Tag: baas

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Case studies Company News FinTech

Empowering Choices: Performance Bonus and B4B Payments Revolutionising Rewards

Unlocking Rewards for All

In a world where companies struggle to offer incentives that truly satisfy their employees and traditional benefits often miss the mark, a significant change is happening. Performance Bonus solves the pains of incentive and rewards scheme administration and delivery whilst also increasing companies’ Return On Investment(ROI).

Teaming up with B4B Payments since 2019, Performance Bonus specialises in delivering BONUS rewards through prepaid Visa / Mastercard products. These cards, accepted globally in over 30 million locations, comply with the UK’s taxation requirements.

David Burton, CEO of Performance Bonus Ltd, states, “Partnering with B4B Payments has created exactly the ‘win-win’ result we intended. For Performance Bonus, it has broadened our offering, already winning new clients, and for B4B Payments, it has opened up a ‘turn-key’ solution through us into the incentives and rewards market”.

To date, Performance Bonus has successfully administered over £20 million in rewards through various programs, including Business (B2B) promotions, in-house sales incentives, and staff recognition initiatives.

Physical and Digital Channels and Personalised Gifts

Experts in leveraging accessible digital channels, Performance Bonus ensures effective communication and delivery of incentive programs. This extends to embedding the reward payment solution into clients’ Intranets/Apps or their BONUSme Microsoft Azure Hosted application.

Clients can either outsource their complete programme fulfilment through Performance Bonus or have direct access and control of their brand solutions using their systems and support as required.

Building a Collaborative Culture: click as a team

The Performance Bonus success story includes helping a lead client dominate the motor finance incentive space for over a decade. This was achieved through a bespoke incentive solution that evolved to reward salespeople based on customer satisfaction and NPS score achievement via a branded prepaid card solution.

To achieve Performance Bonus’ potential, they found B4B’s flexibility, capability and approach enabled them to 

  • Create a core ‘non-cash’ compliant, contactless prepaid product in the Mastercard ecosystem. 
  • Future-proof their product for GooglePay/ApplePay (using B4B’s one-click adoption) 
  • Quickly and cost-effectively launch co-branded prepaid cards for their clients, featuring either the clients’ branding or an ‘off the shelf’ BONUS card.
  • Provide their clients with the choice of both eco-friendly plastic cards and/or virtual cards.
  • Use API access to build client-branded cardholder applications and incorporate them into our own Microsoft Azure-hosted Bonus Administrator app.

David Burton continued, “We had experienced a couple of ‘false starts’ with other possible partners, but the ‘can do’ attitude at B4B has made the creation of our joint offering a real pleasure to be involved with”.    

Conclusion: Paving the Future of Rewards

Together, Performance Bonus and B4B Payments have built the strategic asset that Performance Bonus sought by adding compliant prepaid capabilities alongside their performance measurement and rewards administration offerings.

Tim Robson, Account Director at B4B Payments, expresses optimism for the future, stating, “It’s really good to see the incentive and reward products we have created together working so well, and with much of the market turmoil of the last few years hopefully now behind us, we wish Performance Bonus every success in our partnership moving forward”.

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Company News Newsroom

Tech People podcast welcomes B4B Payments’ Brian Lawlor

‘Why breaking up banking means better financial services’

Legacy banking services will be a hot topic when Brian Lawlor, Group Chief Commercial Officer, B4B Payments, is the special guest on the Tech People podcast in January.

B4B Payments offers Banking as a Service (BaaS) technology that enables businesses to provide the kind of financial services that previously only banks could offer.

‘We are helping to break apart the old model. Through BaaS, we allow organisations to offer new and improved access to those core banking services such as issuing cards, making payments, or FX – and it can be virtually any type of business that takes advantage of that. Not just banks or even financial service companies.’

Brian met the podcast’s host, Ken Coyne, at Money 20/20 USA in October last year, and Ken was interested in learning more about Brian and the ethics driving B4B Payments.

