Blackhawk Network Named Winner in 10th Annual Pay Awards

PLEASANTON, Calif., Feb. 8, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Paybefore has selected Blackhawk Network's "Gift Card for Stock" as a 2016 Pay Awards winner in the Product of the Year category. For 10 years, Pay Awards has conferred the most prestigious recognition of excellence in the prepaid, mobile and emerging payments industry. The awards are presented annually by Paybefore, whose publications are a leading source of industry information for payments executives.

"We are thrilled that Gift Card for Stock has been recognized as a Pay Award winner," said David Tate, Blackhawk Network senior vice president, products and marketing. "As a pioneer of prepaid gift cards, payments tools and rewards, the launch of the Gift Card for Stock was a natural advancement for Blackhawk Network. The Gift Card for Stock is an enriching and educational gift that can teach someone about investing or help them dip a toe in the market for the first time. We're pleased to work with Stockpile to bring our network of retailers a brand new product category that promotes financial inclusion."

Gift Card for Stock is a prepaid gift card that comes in fixed denominations of $25, $50 and $100. The cards may be redeemed online for a variety of stocks or exchange traded funds (ETFs). When the holder redeems a Gift Card for Stock and opens a brokerage account, he or she receives fractional shares of real stock that he or she has chosen.

"We've been recognizing excellence and innovation in payments for 10 years. Once again, we saw nominees from across the globe tackling payments problems with mastery and ingenuity," says Loraine DeBonis, Paybefore editor-in-chief and chair of the judging panel. "From Silicon Valley startups to established powerhouses, the winners in this year's competition reflect a dynamic industry with no sign of slowing its pace of expansion and change. We're proud to recognize the contributions of Blackhawk Network to advancing electronic payments."

Gift Card for Stock now competes for Best-in-Category distinction, which will be announced during the Pay Awards ceremony on March 21 at the All Payments Expo. Visitors to Paybefore.com will have a chance to vote on Best-in-Category through Feb. 29. The outcome of this vote will be aggregated and combined with the judging panel's picks to determine Best-in-Category honorees.

About Blackhawk Network
Blackhawk Network Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAWK) is a leading prepaid and payments global company, which supports the program management and distribution of gift cards, prepaid telecom products and financial service products in a number of different retail, digital and incentive channels. Blackhawk's digital platform supports prepaid across a network of digital distribution partners including retailers, financial service providers, and mobile wallets. For more information, please visit www.blackhawknetwork.com and www.giftcardmall.com.

About Stockpile
Stockpile is revolutionizing the investment world. Stockpile Gift Cards—now available at select grocery stores and retailers in addition to online—can be redeemed for stock in your favorite companies. Buy them for yourself or give them to friends and family of any age with no account minimum. Founded in 2010 and headquartered in Palo Alto, Calif., Stockpile promotes financial inclusion, empowerment, and literacy by enabling access for all to the financial markets. To learn more about this convenient and delightful way to invest, visit www.stockpile.com.

About Paybefore
Paybefore is the leading information provider to prepaid, mobile and emerging payments industry professionals, offering the latest news, commentary and analysis. Paybefore's family of media properties includes: Paybefore.com; Pay News; Pay Gov; Pay Week; Pay Op-Ed; Pay Magazine, Pay Awards Magazine and a global payments directory, Pay Connect available online. Visit us at www.paybefore.com.

CONTACT:
Ashley Jackson
[email protected]
719-332-3495

SOURCE Blackhawk Network

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