'EBT -- The Next Generation' Garners Support of Industry Leader VeriFone Inc.

HERNDON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 3, 1998--H. Kurt Helwig, executive director of the Electronic Funds Transfer Association (EFTA), announced Tuesday that VeriFone Inc. has signed on as a corporate sponsor of EFTA's upcoming national conference on the future of EBT.

EBT -- The Next Generation begins Sunday, Nov. 8 at the Marriott Metro Center in Washington. EFTA's EBT Industry Council will host the event.

VeriFone is the leading provider of POS payment solutions for EBT transactions, with more than 100,000 terminal systems implemented expressly for EBT.

"We are honored and delighted that an industry leader like VeriFone has put its faith in the conference and in the future of EBT," said Helwig. "The sponsorship of companies like VeriFone speaks to the best-of-breed participation our Council and our conference enjoy."

About VeriFone Inc.

VeriFone Inc. is the world leader in electronic payment solutions that extend from the physical point of sale onto the Internet, with more than seven million terminals deployed.

VeriFone provides payment solutions to financial institutions, retailers, government agencies, Internet merchants, and e-commerce service providers, including telcos, and ISPs.

VeriFone hardware and software solutions combined with parent company Hewlett-Packard's (NYSE:HWP) technology expertise and resources create a set of proven electronic payment solutions for the global e-commerce marketplace.

About EBT -- The Next Generation

EBT -- The Next Generation is a national conference to examine the conversion of existing government services from paper documentation to electronic payment technologies, the Internet and interactive media.

The conference will feature government and industry leaders in seminars on such topics as multi-program integration, recreational card services, digitized drivers licenses, Medicaid, and campus cards.

EFTA's EBT Industry Council is the nation's longest standing trade group dedicated to the business and policy issues involved in electronic benefits transfer systems.

For more information on EBT -- The Next Generation, please visit the EFTA web site at http://www.efta.org.

About the Electronic Funds Transfer Association

Now in its third decade, the Electronic Funds Transfer Association is the nation's leading inter-industry trade association dedicated to electronic commerce and payments. EFTA members include Transaction Network Services Inc., First Union National Bank, and Electronic Payment Services Inc.