The business world is awash in trade groups and industry associations, but a new player's recent formation deserves special attention. The creation of the Payments Leadership Council (PLC) marks a significant milestone, one with the potential to shift the dynamic in the ongoing tug-of-war impacting card payments systems regulation.
The PLC brings together the CEOs of the four major card networks (Mastercard, Visa, American Express, and Discover) as well as those of the "Big Three" payment processors (FIS, Fiserv, and Global Payments). Equally notable is the PLC's appointment of Raj Date as its Founding Director. Date's past experience as Deputy Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau – where he played a central role in the agency's launch – is a clear signal of the PLC's intent to engage more deeply in legislative corridors. Recent events demonstrate why this is a savvy move.
