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Articles by Michael Ault
Downtown Sacramento is ready to welcome state workers back to their offices | Opinion
Workers lay sod in the median of Capitol Mall on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, as part of a beautification project. Sacramento is prepared to welcome state employees back under Newsom’s four-day hybrid order, boosting downtown vitality and foot traffic beginning July 1. Gov. Gavin Newsom recently announced he will follow through on his hybrid telework policy embodied in his Executive Order issued on March 3, 2025.
Downtown Sacramento is ready to welcome state workers back to their offices | Opinion
Workers lay sod in the median of Capitol Mall on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, as part of a beautification project. Sacramento is prepared to welcome state employees back under Newsom’s four-day hybrid order, boosting downtown vitality and foot traffic beginning July 1. (Nathaniel Levine) Michael Ault is the executive director of the Downtown Sacramento Partnership.
Protecting your business from POS malware attacks
Malware attack virus alert , malicious software infection , cyber security awareness training to protect business. As UK businesses increasingly move toward cashless payments, cybercriminals are targeting point-of-sale (POS) systems. In the first half of 2025 alone, £600 million was stolen through payment-related fraud, a three per cent increase on the same period in 2024.
Have We Finally Tapped out the PIN? New British Consumer Payment Habits
Opinion By By Michael Ault The way British consumers pay is changing fast. While chip and PIN once dominated everyday transactions, contactless cards and digital wallets are now becoming the default at tills across the UK, reshaping expectations for both customers and businesses. Our latest research shows that 69% of UK consumers now rely primarily on contactless payments, whether through card or a digital wallet. In contrast, only 16% still default to chip and PIN for in-store purchases.
Opinion: Sac State's proposed downtown campus could help region achieve its full potential - Sacramento Business Journal
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myPOS Acquires UTP, Strengthening Support and Payment Solutions for UK SMEs
Leading European fintech myPOS has acquired UK-based payment solutions provider UTP Group Ltd (UTP), reinforcing its commitment to delivering advanced payment solutions to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across the UK and Europe. With over a decade of experience and backed by leading global private equity investor Advent, myPOS has consistently delivered innovative and scalable payment solutions that meet the evolving needs of SMEs and empower them with real-time access to funds.
Ignore the haters: The A’s in Sacramento is huge a win for California’s capital | Opinion Original
There’s been plenty of chatter around Sacramento about the Athletics’ temporary stay here on the way to their future home in Las Vegas. But one thing that transcends all the varied and vocal perspectives is the undeniable opportunity for Sacramento and West Sacramento. Major League Baseball provides extraordinary economic impact to our region. Visiting teams from throughout North America means visiting fans.
UTP’s tapeeno app Enables Tap to Pay on iPhone for Merchants in the UK to Accept Contactless Payments
tapeeno, UTP’s app for micro-merchants, has enabled its merchants in the UK to seamlessly and securely accept in-person contactless payments with Tap to Pay on iPhone. Tap to Pay on iPhone allows merchants to accept all forms of contactless payments, including contactless credit and debit cards, Apple Pay, and other digital wallets, using only an iPhone and the tapeeno iOS app — no additional hardware or payment terminal needed.
Sacramento now has the tools to do more to address homelessness in the Central City | Opinion Original
There is encouraging news that could potentially change the underlying dynamics to help Sacramento address homelessness. In June, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down a monumental decision that gives local governments wider latitude in determining how to regulate homelessness than what was not possible under a previous federal court ruling.
UTP Group Purchases Spanish Customerbase from Wellet
UTP Group has agreed to purchase the Spanish customer base from German company Wellet GmbH for an undisclosed sum. Introduced to Germany and Spain in April 2021, Wellet is a card payment app that utilises similar technology to UTP Group’s recently launched UK business tapeeno – the first app of its kind to feature Faster Processing technology.
A whistle-stop tour of chargebacks for merchants — Just Entrepreneurs
Chargebacks are a thorn in the side of merchants across all verticals. Michael Ault, CEO of UTP offers insight into the root causes of chargebacks, and how you can best defend your business against potential losses. The word itself is enough to give merchants a headache. Chargebacks allow consumers to dispute a payment they’ve made with their credit card and ask their bank to reverse the payment.
5 Predictions for Payments Landscape in 2022 and Reflections on 2021
As 2021 draws to a close, it has proven to be another challenging year for business. Continuing uncertainty about the course of the Covid-19 pandemic has combined with supply chain woes and labour shortages to cause disruption that may continue into 2022 and beyond.
5 Predictions for Payments Landscape in 2022 and our reflections on 2021
By Michael Ault, CEO and Founder, UTP Merchant Services 1. The rise of SoftPoS will continue: Software Point of Sale (SoftPoS) is a revolutionary technology that allows merchants to accept card payments through an app on their smart devices and is set to become more prevalent in 2022. As the technology evolves, merchants will be able to customise their SoftPoS terminals with a rich array of business-boosting features such as loyalty schemes and marketing services.
