New to Payments? Plug in from Start to FinTech at TRANSACT

The payments industry is growing rapidly. The total transaction value of digital commerce is set to grow over 12.7 percent annually between 2019 and 2023, fueled by strong growth in segments like mobile payments, mobile point-of-sale and integrated payments (Statista). If you’re a new entrant to the payments industry, there is no better place than TRANSACT to learn how to successfully navigate this rapidly growing and changing industry.

With new technologies come new opportunities for growth. Like the industry itself, TRANSACT is increasingly defined by new entrants. One in four registered TRANSACT attendees are first time attendees representing new payments players, and one in three ETA members in 2019 are integrated software vendors (ISVs) and other new payments technology businesses.

ETA has created unique content and networking opportunities specifically to support companies new to the payments space.

The Payments’ NexTen track, sponsored by Worldpay, is a bespoke session track for companies looking to learn more about the complexities of the payments ecosystem. Sessions and speakers include:

• Understanding the Payments Ecosystem. This session will cover the basics of the U.S. payments industry – including an overview of the main parties to a payment transaction, the major players that enable those transactions, how payment transactions work, and the latest entrants to the ecosystem (ISVs, Payment Facilitators, and more). Attendees will learn about the evolution of the payments space and how new business models are creating new opportunities for emerging technology companies.
  • Speakers: Bill Clark, Senior Associate, The Strawhecker Group; Jacob Drieling, Senior Director of Business Intelligence, The Strawhecker Group.
• Navigating the Payments Ecosystem. Software is changing the landscape of payments and creating unprecedented opportunities for new entrants and legacy players alike. Learn how ISVs and payments technology companies have charted their own path and thrived in an evolving ecosystem.
  • Speakers: Marlena Hubley, Senior Product Manager, Worldpay; Garima Shah, Priority Payment Systems; Kevin Shamoun, Founder & CEO, Zeamster; Sal Rehmetullah, Fattmerchant.
• Securing the Payments Ecosystem. Risk management underpins the entire payments ecosystem – from onboarding new merchants to monitoring transactions and detecting fraud to ensuring the integrity of the payment rails. New entrants to the payments industry are not exempt – and in fact, new players like software developers and integrators play a critical role in keeping the ecosystem safe. This session will cover what you, as a new player in payments, need to know about risk – from your own risk exposure to your compliance obligations to the role you play in the payments value chain.
  • Speakers: Scott Harkey, SVP of Strategy and Financial Services & Payment Practice Lead, Levvel; Edward Marshall, Partner, Arnall Golden Gregory LLP; Rob Schmoll, Assistant General Counsel, Intuit.
• How Payments Technology is Enabling New Business Models. New technology is creating new opportunities for merchants of all stripes – subscription billing, buy buttons and tokens are making the checkout process seamless, while mobile payments allow merchants and consumers to transact almost anywhere. Open innovation platforms and marketplaces make it easier than ever to launch a new enterprise and connect buyers to sellers with minimal overhead. This panel will feature perspectives from leading payment technologists and will explore the possibilities that lie ahead.
  • Speakers: Mark Bishopp, CEO, Amaryllis; Frank Lynch, Infinicept; Rahul Shah, FIS.
• Meet the Media: Industry Reporter Roundtable. Hear from the journalists who cover the payments technology industry as they discuss how they identify story ideas and prefer to work with companies as the research and write their stories. This session will help demystify working with the media and give you actionable tips to increase your company’s media exposure. A Q & A will take place after the moderated panel.
  • Speakers: Kate Fitzgerald, Senior Editor, Payments Source; John Stewart, Digital Transactions; Rebecca Walden, Director of Communications, First American Payment Systems; Dale Laszig, The Green Sheet.
• Continuing Education in Payments. The payments space is continually evolving and professionals must adopt a learning mindset in order to stay competitive. This will be a roundtable session featuring perspectives from payments professionals who have obtained the ETA Certified Payments Professional certification. The speakers will discuss their own experiences with continuing education in the payments space and offer guidance for those looking to pursue a similar path.
  • Speakers: Dale Cardarelli, Vice President, Enterprise Sales, Citizens Bank Merchant Services/Worldpay; Dianne Driscoll, National Merchants Association; Lisa Brooks, Elavon.

