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Agents of Change
As we put the finishing touches on this issue, the comic book action movie Avengers 2:
Age of Ultron is beginning what’s sure to be a multimillion-dollar box-office run. I know this not because I have a 5-year-old son but because my husband is well—not quite a fanboy, but he’s a fan. If you’re not hip to the Marvel universe—a robot named Ultron, created to ensure peace, decides
the only way to fulfill his mission is to destroy humankind. You know, technology run amok.
It’s a familiar story with an underlying distrust of technology at its core. If it’s not human, it can’t be trusted. As we in the payments industry seek to usher in a new era of payments, enhancing and expanding form factors—whether it’s EMV cards in the U.S. (80) mobile phones (66), watches or wristbands (72)—trust matters. But it’s not just about consumer trust. It’s about whom you trust to help take your business into the future. Which companies will you partner with or buy? In which technologies will you invest?
As M&A guru Bob Zinn says on page 52, “No one—not even the biggest names—fully understands what the endgame in the next age of payments looks like or how to get there. What they understand is the potential.” That’s why M&A activity is so hot and fintech valuations are so high. For prepaid, specifically, the drivers are a little different. But the ultimate goal is the same—to remain standing and to be strong in a new age of omnichannel commerce.
This issue of Pay Magazine is dedicated to the companies and indi- viduals that are forces for change in our payments universe. They may not have to go up against an all-powerful robot, but they do face considerable challenges—new regulations, increasing costs, thinning margins, greater consumer expectations. We dedicate considerable ink to our 2015 Paybefore Awards winners (8), which make our industry better and change the way we pay. We also spend a lot of time talking to processors (38,102). After all, what good is your shiny new innova- tion without the backend to support it?
As you look to your own business’ future, we hope you’ll find insight, analysis and inspiration in this issue. Whether you’re looking for your next vertical or geographic market, the agents of change have your back.
Loraine DeBonis Editor-in-Chief
volume 8 • spring 2015
paybefore.com 5
Marilyn Bochicchio
CEO
mbochicchio@paybefore.com
Loraine DeBonis
EDITOr-IN-ChIEF
ldebonis@paybefore.com
Bill Grabarek
SENIOr EDITOr
bgrabarek@paybefore.com
Kate Fitzgerald
EMErgINg PAYMENTS EDITOr
kfitzgerald@paybefore.com
Adam Perrotta
ASSISTANT EDITOr
aperrotta@paybefore.com
Robin Chalmers Mason
PrODUCTION EDITOr
robin@paybefore.com
Doris Kwok
MArkETINg ASSISTANT
dkwok@paybefore.com
Pay Magazine is designed
by Kelly N. Kofron; art and photos © Paybefore and Shutterstock.com unless otherwise noted.
Pay Magazine is published biannually. PaybeforeTM, Paybefore.comTM, Pay NewsTM, Pay GovTM, Pay Op-EdTM, Pay WeekTM, Pay MagazineTM, Pay ConnectTM, Paybefore Awards® and Paybefore Awards EuropeTM are the property of Paybefore, P.O. Box 486, Natick, MA 01760 USA. All material contained within Pay Magazine is the property of Paybefore. All other product and service names may be trademarks of their respective companies. ©2015 Paybefore. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any kind is strictly prohibited without express prior written consent of Paybefore.
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