Corporations Reach Out to Sponsor National Conference on Future of EBT.

HERNDON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 5, 1998--The number of corporate sponsors of a planned national conference on the future of Electronic Benefits Transfer systems (EBT) reached an even dozen Thursday with the announcement that DataCard Corp. and ECI Telecom had signed on to the event.

The conference, called EBT -- The Next Generation -- begins Sunday, Nov. 8 at the Marriott Metro Center in Washington, D.C. It is being hosted by the EBT Industry Council of the Electronic Funds Transfer Association (EFTA).

Representatives from government and industry in 31 states are slated to attend the event.

"We are thrilled and extremely gratified that the private sector has endorsed the need to discuss and analyze where EBT is headed over the next decade," said H. Kurt Helwig, EFTA executive director.

Charter sponsors of EBT -- The Next Generation include Citicorp Services Inc. and Burger, Carroll & Associates, a technology consulting firm based in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

General sponsors of the conference are Century Technologies (CENTECH); Zerco Systems International; Deluxe Electronic Payment Systems; Buypass Corp.; Lockheed Martin; BSI2000, an optical technology company; VeriFone Inc.; Concord EFS; DataCard Corp.; and ECI Telecommunications.

EBT -- The Next Generation has earned the support of companies in all industry segments of EBT, said Helwig, including systems integrators, processors, manufacturers, consultants, and telecommunications.

"Over the years there has been a lack of clear business information on EBT," Helwig explained. "The purpose of the conference will be to bring industry and government together to focus on the business and technology issues important to realizing the goal of a national EBT delivery system."

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 cost sharing partnerships, multi-program integration, recreational card services, digitized drivers licenses, government funded health and nutrition programs, campus cards and retail delivery systems.

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

About EFTA and the EBT Industry Council

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 Fujitsu ICL Systems, M&I Data Services,Mag-Tek, Inc, and Merrill Lynch.

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. Its members include EBT processors, suppliers, equipment manufacturers and consultants.