CMSPI’s Global Interchange Report analyses the impact of interchange regulation and identifies effective methodologies to ensure maximum benefit for merchants and consumers.

After the tumultuous recent months, as transaction volumes begin to stabilize and a new normal begins to emerge, now is the perfect time for grocers to take stock.

Nearly a decade after federal regulators forced U.S. banks to lower fees charged to process debit card transactions, much of the savings has been eroded.

CMSPI’s work shows that a scientific approach, coupled with the right outreach to issuing banks, can maximize approvals and boost merchants’ revenue significantly.

In this first blog, we have selected three (of the many) factors that impact the overall cost of acceptance: channel, routing arrangements, and refunds.

The report quantifies the impact of interchange regulation on merchants and consumers, as they are the intended beneficiaries of interchange regulation.

In CMSPI’s very own ‘whodunit’ board game, you can play detective and identify where the merchant has been mischarged.

Many merchants are overpaying by substantial six and seven-figure sums every year, we detail the importance of auditing your invoices.

One of the key trends to emerge as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic is the movement in spend away from in-store, towards online.

Merchants, more so than ever, must ensure that their voices are heard, and that this emerging new, future of payments is set up in a fair and competitive way.

Our estimates suggest a bull scenario would see $100 billion of lost revenue and a bear scenario would hit impact sales by nearly $500 billion by the end of 2020.

As if declining sales, outlet closures and lock-down measures weren’t enough of a problem, the U.S. merchant community has been hit by a new challenge: there has also been a coin shortage across the U.S.

The Retail Payments Review’s ‘June at a Glance’ show you all the key trends and insights from June 2020 in a single page.

The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) is proud to announce CMSPI as a strategic partner and new sponsor for RILA’s Payment Committee.

We discuss the rise of unregulated debit transactions in the U.S., from cards issued by smaller banks who are exempt from the Durbin amendment.

In this webinar series, we deliver practical guidance and unique insights into the retail payments industry.

We explore the industry with the most unique considerations when it comes to debit routing: Convenience and Fuel.

A resounding victory for the merchant community: the UK Supreme Court concluded that the interchange fees set by Visa and Mastercard restricted competition.

An introduction to online routing, PIN and PINless debit routing for transactions.

The Retail Payments Review’s ‘Week at a Glance’ feature takes all the week’s biggest updates and trends and condenses them into one easy to view page.

Insights into the success of contactless pre-COVID; the opportunities the payment method presents; and the technical complexities.

We take a look at the barriers preventing online routing and the overall impact to merchants in the current climate.

Ecommerce comes an increased risk of fraud, this can often lead to customers having their transactions declined: resulting in lost sales, and even life-long lost customers.

The Retail Payments Review’s ‘Week at a Glance’ feature takes all the week’s biggest updates and trends and condenses them into one easy to view page.

Throughout the pandemic, widespread store closures have inevitably resulted in online volumes soaring for most retail industries.

The Retail Payments Review’s ‘Week at a Glance’ feature takes all the week’s biggest updates and trends and condenses them into one easy to view page.

During the pandemic, fewer transactions are taking place, but Average Transaction Values are rising.

The Retail Payments Review’s ‘Week at a Glance’ feature takes all the week’s biggest updates and trends and condenses them into one easy to view page.

Our Head of Approvals & Fraud provides insight into ecommerce trends; what the ‘new normal’ will look like; and how can merchants overcome new challenges.

The Retail Payments Review’s ‘Week at a Glance’ feature takes all the week’s biggest updates and trends and condenses them into one easy to view page.

Fiserv announced the value limit on PINless debit transactions for its STAR and Accel networks will increase to $100.

The Retail Payments Review’s ‘Week at a Glance’ feature takes all the week’s biggest updates and trends and condenses them into one easy to view page.

Visa has announced that its upcoming U.S. credit card interchange fee changes will be delayed until April 2021 for every industry except grocery.

Retail Payments: A Webinar Series consists of 3 educational sessions designed to give merchants an understanding of how the payments market works.

In the past few weeks, a number of the trends we were already seeing in payments have accelerated exponentially as a result of the ongoing pandemic.

The Retail Payments Review’s ‘Week at a Glance’ feature takes all the week’s biggest updates and trends and condenses them into one easy to view page.

The team here at CMSPI will continue to do what we can to support and champion you throughout this difficult time.

