Dan Ring
Vice President of Public Relations
Dan Ring
Dan is a veteran of tech companies large and small and leads global PR efforts for ACI. Among his responsibilities is working to educate external audiences (press, analysts, influencers) on just how cool ACI is.
Dan is not a payments expert, but knows more than the average layperson to be slightly dangerous. He's bullish on mobile and bearish on wearables.
More articles by Dan Ring
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2020: The Year of (Near) Cashless Transactions?
Thursday, January 09, 2020 Dan Ring to Payments and Industry TrendsHappy belated New Year and raise your hand if you make and/or follow New Year’s resolutions. I used to and then realized they were exercises in futility. But, over this past holiday, I thought I’d give the resolution game one more shot. This one was more a realistic goal than it was a resolution, but who can really tell the difference anyway!?! I decided to go cashless over the holidays, which can still be somewhat challenging for many in the US (though my friends in other countries are probably ridiculing me right now). I was traveling (to NYC and Florida) and wanted to pack as little as possible (in both my luggage and my wallet). I’m all about loyalty card points these days, hence the 2 back-to-back trips.
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A Pointless Credit Card World (Sound the Alarm, Ring the Bell, Freak Out… Le Freak, see'est Chic)
Tuesday, January 08, 2019 Dan Ring to Payments and Industry TrendsMark, we were slightly prescient a few weeks back when our rantings touched on credit card points. Based on some news over the past weeks related to rewards, perks and sweet deals, do I now sound the alarm or do I stand down?
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All I Want For Christmas (Or Any Holiday) Is… Instant Payments Gratification
Friday, December 14, 2018 Dan Ring to Payments and Industry Trends, Low Value Real Time PaymentsMark, some of us are fast approaching the end of the holiday shopping season, some of us are fast approaching that time of year when we consume too much egg nog, and some of us are fast approaching too many viewings of Die Hard or It’s a Wonderful Life or Love Actually or Christmas in Connecticut (I’ve disclosed too much about myself). To segue slightly more than slightly, I was at Target over the weekend, braving the holiday shopping crowds, to buy toilet paper, paper towels and tissues… and I took advantage of the 5% off that I get from using my Red Card. I surveyed the throngs of other consumers in the nearby checkout lines and not once did I see another store card. During this, the biggest shopping season of the year, why wouldn’t consumers use loyalty/rewards cards when making purchases?
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What Are the Five Payment Items You’re (Most) Looking Forward to at Money20/20?
Friday, October 19, 2018 Dan Ring to Payments and Industry TrendsMark, Money20/20 is a mere few days away… and with many of our lovely colleagues making their way to Sydney for Sibos, you and I are heading out west for another thought-provoking and fun-filled week at what I believe is the world’s largest payments event, Money2018… err… Money2020.
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Taking Payments and Fintech for Granted? (A Lyrical Edition)
Friday, June 29, 2018 Dan Ring to Payments and Industry TrendsBased on a very quick search of the Googles, there are 128,014 songs that contain the lyrics “take for granted”— from the likes of Mary J. Blige, Social Distortion, Madness and Frank Sinatra as well as countless other great (and not-so-great) crooners. And that would make for a sizable Spotify playlist… and I do love my Spotify playlists (I’ve been on a Wham! kick lately).
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Money20/20 Europe: A Payments Extravaganza and a (figurative) Carnival of Sorts (to borrow from R.E.M.)
Tuesday, June 12, 2018 Dan RingAccording to the Googles, “payments” translates as “betalingen” in Dutch. And if I’m using the word correctly, betalingen is on full display! Last week, Amsterdam brought many highs (and not of the stereotypical Amsterdam variety), very few lows (Antonio Banderas as a no-show, unexplained flight delays both departing and returning), a couple of surprises (Stu co-winning the Payments Race, celebrating Mark’s fake birthday) and some great memories. In addition to our presence at the ever-lively Money20/20 Europe, we hosted a corporate event commemorating our 20th anniversary in the Netherlands—welcoming regional ACIers and customers alike (and enjoying a most densely delicious and decorative cake).
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A Rocky Mountain High on Payments Innovation
Friday, June 01, 2018 Dan Ring to Payments and Industry TrendsWe were so high last week; in fact, we were a figurative mile high… in sunny Denver for our annual ACI Exchange user conference. And among the myriad highs during the week was our own ‘Un-conference,’ which generated major buzz that sparked an enormous appetite for some tasty innovation. Some of the ideas generated included the following:
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Cash... Almost As Good As Money! (The Story of Two Americans in London)
Friday, May 11, 2018 Dan Ring to Payments and Industry TrendsMark, although we were both recently in London, shockingly, our paths didn’t cross—the city was bustling as the Commonwealth leaders had all descended upon the British capital, which was also readying for its annual Marathon. You were there for work (cooped up in conference rooms) while I was there for fun (and the surprisingly fantastic weather made my trip that much more enjoyable). So enjoyable in fact that I’d rate my trip a 9.7 out of 10, a rarity these days. The reason for the 0.3 demerits? A frustrating taxi experience!
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Fintech Frenzy and Fun: Money20/20 Asia
Tuesday, March 13, 2018 Dan Ring to Payments and Industry TrendsI’m in vibrant Singapore for day one of the inaugural Money20/20 Asia... or is this day two? I’ve lost all concept of time this week (and didn’t realize how close Singapore is to the equator… it’s like wicked hawt outside!) And I’m joined once again by my ever-intrepid Rantings colleague to rant about what’s happening in this fun-filled world of payments.
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The Complexities of Cannabis: Banks, Merchants, Consumers and More
Wednesday, February 07, 2018 Dan Ring to Payments and Industry TrendsCannabis—it’s no longer the verboten 800-pound pink elephant (though I think that might be a new strand). It’s about as mainstream as well…mainstream. And as we begin our latest Rantings Rant, it seems like the last time we (well, not you or I) experienced something like this, Al Capone and Elliot Ness were facing off during the time of Prohibition (if you’ve never seen the film The Untouchables, I highly recommend it!).