RytePay

??Beyond the Big Processors: What ISOs Really Need to Thrive?? Being an ISO is a balancing act. Between closing deals, staying on top of evolving payment technology, and ensuring merchants get the support they need, there’s hardly time to deal with the inefficiencies of a slow-moving processor. Yet, too often, ISOs find themselves working with providers who offer plenty on paper but fail to deliver when it matters most. The two questions every ISO should ask are simple: 1. Does your processor genuinely invest in your success? And 2. Does it treat your merchants with the same level of care and responsiveness that you would? For many, the answer is a frustrating “no.” We’ve seen it time and again—big processors prioritize volume over relationships, leaving ISOs to deal with unreliable merchant support, sluggish approvals, delayed equipment deployments, limited training, and little to no sales assistance. When your processor doesn’t have your back, it’s nearly impossible to focus on what truly matters: growing your business. Time is money, and every delay in support or equipment deployment means a lost opportunity. That’s why we prioritize speed and efficiency in everything we do. At SignaPay,?95% of orders ship the same day, meaning your merchants get up and running fast. When support is needed, ISOs aren’t stuck on hold—our average wait time is just 65 seconds. And when merchants have an issue, we resolve it quickly,?with most customer inquiries handled in under seven minutes. For ISOs looking to take their business to the next level, we offer more than just advice. Strong business plans deserve financial backing, and we’re here to provide funding for ISOs ready to expand. Whether it’s technology investment, training, or working capital, we ensure our partners have the resources they need to grow. Big processors might have name recognition, but they don’t offer the hands-on support, innovation, and real business investment that ISOs need to thrive. That’s why SignaPay does things differently. We’re not just another payment processor—we’re your partner in growth. #FintechSolutions #ProcessorPerks #GameChangerFinance #ISOInsights ???? https://lnkd.in/gntBD69r

??Cannabis trade show attracts big crowd, sparks buzz at fairgrounds in Ventura?? ? The wonderland of cannabis known as the Hall of Flowers trade show was underway. The event that continues Thursday connects dispensaries with brands that want to sell them product – paperless joints, topical lotions infused with THC, vaping cartridges, buds, you name it. Over two days, the event is expected to draw more than 3,000 to the Ventura seaside fairgrounds. It’s not open to the public but is a must-make event for people in the industry. ? “It’s huge. That’s why we go all out,” said public relations specialist Shelbie Vaszquez from a booth in one of the fairground’s massive Quonset huts. She stood in a pink jacket that matched the cabinet displays, flowers and the sign that said, “Girls, girls, girls.” The booth was put together for three cannabis brands: Pretty Dope, Yumi Karma and High Gorgeous. All are owned by women. Hence the sign that read, “Where there’s a woman, there’s a way.” ? Elsewhere, vendors talked about cannabis strains as if they were wine. A hybrid called Grape Goober is designed to carry hints of peanut butter and jelly. An exhibit for a cannabis vaping company called Turn featured a male performer flouncing around frustrated and dejected. Inspired by the “Barbie” movie, the mini-drama shows Ken after Barbie leaves him for a Turn vaping product. ? People could buy samples at the show and try them out in the outdoor smoking lounge decorated with benches and tables covered with blankets. That’s where Rob Gale, a hash maker from Arcata, was trying to explain the difference between hash resin and hash rosin. ? #CannabisExpo????#CannabisCommunity???#IndustryInsights??? ? https://lnkd.in/gh3M9gj4

??Don’t Shun High-Risk Sellers—Manage Their Commerce Better, Experts Say?? ? For some processors, opportunity can abound among high-risk merchants shunned by acquirers that fear the potential losses. But losses can also abound if these relationships are not well-supervised, warned a panel of experts Tuesday afternoon. “There’s a balance between how much risk we’re going to take on and how to price the customer,” said Josh Fochek, vice president of sales at the big Atlanta-based processor?Global Payments Inc.?“If you can find the right level of risk, there’s a lot of money to be made.” And the more distant the processor is from the high-risk merchant, the harder it is to manage that risk, added Fochek, who spoke as part of a panel discussion at the Northeast Acquirers Association annual meeting in Atlantic City, N.J. That means the more middlemen there are between the acquirer and the merchant, the more the risk of loss to?fraud, high?chargeback rates, bankruptcy, and other causes can escape notice, he cautioned. ? Merchants that deal in what may be semi-legal goods, or goods legal in some states but not others, have always drawn a skeptical eye, and for good reason, some panelists warned. “If [merchants] don’t pass the legal risk, it’s very difficult to go to the next category,” noted panelist Fadi Cheikha, chief executive at U.S. Alliance Group. For that reason, he said, USAG looks at legal risk before anything else. “The last thing we look at is financial risk. The first is non-negotiable,” said Cheikha. ? Pricing the client properly is also critical. “There’s a balance between how much risk we’re going to take on and how to price the customer,” said Fochek, who noted that balance can be underestimated. “There’s a high-side revenue opportunity,” he said. Yet another important factor, he advised, is to enable multiple payment methods, including?automated clearing house transfers?and “even crypto.” ? ? But there’s no substitute for diversity in preventing too much risk accumulating in one payment stream, noted Mastera, who added NMI works with more than 200 processors around the world. “Make sure the?gateway?has fraud-prevention tools,” she said. ? #HighRiskSellers????#CommerceManagement????#BusinessGrowth??? ? https://lnkd.in/gUWHZX3u

