants about what's working at the POS—and what isn't. We asked a group of industry experts what merchants are talking about most urgently right now. Are they asking for faster payments, real-time settlement and crypto acceptance, or are rising costs, chargebacks and support issues taking priority?
The first installment of this multi-part lead feature highlights themes surfacing most consistently in experts' conversations with merchants: frustration with fees and processing costs, growing concern over fraud and chargebacks, pressure to simplify fragmented systems, and increasing demand for transparency, reliable reporting and hands-on support. Additional perspectives from other industry leaders will appear in upcoming issues as we continue exploring what merchants need most—and what they wish the payments industry would finally fix.
The conversation about what merchants want continues throughout this issue. One contributing writer explores how live commerce is reshaping retail by merging livestream video, social interaction and instant payments, raising expectations for seamless, flexible checkout. Another article offers advice on how ISOs and MLSs can help small convenience stores evaluate whether adding delivery will boost margins or overextend operations. Readers seeking practical sales guidance will find insights on staying competitive in today's crowded payments landscape—from modernizing lead generation and onboarding to refining brand presence and closing with authenticity. One expert looks at the shifting focus of fintech investment as capital moves away from consumer-facing apps and toward infrastructure-driven platforms. Another provides a timely analysis of holiday spending trends, showing why flexible, friction-free payments are becoming a merchant's strongest conversion tool.
News highlights include a $199.5 million settlement in the long-running merchant lawsuit over EMV liability shift costs; warnings that fallout from the recent AWS outage may trigger weeks of chargebacks and disputes; the Federal Reserve's exploration of granting direct payment-rail access to nonbank fintechs; merchants and banks facing off in court over Illinois' ban on interchange fees for tax and tips, a ruling that could influence similar legislation in other states; new research showing cyber confidence far exceeds reality; and PayPal's move deeper into AI-driven agentic commerce through partnerships with Mastercard and OpenAI. Rounding out this issue are product profiles, company spotlights, updates on industry milestones and additional resources to help you thrive in your payments career. To share your news, please send press releases to press@greensheet.com. We also welcome your thoughts and questions at greensheet@greensheet.com.
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