No more ‘five working days’ – how getting paid immediately can transform Black Friday for merchants
By Michael Ault, CEO and Founder at UTP Merchant Services In a few short years Black Friday and Cyber Monday have gone from a purely US-based shopping event known mainly for endless queues and even squabbles over bargains to the day on which retailers across the globe, online or offline, mark the beginning of the lucrative ‘Golden Quarter’ that lasts until the new year.
Why proximity payment solutions in Europe are at a turning point
Most countries in Europe have benefitted from a well-established card payments infrastructure for a long time. Although European citizens enjoyed the advantages of cashless transactions early on, some innovations have been rolled out at a much faster pace in other developing areas of the globe that are now enjoying the benefits of this leapfrog development.
Building a stronger economy with instant payments
The global pandemic continues to have a severe impact on many businesses. Since the first lockdown, nearly 200,000 jobs have been lost in the retail sector alone. There looks to be few signs that this trend will reverse anytime soon. In August, data from IHS Markit shows that the index tracking output among UK companies fell to a 55.3 – a six month low – as problems from supply chains to consumer confidence and staff shortages constrained economic activity.
15 Best Cryptocurrency Payment Gateways
The cryptocurrency market has been expanding at a pace like never before. As per the the data available, more than 5,300 types of cryptocurrencies are currently being traded in the market with a total market capitalization of more than 200 billion US dollars. The latest market research estimates predict that the worldwide bitcoin payment ecosystem would reach the size of 630 million US dollars by 2025, growing at a double-digit annual rate of 23.4% between 2020 and 2025.
How Banks should leverage the Embedded Finance opportunity
It might seem as if Embedded Finance is an existential threat to the incumbent banks. Fragmentation and decentralisation are radically changing the financial services landscape, and the dominance of the legacy institutions has already been fundamentally undermined. Indeed, for many players in the Embedded Finance ecosystem, this is entirely the point: to open up access to what has traditionally been a highly centralised, opaque, and often inaccessible world.
Major UK Financial Firms Embrace Digital Assets
Digital assets will replace traditional currency in 10 years, London firms say. The attitude among the financial community is warming towards digital assets for a variety of reasons. Interest in blockchain-powered financial services has peaked in line with the rise in popularity of digital assets combined with concerns over Brexit’s impact on the UK economy and the prospect of major financial institutions missing out if they do not invest in the technology now.
A new age, the same threats: How today’s fraudsters are targeting SMEs and what you can do about it
Though it might have been hoped a decade ago that technological advances by the 2020s would have all but wiped out the threat of fraud, this is not the case. Fraud isn’t just on the rise; it’s reaching levels not seen before. Indeed, 2020 holds the record for being the worst year to date for breaches with over 36 billion data records compromised. In this piece we look at a new type of fraud which is on the rise and general steps which you can take to protect your business.
BNPL - all of this hype for a not-so-profitable business?
Welcome to Finextra. We use cookies to help us to deliver our services. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you may change your preferences at our Cookie Centre. Please read our Privacy Policy. News in your inbox For Finextra's free daily newsletter, breaking news and flashes and weekly job board. Sign Up Channels Group External | what does this mean? This content is provided by an external author without editing by Finextra. It expresses the views and opinions of the author.
Why Technology Will Drive Competitive Advantage in the Payments Industry
Recently, I have seen a growing number of decision makers in financial institutions taking a different approach to technology. This is because they have realised that many of the systems they relied on in the past on are now struggling to cope, and there are major questions about their future resilience. According to an Accenture report this June, as much as $416 billion in revenue will be at stake as the era of open banking finally gathers momentum globally.
The Impact of the Coronavirus on Mortgage Refinancings
Many markets were hit hard by the Coronavirus pandemic. The effects are still manifesting in some areas, and it will take some time to fully understand the implications of what has happened during those couple of years. And as many people have found themselves hit hard by the situation, it’s become crucial to take a long, hard look at the way we carry ourselves in the financial market, and to reevaluate our approach to certain things.
The US Republican Party will start accepting cryptocurrency donations
According to the political news site, Axios, the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) — the principal fundraiser for the US Republican Party — is to start accepting Bitcoin and cryptocurrency donations. The NRCC itself will not be holding the cryptocurrency but will be converting it into dollars via an exchanger. But the FEC has expressed its concern on cryptocurrency principles of anonymity could clash with current political regulations on donation transparency and disclosure.
Post-Covid Cross-Border Ecommerce is a Golden Opportunity for Retailers
The Covid-19 pandemic accelerated the consumer shift towards ecommerce at such a rapid rate that data from IBM’s U.S. Retail Index shows digital retail has advanced by roughly half a decade in under a year. As unwelcome as the pandemic was on a personal and social level, across all online retail sectors the quick shift to ecommerce has done wonders for omnichannel brands.