The Retail Payments Review’s ‘Week at a Glance’ feature takes all the week’s biggest updates and trends and condenses them into one easy to view page.

Visa and Mastercard have announced all credit card interchange fee changes will be pushed back from April to mid-July, citing the COVID-19 pandemic.

CMSPI’s Picture of Payments cartoon series – why declined transactions are costing merchants billions.

We take a deep dive into approvals and declines in North America, and explain why false declines are costing the merchant community billions every year.

Since inception over 29 years ago, CMSPI has empowered merchants by providing education and transparency.

It’s time for the Durbin text to be reviewed in several areas – we highlight those areas and look to the future.

As consumers recuperate from an indulgent holiday period ecommerce merchants must take the time to examine the period’s lost sales.

CMSPI’s Picture of Payments cartoon series – what could the power of data illuminate for you?

For every $100m of online spend during the Black Friday and Cyber Monday period, online merchants lost an average of $2m in revenue to false declines.

It’s time to independently audit your processor’s debit routing solution: here are the top five reasons why.

Pictures from our latest event, The Merchant Cash Management Forum 2019.

In our upcoming webinar, we explore five key questions that need to be answered before BAMS’s merchant clients can develop a long-term strategy.

CMSPI’s Picture of Payments cartoon series – are you considering both sides of consolidation?

FIS acquires Worldpay – the combined entity sees a union between two leading payments industry players,

Fiserv becomes a payments industry behemoth as it acquiress First Data and announces BAM break-up.

As petro & convenience merchants prepare for the 2020 liability shift, one truth is clear: regardless of whether or not you choose to comply, extra costs are inevitable.

Recent reports have stated that the total cost of accepting cards in the U.S. has now exceeded $100 billion a year for the first time.

Did you know merchants could see annual costs rise by $1.3 billion if debit routing is eliminated?

In this video, CMSPI’s team lends their expertise to explain how the erosion of the Durbin amendment is impacting merchants in the U.S.

CMSPI provides transparency to the complexities associated with processing payments.

Global Payments has announced its intention to acquire TSYS in a $21.5 billion all-stock deal.

Throughout our recent MCAF, we collected feedback from merchant attendees – below are the top 5 most asked questions from the day.

The four key questions about holdbacks airlines need to ask now.

CMSPI’s Picture of Payments cartoon series – who really pays for innovation?

Apple has announced that in Summer 2019 it will be releasing a new way for consumers to pay: the Apple Card.

We take a look at the lessons European merchants can learn from the U.S. cash back experience.

US issuer processor Fidelity National Information Services (FIS) has announced a $43 billion acquisition of global merchant acquiring giant Worldpay Inc.

How much of a benefit merchants receive from open banking changes depends greatly on the actions they take now.

In our picture of payments series we look at current industry trends and topics! Winter 2018 cartoon now available.

The Durbin tipping point: new network fees could impose more than a half-billion dollars’ worth of additional charges on merchants.

More mergers in the banking industry on the horizon as BB&T and SunTrust announce upcoming merger

Payments in the airline industry is a risky business, and merchants need to act now to avoid hidden dangers in card processing contracts.

New Year… new changes in the industry to keep up to date with. Which market trends and changes will hurt (or help) merchants the most in 2019?

Merchants must consider ways to mitigate against rising costs rather than limiting customer payment choice.

We caught up with VP of Marketing to talk about CMSPI’s upcoming events and why 2019 promises to be one of the most exciting years for CMSPI-hosted events yet.

Laura Townsend from the MAG talks with CMSPI about Secure Remote Commerce and the potential affect on merchants.

Visa and Mastercard are close to agreeing a deal with the European Commission to lower interchange fees charged to EU merchants accepting cards from outside the EU.

As one fee decreases, another pops up to take its place. We highlight common errors (or moles!) we regularly encounter during a holistic card processing review.

We caught up with our card processing and invoice audit specialist on why conducting regular invoice reviews is so important.

The report, commissioned by the Merchant Advisory Group, studies global fraud trends, and aims to analyze the contributing factors behind shifting patterns in card fraud.

On October 19, a draft of the technical specifications for Secure Remote Commerce (SRC) was released.

Managing your suppliers is complex, opaque, and time consuming. We highlight five key issues for merchants to consider.

CMSPI estimates that network fee increases from Visa, effective in January and April 2019, are set to cost U.S. merchants $570m annually.

CMSPI encourages events that facilitate discussion among all parties within the cash management industry.

