Wednesday, March 28, 2012

The History of Prepaid: An Infographic

Just back from Prepaid Expo 2012, CoreCard commissioned an infographic that tracks the progression of the Prepaid industry. With the popularity of mobile wallets and prepaid debit and gift cards, the History of Prepaid is both a timely and interesting timeline.

The History of Prepaid Infographic highlights the changes and progression of Prepaid from the 1970’s to predictions for 2013.



Click here to see The History of Prepaid Infographic.


About Corecard: The CoreCard® software solutions provide the most feature-rich platform for issuers and processors to manage a full range of card products including prepaid/stored value, fleet, credit, debit, private label, healthcare and government cards as well as accounts receivable. Embedded multi-lingual and multi-currency capabilities support global customers on one platform.


CoreCard’s flexible deployment model means the CoreCard® solutions, configured specifically for each customer, can either be licensed and deployed at the customer site or outsourced to CoreCard’s processing operation center, with an option to bring the customized software in-house at a later date.



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Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Paybefore Announces Winners in European Awards


The first Paybefore Awards Europe were presented today in London at the Gift Card, Gift Voucher and Reloadable Card Summit. Paybefore honored 12 companies in four categories and announced Best-in-Category winners for the first time.


“Prepaid, as an efficient payment, loyalty and rewards platform, is a global phenomenon,” said Paybefore CEO Marilyn Bochicchio. “The introduction of Paybefore Awards Europe provides the opportunity for Paybefore to specifically highlight businesses offering prepaid products in Europe and to applaud their success in addressing local market needs.”

In addition to Bochicchio, Loraine DeBonis, Paybefore editor-in-chief; Andrew Johnson, director general of the UK Gift Card & Voucher Association; and Remigiusz Montwiłł, founder of the Polish Gift Cards & Voucher Association, served as judges for the awards.
 
The Best-in-Category winners are:

Most Effective Prepaid Solution
Toyota U.K. Fuel Card Program
Citi Prepaid Services

Most Innovative Prepaid Solution 
paysafecard
paysafecard group

Top Prepaid Retailer 
New Look

Breakout Company of the Year 
PrePay Solutions

“Paybefore is committed to bringing the world of prepaid to our subscribers every day,” added DeBonis. “These awards are an extension of that commitment to showcasing the companies that are keeping prepaid at the forefront of innovation and execution beyond the U.S. market.”

Congratulations to all the winners on behalf on the Gift Card, Gift Voucher and Reloadable Card Summit team and Paybefore!



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Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Live from Prepaid Expo: The Future of Prepaid & Mobile

We wrapped up our last day at Prepaid Expo 2012 by looking ahead at Prepaid in the Future: The Consumers, Products, and Technology in 5, 10, 15 Years, and Mobile - how to do it, Uncovering Mobile Payment Opportunities in Developed and Developing Markets, and the Mobile Wallet and NFC at the Point of Sale: How It Has Been Introduced and Where It Is Heading.

There will be a huge opportunity to do more in Prepaid in the future. 

Prepaid sits at the vanguard of mobile and has had a big role in innovation in the past. There's a lot of room to grow, mobile will be the forefront of innovation. We've just started to scratch the surface - from cash to electronic vehicles for payments. $2.3 trillion still done in cash. Prepaid sits at the center of all of the new mobile applications being developed.

Prepaid has been shouldering its way in terms of other payment forms. There are still a lot problems to be solved, especially in terms of Prepaid. It's still in it's infancy.

There will be a movement toward moving financial literacy and education toward mobile platforms, SMS, social media, etc., Being as inclusive as possible, allowing consumers to experience the brand as a whole.

The global current trends are certainly in this industry's favor, it seems.

The barriers to Prepaid: Do consumers get what we are, what we do, how we can help them? Along with the baggage, the image/reputation. Social media will be a key media to do deliver these messages. The threat to prepaid growth: execution. How can we deliver value and use prepaid to solve real world problems?

Analytics and data insights will be key to understanding our consumers and identifying how to help them and what their needs are - to increase the value of Prepaid in their lives and deliver on this. Our products will have to better and smarter, mobile allows a lot to be done from this framework.

A cashless society will eliminate many of the pain points consumers are currently experiencing. Prepaid cards will have more rewards in the future.In mature markets, we have to accelerate the opportunity. In emerging markets, it's about enabling.

So how exactly can the Prepaid space leverage mobile?

Incorporate mobile into every touch point, have different options/device options, mediums, along with specific user experience for each environment. There are many opportunities for each. For example, 62% of holiday shoppers started on one device, moved to another to complete purchase.

We also need to develop standards for the industry. Albeit no one can control it, except for the consumer.
Although 55 ways of doing something - one way is easier and leads to mainstream adoption. We need to focus on infrastructure too: Privacy..., will lead to innovation. Push to cloud makes it much easier to manage infrastructure

Think about user experience and how to make to make it fun for the user. From a solution/design enhancement angle, mobile will become more nimble and cloud-based. A successful app will start from scratch, with a dedicated focus but who build by consensus. NFC payments are the future, but we need to address the needs of the consumer too. Right now, we are that HD/Blu-ray/DVD phase except with 18 formats?

Things to consider:
What will be frictionless in your environment?
What will bring the greatest value?
What will be the best authentication?
What's the best way to reduce cost?
How do you make prepaid product more relevant and valuable to cardholder before, during, after the payment transaction?

The future: Expect lots of transformation in the next 5 years. "We always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next ten."--Bill Gates

We can't call the winners, but we can call the huge opportunities that lay ahead.

Mobile Payment Opportunities in Developed and Developing Markets?

India, china and Africa have virtually no infrastructure for cashless payments but everyone has a cellphone. A revolution will happen in these markets in the next 5 years.

Give consumers super-easy apps to get them used to payment apps in the future. Imagine mobile/digital goods or services that can also be utilized in a brick and mortar store.

Mobile Payments: 2012 & Beyond:

There's been too much association between NFC and wallets.

User behavior online is directly connected to user behavior offline, in-store.

Wallets will live on the cloud and be accessible from your desktop and connected to your networked profiles. There is still a need to create a seamless, integrated experience between offline and online. At the end of the day, consumers will adopt the most ubiquitous, easiest, intuitive wallet available.

Valerie M. Russo is a Senior Social Media Strategist at IIR USA with a technology, anthropology, marketing and publishing business acumen.  She will be attending Prepaid Expo USA 2012 and covering the event live via Twitter and the Prepaid Expo Blog. She is a published poet and also maintains a literary blog. She may be reached atvrusso@iirusa.com. Follow her @Literanista. 









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Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Live from Prepaid Expo 2012: Emerging Payment Systems

We wrapped up the Regulation Summit today with a presentation on Emerging Payment Systems: Legal, Regulatory and Compliance Considerations from Kara Kuchar, Special Counsel, SCHULTE, ROTH & ZABEL LLP, and Tomas Campos, General Manager of Online and Mobile, BLACKHAWK NETWORK.


Innovation has led to new economic models and regulations and considerations:

Who "owns" the mobile wallet customer? Who "owns" the data in this new ecosystem?

