01/06/2026

SFE Celebrates Golden Anniversary in 2026

SFE Will Celebrate the Milestone with a New Logo; Updated Mission, Vision, and Values; and Special Commemorative Events, Beginning at its Annual Conference, Digital Directions, Taking Place April 7-9

 New Orleans, La., January 06, 2026 – Southern Financial Exchange (SFE), a leading payments association serving financial institutions across the East and West South-Central United States, proudly marks its golden anniversary in 2026, celebrating five decades of serving, leading, and empowering its members, as well as financial services and payments professionals within the greater community. In recognition of this milestone, SFE also unveils its new logo, a more modern, visual representation of the values of adaptability, creativity, and teamwork that embody SFE. The brand refresh will support and grow the SFE community in today’s evolving payments landscape.

“We are so honored and humbled to be able to celebrate 50 years of SFE,” said Pamela T. Rodriguez, AAP, CIA, CISA, SFE’s president & CEO. “Over the past 50 years, the financial services and payments industry has undergone an unprecedented evolution, from the advent of ACH to mobile payments to instant transactions and cryptocurrency. We have been here to support our members and the payments community through every development with education, tools and resources, news and information, consultative services, and so much more. We are so proud to have served this community for the past five decades, and we look forward to continuing to serve it in the future.”

 Mission, Vision, and Values

Along with the celebration of 50 years of service, the SFE Board of Directors has approved new mission, vision, and value statements to reflect today’s landscape:

• Mission: We equip organizations with payments expertise, enabling them to achieve their goals.
• Vision: We will continually strive to be the preferred payments partner for education, audit, risk management, and consultation services. We will remain actively engaged as respected and influential member advocates and industry leaders.
• Values:
  • Adaptability – We stay flexible and open to change, ready to adjust and grow with the dynamic payments industry.
  • Creativity – We welcome new ideas and fresh perspectives, finding smart solutions and turning challenges into opportunities for growth.
  • Teamwork – We collaborate, share ideas, and support each other in all that we do.

 Annual Conference and Celebration

SFE will kick off its 50^th anniversary celebration at its 36^th Annual Conference, Digital Directions. Digital Directions 2026, which will take place April 7-9, at Perdido Beach Resort in Orange Beach, Ala., will explore the banking and payments industry's most pressing topics including payments risk and compliance, fraud, instant payments innovation, and more. The event will also feature special activities and commemorative events including fireworks and a bonfire on the beach.

“Digital Directions 2026 will be a monumental event for the SFE community,” said Rodriguez. “Not only will we celebrate our 50^th anniversary, but through an assembly of national, regional, and local industry experts and leaders, we will arm the community with the information and resources needed to be successful throughout the year and beyond. Digital Directions 2026 will be the event of the year.”  

At Digital Directions 2026, industry professionals will find the following opportunities for education and engagement:

• Keynotes and general sessions featuring Jane Larimer, President & CEO of Nacha, and leaders from the Federal Reserve, The Clearing House, Capital One, Regions Bank, and others
• Pre-conference workshops that provide a deeper dive on key topics like cryptocurrencies, fraud, compliance, and more (included with registration)
• Concurrent sessions focused on three key tracks: Fraud, Risk & Compliance, Payments Innovation
• An exhibit hall with leading banking and payments solution/service providers
• Networking events to connect and engage with other industry professionals
• And a host of other activities to celebrate the 50^th anniversary and to support learning and collaboration

Registration and sponsorship opportunities for Digital Directions 2026 are now available. For more information, visit SFEDigital.org.

About Digital Directions 2026
Digital Directions is SFE’s Annual Conference. Digital Directions 2026 will take place April 7-9, at Perdido Beach Resort in Orange Beach, Ala. Annually, the conference convenes nearly 200 banking and payments leaders, influencers, solutions providers, and other professionals to explore the topics impacting the larger financial services industry. Featuring an exhibit hall, workshops, general and concurrent sessions, networking events, and more, the conference serves as a must-attend event for industry professionals in the east and west south-central region. For more information and to register, visit SFEDigital.org.

About SFE
As a leading payments association, SFE equips organizations with payments expertise, enabling them to achieve their goals. Through education, audit, risk management, and consultation services, SFE serves as a preferred partner and as a respected and influential member advocate. The SFE team prioritizes adaptability, creativity, and teamwork to better serve the SFE community in today’s dynamic payments landscape. For more information, visit SFE.org.

###