From agentic AI and digital identity to quantum security and payment resilience, many of the forces reshaping the global card ecosystem will be on the agenda in Paris at TRUSTECH 2026.
As a strategic partner of TRUSTECH, the International Card Manufacturers Association (ICMA) supports the event’s role in bringing together organizations and professionals from across payments, identity, cybersecurity and secure technologies. The partnership aligns with ICMA’s mission to connect and advance the global card ecosystem by encouraging knowledge exchange, strengthening connections across complementary sectors and ensuring the card industry’s perspective remains part of broader conversations shaping the future of payments and identity.
What happens to payments when AI agents begin shopping and transacting on behalf of consumers? How should the card industry prepare for a post-quantum security environment? What role will secure credentials play as governments and businesses build increasingly digital identity ecosystems?
These are no longer distant questions. They are issues that could influence how cards and credentials are designed, manufactured, personalized, secured and used in the years ahead.
For ICMA members, TRUSTECH provides another window into these developments and an opportunity to hear directly from organizations working on technologies that could influence the future of the card industry.
Taking place December 1-3, 2026, at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, TRUSTECH brings together professionals spanning payments, identity, cybersecurity and secure credentials. For card manufacturers, personalizers, suppliers, issuers and technology providers, its relevance lies in understanding how developments across these interconnected markets could affect their businesses.
Five Developments on the Industry Radar
TRUSTECH’s Pay Room and ID Room conference tracks will explore several issues with direct relevance to the global card ecosystem.
Agentic AI and the future of payments
As AI moves from assisting consumers to potentially conducting transactions on their behalf, the payments industry faces new questions around authentication, authorization, security and the role of existing payment credentials. For ICMA members, the important question is how these new forms of commerce could influence the technologies and infrastructure supporting card-based payments.
Preparing for quantum security threats
Quantum computing has the potential to challenge cryptographic methods used to protect today’s secure transactions and credentials. Understanding the industry’s progress toward quantum-resistant security can help manufacturers, suppliers and technology providers anticipate how chips, authentication technologies and secure credentials may need to evolve.
Identity as critical infrastructure
Digital identity is becoming increasingly important to governments, financial institutions and businesses around the world. Discussions surrounding identity as sovereign infrastructure can provide insight into the security, interoperability and credential requirements likely to influence future government ID and identity programs.
Resilience across payment ecosystems
As payment environments become more interconnected, security and operational resilience are increasingly important. Exploring how the industry is addressing these challenges can help ICMA members better understand what issuers, networks and technology partners may require from future products and solutions.
Human-centric digital ecosystems
As physical and digital experiences converge, consumers will continue to expect payments and identity credentials to be secure, convenient and intuitive. For the card industry, that raises an important challenge: how can physical credentials continue to deliver value as part of increasingly digital experiences?
The Innovation Stage will add another perspective through keynote sessions and exhibitor presentations focused on new developments across payment technology, identity, cybersecurity and related applications.
Technology Trends Taking Shape
The exhibition floor provides the opportunity to connect those larger industry discussions with technologies entering the market.
TRUSTECH expects nearly 200 exhibitors spanning the payments, identification and secure technologies sectors. Confirmed participants include ICMA members Atlantic Zeiser, Entrust, HID, Infineon Technologies and STMicroelectronics, along with other well-known industry companies such as Covestro, Identis, Matica Technologies, MULTOS, OVD Kinegram and Watchdata Technologies.
The broader exhibitor community spans areas including card manufacturing and personalization equipment, semiconductor technology, authentication, materials, embedded security, software and digital identity.
For ICMA members, that creates an opportunity to evaluate technologies in the context of their own operations. What new capabilities could improve production or personalization? Which technologies could influence future customer requirements? Where are suppliers investing? And which innovations could create opportunities for new products or services?
Perspectives from Across the Industry
Technology is only part of the value of an international event like TRUSTECH.
The event attracts professionals from Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, North America and Latin America, giving ICMA members an opportunity to meet customers, suppliers and potential partners from markets they may not regularly encounter.
Those conversations can provide valuable intelligence about how priorities differ by region, which technologies are gaining traction and where new opportunities may be emerging.
For an industry as global and interconnected as cards, payments and identity, those perspectives matter.
What These Developments Mean for ICMA Members
ICMA’s strategic partnership with TRUSTECH reflects the increasingly interconnected nature of the industries its members serve. Developments in payments, identity, authentication, cybersecurity and secure technologies can have direct implications for card manufacturers, personalizers, suppliers, issuers and technology providers.
Maintaining relationships across these complementary sectors helps ICMA bring a broader perspective to its members while ensuring the expertise and capabilities of the card industry remain represented in conversations about emerging technologies and market change.
For members who attend TRUSTECH, the event can provide additional context for those developments. A manufacturer may identify a technology with implications for production. A supplier may gain insight into an emerging customer requirement. A personalizer may see how secure credentials are evolving, while a technology provider may discover new applications or potential partnerships.
More broadly, ICMA’s relationship with TRUSTECH helps connect the card industry to the technologies and markets influencing its future. As the boundaries between physical cards, digital credentials, payments, identity and security continue to evolve, those connections will become increasingly important to understanding where the global card ecosystem is headed.
TRUSTECH 2026 takes place December 1-3 at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles. Visitor registration is now open for ICMA members interested in exploring the conference program, exhibitors and technologies represented at the event.
Why ICMA Membership Matters
ICMA remains committed to empowering the global card manufacturing community by helping members lead, innovate and grow. Through a strategic combination of industry marketing support and professional development, ICMA equips organizations and individuals with the tools they need to stay competitive in a rapidly evolving marketplace.
ICMA’s professional development programs are designed to strengthen both technical expertise and leadership capability. Offerings such as on-demand Advanced Card Education (ACE) and the Card Industry Training & Education (CITE) initiative help professionals deepen their knowledge, while flagship events like the EXPO and CardTREX bring together industry leaders to learn, connect and explore emerging innovations.
Members who engage in ICMA’s education programs and events don’t just keep pace with change—they help shape it. From contributing thought leadership to Card Manufacturing magazine to earning industry recognition through the Élan Awards of Excellence, ICMA provides meaningful opportunities for members to elevate their visibility and influence.
For card industry professionals seeking to stay informed, connected and future-ready, ICMA offers a clear path forward through education, exposure and community.
Discover the full value of ICMA membership and join a global network of professionals advancing the card industry.