TORONTO, April 21, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Payments Canada is set to welcome more than 300 speakers and over 2,000 delegates to discuss the future of payments at The Payments Canada SUMMIT, Canada’s premier payment event.
Taking place at Toronto’s Automotive Building from May 5 to 7, 2026, The SUMMIT will bring together leaders and innovators from across the ecosystem to discuss the topics shaping the future of payments. Over 320 organizations are expected to be in attendance, representing key industries including financial services, banking, technology, fintech, retail, government and more.
This year’s theme, Accelerate Economic Growth, focuses on how the modernization of payments aligns with national priorities to build a stronger, more competitive Canadian economy.
Susan E. Hawkins, President and CEO at Payments Canada, will deliver opening remarks to commence this year’s event. Other speakers include:
- Anne Butler, Managing Director, Supervision at the Bank of Canada, joining an expert panel on preserving financial stability while supporting economic growth.
- Erin Elofson, President at Mastercard Canada, on how automation, AI and data-driven intelligence are accelerating the evolution of payments.
- Holger Kormann, President and CEO at Symcor, on transforming fraud prevention from a fragmented challenge into a strategic advantage.
- Jana Mackintosh, Managing Director, Payments and Innovation at UK Finance, in a conversation on how tokenized deposits can help bridge the gap to tomorrow’s digital economy.
- Jeremy Wilmot, President and CEO at Interac Corp., on delivering digital prosperity and sovereignty for Canada.
- Jude Pinto, Chief Delivery Officer at Payments Canada, leading a strategic update on Canada’s Real-Time Rail and what lies ahead.
- Michiel Wielhouwer, President and Country Manager at Visa Canada, on the evolution of payments and the future of commerce in Canada.
- Will Keliehor, Chief Client Officer at Peoples Group, in a fireside chat on how competition will reshape Canadian payments and unlock gross domestic product (GDP) growth.
Deep dive sessions will return on day three, by popular demand. These half-day experiences combine expert talks, ask-me-anythings (AMAs) and case studies on some of the most complex and critical topics in payments:
- Leading large-scale payment transformation
- Open banking
- Digital assets
- AI and payments
- Fraud prevention and mitigation
- Real-time payments
Additional program highlights include the exhibit hall, where delegates will engage with the top organizations transforming payments, the Idea Exchange, an interactive stage that turns ideas into action, and The SUMMIT Social, The SUMMIT’s always-anticipated flagship networking event.
Don’t miss this opportunity to make meaningful industry connections and take part in the conversations that are building Canada’s future. Register at thesummit.ca to secure your ticket.
Can’t join us in Toronto? Register for the digital experience to get access to a live stream of the main stage and join The SUMMIT community to connect with fellow delegates.
About Payments Canada:
Payments Canada enables prosperity, productivity and safety for Canada through trusted, critical national payment infrastructure. As a public-purpose, not-for-profit organization, we own and operate Canada’s critical national payment systems: Lynx, our high-value payment system; the Automated Clearing Settlement System (ACSS), our retail batch payment system; and the forthcoming Real-Time Rail (RTR). We establish the by-laws, rules and standards that govern these systems, which cleared and settled $103 trillion in 2025 — more than $411 billion every business day. Transactions that pass through our systems include debit card payments, pre-authorized debits, direct deposits, bill payments, wire payments and cheques. In collaboration with our diverse membership, we continue to modernize Canada’s payment ecosystem to promote innovation, competition and deliver efficiencies that power a modern economy.
For media inquiries, please visit Payments Canada’s media centre.
Media Contact: vmcmullen@payments.ca
