PRINCETON JUNCTION, N.J., Dec. 18, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The progress of U.S. EMV migration, mobile payments, and open transit payments initiatives will fill the agenda when senior leaders from American Express, Discover, Isis, MasterCard, Visa and the Utah Transit Authority (UTA) take the stage for keynote presentations at the Smart Card Alliance 2013 Payments Summit. The 6th annual Summit is being held February 5-7, 2013, with an optional ski event on February 3rd and pre-conference workshops on February 4th, in Salt Lake City, Utah at the Grand America Hotel.
The complete details about the agenda, registration and exhibition sponsorship details can be found at www.scapayments.com. Early registration discounts expire on December 20th.
"What a difference a year makes - last year, more than 500 executives gathered at the Payments Summit to learn about the brand-new announcements of EMV roadmaps, mobile payments initiatives, and open transit deployments," said Randy Vanderhoof, executive director of the Smart Card Alliance. "Now, these initiatives are in full swing and a new payments ecosystem is a becoming reality in the United States. This year we'll learn first-hand about the progress of the positive changes happening in the U.S. payments industry from the experts that are leading them, and the steps necessary to move all of these initiatives forward."
The three-day "all payments" event will feature senior experts from every leading transaction platform: EMV card payments, mobile payments, and transit payments. After the opening day keynote presentations and discussion panels, the remainder of the conference agenda will be divided into three concurrent tracks on these topics and answer these questions:
-- EMV in the United States. The U.S. is the world's largest payments ecosystem and the migration to EMV - the global secure payments standard - has now begun in earnest. How can the industry provide clarity for banks, credit unions, issuers and merchants on the steps they need to take to make this migration successful?
-- NFC and Mobile Payments. Major Near Field Communication (NFC) programs are underway with Google and Isis, and NFC-enabled handsets for consumers are on the shelves. How will the "wallet wars" evolve? Will virtual wallets in the cloud change the course ahead? Will consumers and retailers be responsive to the technology?
--Transit Open Loop Payments. Transit operators from major cities nationwide have announced ambitious plans to upgrade their fare collection systems to move beyond pilots and begin roll-outs accepting open bank card payments that are expected to include contactless payment cards, stickers, and NFC-enabled mobile devices. Can smaller transit operators participate too? Which cities are going to be next? Which business strategy will shape the future for procurement and operations? How will mobile payments and EMV impact the transit industry?
Prior to the conference, the Smart Card Alliance is offering an educational workshop on February 4th, "How EMV Changes Payment: Impact on Transit, Retail, and Mobile Acceptance Infrastructure." The same day, the Alliance will host meetings of the members-only EMV Migration Forum working committees, and hold its all day payments training course for individuals planning to take the Certified Smart Card Industry Professional (CSCIP) exam. The exam will take place on February 6th at 5:15 p.m.
Skiers can come early and join in on Sunday's "Day on the Slopes" at Solitude Mountain Resort that includes lift tickets, games, meals and a networking reception. Visit the Payments Summit event page for more details at www.scapayments.com.
Follow news about the 2013 Payments Summit and more by following the Smart Card Alliance on Twitter @SmartCardOrgUSA, Facebook at Smart Card Alliance, and LinkedIn at Smart.Payments.
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.