FreedomPay and Toast Survey Reveals Top Priorities for Enterprise Hospitality Leaders: Data Security, Integration, and Growth Enablement

Integration and Customer Support Emerge as Crucial Factors in Merchant Preferences for Payment Solution

FreedomPay and Stripe announce partnership to make it easier for enterprises to unify commerce

[Philadelphia,PA – October 9, 2024] – FreedomPay, an innovative leader in Next Level Commerce™ technologies, and Stripe, a financial infrastructure platform for businesses, today announced a partnership that makes it possible for virtually any enterprise to use Stripe for online and in-person payments alongside their existing commerce tools.   FreedomPay aggregates hundreds of different point of sale (POS) systems and dozens of payment devices and commerce integrations onto a single platform. Stripe helps businesses process payments online and in person; offers advanced fraud protection powered by machine learning; optimizes authorization requests for issuers to boost revenue; and maintains industry-leading reliability. Stripe powers millions of the world’s leading businesses, including Amazon, BMW, H&M, and Unilever.   Together, FreedomPay and Stripe will provide enterprises with flexibility and modularity—the ability to add Stripe to an existing set of commerce tools—without requiring significant development resources.   “For the first time, businesses can use Stripe’s ultra-reliable and industry-leading payments processing alongside hundreds of POS systems and with third party card readers,” said John Affaki, Business Lead, Payments Acceptance at Stripe. “We’re thrilled to partner with FreedomPay to help enterprises modernize.”   With this partnership, enterprises—including hotels, retailers, and food & beverage providers—can now take advantage of Stripe’s platform, including those that already use FreedomPay. In one place, they’ll be able to manage payments, loyalty programs, customer analytics, and more.   “Many of the largest businesses in the world already use FreedomPay and they’ve been telling us they’d love to see Stripe join our growing ecosystem of connectivity,” said Chris Kronenthal, President of FreedomPay. “We’re excited that our merchants can now modernize their systems and grow their revenue with Stripe.”   About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge and enables merchants to unleash the power of pay. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce.   The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com

Woodforest Acceptance Solutions Announces Strategic Partnership with FreedomPay to Empower Data-Driven Payment Solutions

The Woodforest Acceptance Solutions platform will leverage FreedomPay’s cutting-edge technology to deliver enhanced payment experiences across enterprise and middle market segments. [The Woodlands, Texas] – October 1, 2024– Woodforest Acceptance Solutions, a leader in payment processing solutions, today announced a strategic partnership with FreedomPay, a leading global commerce platform. This collaboration will empower enterprise and middle-market clients to unlock the full potential of data-driven solutions while enabling Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) with greater capabilities in payment processing and commerce enablement. By integrating Woodforest Acceptance Solutions’ advanced data platform with FreedomPay’s payment technology, this partnership will enable clients to access enhanced data insights and deploy secure, seamless payment experiences. The alignment of strategies will focus on elevating commerce for enterprises and middle-market companies, positioning them to harness the power of data to improve operational efficiency and customer satisfaction. “Our partnership with FreedomPay is built on a shared vision to empower businesses through technology,” said Todd Linden, CEO of Woodforest Acceptance Solutions. “By leveraging their innovative platform, we can enhance our own capabilities and provide enterprise-level solutions that streamline operations, improve data access, and deliver real-time insights for our clients.” Key Benefits of the Partnership: Data-Driven Commerce: Combining FreedomPay’s data platform with Woodforest Acceptance Solutions’ payment technology to provide robust insights for decision-making and optimization. Enhanced Enablement for ISVs: The partnership provides ISVs with powerful tools to improve functionality, offering seamless integrations and expanded commerce opportunities. Enterprise & Middle Market Focus: The collaboration will deliver scalable solutions tailored to the needs of enterprise and middle-market businesses, ensuring secure and efficient payment processing. “FreedomPay is excited to partner with Woodforest Acceptance Solutions to deliver innovative commerce solutions to businesses seeking data-driven results,” said Chris Kronenthal, President of FreedomPay. “Together, our aligned strategies will enable clients to seamlessly integrate payment solutions while maximizing the potential of their data to drive growth.” This partnership marks an important step forward in the payment processing industry, unlocking new opportunities for businesses to create dynamic, data-enabled commerce ecosystems. For more information on Woodforest Acceptance Solutions, visit [WoodforestPay.com]. To learn more about FreedomPay’s global commerce platform, visit [FreedomPay.com]. About Woodforest Acceptance Solutions Woodforest Acceptance is dedicated to addressing prevalent issues within the payments and value-add services industries.Our commitment extends to both major enterprises and the vital small to medium-sized businesses, the backbone of the U.S. economy. About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge and enables merchants to unleash the power of pay. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was one of the first payment solution providers in North America to be validated by the PCI Security Standards Council. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. Learn more at www.freedompay.com