Regulation is going to have to keep up. As new challenges come up, new opportunities will arise for people to step up and provide solutions and new services.

Emerging Mobile Payments Trend examples changing the space:
Mobile wallets: Paypal, Google, Isis
Mobile as POS: Square, Verifone, Intuit GoPayment
P2P transfers: QuikPay, Pingit
Direct Carrier Billing: Boku, Zong, PaymentOne

There will be a need to develop and implement policies to cover security and fraud risks for these new services and consider state and federal laws.

As well as a consideration for these issues within contracts with partners, allocating liability.

Lastly, Regulatory framework covering both Regulation E and Regulation Z.

Valerie M. Russo is a Senior Social Media Strategist at IIR USA with a technology, anthropology, marketing and publishing business acumen.  She will be attending Prepaid Expo USA 2012 and covering the event live via Twitter and the Prepaid Expo Blog. She is a published poet and also maintains a literary blog. She may be reached atvrusso@iirusa.com. Follow her @Literanista. 



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Save the Date: Prepaid Expo 2013

We look forward to seeing you in Florida next year for Prepaid Expo 2013!

We invite you to RSVP via LinkedIn now and save the date.

Our Prepaid Expo 2013 event will take place March 4-6, 2013 at The Peabody in Orlando, Florida.

Immerse yourself alongside the prepaid industry in learning cutting edge opportunities and furthering business goals across all prepaid and stored value products.

Register early and lock in the best rate available!


To register, visit www.prepaidexpousa.com
Call:  1 888-670-8200                    
Email: register@iirusa.com



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Live from Prepaid Expo 2012: The Fate of Payroll Cards


Next in the Regulatory Summit today we discussed The Fate of Payroll Cards: Restrictions and Regulations Across the US with the following panel:

David Newville, Senior Policy Analyst, CENTER FOR FINANCIAL SERVICES
Cathy Beyda, Of Counsel, PAUL HASTINGS LLC
Richard Santoro, VP Government Affairs, MASTERCARD
Nizam Antoo, VP Product Integration, ADP

Almost every state offers a choice between payroll cards and direct deposit.  Paperless paychecks benefit both employers and employees.

2011 observations:
- Payroll card legislation has been mostly quiet
- Durbin: Has not really affected availability of Payroll Cards
- Prepaid Access Rule: Banks and program admin want access to employee I-9 files

There has not been a lot of innovation in this space: Payroll & Direct Deposit. What's next?
Who will take it further (mobile) and still be compliant? Payroll cards need to catch up to the rest of Prepaid.

Stickiness: How do you get someone to use the card beyond 6-8 months?

There is a void of understanding when it comes to Payroll Cards even from policy makers - people mistake Payroll Cards for Gift Cards.

The opportunity is here to go beyond what we have now and step up, to define success, and to challenge the consumer mistrust that exist.

Valerie M. Russo is a Senior Social Media Strategist at IIR USA with a technology, anthropology, marketing and publishing business acumen.  She will be attending Prepaid Expo USA 2012 and covering the event live via Twitter and the Prepaid Expo Blog. She is a published poet and also maintains a literary blog. She may be reached atvrusso@iirusa.com. Follow her @Literanista.




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Live from Prepaid Expo 2012: Slideshow



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Live from Prepaid Expo 2012: Regulatory Summit: Gift Card Issues

We began this afternoon with the Complying with State Consumer Protection Laws Session presented by Donald Mosher, Partner, SCHULTE ROTH & ZABEL and Elish Meyers, Legal Representative, RETAIL GIFT CARD ASSOCIATION.

Definition of gift cards, paper certificates, online bar codes,  payroll cards,...

Laws are different for open, closed and semi-open on a local, state, and federal level and they are constantly changing. One law change can effect your program somewhere else as well as your partnerships.

Gift cards' unredeemed balances are recognized as unclaimed property in many states and must be reported and remitted to the state.

New Jersey and law changes: effective last year all gift cards must be registered, impacts gift cards, SVC, money orders, and Travelers Checks, rebate cards...

Federal Card Act became effective in August 2010. Generally prohibits exp. dates of less than 5 years and fees for inactivity less than 12 months. Also look at applicable state laws.

Nine states have issued cash back rules consumer protection rules: CA, CO, ME, MA, MT, OR, RI, VT and WA.

Valerie M. Russo is a Senior Social Media Strategist at IIR USA with a technology, anthropology, marketing and publishing business acumen.  She will be attending Prepaid Expo USA 2012 and covering the event live via Twitter and the Prepaid Expo Blog. She is a published poet and also maintains a literary blog. She may be reached atvrusso@iirusa.com. Follow her @Literanista.



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Live from Prepaid Expo 2012: The Economy & Prepaid


Our Economy Keynote: The Economy & Prepaid: The Big Picture of the World’s Economy and What it Holds for our Industry was presented by Wayne Best, Chief Economist at VISA.

Takeaways:

Factors for Growth in Prepaid:

Back from the brink
Instability of Euro, Future*
US GDP Growth
Luxury segment growth: Visa Consumers
Labor: Salary wage growth down although employment is up
Housing: No good news
Gas prices: continue to rise at accelerated rate

*4 scenarios for future of euro: Fiscal targets met, Greek austerity collapses, Germany exits, all Euro countries exit

Supply Side:
Government programs
Employers
Healthcare Programs

Demand Side:
Budget Consciousness
Payroll card recipients
Underbanked/unbanked consumers

Largest segments in 2011 were:
Bill payment
Healthcare

Low hanging fruit is gone but opportunities still exist, we will just have to look harder, in more areas, more income groups, more merchant segments.

Valerie M. Russo is a Senior Social Media Strategist at IIR USA with a technology, anthropology, marketing and publishing business acumen.  She will be attending Prepaid Expo USA 2012 and covering the event live via Twitter and the Prepaid Expo Blog. She is a published poet and also maintains a literary blog. She may be reached atvrusso@iirusa.com. Follow her @Literanista.



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Live from Prepaid Expo 2012: Branding & Prepaid


Our session on Branding & Prepaid: How Effective Communication Strategies Can Combat and Differentiate your Product from Debit & Credit today was moderated by Marilyn Bochicchio, CEO of PAYBEFORE.

Panelists:
Tony Chang, Head of Prepaid Marketing, VISA INC.
Diane Scott, CMO, WESTERN UNION
Laura Kelly, SVP & GM of the Americas for Global Payment Options, AMERICAN EXPRESS
John Dwyer, Sr. Account Executive, CPI CARD GROUP
Jeffrey Lewis, Director of Prepaid and Alternative Payments, DISCOVER

Brands & solutions must be trusted especially in the case of financial survival. This leaves room for change and innovation without losing the consumer.

Your brand as a card shouldn’t override the brand being introduced to the consumer.

American Express looks at payments as a global stream, their view is full spectrum. As an aspirational card, they have a responsibility to innovate and meet the needs of consumers. If you don't grow, you die. They tailor their prepaid offerings further via customer requests.

Western Union: Consumers want no hidden fees and simpler, more transparent information. Consumers don't want to carry cash, they actually want to put their money on a card.

