Karen Webster

The Payments Networks’ Next Real Threat
The Payments Networks’ Next Real Threat
May 05, 2014  |  Commentary

What begins with an 'A' and is the biggest threat to the payments networks since Judge Leon? ACH. I know, you thought we were going...

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Walmart Banks on Cash
Walmart Banks on Cash
April 21, 2014  |  Commentary

Walmart got the entire financial services industry buzzing last week with its Walmart-2-Walmart domestic P2P play. But what everyone forgot to focus on is the...

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Fed’s Mobile Use Numbers—That Was Then, This is Now
Fed’s Mobile Use Numbers—That Was Then, This is Now
April 16, 2014  |  Commentary

The Fed issued its update recently on the state of the mobile US landscape two years after its Mobile Payments Industry Workgroup (MPIW) convened to...

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Black Swans, Payments and 1982
Black Swans, Payments and 1982
April 16, 2014  |  Commentary

Actions in the aftermath of the recent merchant data breaches have demonstrated the potential dangers that extend beyond simply not improving payments-data security. Knee-jerk reacting...

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Shaw’s Follows Dangerous Path In Shift Away From Loyalty
Shaw’s Follows Dangerous Path In Shift Away From Loyalty
April 16, 2014  |  Commentary

Shaw’s Supermarket here in Boston made a little bit of news in the run-up to the 4th of July holiday. It’s dumping its loyalty card...

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LevelUp’s March to Free Payments
LevelUp’s March to Free Payments
April 16, 2014  |  Commentary

LevelUp raised a lot of eyebrows in 2012 when it said that moving money should be free and that its mission was to reduce payments...

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So, You Want To Do A Loyalty Program – Why?
So, You Want To Do A Loyalty Program – Why?
April 15, 2014  |  Commentary

Consumers aren’t likely to be loyal to any one brand, companies that spend more on loyalty programs aren’t as profitable as companies that don’t and...

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‘Mirror, Mirror, On The Wall, Whose Digital Wallet Will Be Used Most Of All?’
‘Mirror, Mirror, On The Wall, Whose Digital Wallet Will Be Used Most Of All?’
March 31, 2014  |  Commentary

The Fed’s new mobile survey data contains a treasure trove of information on how mobile payments and digital wallets are doing. To guide us through...

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