It was with great enthusiasm and anticipation that the NBPCA board and members announced the inaugural Annual Congress, a conference designed “by the industry, for the industry” to provide a platform to educate, showcase key industry messages, and interact with those in Washington D.C. who have so much influence over our businesses.
There has been a great deal of interest in this event and registrations already include over 500 senior executives and business leaders spanning all aspects of prepaid business.
The idea for the Annual Congress was conceived when the NBPCA Board looked at what other, more mature financial services industries do to provide a platform for education and communication both inside and outside the organization and industry – including to those who have significant influence on their businesses. These organizations all offered a once a year opportunity for their members and others in industry to gather at networking events and hear what senior leadership and peers are saying with respect to the industry’s most challenging topics. Power of Prepaid is held near Washington D.C. to optimize who can join us to also gain direct insights from legislators, regulators, law enforcement and third parties.
As we are all aware, now is a time of great challenge and opportunity for prepaid and this conference provides the industry the chance to set a positive course for the future.
Opportunities span the prepaid product sets and are driven by business and government efforts to increase efficiency and decrease paper. Opportunities are also driven by consumers’ desire to avoid debt and interest coupled with the need to transact in today’s electronic economy. Attendees will hear from the top industry experts in each of these areas on what is really happening now, and where they see opportunities and challenges – and what we can do to address them.
Challenges also abound – and they’re coming in from multiple areas. Attendees will hear directly from those outside the industry who have the greatest impact and influence on our businesses, customers, and external perception of our products. Featured speakers and attendees include legislators, regulators, law enforcement, consumer advocates, media, top academic and industry researchers, and third parties whose consumers actively use prepaid.
Prepaid is still a young industry and some talk about how it has moved beyond its toddler years into its teenage years. The NBPCA Annual Congress is one way that industry can solidify our footing today and provide a platform for responsible growth as prepaid is adopted by more business, consumers and governments in the future.
Kirsten Trusko is the President and Executive Director of the Network Branded Prepaid Card Association, a non-profit trade organization that works to enhance the environment for the success of network branded prepaid cards. Ms. Trusko has written white papers, articles, and blogs on prepaid cards issues and is a frequent industry speaker. She serves on several cross-industry councils focused on financial services, health care and insurance, and how prepaid cards, as a non-credit payment tool, can uniquely meet industry, government, and consumer needs. Click here to visit the NBPCA website.
