About PacPay
The Pacific Payments Alliance, also known as “PacPay,” was originally formed as a non-profit organization to oversee the private sector automated clearinghouse, known as Hawaii’s Regional Processing Center (RPC). In the years since PacPay’s formation, our role has evolved beyond the supervision of the RPC. The mission of the PacPay is to promote the safe, secure, and efficient use of the payment systems that serve our members in the State of Hawaii and their communities. Large financial institutions to community banks and credit unions have designated PacPay and Macha as their exclusive Payments Associations. Macha has been PacPay's chosen educational and support partner since 2018.
Mission Statement
The mission of the Pacific Payments Alliance (“PacPay”) is to promote the safe, secure, and efficient use of the electronic payment systems that serve our members in the State of Hawaii and the communities they operate in. This mission will be accomplished through a program that seeks to:
- Educate members on the safe and secure use of electronic payment systems.
- Advocate on behalf of our members in the development of payment system rules and legislation.
- Negotiate for our members to obtain regional processing that meets the special needs of Hawaii financial institutions.
- Serve as a unified voice for the Hawaii financial institutions.
We Stand Resolute as Your Steadfast and Trustworthy Partners
PacPay and Macha are working closely together, fostering a robust partnership that benefits all our members.
PacPay-Macha Help Desk
Hours: 5 a.m. to 4 p.m. HST
Phone: (410) 859-0090
Fax: 262-345-1246
Email: info@macha.org
PacPay History
The founding of Pacific Payments Alliance dates back to 1981, when at the request of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, the Hawaii Bankers Association, the Hawaii Credit Union League, the Hawaii League of Savings Institutions and the California Automated Clearinghouse Association (“CACHA”) undertook a cooperative effort to establish the Hawaii Electronic Funds Transfer Association, or HEFTA.
In February 1981, HEFTA was named advisor to the board of CACHA to represent Hawaii members.
HEFTA was later incorporated as a non-profit institution in 1984 under the laws of the State of Hawaii. In that same year, HEFTA established a private sector automated clearinghouse, known as the Hawaii Regional Processing Center, specifically designed to meet the needs of Hawaii financial institutions.
In 1994, CACHA was renamed the Western Payments Alliance (“Wespay”), merged with the Bankers Clearing House (completed 2001), sold the check portion of the business to The Clearing House (TCH) in 2004, and returned at that point to an ACH-centric payments association (but with an eye to points of overlap and shared interests with other payment systems). HEFTA changed its name to the Pacific Payments Alliance (“PacPay”) in order to better reflect the expanding role of its members in the Pacific Rim.
In January of 2018, Macha, previously named PAR/WACHA, began servicing the PacPay membership. Macha provides a Help Desk from 5 a.m. to 4 p.m. HST (800-453-1843), updates, training and events that strengthen the knowledge of payments professionals.
Membership in PacPay (Regular or Associate) is available to qualifying applicants.
Want to Learn More About What Your PacPay Membership Includes?
PacPay Partners with Macha
PacPay selected Macha, previously PAR/WACHA, to bring extensive payment and compliance services to Hawaii’s financial industry. Macha’s mission is to increase the understanding and use of payment networks by providing education, operational support, and advocacy to payments professionals. Focused on leading edge solutions and ideas, Macha provides quality education on all payment systems including Faster Payments, audits, risk assessments and a range of other support services all focused on helping our members meet their goals and objectives with minimal risk.
