January 7, 2013 Issue - Electronic Transactions Association

January 7, 2013 

US Technology Strategy: Independent Insight 

ETA-GS Survey on New Entrants in 

Payments: The incumbent 

perspective 

Equity Research 

ETA-GS Survey on New Entrants in Payments 

This report presents key findings from the Electronic Transactions 

Association – Goldman Sachs (ETA-GS) Survey on New Entrants in 

Payments, which asked 80 merchant acquirers, ISOs and providers of 

point-of-sale (POS) solutions key questions on the rise of new entrants. 

Displacement risk is main concern for incumbents 

Respondents appear mostly concerned with the potential for 

disintermediation from new technologies or market share losses to new 

entrants. We attribute this to a combination of new pricing models 

introduced by new entrants and new payment technologies that can route 

transactions away from existing merchant acquirers/terminals, such as 

mobile card readers (i.e. dongles) and cloud enabled POS solutions. 

Tiered pricing represents hurdle for new entrants 

That said, survey results reinforced our view that tiered pricing in merchant 

acquiring represents key hurdle to new entrants. Responses were fairly 

consistent with our view that traditional pricing is attractive relative to 

alternative models with retailers generating over $250K of annual volume. 

Partnerships with new entrants a key mitigation strategy 

Most respondents (47%) preferred to partner with new entrants in order to 

mitigate the risk of new entrants. Several merchant acquirers/ISOs have 

recently formed partnerships with new entrants and, based on survey 

results, we expect to see more such alliances formed in the near-term. 

Acquirer-POS provider relationship appears tepid 

Nearly two-thirds of the respondents named PAY their main provider of 

POS terminals, with Equinox (formerly Hypercom) and Ingenico coming in 

at a distant second and third. However, most respondents expect to either 

develop their own mobile based POS solution or partner with other third 

party providers (which can include new entrants) over the next year. 

PayPal and Square receive high marks from incumbents 

Among several new entrants, incumbents viewed PayPal and Square as the 

best solution, with approximately 40% of our respondents ranking the 

PayPal and Square POS solutions as “Very Good”. We believe this is 

important, as merchant acquirers and POS vendors will likely embrace 

partnerships with new entrants that offer a reliable solution for merchants. 

Electronic Transactions Association- 

Goldman Sachs Survey on New 

Entrants in Payments 

Key findings include: 

• Displacement risk is main concern for 

incumbents 

• Tiered pricing represents key hurdle for 

new entrants 

• Partnerships with new entrants preferred 

mitigation strategy 

• Acquirer-POS provider relationship 

appears tepid 

• PayPal and Square receive high marks 

from incumbents 

Roman Leal, CFA 

(415) 249-7468 roman.leal@gs.com 

Goldman, Sachs & Co. 

Julio C. Quinteros Jr. 

(415) 249-7464 julio.quinteros@gs.com 


Heath P. Terry, CFA 

(212) 3571849 heath.terry@gs.com 


Ryan M. Nash, CFA 

(212) 902-8963 ryan.nash@gs.com 


Franklin Jarman 

(212) 902-7537 franklin.jarman@gs.com 


Rudolf Dreyer 

+44(20)7051-0662 rudolf.dreyer@gs.com 

Goldman Sachs International 

Debra Schwartz 

(212) 902-1879 debra.schwartz@gs.com 


Goldman Sachs does and seeks to do business with companies covered in its research reports. As a result, investors 

should be aware that the firm may have a conflict of interest that could affect the objectivity of this report. Investors 

should consider this report as only a single factor in making their investment decision. For Reg AC certification and other 

important disclosures, see the Disclosure Appendix, or go to www.gs.com/research/hedge.html. Analysts employed by 

non-US affiliates are not registered/qualified as research analysts with FINRA in the U.S. 

The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. 

Global Investment Research


Americas: Technology: IT Services - Payment Processors 

Table of Contents 

Summary: ETA-GS Survey on New Entrants in Payments highlights a fluid competitive landscape 3 

Key findings from the ETA-GS Survey on New Entrants in Payments 4 

Survey results: Incumbents see a fluid competitive environment 5 

New entrant risk: disintermediation and pricing risks are real 8 

Mitigation strategies: incumbents embrace partnerships 9 

Distribution: POS vendors may lose some acquirer/ISO distribution 11 

Industry pricing: one size does not fit all 12 

Respondent overview 14 

Disclosure Appendix 15 

Goldman Sachs Global Investment Research 2



Summary: ETA-GS Survey on New Entrants in Payments highlights 

a fluid competitive landscape 

This report presents key findings from The Electronic Transactions Association – 

Goldman Sachs (ETA-GS) Survey on New Entrants in Payments, which asked 

merchant acquirers, ISOs and point-of-sale (POS) solution providers key questions on 

the rise of new entrants. 

We collected 80 survey responses, consisting of 64 merchant acquirers/ISOs and 16 POS 

solutions providers. The survey addressed key risks to incumbent models, potential 

mitigation strategies and prevailing industry pricing. 

Recap of new entrant models 

This survey builds on our new entrant framework, originally introduced in the first 

installment of our Payments Deep Dive series (Payments Deep Dive – Version 1.0: A closer 

look at the threats and opportunities posed by new entrants in payments, December 12, 

2012) and takes a closer view on how the incumbents (i.e. merchant acquirers, ISOs and 

POS solution providers) view the changing competitive landscape. 

Recall that we see three prevailing new entrant models: (1) Partner models, which work 

with the existing payments system (examples include PayPal through its partnership with 

DFS and ISIS); (2) Aggregator models, which compete with the existing infrastructure and 

are primarily interested in the payments economics (examples include Square and PayPal’s 

Hands-Free efforts at the large merchant segment); and (3) Integrator models, which can 

bundle payment processing to existing services (examples include Groupon and LevelUp). 

In our view, the Partner model presents opportunities for incumbents and will likely scale 

the quickest, while the Integrator model presents the most potential for disruption. 

Key findings from our survey include: (1) displacement risk is main concern for 

incumbents; (2) tiered pricing represents key hurdle for new entrants; (3) partnerships with 

new entrants a preferred mitigation strategy; (4) relationship between merchant acquirers 

and POS providers appears tepid; and (5) PayPal and Square receive high marks from 

incumbents. 

Who is the Electronic Transactions Association 

The Electronics Transactions Transaction Association (ETA) is the leading international 

trade association for the electronic transaction processing community. The ETA has over 

500 member companies worldwide, including leading financial institutions, transaction 

processors, independent sales organizations (ISOs) and equipment suppliers. 