Why would banked customer choose a prepaid card? To become a companion financial solution, to fill gap(s). It's transparent. Additional functionality.

Marketing is different for each audience, regardless of the medium/channel. Marketing to millennials is different than marketing to parents or employers.

Social media, digital banners and apps are huge crucial for immediate response, interaction and a powerful, cost-effective tool to service consumers.

Valerie M. Russo is a Senior Social Media Strategist at IIR USA with a technology, anthropology, marketing and publishing business acumen.  She will be attending Prepaid Expo USA 2012 and covering the event live via Twitter and the Prepaid Expo Blog. She is a published poet and also maintains a literary blog. She may be reached atvrusso@iirusa.com. Follow her @Literanista.



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Live from Prepaid Expo 2012: Evolving Your Marketing & Product - and How the Game is Changing for Every Industry

Jeffrey Hayzlett, former Chief Marketing Officer & Vice President, EASTMAN KODAK, Best Selling author, “The Mirror Test" and "Running Gauntlet" presented the Prepaid Expo 2012 branding Keynote today.

He talked about adapting or dying and what happened at Kodak: They didn't change. They wanted to protect the profit margins of products that were doing well and in that process just stagnated. They forgot they made emotional technology, they forgot to drive change.

Jeffrey Hayzlett on stage at Prepaid Expo 2012

You're not in the Prepaid industry. You're in the change industry. Be an agent of change. Two types of Change agents: Those who do nothing and...

Clock changers: Actually changes the clocks that everyone else complains about being off. Problem solvers. Cheerleaders who reinforce goals, who seamless operate between departments and divisions.

Reasons we fail to innovate:
1. Fear
2. Tension
3. Radical Transparency
4. Risk
5. Promises

Don't forget your customers own your brand, you are just the shepherd.

Valerie M. Russo is a Senior Social Media Strategist at IIR USA with a technology, anthropology, marketing and publishing business acumen.  She will be attending Prepaid Expo USA 2012 and covering the event live via Twitter and the Prepaid Expo Blog. She is a published poet and also maintains a literary blog. She may be reached atvrusso@iirusa.com. Follow her @Literanista.




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Live from Prepaid Expo 2012: Serving the Consumer: At the Table with Consumer Advocates

We began today with a panel on Serving the Consumer: At the Table with Consumer Advocates moderated by Rachel Schneider, VP Innovation and Research at CENTER FOR FINANCIAL SERVICES INNOVATION with...

Panelists:
Michelle Jun, Senior Attorney, CONSUMERS UNION
Lauren Saunders, Managing Attorney, NATIONAL CONSUMER LAW CENTER
John Hagy, Chief Legal Officer, METABANK
Patrice Peyret, CEO, PLASTYC INC.
Lisa Henken, VP of Customer Experience, NETSPEND

What does it mean to offer valuable Prepaid services to the consumer that fit the Compass Principles?

Netspend tries to offer innovative ways to meet the needs of consumers today and their needs in the future. There is no one size fits all, products need to grow as needs evolve.

The number one anxiety for consumers is money so services need to look at themselves as providing financial services while making it stress-free and painless.

Streamliing fees, ensuring privacy and fraud protection really is beneficial for consumers, ensuring a quality product.

Also full financial integration not just Prepaid, also great customer experience and services, clear and concise liability and other disclosures. Full financial systems.

Education is the key in helping consumers.

Valerie M. Russo is a Senior Social Media Strategist at IIR USA with a technology, anthropology, marketing and publishing business acumen.  She will be attending Prepaid Expo USA 2012 and covering the event live via Twitter and the Prepaid Expo Blog. She is a published poet and also maintains a literary blog. She may be reached atvrusso@iirusa.com. Follow her @Literanista.




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Monday, March 12, 2012

Live from Prepaid Expo 2012: 2012 Paybefore Awards Ceremony

Paybefore honored its 2012 Paybefore Awards Winners and revealed for the first time the Best-in-Category winners as well as Industry Achievement Winners.

The Best-in-Category winners are: 


Best Gift Card Program
One4all Gift Card
The Gift Voucher Shop

Best General Purpose Reloadable Program
Western Union Reloadable MoneyWise Prepaid MasterCard
Western Union

Best Government-Funded Prepaid Program
Benefits Direct
Prepaid Resources

Best Prepaid Incentive, Reward, Rebate or Loyalty Program
Paylution Visa Prepaid Card
hyperWALLET Systems Inc., The Bancorp Bank, FIS Payment Solutions Group

Best Employee Benefit/Transit Prepaid Program
Walmart Money Network MasterCard Paycard
Walmart, First Data

Best International Travel/Remittance Prepaid Program
Israel Postal Bank Visa Prepaid USD Card
Israel Postal Bank, Payoneer

Best Emergency/Insurance/Non-Government Benefits Prepaid Program
Aviva Visa Options Card
Aviva, FIS

Best Youth/Student/Campus Prepaid Program
SpendSmart Prepaid MasterCard
BillMyParents

Best Health Care/Health Benefits Prepaid Program
InComm/Medagate OTC Network Solution
InComm

Best Prepaid Gaming Card
Gift Card Payment Network
Openbucks

Best Digital Currency
paysafecard
paysafecard group

Best Effective Prepaid Marketing (tie)
Discover Campus Card Marketing Toolkit
Discover Network

Green Dot Comprehensive Marketing Program
Green Dot Corporation

Best Prepaid Card or Packaging Design
Walmart MoneyCard
Walmart, Green Dot Corporation, GE Capital Retail Bank

Best Virtual or Mobile Prepaid Application
Google Wallet Prepaid Card
Google, First Data, MasterCard

Best Consumer Value in Prepaid—U.S. Solutions
Western Union Gold Prepaid MasterCard
Western Union

Best Consumer Value in Prepaid—International Solutions
Freedom Prepaid Card
DCB Bank Ltd., Itz Cash Card Limited, Visa

Most Effective Prepaid Solution
Amway Automation Program
Itz Cash Card Limited, Amway India

Best Non-U.S.-Based Prepaid Program
Orange Cash Prepaid MasterCard
Everthing Everywhere, PrePay Solutions

Most Innovative Prepaid Program 
Google Prepaid Card
Google, First Data, MasterCard

Top Prepaid Retailer
Giant Eagle

Breakout Prepaid Company of the Year
American Express

The final award of the night, Industry Achievement, was given to Anil D. Aggarwal and Jonathan Weiner, chairman and CEO and executive vice president, respectively, for processing technology company TxVia.

Congratulations to all the winners!!!



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Live from Prepaid Expo 2012: Arriana Huffington on How to be a Game Changer

Our final keynote today on Innovation in Prepaid, Arianna Huffington, President & Editor in Chief of the HUFFINGTON POST MEDIA GROUP, presented How to be a game changer.

Galileo could have never predicted all the changes into the world today. Innovators are relentless in their passion, in their pursuits. Very often the obstacles are not just external, many times they are internal.

She launched a blog for the brightest minds to get their views online in real time at a time when people didn't understand what a blog was or what it was for. The vision was to create a platform for people to express themselves in an easy conversational way. She moderated comments in the beginning, to ensure a civilized conversation and aggregated content. 

