The Green Sheet Online Edition
April 27, 2026 • 26:04:02
Letter from the editor
For years, the industry equated success in merchant services with selling the right stack at the right price. Providers differentiated themselves by bundling payments, software and support into a single solution, emphasizing value, features and convenience over price. But that approach is losing traction.
As this issue’s lead article explores, merchants are operating in an increasingly complex environment, where multiple providers, evolving compliance demands, and rising expectations around data access and flexibility are the norm. Thus, today's merchants are not looking to add another solution to the mix. They are looking for partners who can help them make sense of what they already have, identify what is working and uncover where opportunities are being missed. That shift is changing not just technology decisions, but also the way payments professionals sell and build long-term relationships.
That need for clarity and control carries through the rest of this issue. One contributor examines how politics and regulation are reshaping global payments, arguing that resilient fiat infrastructure is what keeps cross-border flows reliable and compliant. Others explore how growing complexity is surfacing in new ways, from digital health commerce to AI deployments. Operational challenges are also in focus, with insights on managing channel conflict among multiple providers and on how modern POS systems are helping retailers maintain resilience during severe weather events. And one expert looks at how ISOs and MLSs can use this moment to refine marketing strategies, strengthen merchant relationships and align with the right technologies.
Our news briefs reflect an industry balancing momentum with uncertainty. Credit cards continue to dominate U.S. spending even as digital wallets gain traction, signaling a gradual but meaningful shift in how people pay. At the same time, transaction volumes and the fees tied to them are climbing, with U.S. financial institutions collecting $66 billion in interchange last year. Meanwhile, businesses are reporting escalating AI-driven attacks, but adoption of AI-driven defenses lags. Providers are stepping up innovation, from Visa’s AI-powered dispute resolution tools to American Express initiatives designed to build trust in agentic commerce. Together, these developments highlight a payments landscape where legacy behaviors persist, but new technologies are steadily reshaping expectations and strategies.
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