DUBLIN, Ireland - Ingenico and Card Commerce have announced a partnership that will stimulate adoption of prepaid cards across the banking, retail and government sectors in the U.K. and Ireland, according to a news release.
Under the agreement, Ingenico will integrate Card Commerce's prepaid technology platform into its wireless and countertop portfolio to create the market's most comprehensive prepaid consumer card proposition.
With the largest installed base of payment terminals in the world, Ingenico will promote Card Commerce's services to its existing customer base and reseller network. Based in Dublin, Card Commerce is an independent, highly focused provider of prepaid payment services to the retail and financial-services industries.
"With retailers and the banking industry under intense economic and competitive pressures, brand differentiation is key," said Cillian Wright, general manager for Ingenico Ireland. "By selecting the Ingenico and Card Commerce pre-paid solution, these businesses have an opportunity to deliver significant value to consumers through the provision of unique and highly personalised loyalty card and gift card schemes today. We look forward to bringing the benefits of our new joint offering to both new and existing customers."
Eoin Whyte, sales director at Card Commerce, explained the value of the announcement from his end.
"Today's announcement creates an exciting partnership that will have a significant impact in the prepaid marketplace," he said. "With a market share in excess of 60 percent in the U.K. and Ireland, and 15 million active payment terminals globally, Ingenico provides a significant channel for Card Commerce, while our own uniquely functional prepaid platform further enhances Ingenico's strategy of driving true added value for its customers."
This partnership will support and enhance the rapid prepaid market growth in the U.K. and Ireland, delivering the tools to enable merchants, banks and other value-chain players to build brand differentiation, achieve significant revenues and enable improved customer retention and loyalty strategies. Critically, the partnership will also ensure a flexible and future-proofed platform enabling businesses and public-sector organizations to benefit from new technologies, such as near-field communications and radio frequency identification as the prepaid market matures.