Shiji and FreedomPay Announce Partnership to Transform Mexican Hospitality Payment Solutions

The collaboration brings integrated payments to Shiji’s POS and PMS solutions into Mexico, facilitating the global shift towards integrated and contactless payment technologies. Atlanta, Georgia, United States, August 21, 2024 – Shiji, the global hospitality technology innovator, and FreedomPay, a leading provider of secure commerce technology, have announced a partnership that marks a significant expansion into the Mexican market. This partnership underscores Shiji and FreedomPay’s commitment to improving staff and guest experiences in the hospitality businesses across Latin America, aligning with the industry’s shift towards smoother payments and payment management. This partnership between Shiji and FreedomPay will provide a seamless, integrated payments solution to point-of-sale (POS) and property management systems (PMS). The new integrated solution will offer numerous advantages for hospitality businesses, including streamlined operations, enhanced security, and improved guest experiences. This collaboration will also introduce one of the few integrated payment and POS/PMS solutions in Mexico, addressing the region’s growing demand for innovative and contactless payment solutions. “Our partnership with FreedomPay is a significant milestone for Shiji as we expand into the Mexican market,” said Ryan King, Senior Vice President of Shiji Americas. “By integrating our POS and PMS solutions with FreedomPay’s advanced payment technology, we are providing hospitality businesses with a powerful, unified system that meets the growing demand for contactless payments and innovative payment solutions.” The partnership aligns with the region’s rapid digital transformation, where businesses are increasingly seeking robust, all-in-one solutions to stay competitive. According to the Research and Markets study, Latin America is undergoing a major transformation, with digital payment volume expected to quadruple by 2027 from 2022 levels, making this collaboration timely and strategically important. “We are excited to partner with Shiji to bring our secure, innovative payment solutions to Mexico’s hospitality market,” said Chris Kronenthal, President of FreedomPay. “This collaboration reflects our commitment to driving digital transformation in the industry, and we look forward to helping hospitality businesses in the region enhance their operations and customer satisfaction through our integrated solutions.” As the hospitality industry in Mexico continues to evolve and expand, the Shiji and FreedomPay partnership will play a crucial role in supporting businesses with state-of-the-art technology solutions. This collaboration not only addresses the current needs of the market but also positions both companies as leaders in driving the future of hospitality technology in the region. For more information please visit Shiji’s website and FreedomPay’s website. About Shiji Shiji is a multi-national technology company that provides software solutions and services for enterprise companies in the hospitality, food service, retail, and entertainment industries, ranging from hospitality technology platforms, hotel property management solutions, food and beverage and retail systems, payment gateways, data management, online distribution and more. Founded in 1998 as a network solutions provider for hotels, Shiji today comprises over 5,000 employees in 80+ subsidiaries and brands in over 31 countries, serving more than 91,000 hotels, 200,000 restaurants, and 600,000 retail outlets. For more information visit shijigroup.com About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge and enables merchants to unleash the power of pay. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com