Our expert cash team will be conducting a comprehensive study of the true cost of retail cash management in the U.S.

New Jersey has proposed legislation that would require all brick-and-mortar retailers in the state to accept cash payments.

There are significant savings available for those who get their banking arrangements right, but merchants must first understand the intricacies of their invoices.

Customers visiting participating U.S. Walmart stores will soon be able to withdraw and deposit cash directly from their PayPal accounts.

In our picture of payments series we look at current industry trends and topics! Autumn 2018 cartoon now available.

We highlight 10 key issues impacting debit routing in the U.S. today and what merchants and regulators should do about them.

We look at the extent to which cash has declined, how that is likely to progress in the next few years, and mitigation strategies for merchants.

Laura Townsend, SVP, Operations, Merchant Advisory Group, discusses a paradigm shift in payments

Visa and Mastercard have settled a long-running antitrust case brought by merchants over unfair swipe fees.

To have a long-term effect on credit card interchange fees across the board, regulation – rather than a merchant-wide ban on certain card types – will be necessary.

7 (not so magnificent) reasons your MSC invoice may contain errors…

We conducted a short interview with Merchant Cash Management Forum keynote speaker Barbara Bennett of the Federal Reserve.

We caught up with Karl Littler, VP of Public Affairs at the Retail Council of Canada, on the recent interchange fee reductions in Canada,

Walmart discusses the importance of the MCMF, the current state of the cash industry, and what the future holds for merchants.

CMSPI highlights key issues for any merchant who is considering introducing multiple processors into their card arrangements.

Chase is bidding to give its under-appreciated proprietary mobile payments app Chase Pay a shot in the arm by linking up with Samsung Pay.

The WSJ reports that Visa and Mastercard are close to reaching a one-off $6.5 billion settlement with merchants.

The Supreme Court recently ruled in favor of American Express in a long-running anti-trust case.

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Merchants should act now and review their current cash management processes to ensure their arrangements are market-leading.

Brink’s has announcement its intention to acquire Dunbar. Our cash specialists detail the consequences for merchants.

Mail order cash services is a relatively new transport and processing option for merchants that doesn’t rely on AT providers.

We explore the journey of a PINless debit transaction from a merchant’s perspective in our latest infographic.

Our exclusive ‘Vizion by CMSPI’ dashboard product offers merchants complete visibility of their payments arrangements.

iZettle, the Swedish payments company founded in 2010, has sold to PayPal for $2.2bn, placing any plans to IPO on hold.

We highlight the 20 biggest deals in the payment industry over the last 20 years, and key issues merchants need to consider.

We’ve highlighted the five key industry issues that make cash management for merchants time-consuming, costly and complex.

Payments processor Adyen is chasing a $9bn valuation after confirming its intent to sell 15% of its shares in an IPO.

We break down three key pitfalls, and three potential payoffs, available for merchants who get PINless debit solutions right.

We recently completed a project with large national restaurant chain Denny’s. We caught up with them to discuss how the project went…

CMSPI is proud to announce that Matthew Shaw, SVP of Sales & Marketing, has joined the CMSPI Board of Directors.

Many merchant’s operating expense budgets have outpaced their sales growth, and merchants are struggling to keep up

A group of industry stakeholders has put together a draft governance framework for a new US Faster Payments Council (FPC).

Despite mostly affecting Europe due to Visa Inc’s purchase of Visa Europe, North American merchants should not think they’re immune from scheme fees increases and changes.

We highlight 3 considerations merchants need to review when optimizing cash management arrangements.

We highlight 3 key elements to consider when optimizing your cash management arrangements.

American Express has announced its plans to cut merchant acceptance fees by more than it has in the last 20 years.

The $2 billion dollar question… are you prepared to take advantage of the savings available?

PINless debit routing could save U.S. merchants up to $2 billion dollars annually – are you prepared to take advantage of these savings?

In this white paper, we provide a 10-step checklist to help merchants optimize their cash management arrangements.

A combination of industry wide factors mean that now more than ever merchants need to focus their attention on optimizing their cash handling costs.

After similar announcements from Mastercard, Discover and Amex, Visa is the latest network to change its customer signature requirements.

In our latest white paper we examine the rising popularity of cash office technology and what this could mean for your business.

We invited Steve to give his insights on fraud in the U.S. market, barriers for merchants to overcome, and what the future holds for the industry.

