Merchants Payments Coalition

What Merchants Payments Coalition does

The Merchants Payments Coalition (MPC) is a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit advocacy coalition founded in 2007, representing nearly 30 retail trade associations whose member companies collectively operate approximately 2.7 million stores and employ about 50 million people. The coalition's mission is to reduce credit and debit card interchange ("swipe") fees imposed by Visa, MasterCard, and issuing banks, which it characterizes as a hidden $80 billion annual cost to U.S. merchants that ultimately raises consumer prices by more than $400 per family per year. MPC pursues this objective through Congressional lobbying in support of legislation such as the Credit Card Fair Fee Act and the Durbin Amendment, multi-year litigation against the Federal Reserve over debit reform implementation, and public-facing media campaigns including opinion articles, paid advertising, and grassroots merchant mobilization in Washington.

MPC has no commercial products, software offerings, or proprietary technology. Its primary digital asset is the UnfairCreditCardFees.com website, which functions as an advocacy portal hosting fact sheets, research reports, press releases, and grassroots action tools. The coalition is operationally hosted by the National Retail Federation, and its Chairman Mallory Duncan concurrently serves as NRF's Senior Vice President and General Counsel. Funding is derived from member association dues and is not venture-backed. Key documented milestones include support for the 2008 Credit Card Fair Fee Act, support for the 2010 Durbin Amendment, participation in the 2012 swipe fee class action settlement, and the 2017 successful opposition to the Financial CHOICE Act's proposed repeal of debit fee caps. The coalition has no disclosed headcount, no revenue figures, and no commercial revenue model beyond member dues and advocacy funding.

Name

Merchants Payments Coalition

Legal name

Merchants Payments Coalition

Website

https://unfaircreditcardfees.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Merchants Payments Coalition is a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit advocacy coalition of roughly 30 retail trade associations representing approximately 2.7 million stores, lobbying Congress and litigating against credit and debit card swipe fees charged by Visa, MasterCard, and issuing banks.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Payment Industry Advocacy

NAICS

Credit Card Issuing (52221)

akta.pro primary industry

Card Clearing & Settlement (Interchange, Network Settlement) (FSABAJAJ)

Keywords

• Payment fee advocacy
• Interchange fee reform
• Merchant trade coalition
• Swipe fee regulation
• Payment industry lobbying

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Coalition membership dues and advocacy funding: The Merchants Payments Coalition operates as a non-profit advocacy coalition funded by member trade associations representing retailers, supermarkets, convenience stores, and other merchants. The coalition uses these resources to fund lobbying, legal battles, research, and public education campaigns against credit card swipe fees.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The Merchants Payments Coalition is a non-profit advocacy coalition of nearly 30 trade associations that collectively represents approximately 2.7 million stores and 50 million employees. The coalition advocates for credit and debit card swipe fee reform through Congressional lobbying, legal challenges against the Federal Reserve and card networks, grassroots campaigns, public education, and media engagement to influence payment card industry regulation and legislation such as the Credit Card Fair Fee Act and the Durbin Amendment.

Product overview

Merchants Payments Coalition is not a product or technology company — it is an advocacy coalition of retailers, supermarkets, drug stores, convenience stores, fuel stations, and online merchants fighting against unfair credit card swipe fees and for a more competitive and transparent card payment system. The coalition operates the website UnfairCreditCardFees.com as an informational and advocacy portal providing fact sheets, research reports, press releases, sample letters to Congress, and educational materials about interchange fees. The coalition does not offer any commercial products, software, or technology services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• $30 billion in consumer savings from debit reform
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Food Marketing InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor coalition member representing supermarkets and food retailers. FMI's president Tim Hammonds has publicly supported MPC's advocacy for the Credit Card Fair Fee Act. FMI has submitted letters of support for swipe fee reform legislation.
• National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCore coalition member representing convenience stores. NACS President Richard Oneslager has publicly supported MPC's advocacy efforts. The coalition frequently coordinates on legislative campaigns and merchant outreach.
• National Restaurant AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCore coalition member representing restaurants. Contributed to legal challenges and legislative efforts against swipe fees.
• National Retail Federation (NRF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCore coalition member and administrative host. MPC Chairman Mallory Duncan serves as Senior Vice President and General Counsel at NRF. NRF hosts coalition activities and provides staff support.
• National Grocers Association (NGA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCore coalition member representing independent grocers. NGA President Peter Larkin and other executives have publicly supported MPC's advocacy and submitted letters of support for legislation.
• Boscov's Department StoresminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndividual merchant plaintiff in the coalition's legal case against the Federal Reserve regarding debit card reform violations.
• Miller Oil Co.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndividual merchant plaintiff in the coalition's legal case against the Federal Reserve regarding debit card reform violations.
• Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition member representing major retailers. Has submitted key vote letters opposing the Financial Choice Act and repeal of debit reform.
• Society of Independent Gasoline Marketers of America (SIGMA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition member representing independent gasoline marketers. Has submitted letters opposing repeal of debit reform in the Financial CHOICE Act.
• National Association of Chain Drug StoresminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition member representing chain drug stores. Has submitted letters of support for the Credit Card Fair Fee Act.
• National Association of Truck Stop OperatorsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition member representing truck stop operators. Has submitted letters of support for the Credit Card Fair Fee Act.
• American Beverage LicenseesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition member representing beverage licensees. Has submitted letters of support for swipe fee reform legislation.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Food Marketing Institute: Major grocery industry trade association and core MPC member representing supermarkets. Comparable as a vertical trade association that pools merchant resources for collective advocacy on policy and operational issues.
• Electronic Payments Coalition: Coalition of major payments industry stakeholders (Visa, MasterCard, banks) that advocates on the same swipe fee/interchange policy issue from the opposing side. Directly comparable structure to MPC but with opposing positions on interchange reform.
• National Retail Federation: Largest member trade association of MPC and provides administrative staff support; MPC Chairman Mallory Duncan serves as SVP and General Counsel at NRF. Represents the same retail merchant constituency and pursues parallel advocacy on payment and retail policy issues.
• National Association of Convenience Stores: Core MPC member trade association representing convenience store merchants. Comparable as a vertical trade association that engages in coordinated legislative advocacy on payment fees and retail operational issues.

Broad incumbents

• American Bankers Association: Largest U.S. banking trade association with substantial federal advocacy apparatus on payments and interchange policy. Comparable in scale, advocacy structure, and policy focus but represents the bank member side of the swipe fee debate.
• Independent Community Bankers of America: Major U.S. banking industry trade association that engages in federal advocacy on financial services and payment policy. Operates with similar DC-based advocacy infrastructure but represents the banking side of the debit interchange equation.
• Credit Union National Association: National trade association for credit unions that engages in federal advocacy on payment policy and interchange (credit unions are exempt from Durbin caps). Comparable in advocacy infrastructure and policy focus on payment regulation.
• The Clearing House Association: Banking association and payments company that operates major ACH and wire networks and engages in federal payments policy advocacy. Comparable in payment system expertise and policy advocacy focus, representing banks on interchange issues.
• Consumer Bankers Association: Trade association for retail banking institutions that conducts federal advocacy on consumer financial services policy. Comparable in advocacy structure and focus on payment-related regulatory issues.

Emerging players

• Americans for Financial Reform: Coalition of consumer, labor, and civil rights groups advocating for stronger financial industry regulation including oversight of interchange fees. Direct counterpart to MPC in the fintech advocacy space with comparable coalition structure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/reformswipefees
• Facebookfacebook.com/MerchantsPaymentsCoalition

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Merchants Payments Coalition