The Anatomy of the Swipe: Making Money Move

This book is a must-read for every new payments employee because it provides a clear and comprehensive explanation of the key fundamentals of the payments ecosystem.It breaks down complex concepts and the payments process in a way that is easy to understand, making it an invaluable resource for anyone starting in the industry. I truly wish I had read it when I first began my job—it would have saved me so much time and confusion in grasping the core elements that drive the payments world.

I recently changed industries and am new to the world of fintech and payments. I needed to get up to speed really quickly as I joined a fast paced start-up in a sales role.I first read Payment Systems in the US, which while extremely informative, was also a bit overwhelming as it is essentially a textbook on payment rails.Ahmed's book The Anatomy of the Swipe takes a very different approach. It is a very easy read, well written, has great stories, examples, and illustrations, and has helped me understand the complex world of cards in an extremely fast manner.I couldn't recommend this book enough as it is an amazing way to learn about card based payments and everything that is involved when you swipe (or tap) a card to pay for something. 10/10!

Great info for someone new to the payments world

Wonderful introduction to FinTech, but most importantly, I like how the concepts are first simplified then expanded upon. The net result is a structured approach to thinking about the payments/transaction space, and depending on your background, it might spur ideas of your own! Definitely worth the investment of time and money many folds!Each layer of complexity adds relevant information to improve on the foundational sketch, for example, the economics, market dynamics, history, biographical sketches of founders etc. If you're new to business, or want to see how another practitioner has simplified something complex to communicate to a lay audience, this is your book!

The Anatomy of the Swipe is a fantastic book for anyone interested in payments, whether they work in the payments space or for anyone that is curious about how money moves. Ahmed's style is down-to-earth and playful, but never overly simplistic. He provides numerous playful illustrations that help with understanding and anecdotes and interviews with various entrepreneurs that drive concepts home. For someone who has worked in the space for many years, I found The Anatomy of the Swipe to be incredibly entertaining and educational.

I missed joining Ahmeds payments course on Maven and instead purchased this book. This book is a simple and detailed breakdown about the payments ecosystem. It is easy to grasp and helped me get more clarity on concepts and roles of players in the payments ecosystem even after spending some time working in payments. Highly recommed!

Good introduction to various players in the payment systems. The book is easy to understand and does a good job at revising/revisiting concepts.The author could have gone a bit more in depth on how different players differentiate themselves and give some insights into some new technologies being developed.Overall, I enjoyed the book.

As a fellow product manager for a financial services (payments) company with extensive knowledge about paper checks but not as much about the future of payments, this book was extraordinarily enlightening. The ways in which we make payments have evolved enormously over the years, and yet we are so used to it that we think nothing of our swipes or taps or faceID scans. Yet, so much is going on in the background to make sure our money gets from a to b successfully. Definitely recommend this book to anyone curious about what happens when they buy coffee from the local shop, any entrepreneurs trying to break into the payments space, or even any business owners who just want to understand their bank statements a bit better.