ETA, MAG and FCBA to Host Mobile Payments Day in Washington, DC

Keynoted by FTC Commissioner Ohlhausen, discussion will focus on significant regulatory and legislative policy issues to be addressed as mobile payments deployment accelerates

September 11, 2014- The Electronic Transactions Association (ETA), the global trade association representing the payments technology industry, in conjunction with the Merchant Advisory Group (MAG) and the Federal Communications Bar Association (FCBA), is hosting a Mobile Payments Day on September 30 to educate lawmakers, regulators and industry stakeholders about mobile payments innovation that is revolutionizing commerce.  In addition to a keynote address provided by FTC Commissioner Maureen Ohlhausen, mobile payment companies, retailers, and federal regulators, will discuss their views on policy issues surrounding mobile transactions industry, opportunities and threats, security, consumer experience, EMV migration, tokenization, and breach. In addition to the policy discussion the event will feature a Tech Expo, where leading payment companies will showcase the latest technology in mobile payments.

“Electronic payments are expected to exceed $5 trillion in 2014 in the U.S. alone and the projections for growth are astronomical”, said Jason Oxman, CEO of ETA. “I urge policymakers, regulators, and media covering the payments technology industry to join us as we bring together these mobile commerce leaders and hear about the innovations driving this momentum.”

The event will take place Tuesday, September 30 at 9:00am at the City Club of Washington. In addition to regulators from the FCC and FTC, the event will feature high level executives from both the payments and retails industries. Companies represented include First Data, Mercury Payments, Verizon, Visa, PayPal, Intuit, Ahold USA Inc., Walmart, and Amazon.

“Mobile commerce provides a tremendous opportunity to enhance value and efficiency in the customer shopping experience,” said Mark Horwedel, CEO of the Merchant Advisory Group. “Merchants are the primary touchpoint between consumers and their use of mobile technologies to buy goods and services in our stores, and we are excited to share those first-hand experiences and expectations alongside our technology partners.”

“This event will provide an in-depth analysis of the myriad of legal and regulatory issues around mobile payments,” said Brooks Harlow, Principal at Lukas, Nace, Gutierrez & Sachs, LLP. “The information presented will help attendees gain an understanding not only of the current landscape, but also insight into the future of this rapidly evolving industry.”

For media inquiries, contact Meghan Cieslak, 202.677.7406 or [email protected].

About ETA
As the only organization leading and representing the payments technology industry, ETA offers cutting edge news and information, facilitates business connections and growth, provides a standard of industry certification, and advocates on issues critical to their members’ success. ETA’s more than 500 members represent over $4 trillion in payments processed across the payments supply chain.

About MAG
The Merchant Advisory Group (MAG) is a unique merchant member-based trade association that consists of 78 cross-industry member companies focused on the payments industry. The purpose of MAG is to drive positive change in the payments industry through collaboration and advocacy of merchants’ interests.

About FCBA
Through its many professional, social, and educational activities, the FCBA offers its members unique opportunities to interact with their peers and decision-makers in the communications and information technology field, and to keep abreast of significant developments relating to legal, engineering, and policy issues. Through its work with other specialized associations, the FCBA also affords its members opportunities to associate with a broad and diverse cross-section of other professionals in related fields. Although the majority of FCBA members practice in the metropolitan Washington, D.C. area, the FCBA has ten active regional chapters, including: Atlanta, Carolina, Florida, Midwest, New England, New York, Northern California, Pacific Northwest, Rocky Mountain, and Texas. The FCBA has members from across the U.S., its territories and several other countries.