Assessing the Impact of Electronic Benefits Transfer

First, what impact has EBT economics and technology had on our nation’s payment systems and communities? Second, as more benefit programs and payments convert from paper-based to card-based systems, what can we expect in the future?

To answer the first question and initiate a dialogue on the second, the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia’s Payment Cards Center and its Community Affairs Department in conjunction with the Electronic Funds Transfer Association’s EBT Industry Council sponsored a conference, Assessing the Impact of Electronic Benefits Transfer on America’s Communities and the U.S. Payment System, on September 20 and 21, 2004.

The meeting provided a forum for representatives from banking, EBT servicing, consulting, community development organizations, and state and federal agencies to assess the impact of EBT on communities, examine EBT’s legacy as a payment system, and look ahead to EBT’s continuing role in American communities.