Why merchant acquirers and ISOs 

Merchant acquirers and ISOs play an important role in electronic transactions as they 

enable merchant adoption of electronic payments. They are the “feet on the street,” 

actively engaging merchants on various topics in payments and charging merchants the 

cost to accept electronic payments (the merchant discount rate, or MDR). Additionally, 

given their relationship with merchants, acquirers and ISOs serve as an efficient 

distribution channel into retailers, including for POS vendors. Finally, while large retailers 

typically have enough bargaining power and sophistication to make several payments 

related decisions unilaterally – merchant acquirers/ISOs can play a more influential role 

with smaller and mid-size merchants. 




Key findings from the ETA-GS Survey on New Entrants in Payments 

Displacement risk is main concern for incumbents 

Over the long-term, we view pricing as the key risk for acquirers and disintermediation as 

the key risk for POS terminal manufacturers. However, our survey respondents (which 

included both acquirers and POS vendors) appear mostly concerned with the potential for 

disintermediation from new technologies or market share losses to new entrants. We 

attribute this to a combination of new pricing models introduced by new entrants and new 

payment technologies that can route transactions away from existing merchant acquirers, 

such as mobile card readers (i.e. dongles) and cloud-enabled POS solutions. In addition, we 

believe this reflects the fact that ISOs are more at risk from pricing pressure/market share 

losses given their focus on the small merchant segment (i.e. merchants generating under 

$250K of annual volume), where we see new entrants’ pricing models as most competitive. 

Tiered pricing represents key hurdle for new entrants 

Many respondents are concerned that pricing pressure will go beyond the small merchant 

segment, placing pricing for the entire industry at risk. Relative to the illustrative downside 

scenario presented in our Payments Deep Dive report, this would represent further 

negative risk as our analysis assumed that pricing pressure would be concentrated in the 

small merchant segment. That said, survey results reinforced our view that tiered pricing in 

merchant acquiring represent a key hurdle to new entrants. Responses were fairly 

consistent with our view that traditional pricing is attractive relative to alternative models 

with retailers generating over $250K of annual volume. 

Partnerships with new entrants stand out as the key mitigation strategy 

Most respondents (47%) preferred to partner with new entrants in order to mitigate any 

potential new entrant risk. Most incumbents believe these partnerships will enable them to 

create stickier relationships with merchants (45%) or to monetize new revenue streams in 

addition to merchant acquiring (35%). Several merchant acquirers/ISOs have recently 

formed partnerships with new entrants and, based on survey results, we expect to see 

more such alliances formed in the near term. 

Relationship between acquirers and POS solutions providers appears tepid 

Nearly two-thirds of the respondents named PAY as their main provider of POS terminals, 

with Equinox (formerly Hypercom) and Ingenico a distant second and third. However, most 

respondents expect to develop their own mobile-based POS solution or to partner with 

other third party providers (which we believe includes new entrants), which could lead to 

modest disruption for payment terminal providers. With respect to PAY, we point out that 

US acquirers and ISOs typically distribute (or resell) PAY terminals into the small and mid 

sized segment of the market, which accounts for only 5% of total Net Revenues. 

PayPal and Square receive high marks from incumbents 

Among several new entrants, approximately 40% of our respondents ranked the PayPal 

and Square POS solutions as “Very Good”, while only 11.5% believed their offering were 

“Not Useful”. We believe this is important, as merchant acquirers and POS vendors will 

likely embrace partnerships with new entrants that offer a reliable solution for merchants. 




Survey results: Incumbents see a fluid competitive environment 

Merchant interest in new point of sale technologies beginning to rise 

While new point-of-sale (POS) technologies are fairly nascent, our survey results suggest 

that merchants interest in mobile POS solutions (including tablet and smart phone devices) 

is relatively high. Approximately half of our respondents suggested that at least 25% of 

their existing merchant base has expressed interest in new POS technologies. Moreover, 

26% of survey participants articulated that more than half of their merchant client base has 

expressed interest (Exhibit 1). These results point to strong merchant awareness of new 

payment technologies, which we see as a precursor to merchant adoption. The timing and 

magnitude of adoption could have significant implications for incumbent providers of POS 

solutions, though we note that the ultimate impact will depend on whether incumbents 

could provide their own mobile based offerings into existing merchant relationships. 

Market share shifts appear minimal thus far 

That said, it appears that merchant interest has not translated into meaningful merchant 

attrition (Exhibit 2). Approximately 80% of respondents disclosed manageable customer 

losses due to these technologies (10% or less of lost business attributed to new entrants). 

Thus, the majority of merchant attrition is likely still due to competitive pricing and or 

better service from other incumbents. While we believe that new entrants will gain 

incremental share, we believe incumbents have several levers to mitigate merchant 

attrition including lowering pricing, partnering with new entrants or offering proprietary 

tablet/smart phone-based solutions. 

Exhibit 1: What percentage of your merchant base has 

expressed interest in new point-of-sale technologies 

(e.g., tablets, smartphones, dongles, etc...) 

Merchant interest in new technologies appears relatively 

high… 

Exhibit 2: What percentage of lost business (attrition) 

over the last 12 months do you attribute to new 

entrants 

…but this has not translated into meaningful attrition for 

incumbents. 

57.0% 

25.3% 

22.8% 

20.3% 

15.2% 

11.4% 

20.3% 

5.1% 

12.7% 

5.1% 

2.5% 2.5% 

None 1%-10% 11%-25% 26%-50% 51%-75% Above 75% 

None 1%-10% 11%-25% 26%-50% 51%-75% Above 75% 

Source: Goldman Sachs Research and ETA 





Providers of point-of-sale (POS) solutions and ISOs are viewed as most at-risk 

Nearly 31% of our survey respondents believe that terminal manufacturers are most “at 

risk” from new entrants and tablet/smartphone based solutions, while another 20% see 

providers of traditional cash registers as more exposed to disintermediation risk. 

Interestingly, while 25% signaled that ISOs are most exposed to new entrant risk, 

respondents see large merchant acquirers as relatively insulated (Exhibit 3). This appears 

consistent with our view that most of the pricing risk will be concentrated at the small 

merchant level, where ISOs tend to focus, while tiered pricing and distribution will serve as 

key hurdles to new entrants that wish to go up stream. 

Additionally, we note that most new entrants essentially act as ISOs, signing up new 

merchants, making underwriting decisions and performing customer servicing functions. 

As a result, these models are capturing a greater share of the “acquiring fee” economics 

(again, expressed as a percentage of purchase volume). However, these new entrants pay 

large merchant acquirers a transaction-based fee from for the back-end processing. 

Incumbents continue to see both threats and partnerships among new entrants 

Survey participants ranked Square and Apple as the biggest potential threat for 

incumbents (Exhibit 4). We believe this reflects Square’s Aggregator model, which directly 

competes with incumbents by providing retailers with both payment processing and POS 

solutions. With respect to Apple, we point out that there is a lot of uncertainty on the 

company’s payments strategy. Specifically, it is unclear whether the Apple Passbook wallet 

will continue to work within the existing payments infrastructure like a Partner model or 

directly compete as an Aggregator or Integrator model. 

