Blockchain, Fintech and the Future of Finance: Canada’s payments conference kicks off in Calgary

Payments Canada hosts more than 500 delegates for three days of discussion and investigation

CALGARY, June 15, 2016 – Today, Payments Canada welcomed representatives from across the payments industry to Calgary where more than 500 delegates will explore issues that influence the future of payments policy and technology.

The 2016 edition of Payments Canada’s annual conference, Payments Panorama, is focused on innovation and evolution. Fitting, given the payments ecosystem is yet another industry experiencing momentous change due to new technologies and a shifting market mindset. Payments Panorama 2016 is a unique venue for payments industry players, from FinTechs to Financial Institutions, to meet, inform and even collaborate.

Highlights from today include:

• Canada’s first FinTech Cup where five Canadian FinTech startups – ChangeJar, NIMJA, ZayZoon, The Social Wallet and Katipult – are competing for a $25,000 prize purse (winner to be announced this evening)
• A special announcement by Maher Arar, founder and CEO of CauseSquare
• Rapid fire keynote addresses on FinTech and FOMO by Daniel Eberhard of Koho, FinTech and the Future of Payments by Jack Forestell of Visa and The Great FinTech/ Banking Debate with Darrell MacMullin, CEO of Goldmoney
• A keynote session on Working with Financial Technology Disruptors with Andrew Moor, president of Equitable Bank ; Dave Mowat, CEO of ATB Financial and Doug Steiner, CEO of Evree Corp. moderated by Amanda Lang
• A demonstration of the cryptocurrency MontChip by nanoPay
• The launch of Payments Canada (formerly known as the Canadian Payments Association)

The momentum will continue over the next two days with events such as:

• A Keynote address by Maher Arar
• A special announcement from Christian Ali, Chief Marketing Officer of Canadian FinTech firm, Dream Payments
• A keynote address from Elle Kim of Samsung Pay on The Hockey stick or How to Unlock the Potential of Mobile Payments in Canada
• Many more informative presentations from top payments experts, banks and FinTechs from Canada and around the world

Media are invited to attend Payments Panorama 2016 at the Westin Calgary & Metropolitan Conference Centre June 15 – June 17. Please see our Program for a detailed list of speaking events and times and visit our media centre for photos from key events, updated daily.

For media inquiries, please visit the Media Centre.

About Payments Canada:

Payments Canada ensures that financial transactions in Canada are carried out safely and securely each day. The organization underpins the Canadian financial system and economy by owning and operating Canada’s payment clearing and settlement infrastructure, including associated systems, by-laws, rules and standards. The value of payments cleared and settled by Payments Canada in 2015 was nearly $50 trillion, or $197 billion every business day. These encompass a wide range of payments made by Canadians and businesses involving inter-bank transactions, including those made with debit cards, pre-authorized debits, direct deposits, bill payments, wire payments and cheques. Payments Canada is the brand name of the Canadian Payments Association.