Innovators don't need to reject the "old" to flip an industry on its head.

Her detractors would ask why would you risk failure, you are a published author. The internet is a young person's game. Meanwhile her mother often used to say failure is a stepping stone to success. She listened. Her first book was rejected by 36 publishers.

Once you find success, you still have to constantly iterate, otherwise you succeed and then you stagnate. You need to keep evolving. Companies often fail because they don't change enough. They stick to the same strategies which gained them success in the past but times and technology constantly change.


Valerie M. Russo is a Senior Social Media Strategist at IIR USA with a technology, anthropology, marketing and publishing business acumen.  She will be attending Prepaid Expo USA 2012 and covering the event live via Twitter and the Prepaid Expo Blog. She is a published poet and also maintains a literary blog. She may be reached atvrusso@iirusa.com. Follow her @Literanista.



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Live from Prepaid Expo 2012: Social Media: Changing the Prepaid Marketing Game?


Recap from Social Media: Changing the Prepaid Marketing Game? Panel:

Moderator: Aaron Mann, CEO, SOCIALARC
Panelists: Mike Fletcher, CMO, GIFTANGO
Douglas Rozen, Senior Vice President, AIMIA (incorporating Carlson Marketing)
Michael Hursta, VP, Prepaid Category Manager, FIRST DATA

What is the value of your customer per transaction - level of intimacy? This concern is unique to the Prepaid space but for the most part the challenges the industry faces are the same as for others.

Online social tools allow you to really get to know consumers in a whole new way - another form of ROI: data.

A social media strategy isn't singular, it should have multiple goals but social media definitely needs to be run from a strategic standpoint.

It also shouldn't work in a vacuum, SMS is popular to use as are other promotional marketing.

Use social media to mine your audience for maximum impact on your future marketing. Who is your customer? Filter/target directly to them.

Valerie M. Russo is a Senior Social Media Strategist at IIR USA with a technology, anthropology, marketing and publishing business acumen.  She will be attending Prepaid Expo USA 2012 and covering the event live via Twitter and the Prepaid Expo Blog. She is a published poet and also maintains a literary blog. She may be reached atvrusso@iirusa.com. Follow her @Literanista.



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Live from Prepaid Expo 2012: Harnessing the Power of Social Media to Engage Customers & Drive Your Brand

Scott Stratten is President of UNMARKETING and he presented our Social Media Keynote address today.

Social media empowers consumers to release and voice their "press release" faster than ever before, globally - your payment app better work.

When things hit the fan, social media is your opportunity to be awesome.

Social media is your front line. Consumers only care about what you do, not your logo, not your branding. Marketing is a verb, it's what your company does every day, everything you do.

Mission statements don't matter. People spread awesome (content)! It's only how it is shared that has changed.

Social media has changed how things are changed, most things are now shared through Facebook.

Even if you hate Facebook or Twitter, understand it because that's where your customers are - don't ignore it.

QR Codes are great for example but use them accordingly - think before you do - use them properly.

Not everyone should use social media. If your company sucks, it will suck harder socially. If you hate people, social might not be the route to go.

Inversely, every one is on social. The niche: human.

Don't try to be everywhere, pick one platform and grow it.

Valerie M. Russo is a Senior Social Media Strategist at IIR USA with a technology, anthropology, marketing and publishing business acumen.  She will be attending Prepaid Expo USA 2012 and covering the event live via Twitter and the Prepaid Expo Blog. She is a published poet and also maintains a literary blog. She may be reached atvrusso@iirusa.com. Follow her @Literanista.



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Live from Prepaid Expo 2012: ABCs of Mobile Payments


Presented by James Sufrin, VP of Orbethur Technologies of America Corp. and Mike Fletcher, CEO of GiftTango....

Strong adoption of digital B2B Channels – Driving force for content getting into market

Mobile Payment Today:
Key Fact #1: 1 out 6 phones will have NFC by 2014
- 302 million smartphones shipped in 2010, 71% growth over 2009’s shipment levels
- Paypal launched NFC peer-to-peer mobile app
- Google Wallet – will standardize NFC use
- Global Platform has finalized key specifications enabling massive commercial roll, outs on OTA management, TSM, certification
- GSMA issued a statement
- Joint Ventures
- Visa, Mastercard

Payments:
- Square=POS
- Mobile wallets: Many or one?
- Coupons, Products, & Promotions: Instant, Text promotions, Interacting with real-time TV use

Services:
- Service: NFC payments or more much more than payments?
- Identification

Mobile Wallet App/UI:
- Basic:
- Payment card emulation
- Notifications
- Extended value:
- Transactions logs
- Settings & preferences
- Passcode management
- Added Value:
- Mobile offers & passwords
Mobile Adoption around the world:
- Imminent adoption for digital in the UK
- Mass adoption for US for Gift Cards: Holiday Season
NFC: How to get there:

One universal & ideal NFC ecosystem does not exist
- Key questions:
- Whom to partner with?
- Which infrastructure?
- What services to push?
- What pricing strategy?


Valerie M. Russo is a Senior Social Media Strategist at IIR USA with a technology, anthropology, marketing and publishing business acumen.  She will be attending Prepaid Expo USA 2012 and covering the event live via Twitter and the Prepaid Expo Blog. She is a published poet and also maintains a literary blog. She may be reached atvrusso@iirusa.com. Follow her @Literanista.



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Live from Prepaid Expo 2012: Social Media: The Landscape

Aaron Mann
We began this morning at Prepaid Expo 2012 with a session on Social Media: The Landscape, 5 Important Trends for Marketers, and Real-World Social Best Practices presented by Aaron Mann, CEO of SocialArc. "Socialarc specializes in the design and implementation of social marketing campaigns that work - for our clients and for their audiences."

5 Big Social Landscape Trends to watch:

1. Social Commerce: Amazon, Groupon, Etsy, Gilt
2. Makers: Kickstarter, Do Network
3: SoLoMo Convergence: Twitter, Foursquare, Facebook, Yelp
4. Sharing, Discovery & Curation: Twitter, Quora, G+, Stumbleupon, Pinterest, Facebook
5. Game Mechanics: Words with Friends, Sims, CityVille

5 Marketing Trends:

1. Relationships at scale: From Niche to at Scale
2. Always on Strategy: Move away from Campaigns
3. Quality content: Not Quantity
4. Platform Intergration: No Silos
5. Measurement & Business Results: From Experiments to ROI

5 Guiding Principles from SocialArc:

1. Social Strategy Needed: Insights, Strategy, Tactics
Identity:
- Business objectives
- Success Metrics
- Competitive Landscape
- Audience Profile
- Audience Values

Follow @Socialarc on Twitter.


Valerie M. Russo is a Senior Social Media Strategist at IIR USA with a technology, anthropology, marketing and publishing business acumen.  She will be attending Prepaid Expo USA 2012 and covering the event live via Twitter and the Prepaid Expo Blog. She is a published poet and also maintains a literary blog. She may be reached atvrusso@iirusa.com. Follow her @Literanista.