On the other hand, LevelUp and ISIS (the mobile wallet joint venture between AT&T, 

Verizon Wireless and T-mobile) were ranked as the key potential partners to incumbents. In 

our view, LevelUp is perceived as a key potential partner due to its recent pilot with 

merchant acquirer, HPY, and willingness to partner with other incumbents to reach wider 

acceptance of their loyalty platform. ISIS, moreover, seems to fit the Partner model well as 

the wallet offering is fully integrated into the existing payments infrastructure and the 

model earns revenue on advertising or account-based fees, not payment processing. 

Exhibit 3: Who do you view as more "at risk" from new 

entrants and tablets/smartphone based point-of-sale 

solutions 

POS vendors and ISOs are viewed as most at risk. 

Exhibit 4: Which new entrant do you view as the biggest 

potential threat for merchant acquirers & ISOs Please 

rank from 1 (biggest potential threat) to 8 (biggest 

potential partner): 

Square and Apple are perceived as key potential threats, 

while LevelUp and ISIS are viewed as potential partners. 

Termnial manufacturers 

31.3% 

Square 

2.66 

Independent Sales Organizations 

25.3% 

Apple 

3.32 

Providers of traditional cash registers 

19.3% 

Google (Google Wallet) 

3.63 

Value-Added resellers/Point-of-sale 

software solutions provider 

9.6% 

Amazon 

Innovative Merchant 

Solutions (Intuit) 

3.73 

4.70 

Merchant acquirers 

6.0% 

Groupon 

5.52 

Other 

4.8% 

Mobile Carriers (ISIS 

wallet) 

5.69 

Payment networks 

3.6% 

LevelUp 

6.07 






In our view, the ranking for Google and Groupon are both surprising as we would have 

expected Google to be viewed more favorably, while Groupon as more of a threat (the 

Google wallet efforts appear to the fit the Partner model, while Groupon Payments fits the 

profile of an Integrator model). While this could indicate merchant acquirers’ and terminal 

manufacturers’ interest in partnering with companies offering local offers/advertising to 

their existing merchant base, we point out that sentiment could change rapidly. 

In our inaugural annual ETA-GS Acquirer and ISO Survey (see ETA-GS Acquirer and ISO 

Survey: key payments trends for 2012 and beyond, April 3, 2012), for example, merchant 

acquirers and ISOs viewed PayPal as one of the biggest threats to incumbents Exhibit 5). 

However, we believe PayPal turned into the most significant partner-to-date among new 

entrants, given their decision to integrate their PayPal wallet into the retail POS 

environment by working with DFS, merchant acquirers and payment terminal providers. 

Exhibit 5: Paypal was seen as the biggest threat to traditional acquirers/ISOs 

Which non-traditional payments provider do you see as the biggest threat to traditional 

acquirers/ISOs (asked on April 3, 2012). 

Other (please specify), 

4.1% 

Mobile 

carriers 

(ISIS JV), 

6.1% 

Google (Google Wallet), 

17.3% 

PayPal (offline/POS 

strategy), 42.9% 

Square, 26.5% 

Innovative Merchant 

Solutions (Intuit), 3.1% 





New entrant risk: disintermediation and pricing risks are real 

Incumbents appear most concerned with displacement risk 

Interestingly, while we see pricing as the key risk for merchant acquirers, most respondents 

appear concerned with the potential for new technologies to displace merchant acquiring 

(43%), or losing share to new entrants (29%). We attribute this concern to the emergence of 

cloud-based mobile payment solutions (which route transactions away from the existing 

payment terminal provider and/or merchant acquirers) and from Aggregators/Integrators 

(which compete with merchant acquirers by directly signing up merchants). Only 21% of 

respondents suggested that pricing was the key risk (Exhibit 6). 

New entrants can drive pricing down across the industry 

With respect to pricing, 40% of respondents believe pricing will be reduced across the 

entire industry, which would suggest that even acquirers which cater to relatively large 

merchants could face pricing pressure. This would represent further negative risk to our 

illustrative downside scenario published in our recent Payments Deep Dive Report as our 

analysis assumed that pricing pressure would be concentrated in the small merchant 

segment. Additionally, 34% expect to see more fixed pricing (i.e. a flat rate) at the SMB 

level, while only 7% expect to see more cost-plus (i.e. unbundled pricing) at the SMB level 

(Exhibit 7). 

Either one of these moves would represent a significant shift for the industry, which has 

primarily relied on relatively opaque, bundled pricing at the SMB level (with few 

exceptions). Only about 14% of respondents believe new entrants will lead to flat or higher 

pricing from current levels. In our view, pricing is the key long-term risk for merchant 

acquirers, though any ultimate pricing pressure will likely be gradual as merchant contracts 

typically range for three to five years. 

Exhibit 6: What do you view as the biggest risk posed by 

new entrants to the merchant acquiring industry 

43% of respondents are concerned with new technologies 

displacing merchant acquiring business 

Exhibit 7: If you believe pricing will be impacted by new 

entrants, please select how 

Most respondents, however, believe that new entrants will 

bring down industry pricing. 

Other 

7% 

Pricing 

21% 

Reduced pricing 

at all levels 

40% 

Higher pricing at 

SMB level 

2% Higher pricing at 

large merchant 

level 

2% 

No impact 

10% 

New technologies 

displacing 

merchant acquiring 

43% 

Market share 

losses to new 

entrants 

29% 

More fixed pricing 

(i.e. a flat rate) at 

the SMB level 

34% 

Other 

5% 

More cost-plus 

(i.e. unbundled 

pricing) at the 

small and mid 

size enterprise 

(SME) level 

7% 






Mitigation strategies: incumbents embrace partnerships 

Partnership with new entrants a preferred mitigation strategy 

When asked about their new entrant mitigation strategy, most respondents (47%) prefer to 

partner with new entrants in order to enhance offering to merchants, while another 34% 

appear interested in developing and offering their own tablet/smartphone based solutions. 

Surprisingly, despite the negative risk to pricing cited above, only 5% expect to reduce 

pricing in order to compete against new entrants (Exhibit 8). In our view, pricing could 

serve as a last resort for acquirers and ISOs, though we note that the amount of pricing 

pressure will likely vary by merchant segments as prevailing industry pricing appears 

competitive with new entrant pricing, with merchants generating over $250K of annual 

purchase volume. 

