Maximizing Routing Optionality: Four Factors Every Debit Routing Strategy Must Address

Debit routing is a powerful tool for merchants to optimize payments performance and unlock significant savings. However, there's no universal strategy for achieving optimal routing outcomes - it requires a tailored approach and regular monitoring of market shifts that may reduce savings. This article explores four of the most impactful erosion factors limiting merchant routing options.

Client Connect 2025: Takeaways from Connecting the World’s Largest Merchants

CMSPI’s second annual Client Connect conference provided two days of high-impact insights focused on one thing: connecting the dots across the merchant payments landscape. From macroeconomic trends and data challenges to innovations like PINless routing and agentic commerce, the event emphasized the power of collaboration, unified data, and policy for merchants.

Four Merchant Approaches to Issuer Collaboration

As the authorization process grows ever-more fragmented, discover the key strategies used by merchants in bridging the data gap for payment success.

Why Routing Matters

Debit routing offers merchants one of the largest cost-saving opportunities in the payments space but unlocking its full value is not a simple task. With billions in estimated savings available, merchants may be leaving significant value on the table if not accounting for complexities including network and issuer rules, shifting market dynamics, industry innovation, and regulation.

Building The Agentic Commerce Channel: Lessons from Payments Past

It’s hard to discuss today’s retail landscape without the words ‘agentic commerce’ sparking either fear or excitement amongst merchants. Rightly so: autonomous agents that can shop on behalf of customers, adapt to changing environments and even make purchases are a far-cry from the generative AI systems the world is only just getting used to.

Payments Data Augmentation for Subscriber Retention

In today’s subscription economy, growth isn’t just about sign-ups — it’s about keeping the customers you already have. Failed payments are one of the biggest threats to retention, with declines from expired cards to insufficient funds putting lifetime value at risk. Simply retrying isn’t the answer. The key? Smarter data for smarter retention.

The Hidden Cost of Menu Price Inflation: Rising Payments Fees

The dining industry is facing a perfect storm of rising food costs, labor shortages, and shifting consumer behavior. But there’s one often-overlooked area operators can control: payments.

CMSPI Insights Advisory Council Launches 2nd Annual State of the Industry Report

CMSPI and its Insights Advisory Council release report scoring nine payment methods on key attributes shaping the future of payments.

Capital One’s Discover Acquisition: A Payments Industry Game-Changer

The Capital One acquisition of Discover makes it the 3rd largest credit card issuer by volume in U.S., which could mean significant impacts to U.S. payments industry stakeholders, including merchants and consumers.

European Payments: New Methods, Less Madness

The European payments landscape is evolving rapidly, shaped by innovation, increasing competition, and a growing demand for cross-border capabilities. From regulatory shifts to local scheme expansion, merchants face new challenges and opportunities as they navigate this dynamic environment. This blog will focus on three of the fastest changing areas: the growth of contactless payments, market harmonization developments, and stablecoin regulation.

CMSPI Global Payment Policy Summit – The Path to Payments Modernization

In July, CMSPI was proud to host regulators, merchants, industry partners, and trade associations to engage on the most pressing topics in payments policy around the world.

Back to Basics: Card Network Models and Global Card Costs

The world of payments can be confusing, so it’s important to refresh ourselves with the basics of the industry. In this blog, we will breakdown three- and four-party card network models, review the key players, analyze the cost structure and look at card costs around the world.