• MAG Insider

    Fall is In the Air; End-of-Year is In Sight
    Erica Forman

    Fall is In the Air; End-of-Year is In Sight

    Oct 30, 2025

    As we head into Q4 and the holiday shopping season, it’s a perfect time to wrap up 2025 goals and prepare for what’s ahead in 2026.

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  • International Perspective

    A Year of Momentum, Growth, and Global Collaboration
    Paul Tunstall

    A Year of Momentum, Growth, and Global Collaboration

    Oct 20, 2025

    As we move into the final stretch of 2025, it’s inspiring to reflect on the incredible progress the Merchant Advisory Group (MAG) has made across our international markets. This year has been a defining one, marked by record-breaking participation, deeper merchant engagement, and a growing global voice for merchant payments advocacy.

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  • Payments Technology

    Agentic Commerce: Redefining the Consumer Journey, Liability, and Loyalty
    Howard Xiao - Head of Strategic Partnerships at VGS, Laura Furlong - Senior Marketing Manager at VGS

    Agentic Commerce: Redefining the Consumer Journey, Liability, and Loyalty

    Oct 9, 2025

    The rise of agentic commerce, and a world of artificial intelligence (AI) agents that research, recommend, and even purchase on behalf of consumers, is set to transform the payments ecosystem. For merchants, issuers, and consumers, this new paradigm raises pressing questions.

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  • Leadership Lens

    Are You Making the Most of Your MAG Sponsorship?
    Meg Thaxton

    Are You Making the Most of Your MAG Sponsorship?

    Oct 7, 2025

    As an Annual Sponsor of the Merchant Advisory Group (MAG), you signed on to support the MAG community and help drive positive change and innovation in the payments industry. But are you taking full advantage of everything that comes with your sponsorship? Each of our sponsorship tiers comes with a robust list of benefits, and we don’t want you to miss a single thing. From speaking opportunities, to comp conference passes and more, here’s a quick refresher to make sure you are taking full advantage of your sponsor benefits and maximizing the return on your investment.

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  • Advancing Payments

    FOMO Realized - Take My Word for It
    Kelly Andrus

    FOMO Realized - Take My Word for It

    Sep 24, 2025

    Fear of missing out (FOMO), isn't just an emotional state brought on by an inability to participate, it can later lead to an overload. You miss something you planned to attend, and everything you’d hoped to accomplish is left undone. That's what happened to me earlier this month, when a medical issue caused me to cancel my attendance at MAG Payments Conference 25. I had to miss just my fourth MAG event out of 35 in MAG's history, and of all the conferences to miss, this was the one I least wanted to sit out.

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  • Policy Perspective

    Fed Spotlights Pay-by-Bank While FTC Rule Is Vacated
    Josh Pynn

    Fed Spotlights Pay-by-Bank While FTC Rule Is Vacated

    Aug 19, 2025

    On July 7, 2025, the Federal Reserve Board (Fed) published a FEDS Note exploring the current and potential role of Pay-by-Bank (PBB) as a consumer-to-business payment method in the U.S.. The note, authored by Federal Reserve economist Byoung Hwang, reviews the conditions under which PBB might gain traction in merchant transactions and offers insights into adoption trends, enabling technologies, and regulatory frameworks.

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The Merchant Advisory Group

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