Wednesday, September 7, 2022
Workshops, offered by the top three retail ATM manufacturers Hyosung, Triton and Genmega, will feature live demonstrations on new and recently enhanced product offerings, highlighting retail ATM innovations designed to meet ever-changing consumer behavior and industry compliance requirements. In addition, OEM representatives noted that each hour-long session will share new PCI hardware and software implementation guidance and best practices.
As previously reported in The Green Sheet, NAC leaders have worked closely with U.S. policymakers to preserve cash as a valid payment option at all points of interaction. On July 15, 2022, Congress voted to include the Payments Choice Act (PCA) in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a sweeping piece of legislation involving matters of national security.
Bruce Renard, executive director of NAC, has been tracking the PCA's progress for several years, winning bipartisan support in the U.S. House and Senate through continuous efforts by NAC's governmental affairs team, officers, board of directors and the Consumer Choice in Payment Coalition. Additional legislative updates on the bill will be shared in upcoming sessions at NAC2022, he stated.
"You will recall that this bill (S.4497) is the standalone Payment Choice Act, a companion bill recently introduced in the Senate by Senators Bob Menendez, D-N.J., and Kevin Cramer, R-N.D. Building bipartisan support of this bill will provide further support for maintaining the same provision as part of the NDAA," Renard said, adding the Joint House-Senate Committee will vote on PCA's fate as a standalone bill S.4497 or as part of the NDAA, in November 2022.
Renard noted that cashless ATMs, also called point of banking (POB) terminals, is another trending issue in the retail ATM space. Designed to mask marijuana sales as ATM withdrawals, the practice involves repurposing countertop credit card terminals into makeshift ATMs that route cannabis transactions over debit card rails, and is coming under scrutiny by government officials, financial institutions and card brands, he added.
NAC anticipates that regulators and card brands will enforce compliance and urged cannabis retailers to seek legitimate options for placing ATMs in their businesses. Noting that Visa's Plus network is reserved for ATM cash disbursements, NAC representatives warned that failure to comply with Plus network rules could result in non-compliance penalties, assessments and even business shutdowns. He added that legitimate options for ATM placements, involving impartial third-party service providers, are recommended. Experts will share additional updates in a NAC2022 session on fedeal cannabis banking/legalization developments, as well as current industry enforcement initiatives targeting unawsful cashless ATMs in dispensaries.
Renard told The Green Sheet that NAC2022 will build on NAC's momentum as the voice of independent ATM owners, deployers and suppliers. He also cited the following additional agenda highlights:
Renard thanked NAC advocates, sponsors, exhibitors and attendees for their continuing support of the National ATM Council, which was formed in 2011 to support the growing retail ATM ecosystem. "Join us for exceptional networking and great food and drink at NAC2022," he said. "It's time for ATM Nation to have some fun in the sun." 
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