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Insights and Expertise

Merchant experience degradation 1. Reduced time-to-market: Pre-certified solutions
eliminate lengthy certification cycles
EMV transactions typically take longer to process than
magstripe transactions—a difference merchants and 2. Technical expertise on tap: Access to specialists
consumers quickly notice. Gateways that haven't been well-versed in EMV's complexities
optimized for speed risk creating transaction bottlenecks
during peak periods, leading to merchant dissatisfaction. 3. Focus on core business: Resources can remain
dedicated to differentiated services rather than
The liability shift pressure baseline payment functionality

The card brands' liability shift policies have placed 4. Simplified compliance: Ongoing updates to satisfy
additional pressure on the ecosystem. Since 2015, the changing regulations and standards are handled by
liability for fraudulent card-present transactions has fallen dedicated teams
on whichever party in the payment chain is the least EMV-
compliant. This creates an urgent business case for EMV SaaS solutions: a viable alternative
adoption, even when technical resources are stretched
thin. Cloud-based payment gateways with robust EMV
capabilities are emerging as a compelling option for
According to recent industry reports, non-EMV merchants organizations struggling with their EMV transition.
continue to experience fraud rates 75 percent higher These platforms offer PCI DSS certification out of the box,
than those who have completed the transition. For ISOs significantly reducing compliance burdens.
supporting these merchants, this represents not only a
financial risk but a significant reputational one as well. The SaaS model allows ISOs and PSPs to transform what
would otherwise be a massive capital expenditure into a
Modern approaches to EMV implementation predictable operating expense, easing budgetary strains
while accelerating implementation timelines.
As challenging as EMV adoption has been, there's a
growing recognition that maintaining the status quo is A modern EMV-capable payment gateway delivered as
no longer viable. Forward-thinking organizations are SaaS can integrate with existing merchant management
exploring alternatives to internally-developed solutions. systems through well-documented APIs, creating a hybrid
Increasingly, ISOs and PSPs are turning to specialized approach that preserves valuable legacy components
EMV gateway providers rather than attempting to while modernizing the payment acceptance layer.
build everything in-house. This approach offers several
advantages: Looking ahead
As the payment landscape continues to evolve with
A complex shift requires more than a quick fix contactless transactions and mobile payments gaining
momentum, having flexible infrastructure becomes
The move from magstripe to EMV chip technology even more critical. Organizations that solve their EMV
has been anything but simple for ISOs and PSPs challenges today through thoughtful partnerships are
operating legacy payment systems. Unlike magstripe’s better positioned to adapt to tomorrow's innovations.
single-message flow, EMV introduces multi-step,
cryptographic authentication and brand-specific The EMV transition, while painful, offers ISOs and PSPs an
compliance protocols. Gateways must manage intricate opportunity to re-evaluate their technical infrastructure
tasks like cryptogram validation, offline authentication and consider whether building and maintaining payment
and exception handling. acceptance technology internally still makes sense in
today's complex environment.
Certification adds another layer of difficulty, requiring
approval from each processor and card brand—a By focusing resources on unique value propositions and
time-consuming and costly process. Many small leveraging specialized partners for standardized payment
organizations face "spaghetti code" functionality, payment organizations can navigate the
EMV transition successfully while positioning themselves
and system overhauls just to integrate EMV, often with for future growth in an increasingly competitive
limited technical and financial resources. marketplace.

The result? Delays, merchant frustration and elevated Goran Bosankić is CRO and a board member of Field39, which aims
fraud risk. Partnering with specialized, SaaS-based to set new standards in payment processing by offering secure, robust
EMV gateway providers offers a streamlined path technology and a user-centric platform that drives efficiency and
forward with faster rollout, reduced liability and growth for businesses of all sizes. Contact Goran at goran@field39.
stronger merchant satisfaction.
com.

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