The Point 2016 – an A to Z of digital disruption in payments

The payments industry is constantly changing and being enabled by advancements in technology, fintech disruption, and the ongoing growth of the digital economy. For the industry to keep up, businesses need to continuously innovate and deliver new customer experiences while also ensuring payments are simple and secure for Kiwis.

Payments NZ plays an important role in bringing the payments community together to discuss and debate these challenges. A key forum for this is their conference, The Point, which is held every two years and is the only industry-wide payments conference in New Zealand. This year's conference, The Point 2016 is on 8-9 November in Auckland.

The two-day conference programme has a fantastic line-up of international and local speakers covering a host of topics, including mobile and in-app payments, digital identity, immediate payment solutions, cyber-security, APIs, digital disruption, market platforms, blockchain and more, all aligned with the conference theme: Taking it to the next level.

The morning sessions on day one will set the scene for the conference and anchor the theme. Payments NZ Chief Executive, Steve Wiggins, will give an opening address, followed by a welcome from Principal Sponsor, VocaLink, a keynote panel of bank executives, a presentation from The Reserve Bank, and a keynote from internationally recognised payments thought leader, David Birch.

In the afternoon, the first breakout stream is all about the consumer and how demand for new and better payments across all sectors is driving innovation. Speakers from Spark, Kiwibank, Loyalty NZ and others will give a local perspective, while Latipay fills us in on the consumer juggernaut that is China, and BPAY provides insights from the Australian market.

The concurrent breakout stream is on the importance of dynamic networks. The focus will be on the role of APIs, how the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is leading the web to its full potential, and a panel on how dynamic networks enable innovation.

The afternoon continues with plenary addresses from Visa and Swift focused on digital globalisation and disruption. The final session of the day is the Fintech Innovation Challenge where fintech startups will compete in a round of quick-fire presentations to the conference delegation.

Day two kicks-off with international keynotes from futurist, Ross Dawson and Paul Stoddart, Managing Director of VocaLink, a large international infrastructure player based in the UK.

The mid-morning session will include concurrent breakout streams on tech intelligence and the payments system.

Tech intelligence focuses on technology game changers and system enablers, with speakers covering digital identity, fraud and cyber-security, followed by a panel on blockchain and distributed ledgers.

At the same time, the form and reform of payments systems around the globe will be discussed with case studies from Australia's New Payments Platform (NPP), APCA and Payments UK.

The final afternoon keynote session focuses on eco-system capability, trade and the economy, and technology enablement now and into the future with two international keynotes and a fireside chat with local business commentators Shamubeel Eaqub and Stephen Jacobi.

The Point 2016 is not to be missed. The line-up of local and international talent, unparalleled networking opportunities and focus on cutting edge technology and new thinking makes it a must-attend for all professionals working in the payments space.

Payments NZ is offering TechDay readers the special rate of $1150+GST. Simply go to the registration page, click on register now, and enter the discount code: TECHDAYNZ16​