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Thursday, March 8, 2012

Live Coverage of Prepaid Expo 2012 Begins Monday


There's still time to register to attend Prepaid Expo 2012 taking place in Las Vegas, Nevada, Monday through Wednesday, next week (walk-ins are welcome) but if you can't join us, we will be covering the event live here and via Twitter.

Follow the official hashtag #PPEXPO for live on-site blogging and tweeting to catch anything you might have missed!

Also follow us on Twitter: @Prepaidexpo and join the conversation by tagging your tweets with #PPEXPO. You also might want to check in on Foursquare and see who's arrived. You can also visit us here at PrepaidExpoBlog.com daily for brief recaps and takeaways from some of our sessions.

Photos will be posted every day to Flickr and video footage will be available later on at YouTube. You can also add your own photos to our group pool. For one-stop-shop live coverage, visit www.prepaidexpousa.com.

Registered attendees be sure to download the Prepaid Marketplace app to make the most of your time at the event. Registered members can view who will be in attendance, request meetings with other members, create a personal event schedule, and manage the entire network directly from your web-enabled device or smartphone.

See you in Vegas!


To register, visit www.prepaidexpousa.com
Call: 1 888-670-8200                
Email: register@iirusa.com

* Please mention your priority code when registering to save $100 off the standard and onsite rate: XU2548BLOG.


Valerie M. Russo is a Senior Social Media Strategist at IIR USA with a technology, anthropology, marketing and publishing business acumen.  She will be attending Prepaid Expo USA 2012 and covering the event live via Twitter and the Prepaid Expo Blog. She is a published poet and also maintains a literary blog. She may be reached at vrusso@iirusa.com. Follow her @Literanista.



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Test Drive an Expert: Amir Wain, i2c, Inc


Amir Wain is the CEO of i2c, Inc., he will be our featured expert on the topic of  Mobile, Processing at the 7th Annual Prepaid Expo, taking place this year in Las Vegas, Nevada, on March 12-13, 2012, where attendees will have the opportunity to schedule one-on-one meetings with Amir and other experts from an array of Prepaid specialties.

We had a chance to connect with Amir before we head out to Las Vegas next week. Here is what he told us:


What are the most pressing issues/trends in your subject area that prepaid professionals should consider and/or watch closely in the coming year?

1. Prepaid is much more than GPR or payroll cards; it is now a platform for payments innovation.

2. The global growth of prepaid will accelerate as companies take advantage of the vast untapped opportunities in markets outside the US

3. In the area of emerging and mobile payments, we will hear much more about user experience and innovations in POS infrastructure as opposed to breakthroughs in enabling technologies such as NFC.

What are the 3 most commonly asked questions/concerns you hear from clients?

1. What should be my mobile strategy?
2. What are the roles and responsibilities of various players in the value chain?
3. When I ask a capability question – every processor says yes; how do I select a processor?

What is/are the most common mistake(s) and oversight(s) people make in the prepaid space related to your area of specialization? 

1. Companies get lured by the sex appeal of “mobile” without thinking through all the details

2. Try to replace plastic with mobile without rethinking the product, work flows and how to leverage the advantages of this amazing device called mobile that all of us carry.

3. Focus on point solutions rather than a long-term product strategy.  

The typical discussion goes as follows:

Prospect: Do you have a mobile solution?
i2c: For what exactly?
Prospect: You know, a phone-based mobile solution.
i2c: For cardholder account access? For text alerts? Mobile wallet? Or for a loyalty and/or rewards program? How do you plan to use it?
Prospect: All of it, I guess? I'm starting a new business, and mobile is going to be the future.


About Amir:


Amir Wain is a pioneer in the prepaid card industry. He founded Innovative Private Limited, a software-development firm, in 1987 and led the development of the transaction processing platform FastCash. Propelled by the success of Innovative and expanding market opportunities, Wain founded i2c Inc. in 2001 and with his team, launched My Card PlaceSM (MCP), i2c’s customizable, feature-rich card processing platform. Under Wain, i2c has introduced a number of prepaid industry firsts, including its Campaign Manager, Giftogram and i-Coupons products.

He introduced the term “Prepaid2.0” to describe the change in mindset that embraces previously underserved cardholders as valuable customers and leads to comprehensive and flexible lifestyle products that incorporate value-added services and foster customer loyalty. At i2c, Wain continues to develop his vision with strategies to meet the needs of the evolving prepaid marketplace


Test Drive a  Mobile, Processing Expert 


You can schedule a meeting with Amir Wain at Prepaid Expo here, if you need help determining how to navigate and participate strategically in mobile and online options for your company.

To register, visit www.prepaidexpousa.com
Call: 1 888-670-8200                
Email: register@iirusa.com 

* Please mention your priority code when registering to save $100 off the standard and onsite rate: XU2548BLOG.





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Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Test Drive an Expert: Dan Stavros, CoreCard


Dan Stavros is the EVP of CoreCard - Dan will be our featured expert on the topic of  Software & Processor Evaluation at the 7th Annual Prepaid Expo, taking place this year in Las Vegas, Nevada, on March 12-13, 2012, where attendees will have the opportunity to schedule one-on-one meetings with Dan and other experts from an array of Prepaid specialties.


Dan Stavros
We had a chance to gain some insight from Dan before we head out to Las Vegas next week. Here is what we asked Dan:


What are the most pressing issues/trends in your subject area that prepaid professionals should consider and/or watch closely in the coming year?


Uncertainty – Increasing regulations and how they apply to different segments of prepaid cards can mean a significant change in the direction of the business. Prepaid processors, program managers, software vendors, consultants and other stake holders should keep a close eye on regulatory changes and appropriately adjust their resource allocation and revenue projections.

New market opportunities – The prepaid market is evolving rapidly and opening up new segments where prepaid cards can solve an existing problem or support a new business model.

What are the 3 most commonly asked questions/concerns you hear from clients?

1. What is the overall cost to implement a prepaid card management solution?

2. How soon can I be up and running with new prepaid cards for my customers?

3. I have a new business model and unique needs. Will your software and services be able to support these requirements? Does your organization have capability to quickly customize the software to develop new features as requested by us?

What is/are the most common mistake(s) or oversight(s) people make in the prepaid space related to your area of specialization? 

Thinking too short term – Many people/companies starting out in the prepaid card business look for a solution that meets their immediate needs only. Later they are caught unprepared when the business needs change or regulations impose new restrictions. They should do a scenario analysis to assess how different developments will play out in long term and be flexible and prepared (both in terms of software and the business model).

People /companies venturing into prepaid cards sometimes overestimate the growth/profitability potential from their new prepaid venture. They should understand that acquiring new customers for a new prepaid card program is very difficult and successful programs will generate competition quickly.

They should keep their projections realistic. Also, rather than trying to address broad needs with a general purpose reloadable prepaid card they should find a niche area that needs a prepaid solution and design theirs’ accordingly.

We receive numerous inquiries from startup program managers looking for software or processing services. However, when they fully understand the costs associated with starting a new program they often abandon the idea entirely.


