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Can you believe we’re entering the last quarter of 2026? As you think about what you want to accomplish and what’s next in the year ahead, the MAG has plenty of opportunities for you along the way.
Want to Build Your Payments Knowledge or Network?
Join MAG’s first standalone virtual Rising Payments Professionals (RPP) event on October 14 at 11 a.m. CT. Designed for professionals with five or fewer years of payments experience, the event also welcomes seasoned professionals who want to share their expertise. Instead of simply listening, attendees will join small-group discussions challenging myths about chargebacks and fraud, debit routing, and interchange, with opportunities to ask peers and experienced professionals questions. Registration is open to all MAG merchants and sponsors.
Next Stop: Singapore!
MAG Payments Summit – Singapore 26 takes place 20-21 October at the Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre. The Summit brings opportunities to hear merchant perspectives and explore emerging trends with payments professionals from across the region. Join the conversation; registration is open.
Add Your Next Learning Opportunity to Your Calendar
These two upcoming MAG webinars offer practical insights you can bring back to your team. Both webinars are open to everyone.
On October 20, join The Resilient Shopper: How Working Americans Below 670 Are Reshaping Retail Payments for a closer look at an important consumer segment and what changing behaviors mean for retail payments.
On November 17, Build or Buy? A Payments Leader’s Framework for Smarter Vendor Decisions tackles a question nearly every payments team faces: when should you build internally, and when does it make more sense to work with a partner?
MAG Merchant Members: Help Shape the Pay-by-Bank and Debit Routing Conversations
The Pay-by-Bank 2.0 Working Group collaborates to broaden and deepen cross-channel alignment on Pay-by-Bank enablement across retail verticals. Topics span use cases, integration models, and adoption barriers to support scalable deployment and measurable value for merchants and consumers. This working group meets quarterly. Their next meeting is October 22 at 10 a.m. CT.
The Debit Routing Working Group collaborates with merchants on the options for and obstacles to debit routing. Topics include PINless debit, network tokens, Regulation II, and optimization. This working group meets monthly. Their next meeting is October 21 at 12:30 p.m. CT.
If you are interested in joining either (or both!) of these working groups, reach out to Carrie Pottorff.
Advocacy and Engagement in the UK
MAG Europe responded to the Bank of England’s consultation on the Design of the Future Retail Payments Infrastructure, establishing the merchant voice in the region. MAG Europe also attended the UK Parliamentary Reception on Payments Resilience at the House of Commons on 9 September. Discussions explored the growing vulnerability of businesses to payments disruption and why resilient payments infrastructure can no longer be considered “nice to have.”
Catch MAG at Worldpay Rethinking San Francisco
MAG Chief Operating Officer Troy Carrothers is participating in a fireside chat on Tuesday, October 27, at Worldpay Rethinking San Francisco. Troy will discuss the current state of the payments ecosystem and why trusted partnerships matter more than ever. The session includes live Q&A and peer-to-peer discussion. Registration opens October 6; West Coast MAG merchant members: watch for more details coming soon.
Looking Ahead: MAG Membership in 2027
As organizations plan for the year ahead, it’s also time to think about your continued involvement with MAG.
MAG is more than events. Throughout the year, MAG merchant members can learn from payments peers, participate in Special Interest Groups and other communities, access educational resources, and contribute to industry conversations that strengthen the collective merchant perspective. As renewal season approaches, watch for a message from MAG CEO John Drechny reflecting on the value of membership and a look at the year ahead. We will also share our Annual Report for a broader look at MAG’s work and impact.
SAVE THESE DATES: MAG in 2027
Already filling in next year’s calendar? Make room for MAG!
- Payments MAGnified 27: February 22-25, 2027 | Dallas
- MAG Payments Summit – London 27: April 12-13, 2027 | London
- MAG Payments Conference 27: September 19-22, 2027 | Orlando
- MAG Payments Summit – Singapore 27: Fall 2027 | Singapore
Finish Strong and Start Planning for What’s Next
With three months left in 2026, you still have plenty of opportunities to make them count. Join a conversation. Attend a webinar. Meet someone new. Explore a MAG resource you haven’t yet used. Brush up your skills with our eLearning. And as you start goal-setting for 2027, think about where MAG fits into them, and partner with us to get ready for what’s next in payments!