Nov-Dec 2018 Issue

Adapting to a changing landscape

By Cyrielle Chiron In fall 2018 I had the pleasure of speaking about global payments trends across Canada and the U.S., sharing insights from RFi Group’s very latest global studies. While every country is unique and has different trends impacting their payments ecosystem, being able to adapt to a changing …

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Nov-Dec 2018 Issue

Focus on evolving customer expectations and habits

By Mia Huntington We have witnessed a rapidly accelerating pace of change in the payments ecosystem in recent years, and 2019 promises more changes—and challenges—ahead. Consumers want to be able to pay for things when, where and how they want. They are increasingly shunning cash and are opting for card, …

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Nov-Dec 2018 Issue

The future is faster payments

By Brian Weiner A few weeks back I forgot my wallet at home, but it didn’t slow me down at all. If this had happened a few years ago it would have been a very different day. But today I can pay for my parking, morning coffee and purchases throughout …

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Sept-Oct 2018 Issue

Staying ahead of blockchain and cryptocurrency

By Derek Wood For many finance leaders “blockchain” and “cryptocurrency” are some of the latest buzzwords floating around. However, new research1 reveals that it might be time we get more familiar with them; 50 per cent of Canadian finance leaders surveyed by Robert Half Finance & Accounting say that cryptocurrency …

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Sept-Oct 2018 Issue

Blockchain means business

By Wally Vogel With all the hype surrounding blockchain, and a short track record of practical business applications to date, it may be tempting to wait and see what others do, or perhaps even ignore it and hope it goes away. That was the approach Blockbuster took to streaming video …

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Sept-Oct 2018 Issue

Major settlements will reverse credit card fees

By Jonathan Razi A century ago engineers in Chicago, Illinois reversed the flow of the city’s main river to redirect billions of gallons of water away from nearby Lake Michigan. Today in Chicago, my company is working to reverse a similarly powerful trend: the rising cost of credit card acceptance …

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Sept-Oct 2018 Issue

Removing global payments barriers

By Normand Provost The payments landscape across North America has transformed beyond recognition in recent years. The contactless revolution, for example, is in full swing. The volume of contactless payments in Canada alone increased by 37 per cent in the first quarter of 2018, compared to the same quarter in …

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Sept-Oct 2018 Issue

Electronic Transactions Association expands Canadian advocacy

By Jason Oxman The Electronic Transactions Association (ETA) is a leading payments technology trade association representing more than 500 global companies. Our mission is to grow the payments industry and we serve our member companies in a variety of ways. One of our most important roles is as leader in …

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Sept-Oct 2018 Issue

Cheque versus check

Understanding Canada/U.S. differences By Jeff Hempker When people hear that Canada didn’t roll out its cheque truncation system i.e. converting physical cheques into electronic cheques until 2014 many will say: “They must be 10 years behind the United States,” since the U.S. started its system in 2004. Actually, the opposite …

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Sept-Oct 2018 Issue

Cheques: the payments cornerstone

By Jason T. Schwabline Cheques and modern payments? Two terms that are normally not presented cohesively together. But as consumers’ behaviours move into a more digital payments realm, cheques and the ecosystem that support them have become more relevant than ever. While consumer use of cheques has leveled out, the …

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