• 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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  • MAG Insider

    Your MAG Update: Driving Innovation and Merchant Collaboration
    Abby Arseneau

    Your MAG Update: Driving Innovation and Merchant Collaboration

    Sep 30, 2025

    The Merchant Advisory Group (MAG) continues to advance the merchant voice across the payments industry, from technology upgrades to thought leadership on emerging trends. With exciting changes on the horizon, including a new database, active engagement at key industry events, and leadership in shaping conversations around agentic commerce, the MAG is driving collaboration and delivering resources that matter most to our members and sponsors.

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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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  • International Perspective

    NEW APAC Offering on Real-Time Payments!
    Paul Tunstall

    NEW APAC Offering on Real-Time Payments!

    Sep 10, 2025

    The Merchant Advisory Group (MAG) and Elishah Consultancy Pte. Ltd. are excited to introduce a new APAC-focused offering: “Unlocking Growth: How Real-Time Payments Help Merchants Unlock Business Resilience and Reach” by Joel Tong.

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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.