The Payment System

"Payments Systems in the U.S." is a comprehensive description of the systems - (cards, checks, cash, ACH, etc.) that move money between and among consumers and enterprises in the U.S. In clear and lively writing, the authors explain what they systems are, how they work, who uses them, who provides them, who profits from them and how they are changing. Anyone working in the payments industry - or needing to use payments products - can benefit from understanding this. The second edition updates information on card, ACH, and check systems, as well as providing perspective on developments in emerging payments.

"This book analyzes the evolutionary trends, functions and mechanisms of payment systems and presents an in-depth explanation of how these trends led to the reduction of settlement risk and the importance of such mechanisms that have contributed to the evolutionary progress of payment systems"--Résumé de l'éditeur.

Payment systems are changing profoundly through regulation, technology and competition from new entrants. This is a comprehensive introduction and reference on payment systems, covering their structure, international systems and settlements, and focusing on electronic transfers. Concludes with the future of the payments business.

"This book is designed to provide the reader with an insight into the main concepts involved in the handling of payments, securities and derivatives and the organisation and functioning of the market infrastructure concerned. Emphasis is placed on the general principles governing the functioning of the relevant systems and processes and the presentation of the underlying economic, business, legal, institutional, organisational and policy issues. The book is aimed at decision-makers, practitioners, lawyers and academics wishing to acquire a deeper understanding of market infrastructure issues. It should also prove useful for students with an interest in monetary and financial issues."--Introduction (Pg. 20, para 8).

World Bank Technical Paper No. 260. An efficient payment system is a necessary precondition for business development. This study outlines the basic operating principles of a payment system and reviews its benefits, costs, risks, and problems. It examines in detail the systems currently in place in the developed economies of Europe and the United States and draws from the analyses to support recommendations for restructuring those systems in developing countries. The study reviews the various types of payment practices that exist in mature systems including cash, check, GIRO, debit and credit card, direct debit, and large-value wire transfers. A range of short- and long-term improvements in payment systems are recommended for developing countries. There is a special focus on the Russian payment system and the problems it faces in transition from a centrally planned to an market economy.

This book makes a practical contribution to increased understanding of payment system design and management and of the relationship between the payment system and monetary policy. The authors of the twelve papers included in the book are central banking experts from around the world who draw on their experiences in providing technical assistance to the central banks of the countries of the former U.S.S.R.

This book examines the nature of retail financial transaction infrastructures. Contributions assume a long-term outlook in their exploration of the key financial processes and systems that support a global transition to a cashless economy. The volume offers both modern and historic accounts that demonstrate the constantly changing role of payment instruments. It brings together different theoretical approaches to the study, re-examining and forecasting changes in retail payment systems. Chapters explore a global transition to a cashless society and contemplate future alternatives to cash, cheques and plastic, featuring the perspectives of academics from different disciplines in conversation and industry participants from six continents. Readers are invited to discover the innovation in payment systems and how it co-evolves with changes in society and organisations through personal, corporate and governmental processes.

Overviews the techniques and payment systems used to allow payments to be made across the Internet. After an introduction to cryptography, the authors (Trinity College) explain credit-card based systems, electronic checks, account transfers, electronic cash payment systems, and micropayment systems. The second edition adds a chapter on mobile commerce. c. Book News Inc.

Electronic Value Exchange examines in detail the transformation of the VISA electronic payment system from a collection of non-integrated, localized, paper-based bank credit card programs into the cooperative, global, electronic value exchange network it is today. Topics and features: provides a history of the VISA system from the mid-1960s to the early 1980s; presents a historical narrative based on research gathered from personal documents and interviews with key actors; investigates, for the first time, both the technological and social infrastructures necessary for the VISA system to operate; supplies a detailed case study, highlighting the mutual shaping of technology and social relations, and the influence that earlier information processing practices have on the way firms adopt computers and telecommunications; examines how “gateways” in transactional networks can reinforce or undermine established social boundaries, and reviews the establishment of trust in new payment devices.

This guide explores innovations and the legal and technological questions presented in the banking and payment systems industry. Written by experts in the field, this book provides a topical discussion of the principal electronic payment systems utilized today and how they are ever changing to keep current with changes in technology.