Choosing the right card issuing model for your business

Payments and the Players: “Wait... what do they actually do?” Have you ever gone onto a company’s website, click on “Who We Are” or “What We Do”, and to be met with: “We are an end-to-end payments juggernaut designed to optimise payments performance and streamline financial operations through integration and simplification, while helping increase cashflow…” 🥴 In a landscape full of overlapping models and hybrid setups, figuring out where a company fits in the transaction flow can feel overwhelming. That’s the challenge I face when researching payments companies (whether for outreach or just curiosity). At the end, I’m just trying to uncover two simple things: 1️⃣ Where do they sit in the payments flow? (issuer, acquirer, PayFac, PSP, aggregator, network, gateway, processor?) 2️⃣ Could what we do actually help them? To make sense of it (and to see whether what we do at Afferent Software could add value), I started building a checklist of questions to guide my research. My personal Framework (Afferent Software context): Step 1 - Understand their Role ▪️ Are they an Issuer, Acquirer, Processor, PSP, PayFac, MoR, Gateway, other? ▪️ Where in the transaction flow do they sit - issuing side, acquiring side, or facilitating both? ▪️ Who do they primarily serve - merchants, banks, fintechs, or end customers? Step 2 - Map to Afferent Software's Solutions 🔸 InsightOptix: transforms raw Mastercard and Visa scheme files into structured, multi-tab Excel reports: ▪️ Do they process or reconcile Mastercard/Visa scheme data? ▪️ Do they deal with transaction-level reporting, scheme fees, or reconciliation pain points? 🔸 Dynamic Rates Engine:  a powerful rates optimisation engine that enables banks, PSPs, and acquirers to intelligently manage currency conversion, improving margins and competitiveness in cross-border payments: ▪️ Do they handle cross-border transactions or FX pricing? ▪️ Do they talk about margins or spreads? ▪️ Do they have POS or eCommerce channels handling international cards? Step 3 – Alignment & Opportunity ▪️ Where could our solutions simplify, optimise, or monetise part of their current process? ▪️ Could my solution reduce friction, improve visibility, or create a new revenue stream? ▪️ What’s the one measurable improvement they’d care most about - cost, margin or efficiency? It’s not perfect, but it helps me cut through the jargon and find where the real value, and opportunity lies. You can find my universal decoder in the graphic below 👇 With hundreds of players, the hardest part in payments is understanding who they are and what they do. But once you know where a company fits, it becomes a lot easier to see where you can help. Afferent Software Payavon #Payments #Fintech #PaymentEcosystem #CustomerSuccess #DCC #DynamicRates #InsightOptix #FXRevenue #FintechCommunity #CrossBorder #Reconciliation #SchemeData #RevenueOptimisation #GrowthFramework Checkout.com Adyen Stripe Visa Mastercard

We are thrilled to announce Volume 6 of Payments Unbound, brought to you in partnership with JPMorganChase. Payments Unbound brings you the need-to-know trends and technologies shaping the future of payments and explores how they are shaping business. This latest issue is no exception.  Inside you'll find stories on agentic commerce, the future of open banking, next-gen treasury and much, much more... Read Volume 6 here https://lnkd.in/eW33aeUe With thanks to our contributors: Rubail Birwadker, Global Head of Growth at Visa  Ben Gilbert, Co-Host and Co-Founder of the Acquired podcast  David Rosenthal, Co-Host and Co-Founder of the Acquired podcast  Rachel St. Clair and CEO of Simuli  Richie Etwaru, Co-Founder and CEO at Mobeus  Julie Samuels, President and CEO of Tech:NYC  Brett King, Author and Entrepreneur  Ken Moore Officer at Mastercard  Ori Inbar and CEO of AWE and Super Ventures  Adam Elbaz, General Manager, Consumer Banking at Bilt Asha C. of Product, Builder Experiences at Twilio Chaitanya Varanasi, Advisory Solutions Consultant at MongoDB Ajay Nair General Manager, Platform at Elastic  Brooke Tilton-Foley, Vice President, Treasury Operations at Paramount  ✯ Helen Child ✯ CEO of Open Banking Excellence  Eyal Sivan Manager at Ozone API and host of the Mr. Open Banking podcast  Stefano Vaccino, CEO of Yapily  Simone Martinelli, CEO of Volume  Todd Clyde of Token.io  Ian Morrin, Head of Payments at Tink Misha Esipov, CEO of Nova Credit  Alex Marsh, Chair of Salad  Paul LaRusso, CEO of Akoya  Luciana Samara Kairalla Bahmdouni, General Manager of Open Finance at Nubank  Josh Proctor Financial Officer of Golden State Warriors