New entrant alliances could improve retention, open new revenue streams 

Most respondents believe that partnerships with new entrants represent an opportunity to 

create stickier relationships with merchants (45%) or to monetize new revenue streams in 

addition to merchant acquiring (35%). In other words, merchant acquirers and ISOs expect 

these partnerships to help reduce merchant attrition (which could run into the 20% range in 

the SMB segment) and enhance total revenue per customer. Still others (14%) believe that 

partnerships could enhance their positioning in competitive bids for new merchants 

(Exhibit 9). As a result, we expect to see more such alliances formed in the near-term as 

merchant acquirers try to gain an early mover advantage. 

Exhibit 8: What is your strategy to adapt to the new 

competitive environment 

New entrant partnerships are preferred mitigation strategy 

Exhibit 9: What do you believe partnerships with new 

entrants offer merchants and ISOs 

Alliance could improve retention, open new revenue streams. 

Develop and offer own 

tablet/smartphone based 

solutions 

34% 

Reduce pricing to 

compete against new 

pricing models 

5% 

Other 

10% 

No change in strategy, 

this too shall pass 

4% 

Opportunity to 

monetize services in 

addition to merchant 

acquiring 

35% 

Advantage in 

competitive bids for 

new merchants 

14% 

Opportunity to defend 

pricing competition 

3% 

Other 

3% 

Partner with new entrants 

to enhance offering to 

merchants 

47% 

Opportunity to create 

stickier relationships 

with merchants 

45% 






PayPal and Square stand out as the best solutions among new entrants 

Among several new entrants, approximately 40% of our respondents ranked the PayPal 

and Square POS solutions as “Very Good”, while only 11.5% believed their offerings were 

“Not Useful”. Over 50% of respondents viewed Groupon and Intuit (two models that we 

view as Integrators) as “Fair”. On the other hand, several other new POS vendors, 

including Erply, Revel, ShopKeep and Vend were unfamiliar to at least 50% of respondents 

(Exhibit 10). We believe this is important, as all of these POS vendors currently partner with 

merchant acquirers and ISOs as distribution channels into the SMB and thus represent 

potential disintermediation risk for incumbent POS solution providers. 

Exhibit 10: What is your perception of the following POS solutions 

Paypal and Square Pos solutions receive high marks from incumbents. 

Very Good Fair Not Useful Unfamiliar 

Erply 1.3% 15.6% 10.4% 72.7% 

Groupon (Breadcrumb) 3.9% 50.6% 33.8% 11.7% 

Innovative Merchant Solutions (Intuit) 28.6% 58.4% 6.5% 6.5% 

LevelUp 10.4% 46.8% 22.1% 20.8% 

PayPal 41.0% 46.2% 11.5% 1.3% 

Revel 8.0% 18.7% 6.7% 66.7% 

ShopKeep 15.6% 24.7% 9.1% 50.6% 

Square 39.7% 48.7% 11.5% 0.0% 

Vend 1.4% 17.6% 6.8% 74.3% 





Distribution: POS vendors may lose some acquirer/ISO distribution 

Relationship between acquirers and terminal POS providers appears tepid 

More than half of our respondents (56%) primarily distribute or resell VeriFone POS 

terminals, with Equinox (formerly Hypercom) and Ingenico coming in at distant second and 

third (Exhibit 11). However, most survey participants plan to either develop their own 

mobile POS solution or to partner with other third party providers (including new entrants). 

Only 31% responded they would offer mobile based solutions from their current provider, 

while another 6% suggested they were not interesting in providing these alternative POS 

solutions (Exhibit 12). 

As we noted in our Payments Deep Dive V.1 report, we see the competitive risks for 

terminal manufacturers as primarily concentrated in the US SMB segment, where 

merchant acquirers and ISOs typically distribute terminals to merchants. It is through this 

distribution model that there is an opening for new entrants to disrupt the market for POS 

solution providers as acquirers, in our view. That said, our analysis suggests a downside 

scenario where PAY lost all of its distribution partners into the US SMB segment (and 50% 

of its direct distribution into the large merchant segment), would result in only a 10% hit to 

annualized EPS. 

Exhibit 11: Which company do you currently use as your 

main point-of-sale terminal provider 

PAY stands out as the preferred US POS terminal provider 

for our group of acquirer/ISOs 

Exhibit 12: Are you planning to offer your merchants a 

smartphone or tablet based solution in the next 12 

months 

Almost 90% of respondents plan to provide merchants a 

smartphone / tablet based solution in the next year. 

Other 

15% 

Equinox (formerly 

Hypercom) 

13% 

Ingenico 

10% 

PAX 

1% 

Proprietary solution 

5% 

Yes, we are 

developing our own 

solution 

29% 

No, will likely keep 

offering the same 

POS terminals 

6% 

Other 

7% 

Yes, but from a 

different provider 

27% 

Yes, likely from my 

current provider of 

POS terminals 

31% 

VeriFone 

56% 






Industry pricing: one size does not fit all 

Tiered pricing in merchant acquiring represents a hurdle for new entrants 

Survey results reinforced our view that tiered pricing in merchant acquiring represents key 

hurdles to new entrants (Exhibits 13 and 14). Responses suggest that traditional pricing is 

more competitive than alternative pricing models introduced to-date, with retailers 

generating over $250K of annual volume. We summarize our findings as follows: 

 

 

 

 

 

For merchants generating less than $100K of annual card volume, 39% of respondents 

believe average pricing is 2.75% - 2.99%. 

For merchants generating $101K to $250K of annual card volume, 31% of respondents 

believe average pricing is 2.50% - 2.74%. 

For merchants generating $251K to $500K of annual card volume, 31% of respondents 

believe average pricing is 2.50% - 2.74%, while 29% of respondents believe average 

pricing is 2.25% - 2.49%. 

For merchants generating $500K to $1mn of annual card volume, 35% of respondents 

believe average pricing is under 2.00%. 

For merchants generating over $1mn of annual card volume, 54% of respondents 

believe average pricing is under 2.00%. 

Exhibit 13: For the industry, what do you believe the average merchant discount rate 

(MDR) for merchants is based on the merchant volume 

54% 

39% 

22% 

14% 

10% 

3.4% 9% 3% 

31% 31% 

29% 

22% 

20% 

17% 

15% 

12% 

10% 

5% 

5% 

3% 

35% 

22% 

22% 

22% 

17% 

14% 

7% 

3% 3% 

1Mn 

4% or above 3% - 3.99% 2.75% - 2.99% 2.50% - 2.74% 2.25% - 2.49% 2.00% - 2.24% Under 2.0% 





Exhibit 14: New entrant composite pricing versus prevailing industry pricing 

Our new entrant composite suggest that new entrant pricing is most competitive for merchants 

generating up to $250K in annual volume. Originally published on December12, 2012. 