We’ve compiled the top 5 most viewed/downloaded resources from our website over the last 12 months

We take a look at what the future holds and highlight the top ten things to watch out for in 2018.

CMSPI joined forces with the Atlanta Children’s Shelter to help struggling Atlanta families to enjoy the holiday season.

The CMSPI team wishes you a happy holidays season

In our latest educational series, Payments 101, we review the basics of the 4-party transaction model.

The merchant community faces many challenges with regards to payments, and must work together to drive change.

Latest report shows EMV technology is now used on 59% of global transactions – up from 42% last year.

Both Discover and American Express have announced that starting in April 2018 they will no longer require a signature for card transactions.

Discover the benefits CMSPI can bring to private equity firms.

Watch the CMSPI and PaymentsEd Forum joint webinar on PINless debit opportunities for CNP.

In this infographic, we’ve arranged the various elements that affect your payments budget and why it’s not all about interchange.

Amazon now enables its Canadian customers to pay for their purchases by cash or card at local Post Offices.

The US has launched their first real-time payments scheme, enabling consumers and businesses to send and receive money within seconds.

Vantiv’s impending merger with Worldpay is set to create an international payments behemoth of unprecedented size and scope.

We list eight of the most common mistakes merchants make when implementing COT and ways to mitigate them.

Canadian debit network Interac has introduced support for Samsung Pay.

Supply chain developments mean most merchants can now consider whether PINless debit is right for their business.

PayPal, one of the most popular alternative payment solutions, continues to grow with strong third quarter results.

This quarter at a glance, a snapshot of the quarter’s biggest news (Q3 2017).

The popular mobile payment app will soon be available in high street retail shops.

The fundamental infrastructure of the four-party card system is similar worldwide, so why isn’t interchange regulation?

In this infographic we list key considerations for merchants thinking about implementing cash office technology.

CMSPI is able to provide insight into the significant impact merchants are likely to encounter in the coming year.

In our latest white paper, CMSPI experts provide solutions for merchants looking to optimize multinational payments.

M&A activitiy can often mean uncertainty for all players in the supply chain, but what do these activities mean for merchants specifically?

We take a look at the history of PIN debit, the current situation many merchants find themselves in, and steps you can take to optimize your arrangements.

Over the last 24 months’, CMSPI has engaged with several MAG members and is on course to save them a combined $36,000,000.

What’s happening in payments in Q2 of 2017?

Free market economics is often an argument used to block any regulation attempt. However, when it comes to anti-competitive practices, regulations should be encouraged.

CMSPI takes a look at the overall armored transport landscape in the USA.

Managing QSR and restaurant cash arrangements is a difficult task. There are many complex industry-specific challenges that must be considered.

We look and interest rates and their influence on your cash management strategy. We analyze each scenario and provide advice on what you should do.

Although recent reports suggest a total repeal is unlikely, it is imperative that merchants act now to ensure Durbin is strengthened.

The webinar will expose why many US merchants are unwittingly missing out on substantial six – seven figure cost savings.

Understanding the debit routing engine; are your transactions really being routed optimally?

Summary of US card processing and card network activities for March 2017.

As the US finally made the switch to EMV chip cards, last year saw e-commerce fraud rates jump by 33%, according to data from Experian.

The US Supreme Court has refused to revive a $5.7 billion class action settlement between millions of retailers and Visa and Mastercard over interchange fees.

Introduced as part of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act, the Durbin Amendment has underachieved. Should it then be repealed, or reformed?

Key considerations to make when exploring improvements to your card processing arrangements.

The card payments supply chain is complex, here’s a summary of how it works.

The Federal Reserve says it is on track to hit “significant milestones” this year in its long journey towards finally bringing faster payments to America.

Walmart Canada and Visa have ended their interchange fee standoff, striking a deal that will see the retail giant’s customers able to resume using Visa credit cards.

Bitter rivals Visa and Mastercard have struck a deal that lets each firm’s digital wallet service request the other’s tokenized payment credentials.

The rise of mobile and contactless payments means that by 2026 cash will account for less than a quarter of all transactions in the US.

Payments Canada has gone into public consultation on far-reaching plans for a throughgoing overhaul of the nation’s payments architecture and legal underpinnings.

American Express is bringing contactless mobile payments to Canadian cardholders with Android devices.

Visa (NYSE:V) today modified and clarified existing debit network routing rules to help merchants and acquirers better understand implementation options.