The opportunities to learn more about payments extend beyond TRANSACT’s extensive programming for startups. Sessions relevant to new payments professionals in other educational tracks include:

• All About ISVs: Straight Talk About Payment Partnership Integration (Integrated Payments Track, sponsored by Red Hat). For ISVs, opportunities exist through a variety of channels, with partnerships essential. How ISVs explore and evaluate the opportunities present in the industry and determine the most successful approach to take is based on a variety of factors. This panel will consider what it takes for ISVs to flourish in the payments industry and what challenges they may expect to confront along the way.
  • Speakers: Sarah Adams, VP, Global Product, First American Payment Systems; Mark Bunney, Director of Go-to-Market Strategy, US, Ingenico Group; Ralph Dangelmaier, CEO, BlueSnap; Heather Hatch, VP of Business Development, PAX Technology, Inc.
• Selling and Supporting Software Enabled Payments Solutions: How the Industry is Evolving (Integrated Payments Track, sponsored by Red Hat). The payments solutions landscape is constantly changing and evolving – smart terminals, POS systems, mobile devices, and more are the new faces of payment acceptance and are what merchants want to use to grow their business. Join this panel discussion to learn from experts who were early adopters of selling software-enabled payment acceptance solutions about the opportunities and new business models.
  • Speakers: Guiseppi Marzelli, Co-Founder, Boomtown; Wally Mlynarski, Chief Product Officer, Elavon; John Shipley, Senior Vice President of Operations, Clearent; Derek Webster, CEO, CardFlight.
• The PCI Paradigm: Innovation and Digital Payments (22^nd Century Payments, sponsored by Mastercard). Given the passage of time since the creation of PCI as well as the liability shift for EMV, the focus brings attention to leveraging innovation to maintain security for the new world of digital payments. Technology standards serve a critical role in furthering industry growth. This panel will explore what technology standards mean for future innovation.
  • Speakers: Onur Alver, Verisoft; Troy Leach, Chief Technology Officer, PCI; Darin McLaury, Director, Delivery US Enterprise East, SecureTrust, a Trustwave division; Ian Van Buskirk, Senior Leader of Core Product, Worldpay.
• Launchpad for Market Growth: Understanding the Payment Facilitator Model (Payment Facilitator Track, sponsored by Discover Global Network, First Data, NMI and Worldpay). There are many different paths to market for potential Payment Facilitators, and there are countless variations of the model, each with different advantages and challenges. Learn the essentials and map out a strategy for long-term success as a Payment Facilitator.
  • Speakers: Roy Bricker, CEO, Paragon Payment Solutions; Justin Corum, Global Head of Channel and Partnerships, Elavon; Marlena Hubley, Senior Product Manager, Worldpay; Vijay Sondhi, CEO, NMI; Todd Ablowitz, CEO and Founder, Infinicept.
• Rules of the Road: Card Network Regulations and Requirements (Payment Facilitator Track, sponsored by Discover Global Network, First Data, NMI and Worldpay). This session will feature speakers from each of the major card brands offering their perspective on compliance, enforcement, audits and more.
  • Speakers: Julius Alexander, Head of Emerging Payments, Discover; Aashish Bhargava, Visa; Jeff White, Mastercard; Amy Zirkle, Interim CEO, ETA; Mickey Hansen, VP, Global Acquisition Capability, American Express.
• D. Power Presentation: Moving Forward to Serve Small Businesses (SMB Summit, sponsored by J.D. Power). The 2019 JD Power Merchant Services Satisfaction Study (released in Feb 2019) profiles the state of customer experience in the small business market. This panel of industry executives will discuss actions payments companies must take to engage and serve the small business segment.
  • Speakers: Michele Herron, Senior Vice President, Strategy, Marketing & SMB Solutions, Visa; Adam Lebofsky, Head of Client Experience, Chase Card Services; Paul McAdam, Senior Director, Banking & Credit Card, D. Power; Mark Schulze, Co-Founder and Head of Business Development, Clover.

Click here to a full look at the TRANSACT schedule.

Opportunities to network and make connections that could fuel partnerships and products that will drive the industry forward are heavily emphasized in TRANSACT programming. The First Time Attendee/New Member Reception sponsored by Wirecard and Startup Reception, sponsored by Worldpay, which will feature other new entrants as well as investors, industry executives and fintech innovators looking to make connections. Of course, taking advantage of events like the Google Pay Opening Reception and All-Attendee Party sponsored by Bank of America Merchant Services is also a great opportunity to meet new potential partners.

Click here to read more about networking at TRANSACT.

With TRANSACT right around the corner, now is the best time to secure your badge at the show. If you’re new to payments, you have to be there to plug into the industry from Start to Fintech.

Click here to register.