Annual Volume GoPayment PayPal Payware PayAnywhere 

Groupon 

(customer) 

Square's 

implied MDR 

Groupon (noncustomer) 

New entrant 

composite 

Prevaling 

Acquiring 

Pricing 

$50,000 2.70% 1.70% 2.75% 2.69% 2.20% 2.75% 2.60% 2.48% 3.00% 

$100,000 2.70% 1.70% 2.75% 2.69% 2.20% 2.75% 2.60% 2.48% 3.00% 

$150,000 2.70% 1.70% 2.75% 2.69% 2.20% 2.20% 2.60% 2.41% 2.70% 

$200,000 2.70% 1.70% 2.75% 2.69% 2.20% 1.65% 2.60% 2.33% 2.50% 

$250,000 2.70% 1.70% 2.75% 2.69% 2.20% 1.32% 2.60% 2.28% 2.42% 

$300,000 2.70% 1.70% 2.75% 2.69% 2.20% 1.56% 2.60% 2.31% 2.35% 

$350,000 2.70% 1.70% 2.75% 2.69% 2.20% 1.73% 2.60% 2.34% 2.35% 

$400,000 2.70% 1.70% 2.75% 2.69% 2.20% 1.86% 2.60% 2.36% 2.35% 

$450,000 2.70% 1.70% 2.75% 2.69% 2.20% 1.96% 2.60% 2.37% 2.35% 

$500,000 2.70% 1.70% 2.75% 2.69% 2.20% 2.04% 2.60% 2.38% 2.25% 

$550,000 2.70% 1.70% 2.75% 2.69% 2.20% 2.10% 2.60% 2.39% 2.25% 

$600,000 2.70% 1.70% 2.75% 2.69% 2.20% 2.15% 2.60% 2.40% 2.25% 

$650,000 2.70% 1.70% 2.75% 2.69% 2.20% 2.20% 2.60% 2.41% 2.25% 

$700,000 2.70% 1.70% 2.75% 2.69% 2.20% 2.24% 2.60% 2.41% 2.25% 

Source: Company data, Goldman Sachs Research estimates. 

Steep price differences between POS solutions 

Responses highlighted steep price differences between traditional POS solutions (terminals, 

traditional cash registers and integrated cash registers). On the one hand, only 43% of 

respondents articulated that payment terminals ASPs can range between $200 and $300. 

On the other end of the spectrum, 31% of survey participants indicated that integrated 

hardware/software solutions ASPs range between $2,500 and $5,000 (Exhibit 15). We view 

this as critical, as retailers will likely compare both the functionality and pricing of a new 

tablet based POS solution with traditional solutions. 

Exhibit 15: What is your perception of the average sales price of terminal as well as average annual cost of integrated 

hardware/software solution and traditional cash register 

Survey results suggest average sales price of terminals are between $200 and $300, annual cost of integrated hardware/ 

software solution are between $2,500 and $5,000 and annual cost of traditional cash register to be less than $1,000. 

Average sales price of a terminal 

Average annual cost of integrated hardware/software 

solution 

Average annual cost of traditional cash register 

42.9% 

30.8% 

38.5% 

23.1% 23.1% 

23.1% 

14.3% 

14.3% 14.3% 

15.4% 

15.4% 

7.1% 

7.1% 

7.7% 

7.7% 7.7% 

7.7% 

< $100 

$101- 

$200 

$201- 

$300 

$301- 

$400 

$401- 

$500 

Other 

$1,001- 

$2,500 

$2,501- 

$5,000 

$5,001- 

$7,500 

$7,501- 

$10,000 

$10,001- 

$15,000 

Other 

< $1000 

$1,001- 

$2,500 

$2,501- 

$5,000 

$5,001- 

$7,500 

Other 





Respondent overview 

This report presents key findings from the Electronic Transactions Association – Goldman 

Sachs (ETA-GS) Survey on New Entrants in Payments, which asked merchant acquirers, 

ISOs and providers of point-of-sale (POS) solutions key questions on the rise of new 

entrants. Our survey collected responses from 80 acquirers/ISOs and 16 POS vendors from 

all sizes and across the US, reflecting the following: 

Exhibit 16: Merchant acquirer/ISO respondent demographics 

By Company Type By Title By Active Merchant Outlets By Pct Contract Controlled By Share of Bundled Pricing 

Merchant acquirer (independent/bank-owned) 26.3% C-level executive 66.1% Under 10K 37.3% Up to 25% 10.5% Up to 25% 52.5% 

Independent sales organization (ISO) 43.9% Marketing 11.3% 10K - 100K 30.5% 26% - 50% 10.5% 26% - 50% 19.7% 

Super ISO 22.8% Sales 12.9% 101K - 250K 13.6% 51% - 75% 10.5% 51% - 75% 13.1% 

Value-Added Reseller (VAR) 7.0% Other 9.7% Over 250K 18.6% 76% - 100% 68.4% 76% - 100% 14.8% 


Exhibit 17: POS hardware/software solutions provider respondent demographics 

By Company Type By Title By Pct Distributed through Acquirers By Pct of Sales Outside US 

Card Terminal Provider 16.7% C-level executive 45.0% None 38.5% Up to 10% 58.3% 

Integrated POS solutions provider 33.3% Sales and marketing 45.0% 1%- 10% 15.4% 11% to 25% 0.0% 

Cash register provider 0.0% Other 10.0% 11% -25% 15.4% 26% to 50% 0.0% 

Mobile payments solutions provider 33.3% 26% - 50% 15.4% 51% to 75% 25.0% 

Payment processor 16.7% 51% - 75% 7.7% 76% to 100% 16.7% 

76% - 100% 7.7% 





Disclosure Appendix 

Reg AC 

We, Roman Leal, CFA, Julio C. Quinteros Jr., Heath P. Terry, CFA, Ryan M. Nash, CFA, Franklin Jarman, Rudolf Dreyer, Debra Schwartz and Karl 

Blunden, CFA, hereby certify that all of the views expressed in this report accurately reflect our personal views about the subject company or 

companies and its or their securities. We also certify that no part of our compensation was, is or will be, directly or indirectly, related to the specific 

recommendations or views expressed in this report. 

Investment Profile 

The Goldman Sachs Investment Profile provides investment context for a security by comparing key attributes of that security to its peer group and 

market. The four key attributes depicted are: growth, returns, multiple and volatility. Growth, returns and multiple are indexed based on composites 

of several methodologies to determine the stocks percentile ranking within the region's coverage universe. 

The precise calculation of each metric may vary depending on the fiscal year, industry and region but the standard approach is as follows: 

Growth is a composite of next year's estimate over current year's estimate, e.g. EPS, EBITDA, Revenue. Return is a year one prospective aggregate 

of various return on capital measures, e.g. CROCI, ROACE, and ROE. Multiple is a composite of one-year forward valuation ratios, e.g. P/E, dividend 

yield, EV/FCF, EV/EBITDA, EV/DACF, Price/Book. Volatility is measured as trailing twelve-month volatility adjusted for dividends. 

