Payments System Research Briefings
 

The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City's Payments System Research Department's publications cover a range of topics, including types of payments methods, developments in payments networks, and various participants' roles in the payments system. This site provides links to those publications.

To receive an e-mail notification each time a new issue of Payments System Research Briefing is available, click here. To view a publication using a PDF reader, click on the title. If you do not have a PDF reader, you can download a reader from this site. 
  • A Backward Glance While Looking Forward - 04/09 by Terri Bradford
    This article takes a backward glance at some of the early emerging payments nearly a decade after their introduction and examines their status today and where they may be heading.

  • International Remittances - 12/08 by Terri Bradford
    This article describes some of the means by which individuals remit funds internationally -- informal networks, money transfer operators, financial institutions and other options -- and discusses some of the factors that may influence the choice of provider.
     
  • Developments in Merchant Acquiring - 09/08 by Terri Bradford and Christian Hung
    This article discusses the origin and roles of merchant acquiring; the models for acquiring; and relevant developments in legislation, PCI compliance, and the Single Euro Payments Area.
     
  • Developments in Interchange Fees in the United States and Abroad - 05/08 by Terri Bradford and Fumiko Hayashi
    This article provides an update on developments in interchange fees in the United States and recent public authority involvement in interchange fees abroad.
     
  • The Evolution of the ACH - 12/07 by Terri Bradford
    This article by Terri Bradford summarizes the beginnings of the ACH, exciting changes underway today, and possible further changes in the future.
     
  • Complex Landscapes: Mobile Payments in Japan, South Korea, and the United States - 10/07 by Terri Bradford and Fumiko Hayashi
    This article provides and overview of the mobile payments landscape in Japan and South Korea and discusses developments in the United States.
     
  • Stored-Value Cards: A Card for Every Reason... - 06/07 by Terri Bradford
    This article discusses the various uses of stored-value cards and the different degrees of their use and acceptance four years after their introduction.
     
  • Paper, Plastic......or Phone? - 12/06 by Terri Bradford
    This article examines mobile-phone payment and banking alternatives in the United States. It explores prospects for growth, available technologies, and the outlook for one or more technologies coming to dominate the market.
     
  • The U.S. Retail Payments System in Transition: Federal Reserve Initiatives - 08/06 by Barbara S. Pacheco
    This article explores the changing landscape of U.S. retail payments: trends, the Fed's role, and the future of payments.
     
  • Payments Fraud: Consumer Considerations - 05/06 by Terri Bradford and Bruce Cundiff
    This article examines the potential for fraud associated with various "traditional" payment methods and the protective measures that consumers should take when using them.
     
  • Contactless: The Next Payment Wave? - 12/05 by Terri Bradford
    This article explores the evolution of contactless payments, whose use will likely increase and could have an important impact on the payments landscape.
     
  • Who's Processing Your Payments? - 08/05 by Terri Bradford and Stuart Weiner
    This article looks at the many roles nonbanks play in payments activities and the oversight questions that arise as a result.
     
  • Early Experience with Check 21 - 04/05 by Larry Taft and Nathan Halmrast
    This article looks at some of the early developments since the Check 21 law became effective and some of the remaining barriers to a more efficient and electronic check clearing system.
     
  • Payment Types at the Point of Sale: Merchant Considerations - 12/04 by Terri Bradford
    There are various costs associated with accepting alternative payment types. The costs associated with these payment types are a serious merchant consideration.
  • A New Era - 03/04 by Stuart E. Weiner
    The U.S. Payments System has entered a new era — one that is witnessing a marked decline in the use of paper checks and a sharp increase in the use of electronic payments.