Week 1-2: Resources & Reading Materials

Official Documentation

Card Networks

• Visa Core Rules and Visa Product and Service Rules

  • Focus on: merchant acceptance requirements, PayFac requirements
  • Chapter 5 : Acceptance
  • Chapter 7 : Transaction Processing
  • PDF: Visa Rules Public

• Mastercard Rules Manual

  • Focus on: Payment Facilitator requirements, merchant categories
  • Chapter 5: Acquiring Activity
  • Chapter 7: Service Providers and Network Enablement Partners
  • PDF: Mastercard Rules

Industry Bodies

• Electronic Transactions Association (ETA)
  • Website: electran.org
  • Look for: Payment Facilitator guidelines, industry whitepapers
  • PDF: ETA Payment Facilitator Guidelines
  • ASK for complete document from electran.org with the business. Needs an account.

Recommended Reading

Books

• "Payments Systems in the U.S." by Carol Coye Benson and Scott Loftesness
  • Comprehensive overview of payment rails
  • Good foundation for understanding the ecosystem

Online Resources

• Stripe's Payment Fundamentals Guide

  • stripe.com/guides
  • Well-written explanations of payment concepts

• Adyen's Payments Knowledge Hub

  • adyen.com/knowledge-hub
  • Practical, implementation-focused content

API Documentation to Study

Study these not for implementation, but to understand what data payment systems work with:

• Stripe Connect Documentation

  • Focus on: account types, money flow, platform models
  • docs.stripe.com/connect

• Adyen for Platforms

  • Focus on: split payments, sub-merchant structure
  • docs.adyen.com/platforms

• Square Developer Documentation

  • Focus on: OAuth merchant onboarding, payment flows
  • developer.squareup.com

Research Keywords

When searching for information, use these terms:

• "Four party card payment model"
• "Interchange fee structure"
• "Payment facilitator vs ISO"
• "Card network authorization flow"
• "Merchant acquiring process"
• "Open loop vs closed loop payments"
• "Payment aggregator model"

Glossary Sources

• Visa's Glossary of Terms
• Mastercard's Glossary
• Federal Reserve Payments Study Glossary

Video Resources

Search for conference talks from:

• Money20/20 conference presentations
• ETA TRANSACT sessions
• Fintech meetup recordings

Focus on talks about:

• Payment infrastructure basics
• PayFac business models
• Embedded payments trends