The Green Sheet Online Edition
March 23, 2026 • 26:03:02
Street Smarts
Taking care of business
In my final article, I'd like to thank The Green Sheet and its readers for sharing my Street Smarts journey over the past two years. And I'd like to extend a warm welcome to our new Street Smarts columnist, Jaki Kackert, a marketing maven with payments expertise. Let's stay in touch wherever you listen to podcasts on B2BVault: the Biz to Biz podcast.
Like Bachman-Turner Overdrive's 1973 song says, we're "taking care of business" out here on the Street … at the intersection of business and commerce. And a big part of that is giving merchants and their customers more ways to pay. Instead of focusing on terminals and agnostic software, let's help agents and merchants compete on experience, not just price.
Fintechs understand this. Platforms across Europe, Australia and North America have integrated alternative payment methods (APMs) directly into their technology stacks, giving consumers more payment options. The question for independent sales organizations (ISOs) is simple: Why aren't more of us doing the same?
If ISOs and merchant level salespeople (MLSs) want to stay relevant, grow internationally and support merchants across verticals, offering a broad range of payment methods, including cross-border and multi-currency capabilities, is no longer optional but essential.
Regulation matters
Payment preferences vary by region. In Europe and Australia, interchange caps and government regulations have made credit cards less accessible and less profitable. As a result, European and Australian consumers rely more on debit and bank-based payments.
That environment fueled the rise of buy now pay later (BNPL) long before it gained traction in North America. When consumers can't easily access revolving credit, installment options fill the gap.
The United States operates differently. Regulators view BNPL through the lens of consumer protection and unsecured credit. Meanwhile, merchant fees for BNPL can range from 6 to 10 percent, significantly higher than traditional credit card processing.
Merchants may not always appreciate the related costs of BNPL, but they see its positive impact on conversion rates and average ticket size. As consumer demand continues to drive adoption, merchants are following, and now ISOs must do the same.
Meet customers where they are
Today's merchants sell locally and globally. They serve customers who expect to pay in their native currency and with their preferred method, whether that's card, bank transfer, digital wallet or installment plan. If an ISO can't support those options, someone else will.
Offering cross-border currency capabilities and localized payment methods does more than improve convenience. It reduces cart abandonment in ecommerce, increases authorization rates, and helps merchants expand payment options internationally while eliminating friction and driving conversion.
Alternative payment methods that were once considered niche are rapidly becoming mainstream, including these examples:
- Buy now pay later: Major players such as PayPal, Square and Stripe have embedded BNPL directly into terminals and POS systems. Consumers can use branded BNPL cards from providers like Klarna, Afterpay or Zip just as they would any other card. For merchants, it is another lever to increase sales, even if it means carefully evaluating pricing.
- Pay by bank: QR code payments that connect directly to a consumer's bank account via services like Plaid are gaining traction, particularly in high-risk industries. While adoption is still developing in the United States, bank-based payments are dominant in other parts of the world. As real-time payment networks expand, this model may integrate more deeply into traditional payment terminals.
- Digital walletsZelle, Cash App, Venmo and PayPal surged during the pandemic as businesses sought flexible ways to accept payments. Regulatory reporting changes and pricing adjustments reshaped how these wallets are used commercially, but consumer comfort with digital wallets remains strong. Consumer financing: Beyond short-term BNPL, many merchants offer extended financing options to help customers afford larger purchases. For certain verticals, this is a competitive differentiator that ISOs should be prepared to support.
- Real-time payments and ACH: In the business-to-business space, paper checks still linger, but ACH continues to grow and real-time payment rails such as FedNow aim to modernize settlement. Wires remain common for high-value transfers. The B2B landscape is evolving, even if it moves more slowly than retail. Digital currencies: Even emerging technologies such as stablecoins and crypto payments continue to generate discussion. Questions remain about volatility, taxation and consumer appetite, but innovation in this space is ongoing. ISOs should monitor developments rather than dismiss them outright.
Different channels, different challenges
Retail, ecommerce and B2B each have their own challenges. Retailers need seamless POS integration and fast authorization. Ecommerce merchants need multi-currency support, fraud tools and localized payment methods to reduce cart abandonment. B2B sellers need efficient invoicing, ACH capabilities and flexible settlement options. A one-size-fits-all payment stack no longer works.
ISOs that limit themselves to traditional card processing risk becoming commoditized. Those that expand into alternative payments, cross-border currency support and embedded finance solutions become strategic partners.
Strategic opportunity for ISOs
The payments landscape is always evolving. In the early 2000s, paper checks converted at the POS were common. Debit eventually eclipsed that model and became dominant for bank-based consumer payments.
The lesson is not that one method replaces another overnight. It's that consumer behavior shifts, and the industry adapts. Alternative payments will continue to grow, but not uniformly. Some methods will gain traction quickly. Others will take years. The key for ISOs is not to predict the single winning model, but to build flexible platforms that allow merchants to offer choice.
Merchants should not have to look outside their ISO relationship to access BNPL, pay-by-bank, digital wallets, real-time payments or multi-currency capabilities. If fintech platforms are embedding these tools directly into their ecosystems, ISOs must ask themselves: Are we keeping pace?
In a global economy, offering more ways to pay is not just a cool feature; it's a competitive advantage. And for ISOs and MLSs who think beyond traditional card rails, it's an opportunity to lead rather than follow. Wishing you continued success in 2026 and beyond.
Want to know more? Keep reading The Green Sheet and consider following me on LinkedIn, where we can share ideas and support each other.
Editorial Note: For the past two years, Allen Kopelman has delivered Street Smarts with clarity, conviction and a no-nonsense take on where payments is headed. His columns didn't just track industry change—they challenged ISOs and merchant level salespeople to keep up, think bigger and stay relevant in our always evolving payments sphere. Drawing on decades of real-world experience, Allen has brought sharp insight, practical ideas and a strong, unmistakable voice to every installment. We're grateful for his contributions and the perspective he's shared with our readers. We wish him continued success in all that's ahead.
Allen Kopelman, a serial entrepreneur, is co-founder and CEO of Nationwide Payment Systems Inc. and host of B2B Vault: The Biz to Biz podcast. Email him at allen@npsbank.com and connect on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/allenkopelman/ and Twitter @AllenKopelman.
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