News From the Wire

19:46:22 (UTC) 01-07-2026

Nuvei, FreedomPay partner to unify enterprise payments, globally

19:44:44 (UTC) 01-07-2026

Incognia a rising leader in fraud prevention amid shift away from legacy tools

19:40:40 (UTC) 01-07-2026

Dolphin Debit endorsed by bankers in Washington

19:39:47 (UTC) 01-07-2026

AtData adds Gibberish Detection to ML-driven fraud detection suite

19:37:37 (UTC) 01-07-2026

Zeitro introduces Scenario AI for mortgage origination

19:35:56 (UTC) 01-07-2026

New AI intelligence empowers Community FIs to drive growth, secure loyalty

15:59:34 (UTC) 01-07-2026

Kurv reorganizes sales, embedded payments leadership for SMB, ISV growth

15:50:53 (UTC) 01-07-2026

Smart Payment Technologies, Castles Technology team up to bolster payment capabilities



Breaking News

Wednesday, January 7, 2026

Provident Bank survey signals shift from caution to expansion

After a year marked by hesitation, U.S. business owners are moving decisively from caution to action, according to the results of Provident Bank's 2026 Economic Outlook Survey, released Jan. 6, 2026. The findings suggest that the prolonged "wait and see" mindset that characterized much of 2025 has given way to renewed investment, hiring and technology adoption.

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Online Edition – Issue 25:12:02

2025 year in review: it was a happening year

Whenever a new administration takes charge of the federal government, businesses and individuals alike brace for changes. Couple that with ongoing innovations in commerce and payments – think artificial intelligence, digital payments, crypto payments – and it's clear 2025 was a year brimming with change.

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Our flipbook edition

Community Voices

This week's featured contributor:

Ken Musante,<br>Napa Payments and Consulting

Ken Musante,
Napa Payments and Consulting

As leader of Humboldt Merchant Services and Eureka Payments, and an executive for JPMorgan Chase division WePay, Ken gained unparalleled expertise in successful payments platforms.

Merchant Sales Podcast

Merchant Sales Podcast

James Shephard & Patti Murphy

January 5th, 2026

Scaling the 1099 Agent Channel for 2026

In this week’s episode of the Merchant Sales Podcast, James Shepherd sits down with Chris Del Grande, payments entrepreneur and ISO operator, for an in-the-weeds conversation on scaling merchant portfolios through the 1099 agent model.

They break down what it really takes to grow at scale - where agents struggle, how ISOs can better support them, and why the 1099 channel remains one of the biggest opportunities heading into 2026.

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Company profile from GS240602

Drive revenue, scale operations with B2B cellular connectivity

OptConnect began life in 2000 as a Grant Victor company, providing cellular routers for ATMs. After years of selling routers as ATM accessories, the company expanded into other markets and established OptConnect LLC in 2009, a global wireless connectivity provider that offers a range of cellular connectivity options, from self-managed to fully managed solutions. Chris Baird, president and CEO of OptConnect, said the company is focused on simplifying connectivity. "One size doesn't fit all, especially when it comes to cellular connectivity," he said, adding that OptConnect provides IoT project expertise, resources and support.

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Company Profile list

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