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plan, which will focus on the future of cash and the
industry's involvement in combating fraud. The organization
is also building alliances with Retail Banking
Research Ltd. in London and the Electronic Funds
Transfer Association in the United States to host joint
industry events.
Canadian Acquirers Association
Web site: www.acquirers.ca
A newly formed organization, The Canadian Acquirers
Association will hold its founding event June 12, 2008,
in Toronto. The association is modeled after the U.S.
regional associations and will serve Canadian payments
professionals by providing resources tailored to their
specific needs.
"The Canadian Acquirers Association is being created to
provide networking, education and representation for
the acquiring industry in Canada," said Attorney Adam
Atlas, who specializes in the payments sphere.
"The Canadian acquiring industry is not only much
smaller than the U.S. market, but it is also a lot more
concentrated owing, partly, to the small number of
Canadian acquiring banks," Atlas said. "There are only
about six material players in the market."
The ETA has come a long way since its debut in 1990.
In the beginning, the association was known as the
Bankcard Services Association and consisted of fewer
than 20 members. It changed its name to the ETA in 1996
as an effort to broaden industry representation.
The ETA's membership consists of more than 500 companies
worldwide, from financial institutions to transaction
processors to ISOs to equipment suppliers. Its
mission is to fully serve its members and advance the
industry by providing leadership through education,
advocacy and the exchange of information.
Benefits: Membership benefits include discount advertising
rates for the ETA's color magazine Transaction
Trends and 25 to 35 percent off registration to the ETA's
Annual Meeting & Expo.
Members are eligible to attend ETA University (ETAU)
courses and specialty programs that provide core knowledge
in the payments industry. They also benefit from
the ETA's efforts to monitor and influence legislative
and regulatory issues, as well as represent their collective
concerns to government and private entities.
The ETA's Web site can be a pivotal tool for members,
as it provides detailed information on upcoming events;
Benefits: The following are CAA's main member perks:
• Information and education about Canada's
payments industry
• Networking opportunities
• Representation when dealing with the
Canadian government
As CAA grows, more benefits will be provided, Atlas
said. For now, the organization is absorbing feedback
from its members.
On the horizon: "At this moment, the hopes for the
organization are extremely modest," Atlas said. CAA
aims to provide regular networking opportunities and
update its Web site to become a portal for learning. He
added that once the organization is up and running and
shows it is fulfilling a need for Canadian professionals,
the organization will take on more responsibilities.
Electronic Transactions Association
Web site: www.electran.org
The Electronic Transactions Association represents companies
that offer electronic transaction processing products
and services. The purpose of the ETA is to influence,
monitor and help shape the merchant acquiring
industry by providing leadership through education,
advocacy and the exchange of information.