Integrated payments technology company FSS (Financial Software and Systems) has partnered with the United Arab Emirates-based YAP, a digital banking platform, to deliver secure, digital first-card experiences to consumers in the Middle-East and African regions.
The partnership will see the combination of FSS’ Unified Card Issuance Platform with particular emphasis on virtual card issuance and support around 3D Secure adoption. YAP services would initially be available in the UAE and would soon be rolled in other Gulf Council Cooperation (GCC) markets and Ghana.
The number of consumer digital transactions in the UAE is growing at an annual rate of more than 9% between 2014 and 2019, compared with Europe’s average annual growth of 4% to 5%, according to McKinsey. With digital wallets becoming more prevalent, consumers are expressing an interest in new payment modes that offer a great user experience and fit with their digital lifestyles.
FSS Unified Issuance Platform enables YAP to provision instant, open-loop virtual cards linked to its wallet app, with unique security features such as a unique card number, a unique CVV, and an expiration date for utility payments and online shopping. To build customer trust, the platform supports 3D Secure to safeguard customers against transaction fraud.
Jaishankar A L, CEO FSS said: "FSS Unified Card issuance platform powers 800 million cards globally and is designed to help the world's most innovative financial institutions launch game-changing products. We are delighted to work with YAP, on its ambitious goal to be the region’s leading digital bank and make secure digital payments seamless and accessible to everyone.”
The underlying FSS UIP platform manages the complete lifecycle of cards and allows issuers to craft tailored card products for the delivery of unique payment experiences and to meet the unmet needs of consumers. Virtual cards can be provisioned on-demand and delivered seamlessly to the customers’ mobile devices for immediate use. An API-based framework supports 60+ APIs for multiple card functions – issuance, risk and spending limits, wallet creation linked to a card.