The podcast seeks to show ‘how diversity, creativity, and innovation, when nurtured in people, can lead to an unbeatable formula’. This series of interviews ‘share the experiences of some truly inspirational leaders on their journey to customer success.’

Brian joins a long list of previous guests from major organisations across different types of technology industries organisations. Recent podcasts have featured Diane Acevedo, SVP, Operations and Customer Experience at Gabb Wireless, speaking about how to overcome the negative impacts of technology on children. Owen Fitzpatrick spoke about leadership principles and the importance of what leaders believe rather than what they think. David Urban, CEO of Auctioneer, shared his views about AI and the future of coaching for founders.

Brian will be sharing stories and learnings from his professional journey, leadership insights and the principles driving B4B Payments today.

 

Brian’s journey to Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS)

As part of his 20-year career, Brian has played vital roles in launching key fintechs, including Soldo, Revolut, Wise, Monzo and Juni. In 2020, Brian joined Banking Circle, which eventually acquired B4B Payments, an EMI in the UK and Lithuania and a principal member of both Visa and Mastercard. Following the acquisition, Brian assumed the role of Group Chief Commercial Officer at B4B Payments.

The benefits of BaaS are most widely felt across the whole eCommerce sector especially travel. Buyers can now not only choose the goods or services they want to buy but also select other banking products that might help them make their current purchase, such as a loan or apply for a card that rewards their future loyalty to their favourite brands.

 

Examples of B4B Payments impact

B4B Payments have a long history of shaking up industries and cutting through red tape.

Migrant Help is an organisation that provides invaluable initial assistance to victims of modern slavery and trafficking.

Exploited individuals often don’t have the ability to open a typical bank account. So, physical cash handouts were given to migrants for immediate help. This presented obvious risk and security issues. A prepaid Mastercard was the perfect alternative – offering all the benefits of a cash-free system without requiring the paperwork and process of an individual bank account.

B4B Payments are helping to make businesses more competitive, as showcased by the services it provides to two Danish fintechs, OneMoneyWay (insert link) and Zento (insert link). They are using B4B technology to simplify corporate payments for SMEs, eliminating the lengthy processes and high costs typically associated with opening a corporate bank account in Denmark.

Where to find Tech People

The episode of the Tech People podcast featuring Brian Lawlor will be published on (the 28 February) and available from all popular aggregators, including Apple and Spotify.

 

 

 

Categories
Case studies Company News Travel

Transforming Travel Finances: Acacia Africa’s Decade-Long Partnership with B4B Payments

Background

Initially recommended to B4B by a former supplier, Acacia is Africa, is a premier provider of diverse holiday experiences in Africa. They have partnered with B4B Payments and used their financial services for nearly a decade. Offering a range of tours, from professional camping overland adventures to small group safaris, Acacia Africa’s success story demonstrates the innovation of travel finances with Card and Payment Solutions.

Financial Flexibility and Risk Management:

The traditional challenges of tour guides carrying large sums of money were significantly mitigated by adopting B4B’s card and payment platform. This not only reduced operational risks but also enhanced accounting accuracy for Acacia Africa.

The expense cards allow Acacia Africa to quickly distribute funds to tour leaders out on the road. The cards facilitate seamless access to cash through local ATMs, card transactions, and online payments. The B4B platform is particularly helpful in mitigating risk. Cards can both be loaded and unloaded instantaneously, providing certainty and safety to both tour guides and the funds. 

In a recent incident, Acacia Africa withdrew funds from a card due to a tour leader’s unexpected illness. They quickly transferred the budget to the replacement leader.

Real-Time Monitoring and Control:

A pivotal aspect of Acacia Africa’s success with B4B Payments lies in the platform’s real-time monitoring capabilities. The ability to instantly track expenditures provides Acacia Africa with immediate insights into tour leaders’ spending. This newfound control eliminates the need to chase receipts weeks after a trip concludes, offering a more streamlined and accountable financial management process.

“It’s flexible, and it makes things far less risky. And it’s better for accounting because I can see when and where the money is spent, and that’s important,” Vivian McCarthy, the Director of Acacia Africa, says.

