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Atlanta Forward: Regional economy

Fumiko Yajima, owner of her vegetable store Suika, swipes a credit card on her Apple Inc. iPad equipped with aa Square credit card-reader at her store in this arranged photograph taken in Tokyo, Japan, on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2013. Consumers in Japan paid cash for about 56 percent of their 279 trillion yen of purchases last fiscal year, while 12 percent was paid with plastic, Tokyo-based card company Credit Saison Co. estimates. Photographer: Yuriko Nakao/Bloomberg *** Local Caption *** Fumiko Yajima

Credit: Yuriko Nakao

Credit: Yuriko Nakao

Fumiko Yajima, owner of her vegetable store Suika, swipes a credit card on her Apple Inc. iPad equipped with aa Square credit card-reader at her store in this arranged photograph taken in Tokyo, Japan, on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2013. Consumers in Japan paid cash for about 56 percent of their 279 trillion yen of purchases last fiscal year, while 12 percent was paid with plastic, Tokyo-based card company Credit Saison Co. estimates. Photographer: Yuriko Nakao/Bloomberg *** Local Caption *** Fumiko Yajima
By Rick Badie
Dec 18, 2013

Today's moderator: Rick Badie

Rick Badie joined The Atlanta Journal-Constitution as an education reporter in 1997. A South Georgia native, he's covered the region's immigrant communities, was a feature obituary writer and opinion columnist for the AJC's Gwinnett edition.

Call us "transaction alley." Every time you swipe a credit card, you're contributing to a leading industry in our region. Today, an industry executive writes that 70 percent of the nation's credit card purchases are processed in Georgia. Also, the Gwinnett Chamber president touts that county's growing economic ties with South Korea and an upcoming business trip to East Asia. To comment, go to: http://blogs.ajc.com/atlanta-forward/

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