Quantum 

Quantum is Goldman Sachs' proprietary database providing access to detailed financial statement histories, forecasts and ratios. It can be used for 

in-depth analysis of a single company, or to make comparisons between companies in different sectors and markets. 

GS SUSTAIN 

GS SUSTAIN is a global investment strategy aimed at long-term, long-only performance with a low turnover of ideas. The GS SUSTAIN focus list 

includes leaders our analysis shows to be well positioned to deliver long term outperformance through sustained competitive advantage and 

superior returns on capital relative to their global industry peers. Leaders are identified based on quantifiable analysis of three aspects of corporate 

performance: cash return on cash invested, industry positioning and management quality (the effectiveness of companies' management of the 

environmental, social and governance issues facing their industry). 

Disclosures 

Coverage group(s) of stocks by primary analyst(s) 

Roman Leal, CFA: America-Transaction Processors. Julio C. Quinteros Jr.: America-ATM/POS and Self-Service, America-IT Consulting and 

Outsourcing, America-Transaction Processors. Heath P. Terry, CFA: America-Internet. Ryan M. Nash, CFA: America-Credit Cards, America-Regional 

Banks. Rudolf Dreyer: Europe-Small & Mid Cap. 

America-ATM/POS and Self-Service: Diebold, Inc., NCR Corp., VeriFone Systems, Inc.. 

America-Credit Cards: American Express Co., Capital One Financial Corp., Discover Financial Services. 

America-IT Consulting and Outsourcing: Accenture Plc, Amdocs Limited, CGI Group Inc., CGI Group Inc. (US), CSG Systems International, Inc., 

Cognizant Technology Solutions, Computer Sciences Corp., Convergys Corporation, ExlService Holdings, Inc., Fidelity National Information Svcs., 

Fiserv, Inc., Genpact Ltd., Lender Processing Services, Inc., NeuStar, Inc., Performant Financial Corp., Sapient, Synchronoss Technologies, Inc., 

Towers Watson & Co., WNS (Holdings) Ltd.. 

America-Internet: AOL Inc., Bankrate, Inc., Demand Media, Inc., Expedia Inc., Groupon, Inc., HomeAway, Inc., IAC/InterActiveCorp, LinkedIn 

Corporation, Millennial Media, Inc., Netflix, Inc., OpenTable, Inc., Orbitz Worldwide, Inc., Pandora Media, Inc., Priceline.com Incorporated, Shutterfly, 

Inc., TripAdvisor, Inc., WebMD Health Corp., Yahoo! Inc., Yelp Inc., Zillow, Inc., Zynga Inc., comScore, Inc., eBay Inc.. 

America-Regional Banks: BB&T Corp., Capital Bank Financial Corp., Comerica, Inc., EverBank Financial Corp., Fifth Third Bancorp, First Horizon 

National Corp., First Niagara Financial Group, Inc., Huntington Bancshares Inc., KeyCorp, M&T Bank Corp., National Bank Holdings Corporation, 

Regions Financial Corp., SunTrust Banks, Inc., Synovus Financial Corp., Zions Bancorporation. 




America-Transaction Processors: Automatic Data Processing Inc., Equifax, Inc., FleetCor Technologies, Inc., Global Payments Inc., Green Dot Corp., 

Heartland Payment Systems, Inc., Higher One Holdings, Inc., Mastercard Inc., MoneyGram International, Inc., NetSpend Holdings, Inc., Paychex, Inc., 

Total System Services, Inc., Vantiv, Inc., Visa Inc., WEX Inc., Western Union Co.. 

Europe-Small & Mid Cap: ASOS plc, Amer Sports, Andritz AG, BAM Groep, BWT AG, Bang & Olufsen, Barco NV, Barratt Developments, Barry 

Callebaut, Bauer AG, Bellway Plc, Berkeley Group Holdings, Bourbon, Bovis Homes Group, Britvic Plc, Bucher Industries, Burckhardt Compression 

Holding AG, CFAO SA, Cargotec, Carillion, Carpetright, Cineworld Group Plc, Close Brothers Group, Club Mediterranee, Coca-Cola HBC, 

Computacenter, D S Smith, Danieli, Danieli (Savings), Darty plc, De La Rue Plc, Deutz, Devro Plc., Dignity Plc, Diploma, Dixons Retail plc, Domino 

Printing Sciences, Domino's Pizza, Dufry, Fenner, Fluidra SA, Fuchs Petrolub, Geberit Holdings, Genus, Georg Fischer, GfK SE, Grafton Group Plc, 

Greggs, Groupe Beneteau, Groupe SEB SA, Halfords Group, Holmen B, Home Retail Group, Huhtamaki, Hunting Plc, IG Group Holdings, IPSOS, ITE 

Group, Indesit Co SpA, Ingenico SA, Intermediate Capital Group, International Personal Finance, Jungheinrich, KONE Corporation, KUKA, KWS SAAT 

AG, Keller Group, Kier Group, Kingspan Group, Konecranes, Kontron AG, Korian SA, Krones AG, Loewe Ag, Majestic Wine PLC, Manitou, Marshalls 

Plc, Mayr-Melnhof, Metsa Board Corporation, Mitie Group Plc, Mondi Group, Mothercare PLC, N Brown Group, NIBE Industrier AB, NORMA Group 

AG, Neopost, Norske Skog Industrie, Northgate, ORPEA SA, Ocado Group PLC, Oxford Instruments, Palfinger AG, Persimmon, Pfeiffer Vacuum 

Technology AG, Portucel, Provident Financial, Rational AG, Redrow, Renishaw Plc, Rexam, Rightmove Plc, Rockwool International A/S, Rotork PLC, 

Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V., Royal Vopak, Rubis, SCA (Svenska Cellulosa), SIG, Schindler Holding AG, Schoeller-Bleckmann, Sika, Smurfit 

Kappa Group, Société BIC, Soitec, Spectris, Speedy Hire, Sports Direct International Plc, Stora Enso, Sulzer AG, SuperGroup, Séché Environnement, 

TT Electronics, Taylor Wimpey, Tomra Systems, Topps Tiles, Trevi Finanziaria Spa, UPM-Kymmene, Uponor OYJ, Vilmorin & Cie, Viscofan, Vossloh 

AG, WH Smith, Wacker Chemie AG, Wacker Neuson, Wincor Nixdorf, Wirecard, YIT Corporation, YOOX, Zardoya Otis, Zumtobel, gategroup. 

