• Payments Technology

    A Closer Look at ISO 20022
    Steve Cole

    A Closer Look at ISO 20022

    Mar 22, 2023

    For most of the last 40 years, the payments industry has primarily relied on the ISO 8583 standard for processing payment transactions. More recently another standard, ISO 20022, has begun making appearances in certain payment applications in the U.S. ISO 20022 is a global standard for exchanging electronic financial messages of all sorts. While it may seem to many that 20022 is a new standard, it has actually been around for almost two decades being first published by ISO in 2004 and has been adopted in a number of countries around the globe.

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  • Conference Update

    MAG Mid-Year Conference and Tech Forum was THE Place to Be
    Andrea Rouse

    MAG Mid-Year Conference and Tech Forum was THE Place to Be

    Mar 8, 2023

    MAG’s conferences continue to grow! With nearly 900 merchants and sponsors in attendance, we once again surpassed previous in-person attendance numbers for our Mid-Year Conference & Tech Forum. The amount of active networking throughout the event created a palpable buzz - supporting the fact that MAG Conferences are the ‘can’t-miss-event’ in the payments industry.

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  • International Perspective

    The True Cost of Buy Now Pay Later
    Dhun Karai

    The True Cost of Buy Now Pay Later

    Feb 13, 2023

    The Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) industry appears to be on the brink of a shake-up. On the surface, the deal is simple: consumers have a way to split their purchase into multiple payments over time, and merchants pay service fees to the providers. In theory, the flexibility should drive additional sales to retailers, but is this model the best idea for both consumers and retailers? In this article, Grant Thornton Australia’s Merchant Payments Advisory lead, Partner Dhun Karai, outlines the current BNPL challenges and what the proposed tightening of regulations and increasing consumer discontent might translate to for merchants. She encourages merchants to speak up about their wishes for the future of BNPL products to protect both shoppers and merchants from escalating costs and increase the attractiveness for both sides of the retail industry.

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  • Evolution in Payments

    Building the Next Generation of Payments Leaders
    Eric Vescera

    Building the Next Generation of Payments Leaders

    Feb 10, 2023

    We all dream of that day in our professional careers when we hang up our hat and enjoy retirement by relaxing on a beach, partaking in an early morning tee time, spending time with our grandchildren, or taking up tennis lessons. For some, that might be sooner than we think. For others, maybe decades away still.

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  • Board Member Corner

    Payments, Technology, and the MAG
    Jamie Henry

    Payments, Technology, and the MAG

    Jan 5, 2023

    Payments and technology have changed at a blistering pace in the last 20 years. Today, merchants face many challenges in keeping up with the latest changes in both payments and technology. How do we keep our customers happy, our systems safe, and our costs low all at the same time? Merchants simply cannot be complacent in any of these areas critical to success. But we also should not chase every shiny new payment process or technology that catches our eye. What is a merchant to do?

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  • Innovate Now

    Focus On Innovation
    Chris Storbeck

    Focus On Innovation

    Jan 4, 2023

    First off, I am excited to have recently joined the MAG and look forward to meeting and working with all of you. Over the last twenty years, I have been fortunate to work for organizations such as InComm, MCX, and most recently FIS where I focused on Real Time Payments. As we grow our innovation efforts and tech engagement, I want to leverage my industry experience as well as my time as a MAG sponsor to develop our opportunities.

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  • Education

    MAG releases new eLearning course focused on debit routing!
    Leah Collins

    MAG releases new eLearning course focused on debit routing!

    Dec 29, 2022

    The Merchant Advisory Group is excited to officially introduce Merchant Payments 205: An Exploration of Debit Routing. The new eLearning course covers maximizing the economic opportunities of an effective debit routing strategy through learning how to Interpret the US debit market, implement a debit routing strategy with appropriate processes and controls, understand the basics for completing a technical implementation of debit routing, and identify potential obstacles and considerations.

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  • Membership Update

    Getting Involved with the MAG
    Kristi Simonett

    Getting Involved with the MAG

    Dec 22, 2022

    Welcome to our new MAG merchant members, an impressive group of 26 merchants, as well as 25 new MAG sponsors! There are many ways to make the most of your MAG Membership or Sponsorship, and we hope you will engage with us in 2023!

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  • Board Chair Update

    Payments…“Life in the Fast Lane”
    Kathy Hanna

    Payments…“Life in the Fast Lane”

    Dec 20, 2022

    As we approach the end of another year, the speed of change in the payments industry is not slowing down. Many areas of change are accelerating to address issues in the continuing growth of digital payments.

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  • What's up in Washington

    Payments Policy is Having a Major Moment
    Beth Provenzano

    Payments Policy is Having a Major Moment

    Nov 9, 2022

    The Federal Reserve Board Releases the Long-Anticipated Debit Routing Clarification; Bipartisan, Bicameral Credit Card Competition Legislation Introduced

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  • CEO Update

    Creating a Competitive Payments Landscape
    John Drechny

    Creating a Competitive Payments Landscape

    Nov 4, 2022

    A primary goal of the MAG has always been to foster competition in the payments industry. Many people have asked me what this means and what MAG has done to achieve this goal.

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MAG MEMBER HIGHLIGHT

From Student to Teacher in Payments

New to Payments? Immerse yourself in the MAG and you will be on the stage sharing your knowledge in no time!

MAG SPONSOR HIGHLIGHT

Oliver Wyman —  The CFPB and BNPL: Perspectives on New Report

​Buy Now, Pay Later: Market trends and consumer impacts released by CFPB on 9/15/22
The Merchant Advisory Group

Driving positive change and innovation in the payments industry that serves the merchants interest through collaboration, education, and advocacy.