About Dan:


Dan Stavros joined the company in 1984 when it was known as Credit Card Software, Inc. Dan brings more than 30 years of experience in global operations, financial technology development and entrepreneurship. He is responsible for product management and CoreCard’s professional services organization. During his tenure with CoreCard over the last 20 years, Dan oversaw development of the groundbreaking CardPac and Vision21 card management systems and directed the company’s growth and product development strategy in the Asia-Pacific region.

Dan co-founded a series of successful banking software start-ups including TranSys Corporation and Operating Systems, which were sold to PaySys and The Kirchman Corporation, respectively. He also held executive and technical management positions at The Kirchman Corporation, Online Databanc, Inc., and First National Bank of Niles.

Test Drive a Software & Processor Evaluation  Expert



You can schedule a meeting with Dan Stavros at Prepaid Expo here, if you need help evaluating software for in-house use, processors or how to do successful offshore development.

To register, visit www.prepaidexpousa.com
Call: 1 888-670-8200                
Email: register@iirusa.com

* Please mention your priority code when registering to save $100 off the standard and onsite rate: XU2548BLOG.











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Test Drive an Expert: Filip Verley, TxVia


Filip Verley

At the 7th Annual Prepaid Expo, taking place this year in Las Vegas, Nevada, on March 12-13, 2012, attendees will have the opportunity to schedule one-on-one meetings with experts from an array of Prepaid specialties. Filip Verley, the Director of Risk & Compliance Operations at TxVia, will be our featured expert on the topic of Risk / Fraud.

We had a chance to gain some insight from Filip before we head out to Las Vegas next week. Here is what we asked Filip and what he shared with us:


What are the most pressing issues/trends in your subject area that prepaid professionals should consider and/or watch closely in the coming year?

1. The rise in identity theft and concerns about the negative leveraging of these breaches for the purposes of tax fraud and money laundering.

2. The continuing diversification in features and services available to prepaid cardholders to include elements such as bank-to-card loads, bill payment options and check cashing components increase the opportunity structure for those hoping to exploit prepaid card products for fraudulent purposes.

3. The increasingly rigorous post-Durbin regulatory environment to include tightening Regulation E strictures make the importance of employing leading risk management personnel, processes and tools to safeguard the interests of cardholders and various financial stakeholders.

What are the 3 most commonly asked questions/concerns you hear from clients?

1. How do I avoid losing money?
2. Will the new regulations and requirements hurt and/or impact my business?
3. What are the inherent risk exposures and challenges associated with each of the prepaid verticals?

What is/are the most common mistake(s) or oversight(s) people make in the prepaid space related to your area of specialization? 

1. Believing that their customers will not try to defraud them
2. In an understandable pursuit of customer focus, pushing too aggressively to avoid potentially inconvenient customer experiences and taking unnecessarily high risks when maximizing spend and load limits

When a program manager/client explains their program, they understandably want to have the best program possible. TxVia works with the clients to strike the balance between great customer experience and contained financial risk. Programs falling outside established standards tend to attract an element that will often attempt to exploit it to the fullest extent.

For example, most standard checking accounts cap ATM withdrawals at $400.00 per diem. Prepaid products enabling $1,000 or even $1,500 per day are simply taking serious and ultimately avoidable risks.


About Filip: 

Filip Verley is Director of Fraud and Compliance in the Managed Services Division. Mr. Verley is located in Florida. Mr. Verley joined TxVia in August of 2008. He has over 10 years of credit/debit and prepaid card fraud experience. Mr. Verley has worked both the acquiring and issuing side of the industry.

Prior to joining TxVia, Mr. Verley was responsible for Fraud, Negative Balance Management and Dispute Case management at Fidelity National Information Services. Mr. Verley successfully ran a risk department responsible for managing over 50 clients. Mr. Verley joined FIS through the acquisition of eFunds, who had previously acquired Wildcard Systems where Mr. Petersen had worked since 2004.


Test Drive a Risk / Fraud Expert

You can schedule a meeting with Filip Verley at Prepaid Expo here, if you need help with client risk setup and configuration.

To register, visit www.prepaidexpousa.com
Call: 1 888-670-8200                
Email: register@iirusa.com 

* Please mention your priority code when registering to save $100 off the standard and onsite rate: XU2548BLOG.







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Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Test Drive an Expert: Render Dahiya, Arroweye Solutions


Render Dahiya is the CEO of Arroweye Solutions, he will be our featured expert on the topic of Personalization, Customization and Digital On-Demand Fulfillment at the 7th Annual Prepaid Expo, taking place this year in Las Vegas, Nevada, on March 12-13, 2012, where attendees will have the opportunity to schedule one-on-one meetings with Render and other experts from an array of Prepaid specialties.

We had a chance to gain some insight from Render before we head out to Las Vegas next week. Here is what we discussed:


What are the most pressing issues/trends in your subject area that prepaid professionals should consider and/or watch closely in the coming year?

Need for Flexibility:  The regulatory reforms over the last year drove numerous changes to card programs, which I expect to continue in 2012.  As the government and card issuers interpret the new regulations, we may see new changes to terms and conditions, as well as disclosure rules.  Program managers will have to evaluate if their card programs are flexible enough to handle those changes without destroying existing inventory and purchasing new, and whether they have the flexibility to easily change that language on carriers or the terms on the back of cards without incurring large transition costs.

More Targeted Marketing. Prepaid is the booming market within the financial services industry, and its attractive growth attracts more players to the market.  Card program managers are thinking about how to differentiate their programs.   Key questions they should be asking themselves include, do they have the ability to target niche markets affordably; and can they create custom cards and co-branded cards in smaller runs?

Getting to Market Quicker. The best part of prepaid is how fast it moves. In many cases, the decision cycles on programs are driven by marketing ideas that bubble up from corporations looking to boost sales or incentivize employees.   Once a decision has been made, they want to move quickly.   The key is whether or not they are aligned with a partner that can help launch the program fast, or are they stuck in a 6-8 week cycle, in danger of their customers losing patience and interest?

What are the 3 most commonly asked questions/concerns you hear from clients?

1. How can I launch programs that require new card designs faster than the traditional model?
2. I know digital on-demand is a faster proposition, but is it more expensive?
3. How can I remove the risk from my next program launch? I can’t afford to run out of cards, yet I don’t want to print too many and have to pay for destruction fees due to an overly optimistic forecast.

What is/are the most common mistake(s) and oversight(s) people make in the prepaid space related to your area of specialization?

People often don’t evaluate the entire cost of fulfilling a new program, although there are a handful of important aspects to consider.  Program managers should conduct a thorough TCO of printing cards, inventory carrying costs, secure shipping from the printer to the personalization house, destruction costs and spoilage. Almost all our clients started off with a concern on cost.  They approached us because they were excited by the opportunity to reduce inventory risk, speed up launches and target niche markets.  Once they completed a thorough analysis of their existing secure shipping costs, spoilage costs (one client reported up to 60% spoilage) and short run penalties, they found that the TCO of an on-demand program was at par or better than their current program.  In addition, they gained all the auxiliary benefits inherent to an on-demand model.  Now when talking to our clients, they indicate they will never go back.

