August 24th, 2010
The Prepaid Press Expo 2010
September 14th, 2010
Mobile Payment China 2010
September 20th, 2010
Payments Symposium 2010: Tools of the Trade
October 3rd, 2010
18th Annual ATM, Debit & Prepaid Forum 2010
October 19th, 2010
BAI Retail Delivery
Financial reform bill passes. What now?
n July 21, 2010, President Obama signed the vigorously debated and much scrutinized Restoring American Financial Stability Act of 2010 into law. For the payments industry, the law's key component is the Durbin Amendment, which, among other provisions, gives the Federal Reserve the power to cap interchange rates on debit card purchases at a level commensurate with the costs of processing those transactions.
Yet a number of questions loom about how, precisely, the amendment's different provisions will be defined and what the ramifications of its enforcement will be.
July 26, 2010 • Issue 10:07:02
GS Issue 10:07:02 – Lead Story
The ACH, staking new channel claims
Long a staple of Social Security disbursements and direct deposit employee payouts, the ACH network has incrementally, and somewhat quietly, broadened its reach over the last two decades to establish a significant presence in almost every major payment category. And that presence looks poised for growth.
GS Issue 10:07:02 – News
Tepid summer for many Gulf Coast merchants
In the aftermath of the April 20, 2010, explosion of the Deepwater Horizon drilling platform in the Gulf of Mexico near Louisiana, many coastal merchants in the region are facing economic uncertainty. And this is affecting the ISOs and merchant level salespeople (MLSs) who serve them.
GS Issue 10:07:02 – News
Can the IRS legally attach levies to ISO reserve accounts?
According to the IRS, it has the authority to attach levies to processors' reserve accounts as part of collecting funds the agency believes merchants owe to the federal government. And payment insiders have said this could be devastating to the acquiring chain. You can, however take steps to protect your business.
GS Issue 10:07:02 – Selling Prepaid
Gift cards: Value multiplier for merchants
Stop just about anyone on the street and ask them to reveal the contents of his or her wallet. You are likely to find a major, network-branded card or two, a debit card from the person's bank, a store credit card or two and usually a stored-value gift card. Even someone with no bank account is likely to have a gift card. What does this portend?
GS Issue 10:07:02 – Advisory Board
Merchant retention, taking the initiative - Part 2
As we grapple with economic uncertainties and changing consumer payment habits, customer stickiness becomes ever more critical. To find out what some of the best minds in our industry are doing to address this, we asked members of The Green Sheet's advisory board four questions. This article contains the second in our two-part series on which initiatives work best.
GS Issue 10:07:02 – Views
Securing a place for electronic payments
When it comes to security, perception is 90 percent of the process. And a recent report from database security vendor IBM Guardian disclosed that Americans believe they are more likely to have their identities stolen than their automobiles. It's a telling commentary on how valuable data security has become.
GS Issue 10:07:02 – Views
The allure of end-to-end encryption
"Scope reduction" should be a magical phrase to merchants, acquirers and ISOs because it refers to reducing the applicability of Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard (DSS) controls. PCI compliance is no small matter, nor is it inexpensive. Could end-to-end encryption be the answer for you and your customers?
GS Issue 10:07:02 – Views
Uncle Sam might want to pin worker misclassification on you
It is difficult to distinguish between an employee and an independent contractor. But if you misclassify employees as independent contractors, the odds that you will face expensive penalties are increasing. This article will help you get a sense of whether you are properly classifying your workers.
GS Issue 10:07:02 – Street Smarts
Who will benefit when the Durbin Amendment dust settles?
The Debit Card Swipe Fee amendment sponsored by Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and included in the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, is critical to us all. Street Smarts asked members of GS Online's MLS Forum how they expect the amendment will impact them, the industry, merchants and acquirers. And they spoke up.
GS Issue 10:07:02 – Education
Is there any such thing as loyalty?
Now that the merchant acceptance market is saturated and payment processing is a commodity, some folks are trying to profit by grabbing new merchants at virtually any cost. Rather than find ways to undercut price slashing and merchant moving, why not focus on making our merchants more impervious to efforts to move them? It's called retention. Loyalty. Reducing attrition.
GS Issue 10:07:02 – Education
Need intelligence? Tap the feet on the street
Want to know what's happening in payments right here, right now? Ask a merchant level salesperson. MLSs know the players: merchants, acquirers, manufacturers, distributors and value-added resellers. They know what's hot and what's not.
GS Issue 10:07:02 – Education
Succeeding at PCI compliance - Part 3: Implementing the rollout
The first step to successful program implementation is to work closely with your PCI compliance vendor to develop a rollout plan that entails clear communication with all parties and ensures that all participants understand their roles. Flexibility should be built in to react to unexpected events or the unique characteristics of your portfolio.
GS Issue 10:07:02 – Education
Global acquiring and fraud Q&A
During a recent seminar hosted by Payvision on global acquiring and fraud, seasoned sales professionals raised questions of interest to any business looking to expand internationally. The questions also stimulated lively discussion. This article highlights what was covered.
GS Issue 10:07:02 – Inspiration
If you use jargon, slang or technical terms that make merchant prospects uncomfortable, you risk being profoundly misunderstood. Instead, learn all you can about your prospects before meeting with them, dress appropriately for presentations, listen well once you are there and use words that will provide a clarity that leads to understanding.