Blog

Federal Reserve Data on Debit Networks, Fees, and Fraud: Part Two

Part Two of this Two Part series dives deeper into the Federal Reserve’s latest biannual publication to reveal the complexity of interchange and network fees and the significant shift in debit card fraud liability.

Federal Reserve Data on Debit Networks, Fees, and Fraud: Part One

Part One of a Two Part series begins the exploration of the Federal Reserve’s latest biannual publication reporting insights on debit card’s market shares and the continued expansion of Card-Not-Present transactions in the U.S.

Unwrapping Card Fees This Holiday Season

Retailers face their costliest holiday season yet as fees surge and ecommerce grows. With spending projected to exceed $1 Trillion, CMSPI estimates card acceptance fees will reach $19.9 Billion – equivalent to funding hundreds of thousands of seasonal workers’ annual wages.

Are The New Generation of BINs Affecting Your Transaction Success?

New-generation BINs from fintech and digital-first issuers are influencing transaction success rates. Learn how shifting BIN profiles affect approvals, routing, and merchant optimization strategies.

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.

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.

How Have U.S. Card Fees Grown Since 2006?

U.S. merchants face some of the highest credit card swipe fees globally. On November 19, 2024, the Senate Judiciary Committee revisits this issue in a hearing titled “Breaking the Visa-Mastercard Duopoly: Bringing Competition and Lower Fees to the Credit Card System.”