When customers hear that we produce on-demand cards, they immediately think: photo cards.   Photo cards are just a small piece of the on-demand solution.  The idea of eliminating the vault of cards you maintain today, quickly launching co-branded programs, having the flexibility to make changes in days not weeks, eliminating risk and at the same time expanding your marketing muscle --- these are the benefits on-demand has provided our clients.


About Render: 


Render Dahiya began his career at Dallas-based FedEx Kinko's where he last served as the company's Senior Vice President of US Operations overseeing 16,000 team members at 1200 locations.  Dahiya joined Kinko's in the company's early years and is listed as one of its founding partners. He helped grow Kinko's into a national brand that was eventually acquired by FedEx.  After 19 years at FedEx Kinko's, Dahiya left the company to become part of the management team at Culligan International where he served as EVP of North American Dealers. There he helped lead a turnaround of the over 70-year-old brand, improving both sales and operating results.

Dahiya joined Arroweye in November 2007, and became CEO in May 2008. Once earning his stripes in the closed loop sphere—with a client roster that includes Macy's, Borders and eBay, to name a few—Dahiya helped lead Arroweye into the open loop industry in 2009, by obtaining Visa Vendor approval.  This certification marked Arroweye as the first company to manufacture and print the Visa logo on-demand while simultaneously personalizing a payment card.


Test Drive a Personalization, Customization and Digital On-Demand Fulfillment Expert

You can schedule a meeting with Render Dahiya at Prepaid Expo here, if you need help implementing a custom card program, launching an online card ordering solution or fulfilling small quantities of custom or co-branded cards.

To register, visit www.prepaidexpousa.com
Call: 1 888-670-8200                
Email: register@iirusa.com

* Please mention your priority code when registering to save $100 off the standard and onsite rate: XU2548BLOG.









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Test Drive an Expert: Tomas Campos, Blackhawk Network

Tomas Campos, is the General Manager of Online and Mobile at the Blackhawk Network, he will be our featured expert on the topic of  Mobile, Online and Emerging Technologies at the 7th Annual Prepaid Expo, taking place this year in Las Vegas, Nevada, on March 12-13, 2012, where attendees will have the opportunity to schedule one-on-one meetings with Tomas and other experts from an array of Prepaid specialties.

We had a chance to gain some insight from Tomas before we head out to Las Vegas next week. Here is what we asked Tomas and what he shared with us:

What are the (1-3) most pressing issues/trends in your subject area that prepaid professionals should consider and/or watch closely in the coming year?


The most pressing issues/trends in my area are the digitalization of payments and the convergence of payments, customer acquisition and loyalty efforts that we will continue to see. We will also see more opportunities for online to offline payment mechanisms where prepaid instruments play an important role and can close the redemption loop.

Furthermore, the SMB and Local market is still a relatively underserved market for prepaid and there are some very interesting opportunities here.


What are the 3 most commonly asked questions/concerns you hear from clients?

My clients often inquire about the ever-changing technology landscape so they can better understand what they should be aware of, how they can incorporate the technology in to their own systems and what investment they should make now to better position themselves.

In addition, they often want to know how they can increase opportunities to leverage prepaid products to better engage with consumers. Most of our clients want to have a robust engagement with their customers through mobile in order to drive more value to their customers and want their prepaid instruments to be a part of that mobile engagement.

Prepaid is one of the best customer acquisition vehicles and the challenge for our clients is how to incorporate prepaid into their mobile engagement strategies.

What is/are the most common mistake(s) and oversight(s) people make in the prepaid space related to your area of specialization?


Most of the time, people set limitations at point-of-purchase/point-of-sale that prematurely defines their strategy for prepaid. They are often unaware of the many, inexpensive options available which results in them not acting at all, rather than to investigating all options. Another oversight is that they make decisions not to incorporate a specific product based on the perception that there isn’t a big enough market.

For example, I have had clients not want to get in to eGifting because they believe it’s only a small fraction of prepaid space today. The problem is there is a huge potential for growth in this market. If you don’t get in early, a competitor will resulting in their owning the category.

About Tomas:


Tomas Campos is General Manager, Online and Mobile, at Blackhawk Network. He leads a team of experts focused on emerging products and services in online, mobile and digital commerce related to prepaid gifts/products and virtual technologies. Campos has been with Blackhawk Network for six year and was previously the Vice President of Engineering and Technology Strategy and Execution. Prior to joining Blackhawk Network, Campos worked for Safeway, Ernst and Young and the International Computer Science Institute where he build a strong understanding of the complexities of retail products and systems including point-of-purchase and digital payment systems.  He has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Computer Science from the University of California, Berkeley.

Test Drive an Mobile, Online and Emerging Technologies Expert


You can schedule a meeting with Tomas Campos at Prepaid Expo here, if you need help determining how to navigate and participate strategically in mobile and online options for your company.

To register, visit www.prepaidexpousa.com
Call: 1 888-670-8200                  
Email: register@iirusa.com 

* Please mention your priority code when registering to save $100 off the standard and onsite rate: XU2548BLOG.







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Monday, March 5, 2012

Test Drive an Expert: Donald J. Mosher, Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP


Donald J. Mosher

We had a chance to chat with Donald J. Mosher, Partner at Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP, before the 7th Annual Prepaid Expo, taking place this year in Las Vegas, Nevada, on March 12-13, 2012. He is our  featured expert on the topic of Mergers, Acquisition and Investments.

Prepaid Expo attendees this year will have the opportunity to schedule one-on-one meetings with Donald and other experts from an array of Prepaid specialties.

Here is what we discussed with Jon:


What are the most pressing issues/trends in your subject area that prepaid professionals should consider and/or watch closely in the coming year?

Increased compliance costs, identity security and mobile payments driving M&A activity in the payments industry in 2012 as larger payment companies work to keep up with their peers and the latest technology and product offerings, and smaller companies face disproportionate demands on personnel and cash resources to continue growth in an increasingly heavily regulated space.

More competition between financial buyers, who are unable to offer their historically generous multiples, and strategic buyers, who can support a higher purchase price because they can generate extra income by integrating targets into their core and complimentary businesses.

What are the 3 most commonly asked questions/concerns you hear from clients?


1. What kind of regulatory shape is the target in?

2. Will we need federal or state regulatory approvals to close?

3.When can we expect to close, and are there any steps we can take now to close sooner.

What is/are the most common mistake(s) and oversight(s) people make in the prepaid space related to your area of specialization? 

Not getting legal involved early enough.  Understanding whether and at what level an investment in a particular company may trigger regulatory filings, and by who, is important to consider early on to explore structuring alternatives that may reduce or expedite the regulatory process.



About Donald:


Donald J. Mosher, a partner in the New York office and head of the Bank Regulatory Group, focuses his practice on the regulation of banks, thrifts and licensed financial services providers, and specifically the regulation, acquisition and sale of payments companies and money transmitters, and the laws and practices applicable to electronic, paper- and card-based payment products and systems.

Don has represented leading banks, payment companies, money transmitters and private equity firms in transactional and regulatory matters associated with payments, prepaid cards and money transmission, including the negotiation of payments products and processing agreements. Don recently served as regulatory counsel to The Western Union Company in its $370 million acquisition of Canadian B-to-B international payments solutions provider Custom House Ltd.

