This episode of Payments on Fire covers two topics - payments in Atlanta and the essential challenge of online authentication and identity.

May in Atlanta - Fintech South and Glenbrook Payments Boot Camp

Everyone in the payments industry knows that Atlanta is a hotbed of activity. Coming shortly to Atlanta are two fintech-focused events that will add to the goings-on.

The Fintech South conference takes place on May 7 and 8. With great speakers - and great sponsors like Glenbrook and the Technology Association of Georgia - the conference describes itself as "FinTech South 2018 is a global exchange of insights, innovations and trends fueling tomorrow's financial tech industry.

"Attracting international companies and speakers across multiple industries, FinTech South is an opportunity to engage with 400 FinTech companies employing more than 130K employees globally, generating $72B in revenues, and processing over 118B transactions annually."

Speakers include:

• Kathryn Petralia, President and Co-founder of Kabbage
• Barry McCarthy, EVP of Network and Security Solutions at First Data
• Nuno Sebastiao, founder and CEO of Feedzai, who is also a past guest on Payments on Fire.
• Right after the conference ends, Glenbrook will host our Payments Boot Camp on May 9 and 10.

Both events draw will attendees from all over North America. So if you want to expand your network, hear the latest at the conference and/or get smart about how payments work, come to Atlanta.

Authentication, Biometrics, and Banking

Authentication online remains one of the most challenging aspects of life online. Given the complete availability of personal data, account takeover has never been easier for the hackers. Knowledge-based authentication (KBA) asks softball questions like "what was your father's middle name?" Easy stuff to find online. User IDs and passwords are even easier to find. We have a problem.

Strengthening the connection between an accountholder's true identity - perhaps proven by a drivers license or passport - and the credentials that the user presents online is necessary and the topic of this Payments on Fire episode. George speaks with Andrew Gowasack, CEO and co-founder, of TrustStamp, an identity verification company using AI and facial biometrics to create a strong, unique digital credential. For a few use cases, TrustStamp also employs a blockchain-based database.

Andrew knows all about the Technology Association of Atlanta, too. So, take a listen and geek out in this conversation about authentication, biometrics, and how to answer the online conundrums of "who are you?" and "do I trust you?"