6TH ANNUAL SMART CARD ALLIANCE PAYMENTS SUMMIT, SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, Feb. 5, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Educational initiatives on the U.S. transition to secure chip-based EMV payments and convenient NFC mobile payments in the United States were the highlights of a successful 2012, the Smart Card Alliance Payments Council said today. The Council also announced new officers to lead projects in 2013-2014. The Payments Council will meet this week to plan projects for 2013 at the 2013 Smart Card Alliance Payments Summit being held through Thursday at the Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Education on chip-based EMV payments was a major priority for the Payments Council in 2012, when all of the major U.S. payment brands announced roadmaps to EMV. Already implemented in more than 80 countries, EMV reduces counterfeit card fraud, promotes payments interoperability, and paves the way for NFC mobile payments and secure e-commerce. The Payments Council's efforts have focused around ensuring that merchants, issuers, acquirers/processors, government regulators, consumers and payments service providers have all of the educational resources they need to make the migration to this new way to pay successful.
Among the 2012 EMV projects was the launch of the comprehensive website, EMV Connection. The website provides up-to-date information on the status of EMV migration, along with tutorials and educational materials. On the site, stakeholders can find resources like an updated EMV FAQ, an interactive EMV Ecosystem Resource, and white papers "Card Payments Roadmap in the U.S.: How Will EMV Impact the Future Payments Infrastructure?" and "EMV and NFC: Complementary Technologies that Deliver Secure Payments and Value-Added Functionality." The Council will continue to update and add to the site as U.S. EMV migration continues.
"The Payments Council has been at the forefront of this very exciting time in the U.S. payments industry. As we move to a new payments infrastructure that enables EMV and NFC mobile payments, we will strive to make the Payments Council the go-to resource for guidance and educational materials to ensure a seamless migration," said Jack Jania, Gemalto and new co-chair of the Payments Council.
"The Payments Council provides a collaborative environment that has been instrumental in educating industry stakeholders on the value that EMV - a proven, scalable technology - brings to payments," said Oliver Manahan, MasterCard Worldwide and new co-chair of the Payments Council. "The Payments Council will continue to work with all stakeholders - including merchants, acquirers, issuers, processors and consumers - to help identify the steps necessary to fully realize the potential of this technology, not only with card payments but with mobile and e-commerce as well."
New 2013-2014 Leadership
The Council is managed by a steering committee composed of a cross section of the financial payments industry and smart chip technology vendors. Council officers are:
-- Co-chairs: Jack Jania, Gemalto, and Oliver Manahan, MasterCard
-- Vice chair: Troy Bernard, Discover Financial Services
-- Secretary: Deborah Baxley, Capgemini
The Council steering committee is:
-- Philip Andreae, Accenture LLP
-- Deana Cook, Chase Card Services
-- Jose Correa, NXP Semiconductors
-- Terry Dooley, SHAZAM Network
-- Michael English, Heartland Payment Systems
-- Greg Garback, WMATA
-- Simon Hurry, Visa, Inc.
-- Bastian Knoppers, FIS
-- Paul Legacki, Infineon Technologies
-- Nick Pisarev, Giesecke & Devrient
-- JC Raynon, VeriFone Systems
-- Garfield Smith, Oberthur Technologies
-- John Smith, First Data Corporation
All payments including EMV, NFC, and transit payments topics are on the agenda this week at the Payments Summit. For more information, visit http://www.scapayments.com.
About the Smart Card Alliance Payments Council
The Smart Card Alliance Payments Council focuses on facilitating the adoption of chip-enabled payments and payment applications in the U.S. through education programs for consumers, merchants, issuers, acquirers/processors, government regulators, mobile telecommunications providers and payments service providers. The group is bringing together payments industry stakeholders, including payments industry leaders, merchants and suppliers, and is working on projects related to implementing EMV, contactless payments, NFC-enabled payments and applications, mobile payments, and chip-enabled e-commerce. The Council's primary goal is to inform and educate the market about the value of chip-enabled payments in improving the security of the payments infrastructure and in enhancing the value of payments and payment-related applications for industry stakeholders. Council participation is open to any Smart Card Alliance member who wishes to contribute to the Council projects.
About the Smart Card Alliance
The Smart Card Alliance is a not-for-profit, multi-industry association working to stimulate the understanding, adoption, use and widespread application of smart card technology.
Through specific projects such as education programs, market research, advocacy, industry relations and open forums, the Alliance keeps its members connected to industry leaders and innovative thought. The Alliance is the single industry voice for smart cards, leading industry discussion on the impact and value of smart cards in the U.S. and Latin America. For more information please visit http://www.smartcardalliance.org.