Page 5 - gs210201

Letter from the editor

.S. payments industry leaders Connecting and
adeptly balance their competi-
tive imperatives with the need
U to cooperate for the advance- Beyond
ment of the industry as a whole. This
collegiality, sometimes affectionately dubbed "co-ope-
tition," has always been evident at industry confer-
ences dedicated to educating and inspiring payments Contact us today
professionals, making these gatherings fertile grounds
for innovation. As payments enterprises have become
increasingly global in scope, new opportunities for co-
opetition have fostered beneficial cross-pollination. For your personal

One example of this has been the flow of information
between the United States and Europe. This issue's
lead article delves into how Europeans adopted highly Discovery Call
secure chip-and-PIN and contactless digital payments
before the United States began a similar migration.
Though the infrastructures and political landscapes
were and remain different in the two regions, Europe's
early experiences helped U.S. stakeholders avoid pitfalls
as well as hasten our nation's ability to participate in an
increasingly interoperable, global commerce ecosystem.

When it comes to our business partners, cooperation is
paramount. One industry expert contributing to this
issue reminds us that the majority of profits for many
ISOs come from the efforts of their sales partners, so
it is essential to inspire loyalty through programs that
truly support those partners. Another contributor
observed that one thing 2020 made clear is, whether as
a species or a collection of organizations, we work best
when we collaborate, and points of inflection such as Spotlight Innovator Pages, Video Marketing,
a new year can catalyze our fortitude to re-engage, re-
imagine and push forward. Another expert discussed Resource Guides, Target Email Campaigns.
recent research on the unbanked population, which
reached an all-time low in 2019, but whether this decline
continued in 2020 is as yet unknown. Amplify your message across

Another aspect of cooperating to advance the industry channels. Expand your reach
as a whole is news of the Electronic Transactions
Association's Young Payments Professionals Scholars with pioneering, one-of-a-kind,
program, now in its fifth year, which we've highlighted multimedia promotions and
in News Briefs. Other spotlighted stories include Visa's
scuttling of plans to acquire the fintech Plaid, an campaigns. Partner with us today.
interview with Wnet's first CEO, predictions that the
surge in digital shopping will outlast the COVID-19
pandemic, and Mastercard and Visa's initiatives to
move contactless payments to the cloud. Rick Aston

Also within these pages are updates on a free POS Media Partnership Specialist
offering for SMBs, progress on the FedNow pilot Rick@greensheet.com
program, leadership scholarships, a new video series
and podcast, as well as recent industry research, 707-284-1693
partnerships, acquisitions, appointments and product
profiles. Please take a moment to send your feedback to
greensheet@greensheet.com, and keep sending your latest
news to press@greensheet.com.
5