PayThink

As marketing becomes more expensive, issuers are under pressure to find new ways to lure merchants, according to Eric Marks and Sean Clark from West Monroe Partners.

Contactless payments today seem to address the slowness of EMV contact without compromising security. And unbeknownst to many, it uses the same security protocol, writes Andrey Tikhonov, senior director of payment technology for Infinite Peripherals.

Not only did Walmart's bid for an industrial loan company galvanize bankers, it also turned the ILC world upside down.

With the right focus and a little bit of pre-work, many companies can leverage ISO 20022 as the new global standard, writes Kate Risch Choi, a senior product manager for treasury and payment solutions at BMO Harris Bank.

Contrary to the view of some, technology has not rendered the Community Reinvestment Act obsolete. But everyone seems to agree that it should be reformed.

Banking lobbies are still opposed to the Durbin Amendment, which would hurt a free market, writes Mark Horwedel, CEO of the Merchant Advisory Group.

Where existing money and payment systems are wanting, mutually consenting adults are resourceful in finding ways to transact, notwithstanding government restrictions.

As payments guru David Birch notes, multiple currencies spur competition and innovation, and can reduce stagnation, writes Eric Grover, a principal at Intrepid Ventures.

Distribution methods are constantly changing and being altered so that the maximum amount of people can gain access to these unregulated currencies, writes Mariam Nishanian, a representative at Dentacoin.

The gulf between those at the upper ends of the wealth ladder and lower-income Americans has worsened markedly since the financial crisis, despite the trillions of subsidies that taxpayers provide for housing.