The FinTech Plumbing: Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) The entire embedded finance boom is underpinned by a crucial technological innovation known as Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS). BaaS providers are the unseen engineers and plumbers of this new financial world. BaaS is a business model where licensed and regulated banks or BaaS-enabler FinTechs allow external businesses (the "embedders") to integrate banking features into their own products via APIs (Application Programming Interfaces). How BaaS Works: The Licensed Bank (Sponsor): Holds the necessary financial license and handles the core, regulated banking functions. The BaaS Provider (Enabler): Offers a modular, API-driven platform that connects the bank’s infrastructure to the non-financial company. They handle compliance, KYC (Know Your Customer), anti-money laundering (AML), and regulatory reporting. The Non-Financial Company (The "Embedder"): Uses the APIs to plug the service into their front-end platform, focusing solely on the customer experience and branding. This model is transformative because it eliminates the biggest barrier to entry for non-financial companies: regulatory burden and infrastructure costs. A ride-sharing app doesn't need to apply for a banking license to offer its drivers a digital bank account and instant payout card; it simply partners with a BaaS provider. This allows for unparalleled speed to market and scalability. Case Studies: Where We See It Now Embedded finance is moving beyond simple e-commerce payments and is deeply penetrating specialized industries (a process known as verticalized embedded finance): 1. E-commerce and Retail The Solution: BNPL services (e.g., Klarna, Affirm) and instant merchant loans (e.g., Shopify Capital). The Context: A user is shopping online and sees a high-value item. The embedded financing option immediately removes the price barrier and boosts conversion for the merchant. Merchants also benefit from faster access to working capital to manage inventory. 2. Mobility and Gig Economy The Solution: Instant payout debit cards, digital wallets, and insurance. The Context: A ride-share driver completes a trip and can cash out their earnings instantly to a digital bank account and debit card embedded in the driver app. The app becomes a one-stop financial hub for the driver's business operations. 3. Business-to-Business (B2B) Platforms The Solution: Integrated payment orchestration, supply chain finance, and invoice factoring. The Context: A business uses a cloud-based ERP or accounting platform. Instead of going to a bank for a loan to cover a large, unexpected invoice, the ERP platform can offer instant credit lines or pay the invoice immediately, allowing the business to pay the platform back later. 4. Healthcare and PropTech (Real Estate) The Solution: Patient financing and embedded mortgage applications.

We need payment and banking systems. But do we still need banks ? A profound transformation is currently going on within the global payments landscape. As non-cash transactions 💳 grow, the global financial landscape is being transformed.   Over the last decade, merchant payments have shifted from traditional banks to fintechs and ISVs, which offer faster and more customized solutions. 🚀 Many banks continue to struggle with outdated systems and slow innovation. Indeed, in a traditional bank, delivering a seamless merchant onboarding experience typically involves multiple subsystems and separate enrollment processes. That fragmentation makes it difficult, but it’s also why merchants sometimes find it easier to go with more modern providers who offer a simpler and a unified process.   Independent Software Vendors are a vital source of innovation, connecting via APIs, responding to specific merchant needs, and proactively supporting specific industries with tailored solutions.   Banks have been steadily losing ground 📉 in merchant servicing as the payments landscape rapidly evolves. They’re now at a crossroads: either adapt quickly to stay relevant, or risk falling behind. How can bank catch-up ? More in our World Payments Report 2026: https://lnkd.in/gqAjq__b #Fintech #BankingInnovation #DigitalTrust #FinancialInclusion #capgeminiBE #capgemini #sogeti