??Digital Payment Today - Surging Growth in Global Mobile Payment Markets!?? The global mobile payment industry is undergoing significant transformation, with the market size expected to expand from USD 2.66 trillion in 2024 to USD 10.47 trillion by 2033, reflecting an estimated CAGR of 16.4%. This rapid growth is attributed to increasing smartphone penetration, supportive government policies, technological advancements, and a shift in consumer preferences toward digital transactions. The Asia Pacific region leads in market share, driven by high smartphone usage and innovative payment technologies. Meanwhile, the European and North American markets are witnessing growth due to the adoption of contactless payments and investment in mobile payment technologies. In Latin America, increased internet access and smartphone usage are key growth factors, while the Middle East and Africa's markets are expanding due to efforts towards financial inclusion and mobile money services. In other market news, Nu Holdings was a notable mover up 9.1% and closing at $11.73. Meanwhile, Ping An Bank trailed, down 3.9% to end the day at CN￥11.50. Three days ago, Ping An reported a decline in net income and earnings per share for 2024 compared to the previous year. Best Digital Payment Stocks *SoFi Technologies finished trading at $12.09 up 6.1%. *PayPal Holdings ended the day at $68.95 up 3%. *Visa settled at $331.80 up 1%. Discover the full array of 195 Digital Payment Stocks, featuring Capitec Bank Holdings, Taiwan Cooperative Financial Holding and Mega Financial Holding, right here. Are these companies part of your investment strategy? Use Simply Wall St to consolidate your holdings into a portfolio and gain insights with our comprehensive analysis tools. Discover a world of investment opportunities with Simply Wall St's free app and access unparalleled stock analysis across all markets. #DigitalPayments ?? #MobilePayments ?? #GlobalGrowth ?? #FinTechInnovation https://lnkd.in/gG52yAiZ

??Maine farm using hemp to help clean up ‘forever chemicals’? MACHIAS, Maine (WABI) - Maine has hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland. One family-run farm in Downeast Maine is helping not only their local community but tackling an environmental issue. Ben Edwards is the owner of Schoppee Farm in Machias. The 1,500-acre farm has been in his family for eight generations. Edwards, who has a background in biochemistry and medicine, reopened its doors six years ago. What once was a dairy farm is now being used to grow organic hemp. Hemp production was legalized in the U.S. with the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill. Schoppee Farms first crop was in 2019. “In the United States, hemp is cannabis with less than 0.03% THC. So, any amount of our product is not going to hurt anyone,” Edwards explained. “Worst thing that is going to happen is you get a good night’s sleep. There’s no overdose. There are no deaths. There’s none of the stuff that really scared me off from modern medicine.” In addition to growing hemp outdoors and selling natural products, Edwards is also researching how the plant can be used to clean up PFAS. “It’s contaminated, but it’s not disastrously contaminated like a Superfund site, and that is closer to what say a dairy farmer’s field would look like,” Edwards said. “All of the other solutions that I have seen proposed were not appropriate on the scale of the problem. This is something that can be scaled up. We can grow thousands of acres of hemp quite easily, and so, getting to transition out of the greenhouse this year and into the airport where we can finally start to get some scale is really exciting.” While this may not combat the issue altogether, Edwards says they have the ability to potentially remediate some of the agricultural lands across Maine that have gone out of production. #MaineFarm Uses #Hemp to Help Clean Up ????? https://lnkd.in/gwV-WnGG

