Payment Forum - The MasterCard forum is to discuss payment card best practices with colleagues from around the world.

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Attendees include representatives from MasterCard member financial institutions; U.S. federal, state and local government agencies; and international public sector organizations. The forum will feature discussion about the need for more-effective card program administration through better use of risk management and business intelligence tools to track spending; improve transparency; ensure policy compliance; and control waste, fraud and card misuse.

According to Eva Robinson, vice president, Global Public Sector Business Development at MasterCard International, "The goal of the 2006 Global Public Sector Forum is to provide attendees with valuable insight into the future of public sector payment card programs. Payment cards have become indispensable to the efficient management of financial assets, and our goal is to encourage dialogue that will help public sector organizations become better stewards of public funds."

During the opening day of the forum, professor Richard Palmer of Eastern Illinois University will debut the results of his 2005 Purchasing Card Benchmark Survey, focusing on trends and best practices in government-managed card programs. Palmer stated: "Payment cards remain powerful tools to streamline costs and reduce purchase cycles. Our survey indicates that average cost per transaction with a purchasing card is only 25 percent of the average cost to complete a traditional, paper-based transaction. Driven by new technologies and advances in electronic and management controls, methods and procedures, the potential for U.S. federal payment cards programs remains great."

The second day of the forum will be devoted to discussing global public sector programs. It will feature panel discussions about effective card programs including travel, fleet, one-card and prepaid programs, and an Innovations Showcase covering the key technologies agencies can leverage for effective government card program management.

In addition, the second day will feature discussions about opportunities and challenges in the European Union. Among the presenters is Gustavo Piga, professor of economics at the University of Rome, which said: "Today, the European Union is increasingly focused on ways to reduce wasteful public spending, encourage competition and promote accountability,? said Piga. ?The public sector procurement card, while still largely underutilized compared with use in the U.S., could constitute a tremendously important instrument in the hands of EU policy-makers. The MasterCard Global Public Sector Forum provides a venue to explore available procurement solutions and discuss the ongoing efforts to strengthen EU economic policies."

Information about the MasterCard Public Sector Payment Programs:

MasterCard International has developed products and services that help public sector organizations conduct their work more efficiently and economically. Whether serving a federal government, city government, university, school district, public utility or hospital, MasterCard aims to provide best-in-class card programs and payment solutions tailored to the needs of public sector clients.

Key benefits offered by MasterCard payments solutions include:
Unsurpassed global payment acceptance.
Enhanced transaction data and authorization controls.
Comprehensive reporting (with added capabilities for state and local governments).
Increased savings and efficiency.
Unified data capture.
Ability to retrieve the most precise socioeconomic information available.