Distribution of ratings/investment banking relationships 

Goldman Sachs Investment Research global coverage universe 

Rating Distribution 

Investment Banking Relationships 

Buy Hold Sell Buy Hold Sell 

Global 31% 55% 14% 49% 42% 35% 

As of October 1, 2012, Goldman Sachs Global Investment Research had investment ratings on 3,442 equity securities. Goldman Sachs assigns stocks 

as Buys and Sells on various regional Investment Lists; stocks not so assigned are deemed Neutral. Such assignments equate to Buy, Hold and Sell 

for the purposes of the above disclosure required by NASD/NYSE rules. See 'Ratings, Coverage groups and views and related definitions' below. 

Regulatory disclosures 

Disclosures required by United States laws and regulations 

See company-specific regulatory disclosures above for any of the following disclosures required as to companies referred to in this report: manager 

or co-manager in a pending transaction; 1% or other ownership; compensation for certain services; types of client relationships; managed/comanaged 

public offerings in prior periods; directorships; for equity securities, market making and/or specialist role. Goldman Sachs usually makes a 

market in fixed income securities of issuers discussed in this report and usually deals as a principal in these securities. 

The following are additional required disclosures: Ownership and material conflicts of interest: Goldman Sachs policy prohibits its analysts, 

professionals reporting to analysts and members of their households from owning securities of any company in the analyst's area of 

coverage. Analyst compensation: Analysts are paid in part based on the profitability of Goldman Sachs, which includes investment banking 

revenues. Analyst as officer or director: Goldman Sachs policy prohibits its analysts, persons reporting to analysts or members of their 

households from serving as an officer, director, advisory board member or employee of any company in the analyst's area of coverage. Non-U.S. 

Analysts: Non-U.S. analysts may not be associated persons of Goldman, Sachs & Co. and therefore may not be subject to NASD Rule 2711/NYSE 

Rules 472 restrictions on communications with subject company, public appearances and trading securities held by the analysts. 

Distribution of ratings: See the distribution of ratings disclosure above. Price chart: See the price chart, with changes of ratings and price targets in 

prior periods, above, or, if electronic format or if with respect to multiple companies which are the subject of this report, on the Goldman Sachs 

website at http://www.gs.com/research/hedge.html. 

Additional disclosures required under the laws and regulations of jurisdictions other than the United States 

The following disclosures are those required by the jurisdiction indicated, except to the extent already made above pursuant to United States laws 

and regulations. Australia: Goldman Sachs Australia Pty Ltd and its affiliates are not authorised deposit-taking institutions (as that term is defined in 

the Banking Act 1959 (Cth)) in Australia and do not provide banking services, nor carry on a banking business, in Australia. This research, and any 

access to it, is intended only for "wholesale clients" within the meaning of the Australian Corporations Act, unless otherwise agreed by Goldman 

Sachs. Brazil: Disclosure information in relation to CVM Instruction 483 is available at http://www.gs.com/worldwide/brazil/area/gir/index.html. 

Where applicable, the Brazil-registered analyst primarily responsible for the content of this research report, as defined in Article 16 of CVM Instruction 

483, is the first author named at the beginning of this report, unless indicated otherwise at the end of the text. Canada: Goldman, Sachs & Co. has 

approved of, and agreed to take responsibility for, this research in Canada if and to the extent it relates to equity securities of Canadian issuers. 

Analysts may conduct site visits but are prohibited from accepting payment or reimbursement by the company of travel expenses for such 

visits. Hong Kong: Further information on the securities of covered companies referred to in this research may be obtained on request from 

Goldman Sachs (Asia) L.L.C. India: Further information on the subject company or companies referred to in this research may be obtained from 

Goldman Sachs (India) Securities Private Limited; Japan: See below. Korea: Further information on the subject company or companies referred to 

in this research may be obtained from Goldman Sachs (Asia) L.L.C., Seoul Branch. New Zealand: Goldman Sachs New Zealand Limited and its 

affiliates are neither "registered banks" nor "deposit takers" (as defined in the Reserve Bank of New Zealand Act 1989) in New Zealand. This research, 

and any access to it, is intended for "wholesale clients" (as defined in the Financial Advisers Act 2008) unless otherwise agreed by Goldman 

Sachs. Russia: Research reports distributed in the Russian Federation are not advertising as defined in the Russian legislation, but are information 

and analysis not having product promotion as their main purpose and do not provide appraisal within the meaning of the Russian legislation on 

appraisal activity. Singapore: Further information on the covered companies referred to in this research may be obtained from Goldman Sachs 

(Singapore) Pte. (Company Number: 198602165W). Taiwan: This material is for reference only and must not be reprinted without permission. 

Investors should carefully consider their own investment risk. Investment results are the responsibility of the individual investor. United 

Kingdom: Persons who would be categorized as retail clients in the United Kingdom, as such term is defined in the rules of the Financial Services 

Authority, should read this research in conjunction with prior Goldman Sachs research on the covered companies referred to herein and should refer 




to the risk warnings that have been sent to them by Goldman Sachs International. A copy of these risks warnings, and a glossary of certain financial 

terms used in this report, are available from Goldman Sachs International on request. 

European Union: Disclosure information in relation to Article 4 (1) (d) and Article 6 (2) of the European Commission Directive 2003/126/EC is available 

at http://www.gs.com/disclosures/europeanpolicy.html which states the European Policy for Managing Conflicts of Interest in Connection with 

Investment Research. 

Japan: Goldman Sachs Japan Co., Ltd. is a Financial Instrument Dealer under the Financial Instrument and Exchange Law, registered with the Kanto 

Financial Bureau (Registration No. 69), and is a member of Japan Securities Dealers Association (JSDA) and Financial Futures Association of Japan 

(FFAJ). Sales and purchase of equities are subject to commission pre-determined with clients plus consumption tax. See company-specific 

disclosures as to any applicable disclosures required by Japanese stock exchanges, the Japanese Securities Dealers Association or the Japanese 

Securities Finance Company. 

Ratings, coverage groups and views and related definitions 

Buy (B), Neutral (N), Sell (S) -Analysts recommend stocks as Buys or Sells for inclusion on various regional Investment Lists. Being assigned a Buy 

or Sell on an Investment List is determined by a stock's return potential relative to its coverage group as described below. Any stock not assigned as 

a Buy or a Sell on an Investment List is deemed Neutral. Each regional Investment Review Committee manages various regional Investment Lists to a 

global guideline of 25%-35% of stocks as Buy and 10%-15% of stocks as Sell; however, the distribution of Buys and Sells in any particular coverage 

group may vary as determined by the regional Investment Review Committee. Regional Conviction Buy and Sell lists represent investment 

recommendations focused on either the size of the potential return or the likelihood of the realization of the return. 

Return potential represents the price differential between the current share price and the price target expected during the time horizon associated 

with the price target. Price targets are required for all covered stocks. The return potential, price target and associated time horizon are stated in each 

report adding or reiterating an Investment List membership. 

