The Anatomy of the Swipe

Making Money Move

By: Ahmed Siddiqui

Narrated by: Ahmed Siddiqui

Have you ever wondered what happens during a swipe of a credit card? Every major tech company will become a payments company. Yet, not many people understand how payment systems in the US work. Those that do “get it” are unlocking multi-billion dollar opportunities. If you’ve ever wondered what happens when you actually swipe/dip/tap your credit card or debit card, then The Anatomy of the Swipe breaks down the details in the simplest manner possible.

Here are some questions answered within: How does money move from my credit card to my favorite coffee shop? How can I build a neo-bank? How can I build my own debit or credit card? How can I accept card-based payments?

The Anatomy of the Swipe speaks to software developers and entrepreneurs who are looking at implementing card-based payments for the first time, merchants who want to be able to accept payments for a website or store, or those who want to issue their own debit/credit card. This book walks beginners through modern innovations created because of card-based payments, as well as the motivations and revenue models of each party in the payments ecosystem.

©2020 Ahmed Siddiqui (P)2021 Ahmed Siddiqui

Zero to Able-to-Follow-Card-Conversations

Siddiqui's book is the best starting point for getting into the cards space. It's approachable and provides a good framework for diving into the details later when you're ready.

Great Payments Primer

Really enjoyed the opportunity to get a different perspective on payments 101. Worth the read if you are starting off in this space.

Simplicity and storytelling

Very easy to understand, layman language and great storytelling, kept me engaged throughout the book!

Read it for a second time - great starting point for fintech

I read the kindle book last year when it came out first and now read the audiobook to refresh my memory on it. Very effective primer for those who are curious about fintech. Ahmed did an amazing job of explaining it!

Absolutely loved learning about payments industry

I always wondered what happens after we swipe our credit card in grocery store, this book demystifies the behind the scene information without putting you to sleep. if you were curious about the backbone of everyday transactions, do give this book a try.

Excellent book, makes the complicated very clear

Great resource for learning all of the mechanics, technologies and layers of businesses that enable the credit/debit card process that we rely on. Very well written and easy to follow. Essential reading for anyone who needs to quickly get up to speed on banking a payment processing ecosystem.
I would love to see a similar book for Crypto Currencies! :-)

Great overview of payments

Quick, engaging, and thorough overview as an intro to the payments space. I highly recommended for anyone wanting to understand how the payments process works and who the players are.

This should have been written a long time ago

Clearly this is a book on a technical subject but it’s a subject faced by every single modern company. It’s almost literally describing how “Main Street meets Wall Street”. While few people need expertise in RTP, iso 8583 or EMV, direct deposit etc you need to know of these topics in this book so you can deal with your bank and financial services or you will end up loosing a lot of money.

Required reading for all fintech leaders

I really enjoyed Ahmed’s voice in the narrating and it’s not easy nailing that so great job!

This is a great book of fundamentals to learn for newer fintech leaders and for more experienced leaders in refreshing your understanding of the foundational architecture behind payments software across banking, infra startups, mobile, etc

Fantastic! Hard copy + audio book for me!

Great educational piece on payments that mixes in entrepreneurial success stories to round out the full picture. I read the hard copy then purchased the audio book for round 2.. well worth it. Audio was clear and helped tie a few things together that I missed my first time around.