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Insights and Expertise

Fixed-cost capacity versus
premium metered access

The practical answer is not to meter everything forever
but to decide which work actually belongs on fixed-cost
Association Shows: capacity and which work calls for premium metered
Merchants Risk Council access. One feasible structure is an 80/20 model: fixed-
cost capacity for the repeatable, economically sensitive
MRC San Diego 2026 workloads that make up most day-to-day AI use,
with metered access reserved for the smaller set of
Highlights: Get inspired, gain actionable insights, and grow your specialized use cases where the most advanced model
professional network in a setting designed for honest conversations
and real-world solutions. With a curated agenda of hands-on work- performance justifies premium pricing.
shops, impactful keynotes, and high-quality networking, this event
is built to help you sharpen your expertise and tackle the challenges That framework is especially relevant to acquiring
that matter most. A range of motivational events are planned, includ- and processing because much of the work is repetitive
ing: Inspiring Keynotes: Hear from leading voices in fraud, risk, and yet highly consequential. A processor is reviewing
payments as they explore the biggest trends shaping our industry similar merchant records thousands of times. A risk
today—and tomorrow. Hands-On Workshops: Roll up your sleeves team continually evaluates patterns across support
and dive into practical sessions that give you tools and strategies tickets, transaction histories and onboarding files. A
you can immediately apply. Networking and Community Building: compliance team needs fast access to documentation
Meet your peers, exchange ideas, and build meaningful relationships that already exists inside the organization. None of
through roundtables, structured networking, and casual meetups. these workflows are occasional novelty tasks; they’re
When: Sept. 14 – 16, 2026 essential, and they are regular occurrences.
Where: Hyatt Regency Mission Bay Spa & Marina
San Diego, CA Fixed-cost capacity changes the economics because
Registration: https://merchantriskcouncil.org/events/2026/ spend is tied to the infrastructure rather than to per-
mrc-san-diego-2026 token output. Depending on the organization’s risk
profile and workload, this could mean on-premise or
provisioned AI infrastructure for high-volume use
Western States Acquirers Association cases where cost predictability and data control are
WSAA 2026 prime considerations. Once the platform is in place,
more users, queries and workflows are spread across
Highlights: WSAA 2026 will bring merchant acquirers, ISOs, the same capacity, and the effective cost per interaction
payment technology providers, SaaS companies and financial
institutions together for three days of networking, education and falls as usage grows. That is the opposite of the success
technology showcases focused on the evolving payments landscape. penalty built into many consumption models.
The conference will feature general sessions, breakout education Payments leaders do not need to abandon variable-cost
sessions, an exhibit hall with more than 150 vendors, networking
receptions, sponsored events and after-parties, along with the Ken AI. What they do need is a fixed-cost alternative for high-
Elderts Memorial Golf Tournament. Organizers said attendees can volume, repeatable workloads where predictable costs
expect expanded educational programming, high-value networking are more important than squeezing out slightly better
opportunities and presentations addressing emerging trends and model performance. Acquiring banks and processors
innovations across the acquiring ecosystem. . will keep using AI because the operational need is real.
When: Sept. 15 – 17, 2026 The question is whether the pricing model supports
scale or punishes it. The strongest AI strategies will
Where: JW Marriott, Palm Springs Resort & Spa help payments organizations support more merchants,
Palm Springs, CA review risk faster and scale operations without turning
Registration: https://westernstatesacquirers.org/attend- every successful workflow into a new cost surprise.
ee2026/ David Moscatelli, CEO and founder of Go Abacus, is a payments

2026 Events and technology leader specializing in analytics, machine learning
and enterprise AI. He was the innovator behind Deloitte Cortex and
Wespay, Payments Symposium 2026, Sept. 10 – 11, 2026, previously led software innovation at Deloitte and Synchrony Bank.
Las Vegas, NV As co-founder and CEO of Go Abacus, he drives product strategy and
infrastructure development focused on secure, compliant AI deploy-
Money20/20 USA, Money20/20 USA, Oct. 18 – 21, 2026, ment for regulated industries. Based in Chicago, the company pro-
Las Vegas , NV vides on-prem AI infrastructure that enables financial institutions,
healthcare organizations and insurers to deploy AI within existing
Visit www.greensheet.com/datebook.php for more systems while maintaining strict control, auditability and regulatory
events and a year-at-a-glance event chart. readiness. For more information or connect with David, please visit
https://goabacus.co or email info@goabacus.co.
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