MAG Insights

Jun 6, 2024, 13:59 by Chad L Oswald

Matera is a new Sponsor of the MAG joining, in 2024. Matera provides solutions such as QR code payments software to help accelerate the adoption of pay-by-bank. The MAG sat down with Carlos Netto, CEO/Co-Founder of Matera, to discuss how they decided to sponsor the Merchant Advisory Group.

Jun 5, 2024, 09:57 by Chad L Oswald

The latest buzzword in payments seems to be “biometrics”. It isn’t a new term or a new concept, but it is growing in popularity and acceptance and there are a few factors that exist in the market that merchants should consider.

May 21, 2024, 09:16 by Chad L Oswald

The Merchant Advisory Group (MAG) is thrilled to announce its inaugural European Payments Summit, set to take place from June 10-12 at Convene, 155 Bishopsgate, London. This landmark event underscores the MAG's commitment to driving positive change and innovation in the payments industry, serving merchants' interests through collaboration, education, and advocacy.

May 14, 2024, 09:25 by Chad L Oswald

Brownells is a new Merchant Member of the MAG joining us in 2024. Brownells, a global merchant in the sporting goods industry, recently joined the MAG in 2024 as a merchant member. We sat down with Krystle Lafountain, Brownells’ Payments & Fraud Strategy Manager to discuss how they decided to join the Merchant Advisory Group.

May 8, 2024, 09:59 by Chad L Oswald

The MAG is thrilled to announce the launch of our second on-demand microlearning course, "Adopting and Implementing Payment Account Reference (PAR)." This course is part of our commitment to providing timely and impactful learning opportunities in the ever-evolving landscape of payments technologies.

Apr 22, 2024, 11:19 by Chad L Oswald

One of the key strategies for the MAG is to develop a comprehensive vision for expanding the MAG's presence in the APAC and European regions and build an international program that aligns with the MAG's mission. This includes leading efforts to engage local merchants within the payments system and fostering collaborative relationships with payment processors, technology providers, and regulatory bodies in these regions.

Apr 15, 2024, 09:27 by Chad L Oswald

The MAG offers a wide variety of benefits to its merchant members – from committees to conferences, advocacy, education, and more, and we want to ensure that you are maximizing your benefits to get the most out of your membership.

Apr 9, 2024, 14:50 by Chad L Oswald

The MAG is excited to announce that our 200 Level eLearning Series is now FREE to All-Access Merchant Members, and T1 Sponsors! The Merchant Payments 200 Series includes five online payments courses designed for anyone seeking to increase individual skills. Each course focuses on a different topic including Managing a Payments Program, Card Types/Products, Fraud, Chargebacks, Touchless Payments, and Debit Routing.

Apr 4, 2024, 09:33 by Chad L Oswald

Regulation II, the Federal Reserve ruling that regulated debit card interchange in the U.S., has not seen an update since it was issued in 2011. In that time, there have been changes to not only payments technology, but also consumer preferences and shifting channels of commerce. Regulation II has a stipulation in which the Federal Reserve can reassess the debit rate cap and its applicability given issuer costs, and in late 2023 they proposed the first update to the regulated rate since its introduction. Their proposal is open for public comments until May 12, 2024.

Apr 1, 2024, 09:13 by Chad L Oswald

The Quick Response Code, more commonly known as the QR Code, has become a familiar sight in our daily lives. QR Codes seem to be everywhere these days whether on restaurant tables, plastered to light poles, or at the exhibit booths of your favorite payments conference. How did this come to be? Let’s take a closer look at what QR Codes are, how they work, and why payments professionals should care about them.

Mar 25, 2024, 10:38 by Chad L Oswald

In 2023, EMVCo defined the introduction of minimum acceptable criteria and a supporting approval process for TaptoMobile acceptance devices. These changes have allowed solution providers, the networks and processors to -venture into this new TaptoMobile space.

Mar 21, 2024, 11:55 by Chad L Oswald

Thank you to the record-setting number of attendees who joined us at our first-ever Payments MAGnified at the Hyatt Regency Dallas!

Mar 18, 2024, 10:16 by Chad L Oswald

Over the last several years, the MAG has expanded the merchant's voice in the industry through many avenues. In 2019, we added the Tech Forum to include professionals who are responsible for the programming of payments to join our discussions. In 2020, we started engaging with merchants in the APAC area to help understand their needs for a voice in the payment system. In 2021, we launched our Merchant Payments 101, followed by our 200 level courses as well as a Technical course. In 2022, we held our first international summit in Singapore.

Mar 11, 2024, 12:09 by Chad L Oswald

Dating back to our inaugural payments event in October 2008, our Special Interest Groups (SIGs) have been some of the highest-rated sessions at every conference. What started as round table discussions during the last hour of our conference, SIGs have been standardized into two one-hour merchant-only sessions, allowing merchants of various industry verticals to discuss the topics that mean the most to them.

Mar 7, 2024, 15:21 by Erica M Forman

I have had the honor of being engaged with the MAG through many different job titles… merchant member, SIG leader, Committee co-chair, MAG staff member, and now Board Member. Through all those titles and phases of my own professional life, what I have learned about payments can be directly tied back to the experiences, connections, people, formal and informal conversations, and education that I’ve received through engagement with the MAG organization.

Feb 26, 2024, 13:46 by Erica M Forman

MAG conferences may have gone through a rebranding, but Tech Forum is here to stay. Tech Forum is a constant area of growth for our organization as the industry faces new and exciting challenges across the payments tech space. From tokenization, PCI compliance, fraud management, software implementation, and more, the MAG continues to seek new and innovative ways to bring together payments technology professionals in a meaningful way.

Jan 30, 2024, 09:58 by Erica M Forman

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has created a flurry of activity in the past 12 months regarding topics such as open banking, excessive banking fees, and their most recent proposal looks to bring additional oversight to digital wallets currently operating in the U.S. What does this new proposal mean for wallet providers, merchants, and consumers alike?

Jan 25, 2024, 10:49 by Erica M Forman

This article is not intended to be a history lesson in payments, but it is important to revisit a few innovations to bring the topic of payments orchestration along. Before the history lesson, we need to define payments orchestration. Generally, this is a process that can be developed either internally or with a partner to allow for the use of multiple payment processors, technologies, or acquirers to optimize the payments process and customer experience.

Jan 23, 2024, 12:00 by Erica M Forman

As a MAG merchant member, there are many opportunities to advance your payments career and expand your knowledge through our professional development resources. Do you lead a team? Use our resources to amplify your team’s performance and build the momentum to move your business forward!

Jan 22, 2024, 07:15 by Erica M Forman

Traditionally, merchants would engage a single payment processor for all acquiring needs. However, evolving global requirements and market dynamics have led to a shift, with merchants increasingly opting for multiple providers. Even when a single acquirer could handle a merchant's domestic processing requirements, there are compelling reasons for diversification.