U.S. Payments Forum

What U.S. Payments Forum does

The U.S. Payments Forum is a non-profit, cross-industry membership organization founded in 2012 (originally as the EMV Migration Forum, renamed in August 2016) and operating as an affiliated, self-sustaining chapter under the Secure Technology Alliance. Headquartered in Redwood City, California, with a small staff of fewer than 10 people, the Forum convenes global payment networks, issuers, merchants, acquirers/processors, industry suppliers, regional debit networks, and government agencies to coordinate implementation of emerging payment technologies in the U.S. Its substantive output is educational and coordinative rather than technological: nine active working committees (ATM, Communication and Education, Debit Routing, EV Open Payments, Emerging Payments, Mobility and Transport Payments, Payments Fraud, Petroleum, Testing and Certification) plus Special Interest Groups produce white papers, executive summaries, FAQs, infographics, podcasts, webinars, and quarterly market snapshots.

The Forum's product surface centers on the working committee structure and the annual Identity & Payments Summit (co-located with Secure Technology Alliance), supported by a collaboration portal and member-only content library covering EMV chip migration, tokenization, mobile and contactless payments, card-not-present fraud mitigation, EMV 3-D Secure, mobile driver licenses, AI-driven fraud, and emerging topics such as agentic commerce and EV charging payment acceptance. Recent 2025-2026 launches include the Mobile and Digital Wallets 2025 Edition white paper, an EMV 3-D Secure Mini-Series (four briefs), an EV Charging Payment Acceptance infographic, a Machine Learning and Fraud podcast, and an AI-Driven Financial Scams educational deck.

Revenue is generated entirely through membership dues across five tiers: Leadership ($14,000-$30,000, mandatory $30,000 for Global Payment Networks), Principal ($4,000-$16,000), General ($1,200-$8,000), Associate ($2,100, for government/education/associations), and Individual ($1,200, $50 for students). Membership runs 12 months with automatic renewal, and all tiers include complimentary event passes, LEAP membership, unlimited committee participation, and access to the collaboration portal. The membership roster exceeds 100 organizations spanning global brands, issuers, merchants, acquirers/processors, industry suppliers, consultants, government agencies, and regional networks.

Name

U.S. Payments Forum

Legal name

U.S. Payments Forum

Website

https://uspaymentsforum.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The U.S. Payments Forum is a non-profit, cross-industry membership body that convenes global payment networks, issuers, merchants, processors, suppliers, and government agencies to coordinate implementation of emerging U.S. payment technologies through working committees, white papers, and an annual summit.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Princeton Junction

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: The primary revenue stream is membership dues from organizations across the payments ecosystem. Dues are structured in five tiers based on organizational type and annual revenue: Leadership ($14,000-$30,000/year), Principal ($4,000-$16,000/year), General ($1,200-$8,000/year), Associate for government/education/associations ($2,100/year), and Individual ($1,200/year or $50 for students). Membership runs for 12 months and renews automatically.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The U.S. Payments Forum operates as a cross-industry membership body that coordinates implementation of emerging payment technologies across the U.S. payments ecosystem. It delivers value through nine working committees, an extensive library of white papers, implementation briefs, infographics, FAQs, podcasts, and webinars, biannual in-person member meetings, and an annual Identity & Payments Summit. Members gain access to educational resources, peer networking, and a neutral governance platform led by an elected cross-industry Steering Committee.

