Prepaid Poised to Change Payments Landscape

Walmart thrust prepaid cards into the limelight this week with its introduction of Bluebird, a new U.S. prepaid offering in conjunction with American Express that boasts consumer-driven value-added services and ratchets up the stakes for all payments industry players. This is the latest and most compelling example of how prepaid is taking on growing significance around the world. At CARTES 2012, Paris, experts will highlight innovation, a necessity for those attempting to retain control of payments and banking services as well as a huge opportunity for newcomers looking to exert or extend their presence.

As several major players introduce increasingly sophisticated prepaid products, it’s clear that opportunity abounds.

For financial institutions, prepaid offers new revenue streams and opportunities to solidify customer relationships. For non-traditional players, it offers entree or entrenchment into the payments stream. For government entities, employers, and healthcare providers, it delivers efficient ways to dispense benefits. For merchants, it provides partnership, relationship, and sales opportunities. And for consumers -- banked, unbanked, and debanked alike -- modern prepaid offerings allow expanded choice and greater control over their finances.

The CARTES “Prepaid Market: New Opportunities” segment is Nov. 7 and is chaired by Gilles Coccoli of Edenred, France. Among the speakers is David Parker of the U.K.’s Polymath Consulting. He will highlight prepaid innovation around the world.

Antoine Laronze Groine of Oberthur Technologies, France, will focus on how innovation extends beyond product features. He will spotlight the smart kiosk, a new way of distributing prepaid cards.

Predictably, prepaid’s success means greater scrutiny from regulators. Chris Ellis of Yalamanchili, United Kingdom, will discuss addressing prepaid issues in Europe and beyond.

The final session “Prepaid Cards ready to change Retail, Loyalty and e-Commerce Business!” will be led by Hasan Erdal of TEB (BNP Paribas J.v.), Turkey.

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