#FintechFriday®™ As an #Ambassador The Payments Association, I had the opportunity to comment on the state of A2A - see the attached and my thoughts below. 🔍 Account‑to‑Account (A2A) Payments in the UK: A Turning Point 🔍 We’re at a pivotal moment for UK payments. Despite world‑class infrastructure, A2A (or “pay by bank”) still captures only ~5% of e‑commerce spend - well behind the ~17% European average. (The Payments Association). That gap reveals not a technology problem, but a commercial & behavioural one. 🚀 Why the Push Now? Globally, A2A systems are transforming commerce. Brazil’s #Pix, for example, does £28 billion+ of online value without using open banking rails. In the #UK, open banking + real‑time rails already exist. What’s lagging is the #commercial model, #consumer trust, and intuitive experience. 2025 is shaping up to be an inflection year - notably with Variable Recurring Payments (#VRPs) going commercial, and schemes (Visa / Mastercard) stepping into A2A strategies. ⚠️ The Barriers we Can’t Ignore Consumer inertia: Cards are entrenched, recognised, and trusted. Convincing people to switch demands more than speed - it demands safety, clarity, and familiarity. #Fragmented UX & #branding: Without a unified “pay by bank” brand or #trust mark, the experience is inconsistent, confusing, and slow to gain hearts and minds. Fraud and liability: Instant settlement and push payments bring increased exposure to APP fraud. Any mass uptake must be matched with robust protection and recourse. Ecosystem incentives: Banks, fintechs, PSPs, merchants - everyone needs a reason to invest. Without aligned incentives (commercial, technical, reputational), adoption stalls. 🔑 What Will Differentiate Winners vs Also-Rans Will it be the card schemes doubling down? Open banking challengers? Or someone redefining the rails entirely? 👇 I’d love to hear your take: What’s the killer “use case” that finally flips consumer behaviour in the UK? Which approach - protection-first, partnership-first, infrastructure-first? Flotta Consulting Limited Huw Griffiths Trevor Fleurs Francisco Jaramillo David Lunt Marek Kosiński Agathi Nicolaou Aoife Mansfield Benjamin David Jack Robertson Sam Boboev Jas Shah Panagiotis Kriaris Mr. Open Banking Christina Davis-Doukanaris #Fintech #Payments #OpenBanking #A2A #DigitalPayments #UKPayments #VRP #Innovation #Disruption #Ecosystem #Trust

Breaking Barriers in High-Risk Payments In the payments world, “high risk” isn’t just a buzzword — it’s a real barrier. Many businesses in sectors like gaming, dating, streaming, or subscription services struggle to find reliable merchant services. They face rigid rejections, exorbitant fees, or slow onboarding. At BoxCharge, our mission is clear: break down these barriers and let ambitious businesses transact globally — seamlessly, securely, and with trust. What sets us apart We don’t just “tolerate” high-risk verticals — we build solutions for them: Custom merchant account support for industries often denied access elsewhere Localized acquiring networks, so you can accept payments via wallets, bank transfers, UPI, APMs, credit/debit cards across borders Automated underwriting and KYC workflows that accelerate onboarding Real-time dashboards and transparency to see exactly what’s happening with your payments Why this matters For many companies in high-risk sectors, payment struggles aren’t a “nice to fix”, they are existential. Every rejected transaction, every delay, every hidden addendum chips away at trust, user experience, and bottom lines. By giving these businesses access to a stable, scalable payments infrastructure. BoxCharge helps them: 1. Recover lost revenue from failed transactions 2. Expand into new markets without reinventing payment flows 3. Reduce operational burden on tech and finance teams 4. Offer better customer experience (fewer declines, more payment choices) Zero coding needed, plug-and-play APIs and SDKs make integration fast Invoicing with payment links — send invoices over email, SMS or social media with embedded payment options Multi-currency support — accept, settle, convert across currencies without friction 24×7 support — payment issues can’t wait, and neither does our team If your business faces payment friction because it’s labeled “high risk,” or if you’re struggling with global expansion due to payment gaps, this is your wake up call. BoxCharge is more than a payment gateway; it’s a bridge to growth for ambitious, bold companies.

As digital payments evolve and proliferate, readiness for alternate payment methods (APMs) is becoming a strategic imperative for financial institutions. In this article, my co-authors and I explore how to assess readiness across technology, operations, and customer experience—and why it matters now more than ever. Many thanks to my co-collaborators and payments leaders Shree R and Rahul R. for their valuable insights and contributions. Read the blog below, and let’s keep the conversation going. How is your organization preparing for the future of payments? #Cognizant #Payments #DigitalPayments #Fintech #FutureOfPayments Ajay Pandita | Payal Kamat Vaidilingam Craig Weber | Suman Chakraborty | RajaMuthiah Nellaiappan, CPCU

Great insights by Guru Sahajpal on APMs being a strategic imperative for financial institutions and how we can help you explore / assess technology, operations and customer readiness. Craig Weber RajaMuthiah Nellaiappan, CPCU Suman Chakraborty Munish Arora Chandu Choudhury Ajay Pandita Animesh G. Nitin Bahl Biju Menon

The alternative payments market is evolving rapidly, with greater optionality on the horizon. To stand out in a crowded space, providers can apply the CRAVE framework - Convenient, Reach, Adoption, Volume, Efficient - to launch APMs that not only scale but also build lasting trust. The sweet spot lies in balancing these five factors to bridge the gap between traditional methods and breakthrough innovations.

Beautifully articulated insights for anyone venturing into Alternate Payment methods (APMs) and MVP strategy for the next Payments product! Guru Sahajpal Biju Menon Shameek Sarkar Palma Petrilli