B4B’s Dedicated Account Management:

Acacia Africa also highlights the importance of having a dedicated account manager as a key component of successful partnerships with B4B Payments. The need for swift assistance, especially during critical situations. This collaboration aspect has proven crucial in ensuring effective communication and problem resolution. “Having a dedicated account manager who understands both the client and the client’s industry is a key value driver for B4B Payments,” says Tim Robson, B4B’s Director of Accounts.

Conclusion:

Acacia Africa’s case exemplifies the transformative impact of B4B Payments on travel finances. The seamless integration of innovative payment solutions has not only addressed traditional challenges but has also positioned Acacia Africa for sustained success in the dynamic landscape of African tourism. The partnership is a testament to the importance of real-time financial management and dedicated account support in the travel industry.

Categories
Case studies Company News FinTech

Juni Accelerates Global E-commerce Growth Through B4B’s Bin Sponsorship

Background

Swedish startup Juni was listed as 2021’s fastest-growing fintech startup in Europe. With a goal of eliminating common challenges faced by e-commerce businesses, Juni provides a financial platform that gives them complete visibility and control over their cash flow with a unified view of multi-currency business accounts, corporate virtual cards and flexible credit with unparalleled insights and analytics – all in one place. 

Since 2022, Juni has leveraged B4B Payments’ BIN sponsorship service to power its prepaid Mastercard card proposition and make it easy for businesses to keep track of their finances across multiple platforms. By partnering with B4B, they can ensure compliance, strengthen our presence in the UK, and enhance scalability. This collaboration reinforces our commitment to empowering FinTech innovators and established players alike, fostering a more inclusive and efficient financial landscape for SMEs.

B4B: Full digital payment solutions within one provider

B4B Payments stands out by providing a full range of financial services as a regulated Electronic Money Institution (EMI) in the UK and Lithuania. As a Principal Member of Mastercard Europe and a partner of VISA Inc in the USA.

Following Brexit, many pan-European fintechs that operate in the UK have been impacted by the change in regulation. Therefore, teaming up with Banking-as-a-Service(BaaS) providers, like B4B, ensures they can still provide the unwavering compliance, security, and quality service we pride ourselves on.

Strategic partnerships take businesses to the next level.

The partnership between Juni and B4B Payments is a significant step towards achieving our mission of empowering businesses with practical and secure financial management solutions. By leveraging B4B Payments’ licensed capabilities in the UK, they can navigate the complexities of the post-Brexit regulatory environment while maintaining the highest security and compliance standards for their valued customers.

Samir El-Sabini, Co-founder and CEO of Juni, highlighted the benefits of partnering with B4B. 

“We have a long-standing partnership with B4B, primarily in the UK, that has enabled us to scale Juni and continue our fast-paced growth while, most importantly, giving our customers more value when using our platform. Through B4B, we’ve launched both new currencies and cards, and we’re looking forward to building out our offering in 2024.”

Paul Swinton, CEO of B4B Payments, also shared, 

“We’re delighted that we supported bringing the Juni prepaid Mastercard to market at its early stage and to see our payment solutions leveraged innovatively to empower e-commerce and digital marketing entrepreneurs. As an established fintech firm ourselves, we’re excited to be part of Juni’s continued success, and we look forward to working closely with them to achieve their ambitious roadmap.”   

Future: Power any idea to the global market:

Utilising BaaS, companies can seamlessly embed financial services from B4B’s Banking Stack and License, fostering innovation. This streamlined approach reduces operational costs, enhances the customer experience, and accelerates the development of the fragmented B2B FinTech Market. Startups can scale rapidly, delivering exceptional customer value and addressing underserved markets more effectively.

The partnership with Juni exemplifies B4B’s Bin Sponsorship, facilitating global growth post-Brexit, accelerating the development of the B2B FinTech market, and removing barriers and costs for unserved markets, allowing SMEs to grow quickly and at a low cost without compromising quality.