LS Retail and FreedomPay partner to deliver unified payments worldwide

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania –  July 15, 2024 – LS Retail, an Aptos Company has partnered with FreedomPay, the world’s largest independent payment gateway. This partnership enables retail and hospitality businesses that use LS Retail software to deliver simpler, faster payment experiences to their customers with minimum effort. LS Retail: Supporting businesses around the world Over 100,000+ retail, restaurant, pharmacy, forecourt, and hospitality businesses already rely on LS Retail software solutions to manage their entire operation. LS Central is LS Retail’s comprehensive retail management system that extends Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central ERP with industry-specific functionality. The solution enables businesses to run back-office operations, sales, financials, inventory, eCommerce, customer loyalty, and more on a single platform. LS Pay is an Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) software solution that enables businesses using LS Central to have a choice when it comes to selecting a payment service provider (PSP) with out-of-the-box support for several PSPs in multiple regions. FreedomPay: A leader of payment innovation FreedomPay is a data-driven commerce platform delivering secure, seamless transactions across industries such as retail, food and beverage, and hospitality. The Next Level Commerce™ platform combines security, identity, payments, loyalty, and business intelligence into one solution, enabling businesses to offer a hyper-personalized purchasing experience for their customers while ensuring the highest level of safety and compliance across all channels. Enhancing the payment experience together Thanks to this new partnership, businesses running their operations on LS Retail software will be able to connect not only to FreedomPay, but also to any of the PSPs that leverage the white-labeled FreedomPay technology stack. The LS Pay-FreedomPay integration is available out-of-the-box to LS Central and LS Pay users. Included are advanced payment functionalities, including Point to Point Encryption (P2PE) capabilities and transaction analytics. Currently, the FreedomPay integration is available for PSPs in 75+ countries and continues to expand rapidly across the globe. By taking advantage of the FreedomPay and LS Pay platforms, merchants can speed up and simplify the payment process across all channels, staying on the cutting edge of omnichannel payment technology without the need for a complex integration project. “We are looking forward to a long-lasting partnership with FreedomPay,” says Petur Sigurdsson, Product Director of LS Pay at LS Retail. “Unified payments play a crucial role in delivering seamless experiences across all channels and our collaboration with FreedomPay underscores our commitment to providing businesses with the technology they need to stay ahead in a competitive landscape.” “FreedomPay’s single unified platform brings industry-leading commerce innovation, security and global connectivity to merchants looking to take their businesses to the next level,” said Nate Ware, SVP Sales & Digital Development at FreedomPay. “Our partnership with LS Retail will enable merchants to offer best-in-class technology for a seamless commerce experience.”   About LS Retail, an Aptos Company LS Retail, an Aptos Company is a world-leading developer and provider of unified software solutions for retail, hospitality, food service, and pharmacy businesses. The LS Retail solutions unite ERP, Point of Sale, e-commerce, order and inventory management, CRM, advanced analytics and more, in just one platform. Every day, over 100,000 stores, restaurants, pharmacies, resorts, and other businesses in 157 countries run on LS Retail software. Learn more at www.lsretail.com.   About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge and enables merchants to unleash the power of pay. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was one of the first payment solution providers in North America to be validated by the PCI Security Standards Council. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com

FreedomPay and Toast Survey Reveals Top Priorities for Enterprise Hospitality Leaders: Data Security, Integration, and Growth Enablement

