Pace of Innovation in the Payments Industry Takes Center Stage at ETA’s Strategic Leadership Forum

October 4, 2018 – Dana Point, California – Today, the Electronic Transactions Association (ETA) concluded its Strategic Leadership Forum (SLF), where more than 300 payments technology leaders gathered to share their insight into how the payments ecosystem has evolved beyond the point of sale. The sessions and keynotes centered on the ever-changing, tech-driven environment that is shaping and growing the next era of payments technology.

“This year’s Strategic Leadership Forum is truly what ETA is all about – bringing the world’s top leaders together to strengthen connections and plan for a prosperous future for payments technology,” stated ETA CEO Jason Oxman. “As our industry continues to grow in a new and exciting era, ETA is proud to bring voices and leaders from across the ecosystem together to advance payments technology at events like SLF.”

The event opened with Bill Clerico, co-founder of WePay, who was interviewed by Kim Fitzsimmons, President, Merchant Services’ Corporate & Investment Bank, JP Morgan Chase, on how legacy players are embracing FinTech companies to bring new opportunities to reach merchants and software providers.

Worldpay CEO and Executive Chairman Charles Drucker kicked off the second day of SLF with his morning keynote. Drucker offered his perspective on the industry, stressing the vital importance of partnership opportunities, and shared his strategic vision for the new Worldpay.

“[Worldpay’s] success is only a proof point of the industry’s success. When everyone in the ecosystem contributes, then the rising tide lifts all boats,” Drucker said. “All of us play a key role in protecting the integrity of each transaction, and it is part of our responsibility to keep bad actors out. ETA’s Self-Regulatory program – which the ETA Board was critical in developing – is a good place to start for those that want to do the right thing.”

The focus on the trends and opportunities in payments continued in the afternoon with Greg Cohen, President, Paya, moderating a panel on private equity. Speakers included Christopher Cruz, Managing Director, Searchlight Capital Partners; and Kevin Jones, Founder, Anovia Payments; KJ McConnell, Vice President, GTCR who provided insight from the private equity realm and from organizations that have successfully partnered with private equity to expand their business and align strategic focus.

On the final day, Kim Crawford Goodman, President of Card Services at Fiserv gave the morning keynote address. Crawford Goodman brought her rich experience and provided insights on the ever-present challenges of leadership and changes in card processing.

“As FinTech evolves, your will see more and more models driving innovation,” said Crawford Goodman. “There is a lot of talk about the next big thing being digital banking. But, when we think about the digitization of payments, we need to think about how to strengthen the customer relationship with a combination of digital capabilities within existing physical locations.”

Also at SLF, ETA honored the inaugural class of the ETA Hall of Fame as the eight payments visionaries were inducted in a special breakfast ceremony, sponsored by Visa. At the ceremony, ETA announced the establishment of a new scholarship program in honor of Joe Kaplan – a ETA Hall of Fame inductee and payments industry entrepreneur who passed away unexpectedly in July. The scholarship, supported by a generous endowment from Global Payments Inc., North American Bancard, and Paya, will provide one exemplary leader from ETA’s membership with registration to all ETA events, along with a comprehensive suite of education and mentorship opportunities in the payments industry.