???The EPC Takes Aim at the CCCA And Illinois’s Interchange Law!?? The Electronic Payments Coalition has launched the latest salvo in its offensive against legislation seeking to regulate credit card interchange. This time the thrust takes aim at federal and state legislative efforts. At the federal level, EPC executive chairman Richard Hunt said during a press conference late Wednesday morning the EPC is ready to once again “engage in the fight” against the Credit Card Competition Act when it is reintroduced. Hunt’s comments were made against the backdrop of a meeting between the National Association of Convenience Stores and members of Congress this week. Hunt added that past announcements about the CCCA have coincided with NACS meets with members of Congress. In his remarks, Hunt noted that community banks, credit unions, and banks of all sizes are on the same page when it comes to opposing the CCCA. “It’s rare all three groups can get on the same song sheet,” says Hunt. “We also have the support of five unions and several airlines.” First introduced in 2022 by lead sponsor Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., the CCCA would require that credit card transactions offer merchants a choice of networks beyond Visa and Mastercard. The challenge facing CCCA proponents, including NACS, is convincing Republican lawmakers in the current Congress to support the bill, Hunt says. “I don’t think this Congress is a fan of Durbin and his policies,” Hunt says. “There are only two Republicans I know of that support [the CCC One of those Republicans is co-sponsor Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan. Republicans currently have the majority in the Senate and the House of Representatives. CCCA supporters counter that position. “It’s shocking the EPC is so eager to insult the Vice President by asserting that he no longer believes what he said [about the CCCA],” says Doug Kantor, an executive committee member for the Merchants Payments Coalition and general counsel for the National Association of Convenience Stores. “It is disingenuous to do this.” Kantor adds he expects the CCCA to be reintroduced as “it has a lot of momentum At the state level, Hunt attacked Illinois’s Interchange Fee Prohibition Act, which since its passage last year has faced legal challenges. The concern, according to Hunt, is that the Illinois interchange law will embolden other states to pass similar legislation. While several states are testing the waters on similar legislation, Illinois remains the only state so far to pass such a law. The IFPA, scheduled to go into effect July 1, requires merchants to exempt tax and tips from interchange. #InterchangeLaw #IllinoisLaw #FinancialRegulations ??????? https://lnkd.in/gzPKEbws

??Texas Hill Country CBD farmer talks journey, new legislation bill!?? Farmers across Texas have been venturing into the world of THC, THC-A and CBD, among a plethora of other strains, in recent years. Now a Hill Country farmer is talking about how a new bill could leave a majority of Texas producers up in smoke. Scott Postert, owner of Postert Farms in Rebecca Creek, comes from a farming family, but he isn't growing corn like his grandfather before him. The family farm has been growing CBD in Texas since 2018 and is ready for whatever lawmakers in Austin decide. "We were afraid all cannabinoids were going to be illegal. If this passes, we can still grow CBD or another strain called CBD-G," Postert said. Hemp was legalized in 2018 across the country and expanded after consumable hemp was allowed in 2019. Senate Bill 3 was filed on February 20 and would ban THC from Texas if approved. Postert Farms doesn't grow THC products or produce any other items like THC-A or HHC. It only focuses on creating CBD flower. The farm has a valid Texas Department of Agriculture hemp production lot crop permit. Postert originally grew BaOx CBD strains, which produce high amounts of CBD, to start. If a tested crop is over .03, it must be destroyed. The farm just had its 22nd harvest this past fall. Plants need about six to nine weeks to grow. #CBD #TexasHillCountry #Legislation #FarmingLife #Agriculture ???? https://lnkd.in/gKyhUwf5

???Bill regulating cannabis-infused drinks passes in Kentucky Senate: Here’s what it would change!?? The bill spells out what qualifies as a “cannabis-infused beverage” and sets the limit on the level of cannabinoids a drink can contain to five milligrams. Sen. Julie Raque Adams R-Louisville, who sponsored SB 202, said there are several cannaboid products with non-intoxicating properties that the bill does not limit. Over 225,000 ineligible voters purged from Kentucky voter rolls “These cannabis-infused beverages are the result of a loophole in the 2018 federal farm bill that reauthorized the growing of hemp in our country,” Sen. Adams said. “It didn’t take long for someone to quickly figure out you can extract the THC and that’s the delta-9 and put it in a whole host of products.” The legislature reportedly calls on the University of Kentucky Cannabis Center to research the production, testing, distribution, sale, and consumer effects of cannabis-infused drinks on the community. Critics of SB 202 said it makes sense for THC and cannabis-infused drinks to be regulated, but questions emerged about the bill’s effect on Kentucky’s economy. “I think that most everyone would agree there’s got to be regulations in place,” Said Sen. Cassie Chambers Armstrong, D-Louisville, who voted against the bill. “I’m all for that. I think they should be regulated, taxed and made sure that we continue to put sections in place that only adults are getting these beverages.” Cannabis advocates in the Commonwealth, such as members of Kentucky NORML, said that hemp beverages are currently regulated and approved by the Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS) under state law. Under SB 202, however, the drinks would fall under the authority of the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC). #CannabisRegulation #LegislationUpdate #CannabisDrinks #CannabisIndustry ??????? https://lnkd.in/g34GDdmm