Integration and Customer Support Emerge as Crucial Factors in Merchant Preferences for Payment Solutions Philadelphia, Pennsylvania– June 25, 2024 – A recent survey conducted by FreedomPay, a global leader in Next Level Commerce™ solutions, in collaboration with Toast, a leading cloud-based restaurant management software company, has unveiled crucial insights into the top priorities for enterprise hospitality leaders. The findings emphasize the importance of data security, system integration, and growth enablement in shaping merchant preferences and trust in payment solutions and point-of-sale (POS) providers. Key Insights from the Survey: 53% of merchants face challenges in deciding where to allocate their technology budgets, highlighting the demand for integrated solutions that offer comprehensive value and support informed decision-making. The biggest factors that contribute to trust in a payment solution/point of sale (POS) provider are the quality of customer support (49%), user-friendliness (46%), reliability (44%), and integration capabilities (44%). Almost all merchants believe data security (100%) and data privacy (98%) are highly important when selecting a payment solution, while most believe growth enablement (82%) and speed (81%) are highly important. Organizations are already implementing a high level of integration between their payment/POS systems and other software systems. Most merchants say they have either fully integrated (15%) or have a very high level (70%) of integration between these systems. Almost all merchants (98%) place strong value on an integrated payment solution “The survey with Toast highlights that integration, understanding customer behavior, and ensuring security are paramount for merchants,” said Nate Ware, SVP Sales & Digital Development at FreedomPay. “This also shows that most merchants are striving for a fully integrated ecosystem to drive growth and enhance operational efficiency. At FreedomPay, we are committed to providing the integration and security that merchants need to thrive and succeed.” Understanding customer behavior, including shopping and purchasing patterns, is key to enhancing the customer experience and driving sales. Additionally, merchants are prioritizing security and minimal system downtime to safeguard operations and ensure business continuity. The availability of responsive and reliable customer support significantly contributes to fostering a sense of security and trust among merchants. “The survey really underscores merchants’ need for seamless integration and a thorough understanding of customer behavior to fully enhance operational efficiency,” remarked Kelly Esten, GM of Enterprise at Toast. “For merchants, prioritizing robust data security and reliable customer support is crucial for fostering trust with customers.” These insights highlight that seamless integration, robust data security, and reliable customer support are essential for merchants aiming to enhance operational efficiency, foster trust with customers, and drive sustained business growth in today’s competitive landscape. These factors form the cornerstone of strategic decision-making for enterprise hospitality leaders as they align their technology investments with long-term success and customer satisfaction. To learn more, download the full report: The Security Tightrope: Balancing Innovation and Risk Management for Enterprise Brands About FreedomPay: FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge and enables merchants to unleash the power of pay. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was one of the first payment solution providers in North America to be validated by the PCI Security Standards Council. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com About Toast: Toast [NYSE: TOST] is a cloud-based, all-in-one digital technology platform purpose-built for the entire restaurant community. Toast provides a comprehensive platform of software as a service (SaaS) products and financial technology solutions that give restaurants everything they need to run their business across point of sale, payments, operations, digital ordering and delivery, marketing and loyalty, and team management. We serve as the restaurant operating system, connecting front of house and back of house operations across service models including dine-in, takeout, delivery, catering, and retail. Toast helps restaurants streamline operations, increase revenue, and deliver amazing guest experiences. For more information, visit www.toasttab.com.

FreedomPay Partners with Global Nonprofit, Cancer Support Community to Launch Donation on Device, Facilitating Seamless Charitable Giving

Donation on Device gains strong support from merchants and consumers alike Philadelphia, Pennsylvania– June 18, 2024 – FreedomPay, the global leader in Next Level Commerce™, has long been committed to contributing its technical expertise and innovative spirit to support impactful charitable organizations. Consistent with that commitment, they have dedicated their resources to develop Donation on Device, a new platform functionality that enables charitable donations right at the point-of-sale, driving increased donations and awareness of charities that are making a difference in individual lives and communities. Their founding partner for the initiative is the Cancer Support Community (CSC,) a global leader in support, navigation, insights, and advocacy for people impacted by cancer. According to a study by Engage for Good, “the largest point-of-sale fundraising efforts by American retailers collected $749 million in consumer donations in 2022, a 24% increase from 2020.” The online study of almost 1400 adults, supported by a grant by the AFP Foundation for Philanthropy, reported that “53% of respondents had made a checkout charity donation in the past year.” FreedomPay believes that these statistics point to a continued and growing interest by consumers to participate in charitable giving with retailers. FreedomPay’s initiative is supported by its DecisionPoint Network™, a digital advertising platform with nearly 1,000,000 screens globally, allowing merchants to prompt charitable donations right at the point-of-sale, driving increased donations and greater awareness for charities near to their hearts and to the hearts of their customers. “At FreedomPay we are proud to support global charities and we are excited to introduce an easy way for merchants and customers to get involved,” said Tom Durovsik, Founder & CEO of FreedomPay. “By launching Donation on Device, we are able to bring an impactful change to charitable causes across the world. All merchants on the FreedomPay Platform will have an opportunity to participate and are learning about the initiative now,” said Durovsik. “We are honored to have been selected as a founding partner,” said CSC’s CEO Sally Werner. “For over 20 years, FreedomPay has supported CSC’s mission to serve people coping with a cancer diagnosis in numerous ways that have made a tangible positive difference in the lives of countless individuals and families.” According to the United States’ National Cancer Institute, “as of January 2022, it is estimated that there are 18.1 million cancer survivors in the United States.” That number is expected to grow over the next decade, as will the number of impacted individuals who could benefit from support, navigation, and resources. CSC is a global nonprofit that uplifts and strengthens cancer patients, survivors, caregivers and their loved ones, by providing support, fostering compassionate communities, and breaking down barriers to care. They provide professionally led support and navigation services, along with social connections and award-winning education — when, where and how impacted individuals prefer throughout their cancer experience. These resources are available at nearly 200 Cancer Support Community, Gilda’s Club, and healthcare partner locations as well as online and over the phone — all at no cost to those in need of services. Werner added: “The Donation on Device program will help us sustain and expand our programs, research, and advocacy that give comfort and inspire hope.”   About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge and enables merchants to unleash the power of pay. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was one of the first payment solution providers in North America to be validated by the PCI Security Standards Council. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com

