MAG Insights

As this year ends, the Merchant Advisory Group (MAG) has stayed firmly focused on one thing: serving as the voice of merchants in a rapidly changing payments landscape. Through collaboration, education, and advocacy, the MAG worked alongside you to shape a payments ecosystem that better reflects merchants’ priorities and ultimately serves our shared customers. Thank you for your continued engagement and support. Your participation on committees, at conferences, in surveys, and in direct conversations with networks and regulators is what gives the MAG its strength and credibility as the merchants’ voice. 

This year, the MAG elevated the merchant perspective in critical forums where payments rules and technology requirements are under consideration. The MAG submitted several formal comment letters to key regulators, ensuring merchant perspectives shaped emerging rules on open banking, fraud, the penny retirement, SNAP, and market competition in payments. In addition, the MAG was often the only organization at the table speaking exclusively for merchant interests at major industry events, Federal Reserve work groups, and industry work groups (e.g. EMVco, X-9, FPC, FDX, and USPF).  

The MAG advanced merchant positions on topics including debit routing, payment fraud, instant payments, and emerging technologies like AI agents and stablecoins. To support daytoday execution, the MAG delivered new and updated merchant guides on fraud and chargeback programs, surcharging and convenience fees, tokenization, and cardonfile, giving merchant members practical tools to manage risk, reduce costs, and navigate increasingly complex network rules. 

The MAG also expanded its strength by increasing the number of verticals and geographies we serve. This year included special meetings with the healthcare, travel, and entertainment verticals to explore their unique payments concerns. We also grew our international presence with over 100 different merchant organizations participating in our global summits and engaged with the U.K.’s Payment Systems Regulator and the Monetary Authority of Singapore.  

These efforts have translated into tangible benefits for merchant members. Through direct engagement with networks and regulators, the MAG contributed to changes in rules, timelines, and program rollouts that reduced operational friction and improved transparency, helping to contain the rising cost of acceptance.  

Renewing your membership ensures continued access to the full range of MAG benefits that many members say more than pay for themselves. The MAG represents your interests with networks, regulators, and other stakeholders, giving you an amplified, coordinated merchant voice that no single organization can achieve alone. Members also receive exclusive access to conferences, webinars, eLearning, research, and best practice content, along with merchantonly forums and Communities of Practice (COPs) that connect you to peers across verticals to share solutions and surface issues for collective action. 

The pace of change in payments is not slowing. Realtime rails, AIdriven experiences, and shifting regulatory expectations will continue to reshape acceptance. The MAG’s strategy for the coming year is built to ensure that merchants remain in front of these changes, not reacting from the sidelines. Your continued membership and engagement are essential to maintaining a strong, unified voice for merchants in this environment. The MAG looks forward to partnering with you in the year ahead to drive positive change and innovation in payments that serves your business, your customers, and the broader ecosystem.