Commentary

Commentary
To Disrupt or Not To Disrupt: Is That Really The Question?
June 23, 2014

It is hard to imagine Harvard professors as anything but the sorts of people inclined to shop at J. Crew and with excellent manners. So naturally it comes as some surprise when one Harvard professor accuses another of popularizing a signature theory that she believes...

Digital Currency Deep Dive: Is Bitcoin Cheaper and More Efficient than Traditional Payments?
June 20, 2014

Remember the day when a coin was just a bothersome piece of metal that you were happy to toss in the tip jar to benefit the underpaid baristas at your local coffee shop? Well no more. Now a coin might be worth more than many...

Commentary
Are the Best Days over for Digital Wallets?
June 18, 2014

The slow path to digital wallets ignition has caused some in the business to say that they’re all but dead and more or less the payments equivalent of the Edsel. Fact or just a case of underestimating the slog that is ignition in payments? MPD...

Acquiring
PayPal’s Marcus Moves To Facebook
June 10, 2014

Old news but new analysis. Check out Karen Webster’s take on the news that stopped the payments world from spinning on its axis for a little while yesterday.

Acquiring
What Apple Didn’t Say That Acquirers Should Have Heard
June 09, 2014

Last week’s Apple WWDC keynote has prompted a bunch of Monday morning quarterbacking with respect to Apple’s plans for devices, software and even payments. Although Tim Cook’s and Craig Federighi’s keynotes were devoid of any direct reference to how Apple would pursue “payments,” (even disappointing...

Commentary
Will Apple Become The American Express of Mobile Payments?
June 02, 2014

Today is the day that we might actually get a peek into Apple’s playbook on mobile payments. Anyone who hasn’t totally tuned out everything over the last week but the near endless coverage of the Kimye wedding and honeymoon knows that Apple is hosting its...

Commentary
Is the EMV Journey Worth the Price?
May 19, 2014

Several reports surfaced last week that reaffirmed what we’ve all suspected – rolling out EMV in the US is going to be a long slog that will optimistically take 5 years but more likely 10 to complete. That got MPD CEO Karen Webster to thinking,...

Commentary
Alibaba: The Other 550M Gorilla in Payments
May 12, 2014

While everyone in payments has been focused on another player out west whose name begins with an “A” no one has really paid much attention to the other one even father west with even greater payments and commerce ambitions. MPD CEO Karen Webster gives you...

Commentary
PYMNTS Flashback: Alibaba And ShopRunner Say “Open Sesame” To Digital Commerce
May 08, 2014

Everybody knows the ancient story of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. “Open Sesame” were the magic words that opened a cave where Ali Baba saw an abundance of gold treasure stolen by 40 thieves stashed inside. Ali Baba, assisted by his very capable female...