FreedomPay Launches Industry’s First Independent Payment Processing Referral Advisory for Merchants

FreedomPay’s Merchant Centric Acquiring™ (MCA) now provides merchants with greater flexibility, transparency and control over the pricing process Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – June 11, 2024 – FreedomPay, the global leader in Next Level Commerce™, today launches Merchant Centric Acquiring™ (MCA), the first-of-its-kind, independent and impartial advisory service available to merchants in the United States & Canada that democratizes payment processing, delivering a more equitable payment system for their business. FreedomPay’s MCA service directly addresses merchant pain points: Providing a comprehensive rate assessment with no cost or obligation Transparency of cost and savings on a monthly and 3-year basis Choice among MCA-certified processors recommended and vetted by FreedomPay Fair Play Pledge delivers immediate rate reduction, immediate cancellation terms and immediate satisfaction A new approach and better way of making merchants a partner in the pricing process “Many of the top global brands trust FreedomPay for security, innovation, and payments transformation. With MCA, we have taken our 25 years of experience and created a consultative program that puts our merchants first,” said Chris Kronenthal, President of FreedomPay. “FreedomPay’s agnostic position empowers us to evaluate what processors are best for your business, advising on the best relationship to take the merchant’s business to the next level”. MCA allows merchants to partner with FreedomPay to explore a range of pre-qualified processing providers, and be more informed and empowered to understand fit, drive agility, operational predictability, and efficiency. In just a few months, MCA has attracted an exclusive Top-10 list of certified payment processors and broad merchant base across Hospitality, Lodging, Sports & Entertainment, Healthcare, Retail and more – surpassing billions Gross Dollar Volume processed. To learn more about MCA or to schedule a free assessment, contact MCA-Team@freedompay.com.   About Merchant Centric Acquiring™ Merchant Centric Acquiring™ (MCA) is the industry’s first independent referral advisory service that changes the way merchants, ISVs and processors find each other and work together. The revolutionary consultative service is free and provides in-depth analysis of a merchant’s current payment summary, identifies areas of improvement and opportunity, and delivers a range of options from a group of MCA-certified processors. MCA helps improve the buyer experience and enables merchants to reduce costs, improve operational efficiency and make better data-based decisions that grow their business. All at no cost to the merchant.  About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge and enables merchants to unleash the power of pay. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was one of the first payment solution providers in North America to be validated by the PCI Security Standards Council. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com

Cvent Passkey and FreedomPay Integration Helps Leading Hotel Chains Protect Credit Card Privacy and Security for Group Reservations

