Compass Plus, an international provider of retail banking and electronic payments software to processors and financial institutions, is leading the support for the Emerging Payments Association’s (EPA) first Retail PayTech Forum. The event aims to create a platform for Retailers to discuss issues they have around payments.

Earlier in 2016, the EPA invited retailers across a range of industries – including Sainsbury’s, McDonald’s, Ocado and The Post Office – to share and discuss the challenges they faced when assessing and adopting PayTech innovations. In openly sharing and discussing the challenges individual retailers faced, a lot of common ground was found between the participants.

Juan Andrade, Payments Manager at Secret Escapes, attended one of these meetings. He said: “Retailers have a clear requirement for a platform that brings together payments expertise from across the retail industry – a demand that is not currently being met.”

Now, with support from sponsor Compass Plus, the EPA has addressed the lack of such a platform by bringing together a PayTech-focused retailer community at the first Retail PayTech Forum. The Forum will educate delegates on new technologies, regulations and products; allow delegates to share knowledge on both current and anticipated issues; and provide a platform for discussion of retailer-led collaborative opportunities, such as establishing a standard for PayTech companies to conform to when developing application process interfaces (API) or software development kits (SDK).

Commenting on Compass Plus’ support for the Forum, which takes place today at London’s Andaz Hotel, Paul Love, Principle Product Manager at Compass Plus said: “The EPA’s Retail PayTech Forum is the ideal setting to explore the opportunities made available by new technologies, regulations and products, as well as providing a platform for sharing knowledge and experience of their adoption by consumers.

“Compass Plus is delighted to be helping bring these forward-thinking companies together to engage in some very constructive discussions around PayTech.”

Speakers at the inaugural Retail PayTech Forum will include Nathalie Oestmann, Director and Head of Samsung Pay Europe, Caroline Rolfe, Co-Founder and Commercial Director of Runninginheels.com and Ben Fricke – a long standing figure in the food industry.