ACI Worldwide, a leading international provider of payment systems, announced today it was elected to the steering committee of the EMV Migration Forum, an independent cross-industry organization formed to help the payments ecosystem in the United States successfully move from magnetic stripe technology to secure EMV technology.
In addition, the company also announced that ACI's Dan Heimann, consulting manager, Back Office Solutions, was elected the vice-chairman of the steering committee by his committee peers. Mr. Heimann is recognized as a global EMV leader thanks to his role in helping payment organizations implement and maintain EMV programs since the initiative began in 1998.
"ACI is honored to be elected to the EMV Migration Forum," said Mr. Heimann. "The introduction of EMV is challenging and will require a great deal of collaboration and cooperation across many types of organizations including card issuers, merchant acquirers, merchants, ATM acquirers, vendors, card manufacturers, hardware manufacturers, card brands, processors and payment networks. However, the benefits will be significant - ranging from reduced card fraud to the ability to add innovative new products that take advantage of the power of the chip. These opportunities are serving as the necessary catalyst for the United States to move forward with EMV and we are excited to help guide this process."
ACI has played a leading role in EMV rollouts around the world. The company led implementations in Europe, starting with the United Kingdom, followed by Asia and, most recently, in Canada and Latin America. ACI's product suite and unmatched expertise make it an ideal partner to help companies manage the transition to EMV.
"The EMV Migration Forum has an important task ahead and is pleased to have the participation of the leaders representing such a broad perspective on board to achieve its goal," said Randy Vanderhoof, acting director, EMV Migration Forum. "The migration to EMV is well under way and our industry-led working committees are tackling tough issues such as debit, testing and certification, and education about EMV. The advances we have made up until now would have been a great deal more challenging if not for the work of the Forum and its members. I would like to thank ACI Worldwide for assuming this key role on the steering committee and congratulate Dan Heimann on his election as vice-chairman."