Direct credit card tokenization for group reservations offers robust protection against data security breaches and enhanced PCI compliance while delivering a more streamlined payment experience for group guests San Antonio, TX – June 10, 2024 – Cvent, an industry-leading meetings, events and hospitality technology provider, and FreedomPay, an innovative leader in Next Level Commerce™ technologies, shared details of their latest integration and payment card tokenization initiative at Cvent CONNECT, Cvent’s user and industry conference taking place now in San Antonio, TX and online. The integration between Cvent Passkey and FreedomPay enables direct tokenization of credit cards which allows for credit card numbers to be exchanged between Cvent Passkey and a hotel’s central reservation system (CRS) via secure credit card tokens. Tokenization helps protect hoteliers against the threat of payment fraud and data breaches and offers enhanced security features for managing and processing group reservations. “With many of the top hotels around the world leveraging our payment solutions, we understand the unique needs of the hospitality and travel industries,” said Nate Ware, SVP Sales & Digital Development at FreedomPay. “Today’s buyers and suppliers want greater security, personalization and efficiency, and we’re proud to partner with a leading, global organization like Cvent, which shares in our commitment to ensuring each of those areas is not only addressed but prioritized. Our combined focus on innovation and dedication to data security represents the future of hospitality and group business.” “The integration between Cvent Passkey and FreedomPay is another example of how we continue to expand our integrations and prioritize security for hoteliers, event organizers, and their group guests,” said Ben Mayrides, Chief Information Security Officer at Cvent. “By tokenizing credit cards, we are protecting sensitive data, reducing the risk of fraud and data breaches while providing an improved payment experience. It’s exciting to see leading hotel chains embrace technology to enhance the group booking process, and with additional properties and chains in the implementation pipeline, we’re rapidly expanding direct access to a more secure group reservation and payment environment.”   About Cvent Cvent is a leading meetings, events, and hospitality technology provider with 4,800+ employees and ~22,000 customers worldwide as of December 31, 2023. Founded in 1999, the company delivers a comprehensive event marketing and management platform and offers a global marketplace where event professionals collaborate with venues to create engaging, impactful experiences. Cvent is headquartered in Tysons, Virginia, just outside of Washington D.C., and has additional offices around the world to support its growing global customer base. The comprehensive Cvent event marketing and management platform offers software solutions to event organizers and marketers for online event registration, venue selection, event marketing and management, virtual and onsite solutions, and attendee engagement. Cvent’s suite of products automate and simplify the event management lifecycle and maximize the impact of in-person, virtual, and hybrid events. Hotels and venues use Cvent’s supplier and venue solutions to win more group and corporate travel business through Cvent’s sourcing platforms. Cvent solutions optimize the event management value chain and have enabled clients around the world to manage millions of meetings and events. For more information, please visitCvent.com. About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge and enables merchants to unleash the power of pay. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was one of the first payment solution providers in North America to be validated by the PCI Security Standards Council. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com

Big 5 Sporting Goods Selects FreedomPay to Transform Commerce Technology

FreedomPay is rapidly enhancing the retail experience for both merchants and customers with industry-leading technologies. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – June 4, 2024 – FreedomPay, a global leader in Next Level Commerce™ technologies, today announces Big 5 Sporting Goods joins the award-winning commerce platform to bring enhanced commerce security and capabilities to their 424 stores across the United States. “Big 5 is excited to start this new partnership with FreedomPay,” said Michael Shinagawa, CIO  & SVP, IT at Big 5 Sporting Goods Corp. “This collaboration will allow Big 5 to continue its commitment to providing exceptional value and service to its customers.” The strategic partnership with FreedomPay will give Big 5 Sporting Goods customers a fast, frictionless, and secure checkout experience in-store, enhanced by FreedomPay’s data-driven platform to enable loyalty and incentives for a next level customer experience. “Together, FreedomPay and Big 5 Sporting Goods are creating a more seamless customer experience,” said Nate Ware, SVP Sales & Digital Development at FreedomPay. “FreedomPay is tapped by the top retail brands around the world to transform payments and we’re excited to partner with Big 5 Sporting Goods to bring a next level experience to their customers.”   About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge and enables merchants to unleash the power of pay. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was one of the first payment solution providers in North America to be validated by the PCI Security Standards Council. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com About Big 5 Big 5 is a leading sporting goods retailer in the western United States, currently operating 424 stores under the “Big 5 Sporting Goods” name. Big 5 provides a full-line product offering in a traditional sporting goods store format that averages 12,000 square feet. Big 5’s product mix includes athletic shoes, apparel and accessories, as well as a broad selection of outdoor and athletic equipment for team sports, fitness, camping, hunting, fishing, home recreation, tennis, golf, and winter and summer recreation.

