|| Enter the Pricing Mandarins (*.pdf)
In Digital Transactions discusses Congress’s proposal to control payment card acceptance fees and the damage it would cause in the world’s most competitive and innovative payments market.

|| John Conyers’ wallets (*.pdf)
In the Washington Times discusses Chairman John Conyers “Credit Card Fair Fee Act of 2008” and the harm it would do to consumers, merchants and the payments industry.

|| Let Market, Not D.C., Set Interchange Rates (*.pdf)
In the American Banker criticizes the “Credit Card Fair Fee Act of 2008,” which would convert the US card payment industry into a regulated public utility.

|| A tale of two IPOs (*.pdf)
In the Daily Deal compares Visa and MasterCard and factors influencing their relative valuations.

|| Visa and MasterCard Need to Ditch Their 'Rope-a-Dope' Interchange Strategy (*.pdf)
In Digital Transactions discusses the importance of interchange to the global card payment networks’ businesses, increasing regulatory and legal assaults on the practice, and the implications of a world without interchange

|| Regulation of interchange is not the solution (*.pdf)
In Lafferty Councils Insider argues that insufficient card payment networks competition caused by bank control, a lack of profit seeking, and a hostile regulatory climate is what ails Europe’s consumer payment markets.

|| Valuing Visa (*.pdf)
In the Daily Deal discusses how Visa will be valued and the imperative for the global payment network to differentiate itself from MasterCard before the IPO.

|| What MC, Visa Can Learn from Wal-Mart ILC Bid (*.pdf)
In the American Banker urges the card payment networks to make a more aggressive, affirmative case in the public and political arena.

|| Card-payment network competition ‘reduces eurozone’s grey economy’ (*.pdf)
In Euractiv.com comments on the effects of EU and national regulators intervention in the card payment network markets.

|| Options Abound for Post-Spinoff Discover (*.pdf)
In the American Banker describes how Discover can step up its game and a rationale for breaking it up.

|| Bad credit for charity (*.pdf)
In the Daily Deal describes why MasterCard’s charitable foundation is the epitome of bad corporate governance.

|| Lessons Visa Can Learn From MasterCard’s IPO (*.pdf)
In the American Banker lays out how Visa can benefit from and improve upon MasterCard’s IPO experience.

|| MasterCard Europe - Different But Not Better (*.pdf)
In Card Technology argues it is a mistake for MasterCard to let bankers retain control in Europe.

|| Paying Up (*.pdf)
In the Daily Deal comments on First Data’s challenges and opportunity to dominate end-to-end payment processing worldwide.

|| Let Open Market Decide the Fate of Interchange (*.pdf)
In the American Banker comments on the US interchange law suits, the rationale for cost-based interchange, and why interchange may rise after MasterCard’s IPO.

|| Why MC’s Revamp Will Work (and Visa’s Won’t) (*.pdf)
In the American Banker compares the merits of MasterCard International’s and Visa USA’s responses to the enormous threat posed by merchant plaintiffs’ suits.

|| MasterCard IPO Has Big Upside (*.pdf)
In Cards & Payments magazine lays out why post IPO MasterCard can accelerate growth and particular constraints management must address.

|| MasterCard’s Brave New World, Post-IPO (*.pdf)
In Digital Transactions discusses how by going public, MasterCard is throwing off the fetters of bank control, opening up a previously forbidden array of business opportunities with mobile-phone operators, merchants, insurance companies and others.

|| Priceless? (*.pdf)
In the Deal discusses how much MasterCard will be worth and key factors that will influence its valuation.

|| Why New Chief Should Take Visa Public (*.pdf)
in the American Banker urges Visa USA CEO John Coghlan to go public, reducing legal liability risk, providing capital and a public currency to fund growth and incent management, and starting to transform the payment association into an innovative and competitive business.

|| Missing the Mark (*.pdf)
in Cards & Payments contends that payment networks must differentiate their value propositions and invest in their consumer brands to avoid becoming commodity utilities.

|| Why you need a bureau - a French case study (*.pdf)
in Cards International discusses the vital importance of a competitive credit bureau infrastructure in enabling robust and innovative consumer finance markets.

|| Buy American (*.pdf)
in the Daily Deal discusses why for European financial institutions, technology providers and processors, buying assets in America is compelling.

|| Setting Interchange Fees Best Left Up to the Market (*.pdf)
Discusses the increasing legal and regulatory assault on interchange in jurisdictions across the globe and how interchange enables a web of
businesses to collaborate and innovate.

|| French firms should follow Israeli model (*.pdf)
in Silicon Valley Business Ink advises European software firms to transplant their front office to the U.S. at the earliest opportunity
in order to enhance their prospects of winning globally

|| Let Markets Set Rates, Policy for Interchange (*.pdf)
in the American Banker argues than financial institutions, merchants and consumers are better served by the market rather
than regulators and courts setting interchange rates and rules

|| Gold in the SMB space (*.pdf)
in CRM Magazine discusses why the SMB is more attractive the enterprise and why for firms to come up from the bottom

|| The Greatest Risk (*.pdf)
in The Daily Deal contends the current environment presents a compelling window of opportunity for technology businesses to
acquire technology, products, additional clients and market presence

|| Unshackle the Card Associations (*.pdf)
in Credit Card Management magazine makes the case that demutualizing and broadening the ownership of the bankcard
associations MasterCard and Visa would unleash a wave of innovation in electronic payments

|| Credit scores could fuel P2P Commerce (*.pdf)
in Silicon Valley Business Ink discusses the opportunity to use consumer credit scores to build and communicate individual
reputations and thereby facilitate P2P commerce

|| The Demutualization Dilemma (*.pdf)
Contends that a change in the governance of the bankcard associations would bring substantial benefits to consumers, merchants and banks.

|| A Nirvana for Marketers: Data Sharing (*.pdf)
in the American Banker discusses how the successful use of information improves consumers’ quality of life and attendant challenges faced by,
and opportunities for, businesses in acquiring consumer data