??Digital Wallet Developers Score a Victory in the Senate!?? The U.S. Senate on Wednesday voted 51-47 to scrub a regulation issued in November by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and aimed at mobile wallets and digital money transfers. The repeal legislation, which now moves to the House of Representatives, comes as major payment-app developers like Apple Inc., Block Inc., Google LLC, and PayPal Holdings Inc. faced new rules that would give the CFPB enforcement capability in an area where it has had only examination authority. The legislation also comes as the arrival of the Trump Administration has led to sweeping changes in regulatory enforcement across the federal government. President Trump on Feb. 1 fired CFPB director Rohit Chopra, under whose aegis the payment-app rule had been developed. Conservative political analyst Russell Vought took over as acting director a week later. On Tuesday, the CFPB dropped a lawsuit it had filed against Early Warning Services LLC, operator of the Zelle peer-to-peer payments app. Only three months earlier, the bureau had alleged Early Warning and three defendant banks had failed to protect Zelle users from fraud For now, the Senate action is likely to encourage major developers of payment apps, observers say. “For fintechs, it is a victory. The pendulum is swinging in the other direction,” says Scott Talbott, executive vice president at the Electronic Transactions Association, a Washington, D.C.-based trade group. The 259-page payment-apps rule, which had been set to take effect 30 days after its publication in the Federal Register, applies to firms that process at least 50 million consumer transactions per year. Combined, the biggest firms covered by the regulation process more than 13 billion transactions annually, according to the CFPB’s estimates. The new regulation would also have added enforcement capability to the CFPB’s remit in this area, where before its actions were limited to examinations. Consumer advocates on Wednesday deplored the Senate’s action, charging that consumers will be at higher risk of fraud and disclosure of sensitive financial data. “Repealing the CFPB’s rule is a major win for big tech that leaves consumers vulnerable to losing money to payment app fraud and puts the privacy of their sensitive financial data at risk,” said Chuck Bell, advocacy program director at Consumer Reports, in a statement. “We need to preserve the CFPB’s authority to conduct regular examinations of digital payment-app providers to make sure they are following the law and to protect consumers from unfair practices before they become widespread.” #DigitalWallet #SenateVictory #Fintech ???? https://lnkd.in/gMn7Z4f3

??Texas hemp production, sales have been legal since 2019. Why one senator wants to ban THC.!?? Dozens of witnesses warned a Texas Senate panel Monday of what they said were potential unintended economic and health consequences of a total ban on THC in the state, a proposal that has gained traction with Republican leaders in the Legislature in recent years after previous agricultural legislation had unintended consequences of its own. Senate Bill 3, authored by Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, and identified as a priority by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, would ban all consumable hemp products containing THC, the primary intoxicating agent in cannabis, and other cannabinoids like Delta-9 in Texas but would leave nonintoxicating cannabidiol and its related compound cannabigerol legal. A separate proposal by Perry, SB 1505, seeks to double the size of the Texas Compassionate Use Program, the state’s medical marijuana framework. Both bills were left pending after a 10-hour State Affairs Committee hearing that stretched well into dinnertime Monday. Texas law currently allows the sale of hemp products containing up to 0.3% THC, which is short for tetrahydrocannabinol. Legal THC-containing products like vapes and gummies are often found in convenience stores and smoke shops across the state. Lawmakers said those products pose a danger to users because they are not well regulated, are often marketed to minors and sometimes contain far higher concentrations of THC than legally permissible. After HB 1325 became law (in 2019), companies began to blatantly exploit and violate Texas law by selling products that far exceeded the THC limitations imposed by the definition of hemp,” Perry said. “Illegal, high-potency synthetic THC products have flooded the marketplace, reaching kids, adults, and transforming generations to addiction and problems that parents wouldn’t even have known about … if not for these products. Others, including a number of veterans, said they use the hemp products to combat chronic issues like post-traumatic stress disorder. Dave Walden, commander-elect of the Texas VFW, said hemp products replaced a slew of prescription medications, including opioids, that hampered his daily functioning. Perry’s SB 1505 looks to help fill the void SB 3 would leave for medical users by expanding the state’s medical marijuana program, expanding the number of available licenses for dispensing organizations from three to six statewide. It would also allow licensees to operate satellite facilities, bringing the products closer to patients across the state who face prohibitive costs or travel requirements to pick up their doctor-prescribed cannabis. #TexasHemp #SenatorDebate #HempIndustry ?????? https://lnkd.in/gRJHmkBJ