Klarna Collaborates with ACI Worldwide; Wirecard Partners with Fortress GB to Launch The One Card: News Roundup

Klarna collaborates with ACI Worldwide to drive growth in the ecommerce market while Wirecard partners with Fortress GB to launch The One Card. And in other news, cashless has become the preferred payment option for Metro passengers and vending customers alike.

Here’s your weekly news roundup!

Ecommerce payments provider Klarna joins forces with ACI Worldwide – a global electronic payments company that specializes in real-time, any-to-any solutions for financial institutions, intermediaries, merchants and billers. According to the press release, this relationship aims at enabling Klarna to leverage ACI’s UP eCommerce Payments solution, which will provide online businesses in 10 major markets with a more seamless integration to Klarna’s payment products ‘Pay later’ and ‘Slice it.’

ACI’s international scope provides Klarna merchants with the ability to efficiently enter new markets while simultaneously enhancing their payment offerings to adhere to the local customers.

Klarna’s chief commercial officer, Michael Rouse, commented on the partnership via the same release: “We are delighted to deepen and extend our partnership with ACI, benefiting from the flexibility and globality of its unified eCommerce API, which allows for a seamless integration of all Klarna payment options into the checkout process. Our unrelenting focus is on delivering the smoothest UX for consumers and giving them flexibility in how they want to pay and when. This drives improved conversion and loyalty for merchants, with no risk attached. Working with ACI is a natural fit.”

Full service vending, catering and food service company Jackson Brothers of the South partners with USA Technologies Inc. (USAT) to offer cashless payments to its customers. Through this collaboration, Jackson Brothers can now accept credit, debit and cash payments, along with contactless options including mobile wallet payments such as Apple Pay and Android Pay on all of its machines, according to USATs press release.

The same release also quotes USAT Executive Vice President Tom Jones as saying: “The cashless revolution is upon us. Jackson Brothers is yet another example of how smart, forward-thinking, and innovative companies are embracing our next-generation payment platform to more effectively manage their business. We’re thrilled to expand our relationship with them to bring cashless payment options to every one of their machines.”

Wirecard collaborates with Fortress GB to launch The One Card. Targeting season ticket holders in the UK sports market, The One Card is an all-in-one season ticket and member card that also offers contactless payment functionality. With it, fans can gain entry to the stadium and complete both online and POS purchases at select merchant locations.

According to the press release, The One Card will minimize queues and reduce wait times. Fans can opt to pay for purchases with their membership card and in the future, a digital-only option will be available via a smartphone app.

The same release quotes Brian Lawlor, director of sales and business development at Wirecard, regarding the partnership: “The One Card will help speed up sales, creating an attractive proposition for clubs across the UK wanting to offer a top-class service to loyal and dedicated fans. UK shoppers have embraced contactless payments and now expect a quick and convenient point of sale transaction, this solution will ensure clubs can deliver and meet exactly this.”

UK Metro passengers are going cashless. According to the most recent Nexus data (the public transport company that owns and manages Metro), half of all Wear and Tyne Metro passengers no longer opt for cash to fund their commute. Instead, they prefer credit or debit cards, contactless payments and the Pop smart cards.

The same article goes on to report that 56% of passengers use credit or debit cards when purchasing transport at the Metro ticket machine. Additional data specifies that 66% of these transactions are made by passengers using contactless cards, while an impressive 94% of students use credit or debit cards to fund their Metro commute. And in 2017, nine million transactions were initiated at Metro ticket machines – two thirds of which were made with contactless cards.