Looking beyond the Buy Now, Pay Later hype
One of the fastest growing payment methods globally, “Buy Now, Pay Later” (BNPL) has gained momentum among both younger shoppers and older cohorts, with particularly strong growth in fashion retail. BNPL is set to continue scaling rapidly - UK shoppers spent around £2.3 billion using BNPL services last Christmas and Klarna recently boosted its valuation by 50% to $45.6bn.
The Advantages of Adopting Mobile Pay in Your Business
There is a whole range of mobile payment options out there, with contactless payments made using smartphones and smartwatches being among the most popular alternatives. And while these solutions offer obvious advantages to users, they can do a lot to help the daily operations of a business as well. Here are some of the business advantages provided by mobile payment solutions.
Why financial inclusion needs to reach excluded cash-heavy sole traders
While we applaud efforts to promote financial inclusion and encourage uptake of non-cash payments in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, the financial industry and government bodies need to remember a crucial sector of society that’s in danger of being left behind – the small businesses that are the backbone of any nation’s economy. There are currently six million SMEs in the UK, and the vast majority have access to a wide range of digital and mobile payment acceptance solutions.
Sacramento, CA homeless crisis has life-or-death consequences | The Sacramento Bee
A homeless person rests next to a cart of belongings on 12th Street in front of boarded up windows in downtown Sacramento on Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021. To the far right the graffiti says Lost. Renée C. Byer rbyer@sacbee.com One of the most visible and troubling impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic during the past year has been a pervasive rise in the number of homeless individuals in Sacramento.
Will the Covid effect drive contactless to displace chip and PIN?
Published : 3 years ago, on 18/05/2021 By Michael Ault, CEO of UTP Group The UK’s rapid uptake of contactless payments has already dealt a blow to cash – and it could be about to slash the number of chip and PIN payments too. With the UK’s contactless limit set to rise to £100, businesses can expect to see a big jump in the number of contactless transactions for a wider range of purchases and for much higher values.
5 ways banks can compete in payments
Remaining competitive in payments is the key to future relevance and profitability for incumbent banks. But with incumbents now competing on multiple fronts against various players, how can they stay ahead of the competition? 1) Reshape attitudes towards data With the competition eroding banks’ traditional margins, a shift from a transaction-based to a data-driven revenue model has long been touted as a path to profitability. And yes, incumbents sit on vast swathes of customer data.
EPI - 10 Critical Success Factors and Key Enablers
EPI – 10 Critical Success Factors and Key Enablers Ever since Europe lost EuroPay in the late 1990s, payments stakeholders have been dismayed at the steady decline in their domestic debit card schemes and the gradual displacement of usage (now 70%) in markets where they remain. Several replacement plans have failed, either through lack of support or funding and regulatory concerns.
What does it take to set up one’s own neobank?
The Fintech industry is thriving as ever. Investments, cryptocurrencies, cashbacks and other similar notions have come into common use, and not only that of the millenials. But how much effort and money does one need to invest to establish and grow their own project? Let’s consider the case of neobanks which are the most vivid and frequent example of a Fintech startup. All founders are aware that the main tasks include creating a team, getting a license and starting to code.
UK Fraud Epidemic is Everybody’s Problem but Nobody’s Priority
In the UK, fraud accounts for more than 50% of reported crime; yet less than 1% of police time is spent investigating it. Several weeks ago, I wrote an article about the UK fraud epidemic, based on a BBC article and think tank report. The overall conclusion was that fraud was not being taken seriously by UK government and law enforcement, and that fraud is seen as "everybody's problem but nobody's priority".
Getting smart about payment terminals
For many years, payment terminals have been a vital tool for businesses that complete their customer transactions in-store. The familiar hand-held devices have reliably taken card payments and offered simple additional services like mobile phone top-ups, cashback or electronic tipping solutions.
City Council should approve smart plan to expand Sacramento Convention Center
After debating the future of the Sacramento Convention Center for more than a decade, it may still be the least understood and most underappreciated asset the city owns. To most people who live and work in downtown Sacramento, the building is known for hosting trade shows, conventions and big community events. But to hotels, restaurants, bars and nearby businesses, the center means economic sustainability. And to the city, it means millions of dollars each year from hotel taxes.
Streetcar line is a strong investment
Sacramento is generating incredible economic momentum. As advocates for property owners and businesses in Old Sacramento, downtown and midtown, our job is to build on that success, which is why each of our organizations endorsed the Sacramento streetcar proposal and why we ask property owners to vote in support. Over the past five years, the cities of Sacramento and West Sacramento, transportation planners and business representatives have developed a new streetcar plan for Sacramento.
The future is LEGO!
This post was originally called Atheists versus Evangelicals...then I walked away from it. Then I toyed with the idea of 'Battlefield Payments'...but what I really wanted to talk about was more than payments and I'm really not that big a John Travolta fan anymore. Then two (well, really three) things happened at Sibos in Osaka this year.
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