Test Drive an Mergers, Acquisition and Investments Expert

You can schedule a meeting with Donald J. Mosher at Prepaid Expo here, if you need help with regulatory or contractual concerns related to developing, buying, selling or maintaining a payment, prepaid card or money transmission company or product.


To register, visit www.prepaidexpousa.com
Call: 1 888-670-8200                    
Email: register@iirusa.com 

* Please mention your priority code when registering to save $100 off the standard and onsite rate:
XU2548BLOG.













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Test Drive an Expert: Jon Round, Prepaid, i2c, Inc.


Jon Round

We recently interviewed Jon Round, Senior Vice President and GM at Prepaid, i2c, Inc., who will be our featured expert on the topic of International Expansion at the 7th Annual Prepaid Expo, taking place this year in Las Vegas, Nevada, on March 12-13, 2012, where attendees will have the opportunity to schedule one-on-one meetings with Jon and other experts from an array of Prepaid specialties.

Here is what we discussed with Jon:


What are the (1-3) most pressing issues/trends in your subject area that prepaid professionals should consider and/or watch closely in the coming year?

1. US regulation / uncertainty, competition and accommodation are encouraging Prepaid Program Managers to look at International Expansion.  International Expansion diversifies their revenue streams, expands their geographic markets and potentially product offerings, leverages partner relationships, increases revenues and potentially improves margin.

2. Prepaid continues to be a vehicle to provide or improve on payment solutions (as it always has been)  now we see evolution from the traditional products, e.g. gift, travel etc to create new solutions embracing mobile and wallet technology.

3. Global Prepaid continues to mature, with larger and larger players; FI's, Govt, Program Managers and Networks all focusing resources and entering markets.


What are the 3 most commonly asked questions/concerns you hear from clients?

1. Can you introduce me to a BIN sponsor in country XYZ?

2. Can you help me understand the market and factors I need to consider, which I don't know or haven't thought about?

3. Why are you best placed to support me Internationally / in country XYZ?

What is/are the most common mistake(s) or oversight(s) people make in the prepaid space related to your area of specialization? Can you please share an anecdote as an example?

1. "Cookie cutter" approaches do not work, you need to develop a tailored solution based on the target market and demographic, it is very much a solution approach.  International programs are initially more complex and more time consuming, compared to US programs.

 2. Are you setup and structured to support International programs?  Multi-lingual, multi-currency, 24x7x365 operations, local in country sales and support, funds repatriation and tax liabilities, do you have the existing infrastructure or are you prepared to make the investment required?

3. Make sure you have a full end to end solution and that you understand and have accounted for everything, have modeled the solution and that it is financially viable.


About Jon:


Jon Round has over 20 years experience in mobile, IT, prepaid and global payments. He joined i2c from Planet Payment, a multi-currency acquiring processor, where he was Vice President, International Business Development. Prior to this, Round grew and led the international business and global key account portfolio for Wildcard Systems (now Fidelity Information Systems) and was responsible for the full prepaid lifecycle.

He expanded the business into 36 countries supporting 190 prepaid programs. During this period, Round also launched the first ever Visa prepaid card programs in Canada and the United Kingdom. At i2c, Round is responsible for all client-facing functional teams including business development, client account management, industry relationships and client support services.

Meet Jon at Prepaid Expo


You can schedule a meeting with John Dancu at Prepaid Expo here, if you need help navigating the major business, technology and regulatory considerations relevant to expanding your prepaid business internationally.


To register, visit www.prepaidexpousa.com
Call: 1 888-670-8200              
Email: register@iirusa.com 

* Please mention your priority code when registering to save $100 off the standard and onsite rate:
XU2548BLOG.









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Friday, March 2, 2012

Test Drive an Expert: John Dancu, CEO, IDology Inc.


As we mentioned before at the 7th Annual Prepaid Expo taking place this year in Las Vegas, Nevada, on March 12-13, 2012, attendees will have the opportunity to schedule one-on-one meetings with experts from an array of Prepaid specialties.
We recently, interviewed John Dancu | CEO | IDology Inc., who will be our featured expert on the topic of Compliance & Identity | CIP Compliance Checks. Here is what we discussed below:



What are the (1-3) most pressing issues/trends in your subject area that prepaid professionals should consider and/or watch closely in the coming year?


One of the most pressing issues professionals should watch closely in the coming year is the legal and regulatory changes at both the state and federal levels.  It is more important than ever to ensure that prepaid professionals are taking the steps to be in compliance with the many state and federal regulations that impact the prepaid industry. 


2 .An ongoing issue that prepaid professionals face is identifying thin file demographics. The underbanked market is one of the largest opportunities for the prepaid industry, however, being able to identify who these consumers are is an issue as these are people who have thin files.  As a result, more banks are turning to robust identity verification solutions that fall outside of the credit spectrum.  


3. Finally, being aware of the different levels of identity verification that can be used to meet compliance regulations is important.  Issuing banks are incorporating knowledge based authentication (KBA) tools as a higher level of verification in situations where businesses want more confidence that the person they are dealing with is real. KBA is an automatic process used to determine if someone is who they say they are in faceless transactions and works using a series of multiple-choice questions that are developed in real-time based on personal information found in a individuals file.  Some KBA solutions rely on credit information to generate questions making it difficult to use in the thin file market since limited or no information exists as a foundation to formulate on-the-fly questions. 


What are the 3 most commonly asked questions/concerns you hear from clients?


1. What are you approval rates?
2. How can you help us meet compliance regulations?
3. How can we increase card issuance while remaining in compliance?


What is/are the most common mistake(s) or oversight(s) people make in the prepaid?


One of the most common mistakes some companies may make in the prepaid space is not being active in the CIP process and delegating this process to others.  Driving revenue is dependent on card activation.  


Are you using or is your processor using an identity verification vendor that will help you maximize card activations while maintaining compliance?   
What are the issuing banks rules and how does these impact activations? 


Active involvement and review of this process will result in higher card activations and consequently more revenue. Another common mistake is not taking advantage of automation when it comes to manual review processes.  The use of KBA can replace manual review and result in higher approval rates as it replaces the laborious task of a potential customers sending in a documents such as a driver’s license and utility bills.    



About John:
John Dancu is the President & CEO of IDology, a leading provider of identity verification solutions helping businesses drive revenue, prevent fraud, and cut costs in their consumer not present channels.   In his role, John works with IDology’s prepaid customers, including issuing banks, processors and program managers on CIP compliance initiatives and advises them on how identity verification solutions automate the process while driving more approvals.   IDology’s customers include Meta Bank, First Data, Tsys, Rushcard, WaveCrest, CardFlex, Incomm, TransCard, CardMarte and more.   



You can schedule a meeting with John Dancu at Prepaid Expo here, if you need help automating your CIP compliance checks.


To register, visit www.prepaidexpousa.com
Call:             1 888-670-8200           
Email: register@iirusa.com


Please mention your priority code when registering to save $100 off the standard and onsite rate:
XU2548BLOG.




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