Payment Observatory June 2024

Highlights of the month

Player strategy - Players continue to focus on all-in-one solutions

1. INTERNATIONAL - Swile offers an all-in-one card for employee benefits
2. FRANCE - Sofinco launches "A la carte", an all-in-one payment solution
3. EUROPE - Samsung Next invests in Curve's solution, future alternative to Apple Pay

Swile has teamed up with Enfuce to launch an all-in-one card dedicated to employee benefits, managing meal vouchers, gift vouchers and travel expenses. Employers can customize the card to suit their employees' needs. It is available in physical and virtual versions, compatible with digital wallets, and centralizes expense management with detailed reporting, improving companies' attractiveness for recruiting and retaining talent.

Sofinco has launched an all-in-one "A la carte" card, offering flexible payment options (cash, in instalments, on credit), a linked app to manage spending and payment terms, a revolving credit up to 10,000 euros, and additional guarantees (extended warranty, breakage and theft, internet guarantee).

Samsung Next has invested in Curve, which offers an all-in-one card and an alternative to Apple Pay via Curve Pay. Curve brings together multiple cards in a single app and offers innovative features such as "Get Rewards", "Go Back In Time", and "Anti-Embarrassment". Available via Samsung Pay+ and on iOS, Curve could compete with Apple Pay thanks to European regulations opening access to NFC chips.

Player strategy - Players want to facilitate access to digital currencies

1. FRANCE – BNP Paribas and BPCE join forces to create a payment processor
2. INTERNATIONAL – Adyen forges partnerships with Scalapay and Sum Up to accelerate payments business

BNP Paribas and BPCE join forces to create a common payment processor capable of processing 17 billion card transactions in Europe. Supported by a joint venture and equipped with an advanced technological platform, this project integrates market standards and innovations from domestic and international schemes (Carte Bancaire, Visa, Mastercard, EPI/Wero). The two groups will invest 200 million euros between 2024 and 2028, aiming to become leaders in France and position themselves on the European podium.

Adyen has formalized a partnership with Scalapay, a BNPL (Buy Now, Pay Later) specialist, enabling merchants using Adyen to offer staggered payments to their customers, especially in Southern Europe. This easy-to-activate option improves the fluidity and security of transactions, boosting conversion rates.

Adyen has also announced a partnership with SumUp to accelerate payments to SMEs. This partnership reduces post-sale payment times to just a few minutes, offering SMEs greater financial flexibility and better visibility of their finances, combining the expertise of Adyen and SumUp to streamline payments and offer comprehensive financial services.