Past Articles
-
Agentic Commerce: Redefining the Consumer Journey, Liability, and Loyalty
Oct 9, 2025The 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.
Read More -
Are You Making the Most of Your MAG Sponsorship?
Oct 7, 2025As 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.
Read More -
Your MAG Update: Driving Innovation and Merchant Collaboration
Sep 30, 2025The 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.
Read More -
FOMO Realized - Take My Word for It
Sep 24, 2025Fear 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.
Read More -
NEW APAC Offering on Real-Time Payments!
Sep 10, 2025The 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.
Read More -
From San Francisco to San Antonio to London: Where to Find The MAG This Fall
Aug 28, 2025The payments landscape is moving fast, and so is the MAG. This fall, we’re bringing together merchants, solution providers, and thought leaders across multiple cities and regions to share insights, explore innovation, and strengthen the payments ecosystem. From large conferences to intimate regional meet-ups, there’s no shortage of opportunities to connect with MAG and your peers.
Read More -
Fed Spotlights Pay-by-Bank While FTC Rule Is Vacated
Aug 19, 2025On 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.
Read More -
Insights, Innovation & What’s Next
Jul 30, 2025Get a look at what’s driving conversations in payments—from EMVCo’s deep dive on PAR to what you can expect at MAG Payments Conference 2025. Don’t miss key deadlines, event highlights, and a look ahead at what MAG has coming up, including a can't-miss webinar on stablecoins and an October meet-up in San Francisco.
Read More -
The Power of Networking
Jul 21, 2025With AI becoming increasingly integrated into all our lives, I’ve started to contemplate how the world may change. One key thing I don’t believe it will ever replace is the value of a strong network of business relationships and trusted mentors. When I look back at some of the major decisions I have made in life, they have been influenced by the network of people I interact with and have built trust in.
Read More -
EBT Chip Card Migration – The Light at the End of the Tunnel May be an Oncoming Train
Jul 14, 2025As the efforts to modernize EBT continue, several key milestones have been met, but new issues may throw a wrench in merchant acceptance models. This article breaks down these factors and provides updates on state implementations, discusses the state-specific product waivers, reviews the status on the whitepaper(s) being finalized by the X9 EBT Card Industry Forum, and looks at the future on what changes in the EBT space may require additional updates to the specification.
Read More -
Interchange Legislation Throughout the States
Jul 1, 2025After Illinois signed interchange legislation into law, how is the rest of the country reacting? Take a look at where interchange is being addressed throughout the states, and potential impacts to merchant operations to think about._
Read More -
Momentum and Milestones: Highlights from MAG Payments Summit- London 25 and What’s Ahead
Jun 30, 2025Our recent MAG Payments Summit – London 25 was a tremendous success, bringing together over 200 payments professionals , a 25% increase in attendance from last year’s event. This premier gathering highlighted the power of collaboration across the payments ecosystem, offering attendees key insights into the latest technologies and trends shaping the industry.
Read More -
Navigating the European Payments Landscape with MAG and Bank of America
Jun 3, 2025Europe’s payments landscape is evolving fast, shaped by innovation, regulation, and shifting consumer expectations. To explore how global collaboration can support merchants through these changes, Paul Tunstall, VP of International at the Merchant Advisory Group (MAG), spoke with Kevin Baker, Managing Director, Head of Merchant Services & Commercial Card Sales, EMEA at Bank of America. They discuss the MAG’s role in supporting international growth, advocating for merchants, and sharing cross-border insights that drive the future of payments.
Read More -
Driving Payments Forward: MAG’s Latest Insights and Upcoming Events
May 29, 2025The Merchant Advisory Group (MAG) remains at the forefront of the fast-paced transformation occurring in the payments ecosystem—advocating for merchants, advancing industry standards, and providing valuable forums for dialogue and innovation. With the release of our first-ever Payments Technology Industry Engagement Report, along with several exciting events on the horizon, we’re proud to offer new opportunities to learn, connect, and lead in 2025.
Read More -
MAG’s Fraud Focus Expands Across Forums
May 16, 2025Over the past year, there has been a lot of buzz around the new compelling evidence programs introduced by multiple card brands which allow merchants to adjudicate first-party fraud chargebacks for eCommerce or card-not-present disputes. These programs allow merchants to use data elements within the transaction—matched with the same data elements from previous, undisputed transactions—to prove cardholder involvement. But did you know most card brands also have rules for handling disputes, which allow for compelling evidence outside of these programs?
Read More -
Building Momentum: MAG’s 2025 Events and Industry Initiatives
Apr 29, 2025MAG is pleased to announce key initiatives for 2025, including our upcoming events and expanded efforts to represent merchants in the open banking arena.
Read More -
Everything You Need to Know: Brand Release Updates
Apr 15, 2025Spring has arrived, bringing with it longer days, warmer weather, and—like clockwork—updates from the payment card networks. Hopefully your acquirer has reviewed the changes with you since many of them were scheduled to take effect on April 11, 2025. Keep in mind that implementation dates can vary depending on the card brand and your specific payments processor.
Read More -
March MAG Insider: What's Next in Payments?
Mar 31, 2025As we move into the second quarter of 2025, several groundbreaking events are on the horizon. These upcoming activities offer exciting opportunities to stay at the forefront of the payments industry, network with like-minded professionals, and explore new technologies that are transforming the payments landscape.
Read More -
Network Tokens, What Are They Good For?
Mar 20, 2025Last year, Visa announced that it had issued its 10 billionth token and that tokenized payments had prevented $650 million of fraud in 2023. Visa and Mastercard have also stated that approximately 30% of all their payment transactions are processed utilizing network tokens. Given that network tokens have only been around for about a decade, those are impressive numbers. But what is it about network tokens that give them their superpower to stop fraud? After all, in the case of network tokens, the token is just another number representing a customer’s credit or debit account. What makes these numbers so much more secure than the numbers that make up the primary account number (PAN) of the payment card? In the typical context, tokens are often referred to as a non-sensitive representation of something of value, such as the PAN in the case of network tokens. But wait, you may be thinking, “if I can make a payment transaction with a network token, that sounds pretty sensitive to me.” Before drawing any conclusions about network tokens, maybe we should first consider what a network token is not. It is not a security token.
Read More -
An Inside Lens of SIGs and RPP at Payments MAGnified 25!
Mar 18, 2025At Payments MAGnified 25, the Merchant Advisory Group (MAG) advanced payments through engaging learning sessions, ample networking, and a showcase of emerging technologies. Two standout forums- Special Interest Groups (SIGs) and Rising Payments Professionals (RPP)- were central to fostering valuable industry collaboration.
Read More