TROY, Mich., Mar. 2, 2016 - Electronic Payment Exchange (EPX), an industry-leading full-service credit card, debit card and electronic check (ACH) payment processor, has announced it is a finalist for the 2016 PYMNTS Innovator Award for Best Comeback Story. The awards are one of the highlights of the PYMNTS 2016 Innovation Project, scheduled for March 16-17, 2016, on the campus of Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass. EPX was chosen as a Best Comeback Story finalist after its acquisition by North American Bancard Holdings (NABH) allowed the company to start fresh from bankruptcy.

EPX was acquired by NABH in 2014. The partnership with NABH enables EPX to tap into NABH’s market-leading sales, marketing and customer support. It also allows NABH to leverage EPX’s product offerings to pursue new and more complex market segments, including international markets. The collaboration deepens NABH’s position in the payments space by enhancing its ability to deploy and support payment solutions to merchants, sales partners and financial institutions. In addition, EPX’s payment compression functionality helps reduce merchants’ transactions costs. EPX continues to operate its own fully integrated credit card authorization, clearing and settlement platforms, offering real-time interchange optimization and state of the art secure transaction solutions to some of the nation’s largest merchants. EPX has a portfolio of over $18 billion in annual processing volume.

“We are honored that EPX has been nominated for the Best Comeback Story Award,” said Terri Harwood, COO of North American Bancard Holdings. “Our acquisition of EPX gave it a larger, broader, and more complete portfolio of merchants, but it has also allowed us to become a true end-to-end solution, and strengthen our position within the payments space. Before we acquired EPX, we found ourselves relying on third party partners far more than we preferred. EPX has enabled us to greatly reduce our dependence on these partners, which has, in turn, improved our market share. This award shows that our hard work in making this platform happen is being recognized and appreciated by our industry peers.”

Powered by PYMNTS.com, the Innovation Project brings the best and the brightest minds in the payments industry, including established players, emerging disruptors, and entrepreneurial visionaries, to the campus of Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass. This year’s theme of Payments on the Edge focuses on how payments are enabling commerce at the endpoints of many different ecosystems and opportunities. The Innovator Awards, which are presented in 15 categories, will be presented on March 17 at the Innovator Awards Dinner, concluding the two-day conference.

To view the full list of nominees, visit http://www.pymnts.com/2016-innovators-awards/.

About Electronic Payment Exchange

Founded in 1979, Electronic Payment Exchange (EPX) is a full-service credit card, debit card, stored value, and electronic check (ACH) payment transaction processor with over $18 billion in annual processing volume. Its unmatched expertise in processing security allows EPX to offer merchants the most secure and cost-effective payment processing services. As a wholly owned subsidiary of award-winning North American Bancard, one of the electronic payment processing industry’s leading solution providers, EPX will continue to research, build, implement, and support industry-leading payment processing solutions that facilitate PCI compliance, protect merchants, and enhance consumer confidence. For more information, visit http://www.epx.com.