Product overview

The U.S. Payments Forum is a cross-industry body that provides educational resources, guidance documents, and hosts events for the payments industry. The Forum's offerings include white papers (Mobile and Digital Wallets 2025 Edition, Petroleum AFD Certification Roadmap), educational resources (EMV 3-D Secure Mini-Series, AI-Driven Financial Scams, Machine Learning and Fraud Podcast), infographics (EV Charging Payment Acceptance), and FAQ resources (Transit PCI PTS POI Requirements). The Forum organizes its work through nine Working Committees covering ATM, Communication and Education, Debit Routing, EV Open Payments, Emerging Payments, Mobility and Transport Payments, Payments Fraud, Petroleum, and Testing and Certification. The Forum also hosts the annual Identity & Payments Summit and runs the Summer Education Series for members.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Working Committees Nine member-led working committees (ATM, Communication and Education, Debit Routing, EV Open Payments, Emerging Payments, Mobility and Transport Payments, Payments Fraud, Petroleum, Testing and Certification) that produce white papers, guidance documents, and educational resources for the U.S. payments industry. Plus Special Interest Groups and Birds of a Feather sessions.
• Identity & Payments Summit Annual multi-day conference featuring sessions on identity, payments, authentication, AI, digital wallets, mobile driver licenses, and emerging payment technologies, with specialized tracks on identity & access, payments, and emerging/converging technology.
• Mobile and Digital Wallets: U.S. Landscape and Strategic Guidance (2025 Edition) White paper for merchants, issuers, and the payments ecosystem on mobile and digital wallet strategies, technologies, and security approaches to support implementation and innovation.
• EMV 3-D Secure Mini-Series Concise multi-brief resource covering EMV 3DS fundamentals, Data Only Mode, Requestor-Initiated (3RI) authentication, and advanced capabilities for agentic commerce.
• Fraud Prevention and Awareness: AI-Driven Financial Scams Educational slide deck covering generative-AI-driven financial scams, deepfakes, AI-enhanced phishing, synthetic identities, fake storefronts, and detection/mitigation strategies for payments industry professionals.
• Machine Learning and Fraud: A Practitioner Perspective Podcast Podcast featuring payments and fraud-prevention practitioners discussing real-time machine learning applications, predictive vs. generative AI in fraud, model governance, and emerging threats such as deepfakes.
• Petroleum AFD Certification Roadmap Executive summary examining upcoming EMV and PCI PTS POI certification changes affecting outdoor automated fuel dispensers (AFDs), with industry impact and implementation guidance for petroleum merchants and integrators.
• EV Charging Payment Acceptance Infographic Infographic exploring practical considerations for EV charging payments, including transaction flows, payment integration models, interoperability, and fraud considerations across evolving charging ecosystems.
• Payment Network Requirements for PCI PTS POI Devices in Transit FAQ Practical FAQ resource clarifying PCI PTS POI requirements for transit payment terminals, including contactless-only devices, and summarizing payment network guidance for transit agencies and operators.
• Summer Education Series Virtual member-exclusive educational series featuring member-led sessions on agentic payments, tokenization, merchant and issuer collaboration, and crypto/stablecoins.

Quantifiable outcome

• 9 working committees actively producing guidance on critical payment technology topics annually
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers28 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability7 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Secure Technology AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2012The U.S. Payments Forum is an affiliated organization and integral part of the Secure Technology Alliance. Founded in August 2012 as the EMV Migration Forum and renamed in 2016, the Forum operates as an independent, self-sustaining chapter under Secure Technology Alliance ownership. The Alliance defines membership levels and provides governance oversight, with the Forum Steering Committee defining its annual budget reviewed and approved by the Alliance Board. Membership in the Alliance entitles participation in all forums and joint committees. The Forum is co-located with Alliance events including the Identity & Payments Summit.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Electronic Transactions Association: ETA is a leading payments industry trade association representing merchants, financial institutions, networks, and technology providers, with annual conferences, working committees, and educational resources—directly comparable membership-based industry model.
• Nacha: The governance and standards body for the ACH Network, Nacha operates a similar cross-industry membership model with working groups, educational resources, and annual events serving financial institutions, businesses, and technology providers in payments.
• The Clearing House Payments Company: Owned by large U.S. banks, The Clearing House operates RTP (real-time payments) and serves as an industry association with working groups and educational content for the payments ecosystem, comparable in scope and stakeholder model to the Forum.
• PCI Security Standards Council: Industry standards body governing PCI DSS, PCI PTS POI, and related security frameworks for the payments ecosystem. Highly comparable as a cross-industry membership organization producing implementation guidance, white papers, and FAQs that the Forum regularly references (e.g., its transit PCI PTS POI FAQ).
• EMVCo: Owned by the major global payment networks, EMVCo manages the EMV chip specifications that were the Forum's original founding purpose (as the EMV Migration Forum). Both organizations produce implementation guidance and standards-related educational resources for the same stakeholder audience.
• Merchant Advisory Group: MAG is a payments industry association focused on the merchant perspective, with working committees, member meetings, and educational content for large merchants on payments acceptance, security, and emerging technologies—mirroring the Forum's cross-industry coordination model from a merchant-centric angle.

Broad incumbents

• American Bankers Association: ABA is the broad trade association for the U.S. banking industry, with payments-related committees, working groups, and educational resources spanning retail banking, payments, and emerging tech. Less focused on payments implementation specifically than the Forum but covers a wider banking scope.

Emerging players

• ATM Industry Association: ATMIA is a global, non-profit trade association specifically for the ATM industry. Its scope is narrower than the Forum's but directly overlaps with the Forum's ATM Working Committee on EMV migration, cash dispenser security, and ATM-related fraud guidance.
• FIDO Alliance: FIDO Alliance develops open standards for passwordless authentication, increasingly relevant to payments authentication (3DS, EMV 3DS Mini-Series Brief #4 references FIDO-based verification). Comparable as a cross-industry standards organization producing implementation guidance and certification programs.

Others

• GlobalPlatform: GlobalPlatform standardizes secure element technologies used in payment cards, mobile devices, and IoT. It is an enabling/standards body in the payments value chain that the Forum's work on EMV and tokenization references, but its focus is more technical than the Forum's cross-industry coordination role.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/u-s-payments-forum
• Xx.com/uspaymentsforum

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about U.S. Payments Forum