Coverage groups and views: A list of all stocks in each coverage group is available by primary analyst, stock and coverage group at 

http://www.gs.com/research/hedge.html. The analyst assigns one of the following coverage views which represents the analyst's investment outlook 

on the coverage group relative to the group's historical fundamentals and/or valuation. Attractive (A). The investment outlook over the following 12 

months is favorable relative to the coverage group's historical fundamentals and/or valuation. Neutral (N). The investment outlook over the 

following 12 months is neutral relative to the coverage group's historical fundamentals and/or valuation. Cautious (C). The investment outlook over 

the following 12 months is unfavorable relative to the coverage group's historical fundamentals and/or valuation. 

Not Rated (NR). The investment rating and target price have been removed pursuant to Goldman Sachs policy when Goldman Sachs is acting in an 

advisory capacity in a merger or strategic transaction involving this company and in certain other circumstances. Rating Suspended (RS). Goldman 

Sachs Research has suspended the investment rating and price target for this stock, because there is not a sufficient fundamental basis for 

determining, or there are legal, regulatory or policy constraints around publishing, an investment rating or target. The previous investment rating and 

price target, if any, are no longer in effect for this stock and should not be relied upon. Coverage Suspended (CS). Goldman Sachs has suspended 

coverage of this company. Not Covered (NC). Goldman Sachs does not cover this company. Not Available or Not Applicable (NA). The 

information is not available for display or is not applicable. Not Meaningful (NM). The information is not meaningful and is therefore excluded. 

Global product; distributing entities 

The Global Investment Research Division of Goldman Sachs produces and distributes research products for clients of Goldman Sachs on a global 

basis. Analysts based in Goldman Sachs offices around the world produce equity research on industries and companies, and research on 

macroeconomics, currencies, commodities and portfolio strategy. This research is disseminated in Australia by Goldman Sachs Australia Pty Ltd 

(ABN 21 006 797 897); in Brazil by Goldman Sachs do Brasil Corretora de Títulos e Valores Mobiliários S.A.; in Canada by Goldman, Sachs & Co. 

regarding Canadian equities and by Goldman, Sachs & Co. (all other research); in Hong Kong by Goldman Sachs (Asia) L.L.C.; in India by Goldman 

Sachs (India) Securities Private Ltd.; in Japan by Goldman Sachs Japan Co., Ltd.; in the Republic of Korea by Goldman Sachs (Asia) L.L.C., Seoul 

Branch; in New Zealand by Goldman Sachs New Zealand Limited; in Russia by OOO Goldman Sachs; in Singapore by Goldman Sachs (Singapore) 

Pte. (Company Number: 198602165W); and in the United States of America by Goldman, Sachs & Co. Goldman Sachs International has approved this 

research in connection with its distribution in the United Kingdom and European Union. 

European Union: Goldman Sachs International, authorized and regulated by the Financial Services Authority, has approved this research in 

connection with its distribution in the European Union and United Kingdom; Goldman Sachs AG, regulated by the Bundesanstalt für 

Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht, may also distribute research in Germany. 

General disclosures 

This research is for our clients only. Other than disclosures relating to Goldman Sachs, this research is based on current public information that we 

consider reliable, but we do not represent it is accurate or complete, and it should not be relied on as such. We seek to update our research as 

appropriate, but various regulations may prevent us from doing so. Other than certain industry reports published on a periodic basis, the large 

majority of reports are published at irregular intervals as appropriate in the analyst's judgment. 

Goldman Sachs conducts a global full-service, integrated investment banking, investment management, and brokerage business. We have 

investment banking and other business relationships with a substantial percentage of the companies covered by our Global Investment Research 

Division. Goldman, Sachs & Co., the United States broker dealer, is a member of SIPC (http://www.sipc.org). 

Our salespeople, traders, and other professionals may provide oral or written market commentary or trading strategies to our clients and our 

proprietary trading desks that reflect opinions that are contrary to the opinions expressed in this research. Our asset management area, our 

proprietary trading desks and investing businesses may make investment decisions that are inconsistent with the recommendations or views 

expressed in this research. 

The analysts named in this report may have from time to time discussed with our clients, including Goldman Sachs salespersons and traders, or may 

discuss in this report, trading strategies that reference catalysts or events that may have a near-term impact on the market price of the equity 

securities discussed in this report, which impact may be directionally counter to the analysts' published price target expectations for such stocks. Any 

such trading strategies are distinct from and do not affect the analysts' fundamental equity rating for such stocks, which rating reflects a stock's 

return potential relative to its coverage group as described herein. 

We and our affiliates, officers, directors, and employees, excluding equity and credit analysts, will from time to time have long or short positions in, 

act as principal in, and buy or sell, the securities or derivatives, if any, referred to in this research. 




This research is not an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any security in any jurisdiction where such an offer or solicitation would be 

illegal. It does not constitute a personal recommendation or take into account the particular investment objectives, financial situations, or needs of 

individual clients. Clients should consider whether any advice or recommendation in this research is suitable for their particular circumstances and, if 

appropriate, seek professional advice, including tax advice. The price and value of investments referred to in this research and the income from them 

may fluctuate. Past performance is not a guide to future performance, future returns are not guaranteed, and a loss of original capital may occur. 

Fluctuations in exchange rates could have adverse effects on the value or price of, or income derived from, certain investments. 

Certain transactions, including those involving futures, options, and other derivatives, give rise to substantial risk and are not suitable for all investors. 

Investors should review current options disclosure documents which are available from Goldman Sachs sales representatives or at 

http://www.theocc.com/about/publications/character-risks.jsp. Transaction costs may be significant in option strategies calling for multiple purchase 

and sales of options such as spreads. Supporting documentation will be supplied upon request. 

In producing research reports, members of the Global Investment Research Division of Goldman Sachs Australia may attend site visits and other 

meetings hosted by the issuers the subject of its research reports. In some instances the costs of such site visits or meetings may be met in part or in 

whole by the issuers concerned if Goldman Sachs Australia considers it is appropriate and reasonable in the specific circumstances relating to the 

site visit or meeting. 

All research reports are disseminated and available to all clients simultaneously through electronic publication to our internal client websites. Not all 

research content is redistributed to our clients or available to third-party aggregators, nor is Goldman Sachs responsible for the redistribution of our 

research by third party aggregators. For all research available on a particular stock, please contact your sales representative or go to 

http://360.gs.com. 

Disclosure information is also available at http://www.gs.com/research/hedge.html or from Research Compliance, 200 West Street, New York, NY 

10282. 

© 2013 Goldman Sachs. 

No part of this material may be (i) copied, photocopied or duplicated in any form by any means or (ii) redistributed without the prior 

written consent of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.

January 7, 2013 Issue - Electronic Transactions Association

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?