Electronic benefits transfer (EBT) has been evolving quickly to give America’s most vulnerable households more opportunities to purchase groceries online. Some states have been piloting expansions of their EBT programs to include additional retailers, especially smaller local markets, or to integrate the service with other state benefit programs such as WIC.
With over 1 in 8 Americans (42 million people) receiving government benefits through EBT programs (such as SNAP and TANF) and the US government distributing over 200 billion dollars each year to these benefit programs, there is an urgent need for modernized financial infrastructure to support a growing number of EBT transactions. It would not be a stretch to say that advancements in EBT payment accessibility shape the future of financial inclusion in the US.
A Visionary Leader in FinTech Initiatives
Qian Yun (Tina) Chen has been a driving force behind these changes. A first-generation Canadian immigrant with nearly a decade of experience in payments and fintech, Chen transferred to Mastercard’s headquarters in the United States in 2018 and then went on to lead groundbreaking fintech initiatives at companies like Uber (where she worked on Uber Rent), Citibank (where she was one of the leaders who managed Spring by Citi, an end-to-end digital payments service modernizing e-commerce and B2B funds flows), and most recently Forage, where she has been a founding member.
Forage is a payments company that empowers a broader range of merchants to accept EBT payments by providing them with APIs and SDKs. Forage has received significant recognition recently, including being named to the 2024 Fintech Innovation 50 list, a prestigious annual compilation by GGV Capital and Crunchbase that highlights the most promising fintech companies. This accolade underscores Forage’s innovation in democratizing access to government benefits like SNAP EBT payments by providing the dignity of choice to 42 million Americans who rely on government assistance to access nutritious meals. Forage is the only USDA-approved third-party payment processor that offers retailers best-in-class software combined with dedicated service, enabling complex government payments online and guiding retailers through USDA authorization.
Chen has played a pivotal role in helping this startup build transformative systems from scratch, navigating rapid changes in the industry.
Passionate and forward-thinking, Chen has built scalable frameworks and led cross-functional teams to develop cutting-edge payment solutions for markets with no history of EBT integration. As the lead on the Uber-Forage partnership, she played a pivotal role in enabling Uber Eats to integrate EBT into its platform, helping bridge the gap between underserved communities and access to affordable food options.
Her work on the deal, which aimed to fight food insecurity, has been instrumental in empowering small stores and local food markets to integrate quickly, ensuring that families facing economic challenges can purchase food with ease through a more inclusive payment system. Chen’s expertise, honed during her time as an Uber alum, continues to drive innovation in expanding financial accessibility for those most in need.
Beyond her contributions to Forage, Chen has driven financial accessibility at scale, bridging the gap between traditional retail and emerging payment technologies. Through her leadership, she has helped major enterprises implement innovative and scalable solutions, expanding digital financial services for underprivileged communities.
Looking Ahead
As a trailblazer in fintech, Chen has cultivated a reputation for her relentless pursuit of innovation. Her tenure at Uber, Mastercard, and Forage has deepened her strategic creativity and sharpened her ability to pilot, iterate, and scale fintech initiatives. Reflecting on her experiences, she emphasizes that success in modernizing government benefits programs requires a strong foundation in both technical and business expertise—neither alone is sufficient to bring a project to completion. She also highlights that innovation thrives through continuous iteration, as refining solutions over time leads to meaningful progress. Additionally, she underscores the importance of standardization, as scalable solutions are critical for expanding EBT access to vulnerable communities.
Source: How Fintech Leader Qian Yun Chen Is Making EBT Payments More Accessible
