ISOs

At first, payments players seemed wary of the LevelUp mobile-pay system. Now, the startup behind it is quickly building relationships with the very companies it could potentially disrupt.

Merchant cash advance, long considered a niche product ISOs could rely on to add value to a contract, is becoming highly competitive and heavily saturated.

Have some thoughts on the state of the ATM industry? The ATM Industry Association, or ATMIA, and Kahuna ATM Solutions would like to hear them for their annual U.S. Independent ATM Deployer Survey.

Small retailers still aren’t catching on to the Payment Card Industry data security standards, according to recent survey results.

The Northeast Acquirers Association hopes to raise $50,000 to benefit victims of Hurricane Sandy through a silent auction in January at its Winter Seminar and Outing at Mount Snow, Vt.

Even if most issuers meet the card brands’ EMV migration deadline of October, 2015 for smartcard preparedness, fraudsters will focus attacks on a “honey pot” of issuers lagging behind.

Though Heartland Payment Systems claims its “Durbin Dollars” debit-pricing campaign contributed to its most profitable quarter ever, the processor is also encountering the limitations of that model at a time when many new technologies threaten to disrupt the way the payments industry does business.

Taking a cue from the insurance business, Priority Payment Systems LLC is lending its name, prestige and marketing power to its ISOs and agents.

CHICAGO – Paul Whitmore bluntly assessed what he views as a “mess” -- the state of payments in the United States.

A new loyalty scheme from TSYS uses consumer-behavior data to shape individualized rewards, and ISOs can promote the system to merchants.

Mindful that the industry needs a steady influx of youthful beginners, ISOs are taking steps to make it happen. And they're conmpeting with savvy companies like Square, Google and PayPal, which are actively recruiting young blood.

As the pace of change quickens in the payments industry, ISOs and processors have to match that speed or risk falling behind. In the process, the business is becoming less friendly.

Now or later? When sales agents sign up a merchant for transaction services, they can choose the immediate gratification of an upfront bonus or wait for the delayed pleasure of residual payments.

Is tiny the next big thing for ISOs? Or is bigger better? That’s the dilemma ISOs have been facing ever since Square Inc. came on the scene two years ago, promoting card acceptance to babysitters, gardeners and one-man-band merchant outfits.

The Asian American Trade Association Council, which makes collective purchases for members through its Watchdog program, has selected Payment Alliance Inc. international to provide ATMs and transaction services.

LightSpeed Retail Inc. is integrating the Merchant Warehouse Genius Customer Engagement Device into its online point-of-sale systems to help retailers prepare for the payments industry’s uncertain future.

Payments are becoming secondary to marketing in mobile wallets, experts say. They contend that the emphasis is shifting toward using smartphones to deliver consumer-facing digital coupons, loyalty points or targeted promotions.

PayPal Inc.’s embrace of ISOs could signal a trend among the payment industry’s new or expanding players -- but not necessarily right away.

A member of the acquiring industry hears firsthand about micromerchants' frustration at Square's lack of tech support.

Experts are urging ISOs to expand beyond basic transaction services. They could cite he example of Merchant Warehouse, which has announced four products in its Genius suite.