Prepaid: Innovation without limitations
Modern payments innovation brings better and more inclusive financial services for consumers, businesses and governments. But the potential offered by open banking and a real-time rail is currently theory versus practice in Canada.
Enter prepaid: the modern payments technology platform flourishing in Canada, driving consumer-friendly competition and providing the gateway for exciting new ways to bank, transact, get paid and grow inclusive access to financial services.
Join us at the CPPO Symposium, where we celebrate payments innovation without limitations.
Speakers
World-class presenters sharing exclusive content
Featured speakers of the 2023 CPPO Prepaid Symposium

Finavator
Michelle Beyo
CEO
Open Finance Network Canada Canada Interim President

Digital Financial Institute
Ellis Odynn
Executive Director

RBC
Sam Paulos
Director, Prepaid Services


Western Union
Jeff Johnson
Chief Prepaid Officer

Keep Technologies
Oliver Takach
CEO


Peoples Group
Karen Budahazy
CPPO Board Chair,
VP Digital Enablement and Issuing

Visa
Kimathi Marangu
Global Head of Prepaid

Mastercard
Nishant Raina
Director of Product Management for Small Business

Member of Parliament
Adam Chambers
Simcoe North

OmniPay
Simoun Ung
President & CEO

Visa
Ronda Kent
Senior Account Executive, Government Solutions

Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP
Jacqueline Shinfield
Partner

Leger
Lisa Covens
Senior Vice President, Public Affairs and Communications

Jeeves
William Lam
General Manager

The Fletcher Group
Jennifer Tramontana
Founder and President
CPPO Executive Director

Koho
Leslie Shaw
VP of Enterprise

Bank of Canada
Ron Morrow
Executive Director, Supervision

PAA Advisory | Conseils
Noah Niznick
Managing Director
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InComm Payments
Laura Titherington
Senior Director of Business Development









Agenda
JUNE 1
8:30 am - 9:00 am
Registration and Continental Breakfast
9:00 am - 9:15 am
Welcome Remarks - Jennifer Tramontana, CPPO Executive Director
9:15 am - 9:50 am
What's on the global horizon for prepaid: a research presentation from Visa
Over the past year, Visa’s Prepaid team conducted quantitative and qualitative research on the attitudes of digitally savvy consumers in select markets across every region. In this keynote, Kimathi Marangu will share key findings on this critical group, and highlight the similarities—and differences—that they found around the globe.
Speakers: Kimathi Marangu - Global Head of Prepaid, Visa
9:50 am - 10:25 am
Canadian consumers love prepaid (even if they don't know it)
As a $9B industry, prepaid is no longer just a physical card-based experience; it’s now embedded into transactions in ways that are invisible. Consumer research from Leger uncovers how Canadian consumers are using and loving prepaid, even if they don't know prepaid is enabling the experience.
Speakers: Lisa Covens - SVP, Public Affairs and Communications, Leger
10:25 am- 11:10am
Innovation Lounge (sponsored by Giesecke + Devrient) and Break
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11:10 am- 11:45 am
Keynote address on financial services innovation policy
Speaker: Adam Chambers - Member of Parliament for Simcoe North and Conservative Deputy Shadow Minister for Finance and Middle Class Prosperity
11:45 am- 12:20 pm
Playing to win: how prepaid is raising the stakes on gaming and gambling payments
In newly regulated iGaming environments such as Ontario, payment technology helps operators differentiate their brand from competitors and drive customer acquisition and loyalty. Learn from industry leaders at Incomm Payments how prepaid is enabling a payment experience that matches the ease of the customer experience in this fast-growing market.
Speakers: Laura Titherington - Senior Director Business Development, Incomm Payments
Mark Davison Smith - VP, Strategy and Business Development, Incomm Payments
Krishin Autar - Senior Manager, Operations and Payments - Canada, PointsBet
12:20 pm- 1:40 pm
Innovation Lounge and Lunch
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1:40 pm - 2:15 pm
Modernizing government payments to better serve constituents
Consumers and businesses have adopted digital payments for everything from paying bills and suppliers to ordering groceries and inventory. But what about governments? The public sector is leveraging technology to improve disbursements while driving greater efficiency into operations through the elimination of cheques. This panel will discuss US and Canadian case studies in delivering government payments safely and efficiently for disasters, emergencies, stimulus and social services.
Moderator: Noah Niznick - Managing Director, PAA Advisory | Conseils
Speakers: Simoun Ung - President and CEO, OmniPay
Sam Paulos - Director Prepaid Services, RBC
Ronda Kent - Senior Account Executive, Government Solutions, Visa
2:15 pm - 2:50 pm
99% banked isn’t 100% accurate
While Canada may claim that 99% of the population has access to a bank account, about 10% of the population doesn’t “bank” in traditional ways. And a growing segment is turning away from traditional financial institutions and adopting digital-first tools and institutions. How do we continue to improve the financial health of the underbanked and growing "branchless" consumer segment? What role might open banking play in helping more Canadians manage their money?
Moderator: Ellis Odynn - Executive Director, Digital Finance Institute
Speakers: Michelle Beyo - CEO, Finavator and Interim President, Open Finance Network Canada
Jeff Johnson - Chief Prepaid Officer, Western Union
Leslie Shaw - VP of Enterprise, Koho
2:50 pm - 3:25 pm
Real time innovation, without the RTR. How payments innovations are happening today, while we evolve the rails of tomorrow
The rapid growth of the Canadian open-loop prepaid market has cemented the case for prepaid being the innovation rail of choice in Canada. This panel discussion will explore how prepaid technology has become the preferred payment rail for emerging fintechs and established financial institutions bringing new and innovative products and services to market and what this means for the future of real-time payments.
Moderator: Karen Budahazy - CPPO Board Chair and VP Digital Enablement and Issuing, Peoples Group
Speakers: William Lam - General Manager, Jeeves
Oliver Takach - Co-Founder and CEO, Keep Technologies
Ed Woodson - Chief Legal Officer, Onbe
3:25 pm - 4:10 pm
Innovation Lounge (sponsored by Giesecke + Devrient) and Break
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4:10 pm - 4:45 pm
Consumer-friendly banking and financial services: a look at Canada's current global competitiveness and leadership potential
An intimate conversation with Bank of Canada's Executive Director of Supervision, Ron Morrow.
Moderator: Jacqueline Shinfield - CPPO Legal Advisor and Partner, Blake, Cassels and Graydon
Speaker: Ron Morrow - Executive Director, Supervision, Bank of Canada
4:45 pm - 5:20 pm
The expansion of prepaid for small business
Speakers: Nishant Raina - Director of Product Management for Small Business, Mastercard
5:20 pm - 5:30 pm
Closing Comments
Speaker: Karen Budahazy - CPPO Board Chair, Vice President Digital Enablement and Issuing, People's Group
5:30 pm - 6:30 pm
Networking Reception - sponsored by DC Bank


The Venue
ART GALLERY OF ONTARIO (AGO)
317 Dundas St W, Toronto, ON M5T 1G4
Powerful experiences take shape when art meets architecture. Designed by world-renowned, Toronto-born architect Frank Gehry, the Art Gallery of Ontario is Gehry’s first building in Canada and marks his initial connection between art and architecture.
The Art Gallery of Ontario is one of the largest and most distinguished art museums in North America. From cutting-edge contemporary art to masterpieces by Indigenous and Canadian artists, the museum has something for everyone. As a Toronto cultural icon, the AGO attracts a million visitors every year.
Network with your peers and join thoughtful discussions in this inspiring space.