The complex infrastructure of creating a secure payment card representing your firm’s brand has long been one of the biggest challenges stopping, not only branded organisations like sports clubs or car manufacturers, but banks and fintechs too, from creating a unique, brand-relevant product.
A new partnership between financial SaaS solution provider, Tietoevry Banking, and Tapeeze, the Swedish digital wallet and tokenisation fintech, is looking to create a solution to this problem. Tackling regulatory and infrastructure challenges, the two firms are launching a multi-function card, providing flexible, secure payment functionality with a unique look.
Fans can use these cards to show their affinity with a brand, team or product, while banks benefit from the Tietoevry Banking and Tapeesze’s payment offerings and enhanced loyalty via a card linked to the Visa or Mastercard global acceptance networks.
Under the terms of this agreement, non-banks will be able to issue their own branded and personalised cards using Tietoevry Banking’s low-cost, sustainable and fast-to-market production techniques.
Tapeeze uses the same tokenisation technology, including enhanced security through skim-proof tokenisation and optional biometric factors, found in products such as rings, smartwatches, Google Pay and Apple Pay, delivered via a physical card.
Customers representing organisations
Ruth Hessner, head of card personalisation at Tietoevry Banking, said: “We see fantastic global potential in this first-of-its-kind partnership, which has given rise to a truly unique offering. For sports clubs with huge fanbases, these cards will enable fans to show their colours every time they pay while generating revenue for their club.
“At the same time, cardholders’ banks gain new revenue opportunities from their card portfolios and very rapid time to market for these products, while giving customers the chance to express their loyalty to brands, sports clubs and more.”
Mikael Kesha, CCO and co-founder of Tapeeze, said: “At Tapeeze, we’re revolutionising the very concept of payment cards—what they can do and how they look. The demand for customisable, tokenised payment cards is growing rapidly as businesses now recognise that payment cards are more than just a transaction tool.
“To be able to meet increasing demand across multiple countries and industries, partnering with Tietoevry Banking was a natural choice for us. Their extensive banking network, deep industry expertise, and proven infrastructure make them the ideal partner to scale our product across Europe – helping businesses unlock new revenue streams and stronger customer engagement.”
The announcement follows successful implementations of Tapeeze’s technology by Swedish sports clubs, including AIK, Björklöven, Timrå IK, and Djurgården. Large corporations are also expected to benefit from this technology, since it enables them to issue cards with their own branding and design to employees and affiliated groups for purchasing, travel, entertainment and more.
