Approximately 4,000 payments professionals gathered at the Las Vegas Mandalay Bay for Transact 19, the Electronic Transactions Association’s annual convention and expo. Opening comments by Amy Zirkle, interim CEO and Kevin Jones, president of the ETA, reflected the show’s forward-looking focus in an industry marked by disruption, consolidation and building for the future.
“It’s an important time for our industry to come together and plot our future and drive forward digital commerce,” Zirkle stated. “All over the world, the way we interact with money is changing, and our industry must remain one of the most innovative in the world to power the new frontiers of commerce.”
Acknowledging that payments acceptance is no longer a simple proposition, Jones cited smart POS terminals, mobile wallets, contactless payments and next-gen technologies, many of which were reflected in the exhibit hall, keynote speeches, panel discussions and educational meetings.
“For consumers, these technologies provide greater access, protection from fraudsters and ease of use that sets the use of cash and checks steadily declining,” Jones stated.
2019 ETA stars:
At the ETA’s President’s Dinner, Zirkle congratulated ETA Star Award winners, stating they have “dedicated themselves to the success of the industry.” The dinner was sponsored by Visa. Honorees included the following:
Technology Innovation: PayVus by Aliaswire Inc., for its innovative approach to combining merchant acquiring and credit card issuing to offer merchants a revolving line of credit and provide ISOs and acquirers a share in associated interchange revenue.