Introduction to US Payment Systems Resources

Updated 2.26.18

I keep a list of payment resources in an email that I send out to anyone that’s interested in an introduction to payments, and figured it might be useful to expose publicly. I’m always trying to find more resources that are particularly helpful, as payment systems can get very complicated very quickly.

Tweet at me (twitter.com/charleyma) if you have any recs please!

Introduction to Payment Resources

• Glenbrook Payment Systems in the US — every payments professional probably has a copy of this book, great introduction to how various payment systems work in the US
• Fin by Plaid: How ACH works — introduction on what happens in an ACH payment
• NPR Planet Money Podcast: The Invisible Plumbing of our Economy — great podcast episode focused on some history on bank payments in the US
• Stripe Guide: Payment Methods Guide — Nice little fact sheet and framework on different payment methods that Stripe specifically support, and pros/cons for merchants

Resources for going a bit deeper:

• JPMorgan Equity Research: Payments Market Share Handbook — Excellent annual equity research report by Tien-tsin Huang of JPMorgan that dives into competitive landscape of card-based payments
• Bank for International Settlements: Payment and settlement systems in selected countries — Red Book by the Committee on Payment and Settlement systems on various payment arrangements in various countries
• Gusto: How ACH works: A developer perspective — introduction on how to build an ACH integration to a bank
• Federal Reserve: Federal Reserve Payments Study — Stats on number and value of various non-cash payments made by US consumers and businesses
• Richard Gendal: Simple explanation of how money moves around the banking system — dives into inter-bank payments, correspondent banking, and even SWIFT messages