Qikserve and FreedomPay: Powering Ahead with a Strong Partnership

UK/USA MAY 17, 2024 Since their strategic alliance in early 2018, the collaboration between QikServe, a pioneer in digital guest ordering and payment technology, and FreedomPay, an innovative leader in Next Level Commerce™ technologies, has redefined the landscape of hospitality payment solutions. Together, QikServe and FreedomPay offer a seamlessly integrated payment solution for hospitality businesses, setting a new standard for efficiency and customer satisfaction. This partnership has flourished, driving significant expansion across North America and Europe. Globally, hospitality businesses are proudly adopting QikServe’s platform integrated with FreedomPay’s cutting-edge technology, empowering enterprises with unmatched payment flexibility and choice. “The longstanding partnership between FreedomPay and QikServe continues to take technology innovation and guest experience to the next level in Hospitality,” said Nate Ware, SVP Sales & Digital Development at FreedomPay. “we’re excited to continue transforming and enabling hospitality commerce across the US and Europe.” Beyond the realm of digital platforms, QikServe and FreedomPay collaborate at trade shows worldwide, leveraging each other’s extensive networks for mutual benefit. This synergy underscores their commitment to pushing the boundaries of innovation and delivering unparalleled value to the hospitality industry. “The ongoing collaboration between QikServe and FreedomPay is going from strength to strength, representing a pivotal advancement in hospitality technology,” stated Robert Taylor, Executive Vice President and Managing Director of US Operations at QikServe. “Through our unified efforts, and with the expansion of the QikServe team in the US, we are equipping businesses globally with the tools to enhance their operations and surpass customer expectations within a rapidly evolving industry. FreedomPay’s leadership in tokenization technology continues to trailblaze seamless customer centric loyalty programs and we look forward to our continued partnership.” As pioneers in their respective fields, QikServe and FreedomPay are not merely partners; they are market leaders revolutionizing the way businesses engage with technology to enhance guest experiences and drive growth. Their dedication to delivering excellence continues to shape the future of hospitality commerce, setting new benchmarks for success.   About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge and enables merchants to unleash the power of pay. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com About QikServe: QikServe is a technology innovator delivering a comprehensive suite of digital commerce solutions for food and beverage ordering in the hospitality sector. Holding the US patent for QR code ordering for over a decade, after identifying it as a way to improve guest experience in hospitality. Since then, QikServe has built an industry leading product suite of digital ordering, payment solutions, and integration products. With offices in Denver (USA) and Edinburgh (UK), QikServe processes nearly one billion dollars in orders for its customers every year. It powers digital experiences in over 40 countries around the world, enabling hospitality operators to transform their operations, increase revenue and enhance the guest experience. For more information, visit www.qikserve.com.

Elavon and FreedomPay to Transform Payments for Hospitality and Retail in Europe

LONDON (25 April 2024) – Elavon, a leading global payments provider, today announces its expanded collaboration in Europe with FreedomPay, a global leader in Next Level Commerce™ technologies. The partnership aims to deliver cutting-edge integrated commerce solutions and omni-channel payments technology to large enterprise merchants across Retail and Hospitality. The agreement pairs Elavon acquiring with FreedomPay commerce technologies to benefit Elavon merchants across Europe, empowering businesses with enhanced payment flexibility and optionality, data security, and a seamlessly integrated payments technology across both physical and ecommerce channels. “Elavon and FreedomPay have an enviable track record in Europe of helping hospitality and retail merchants grow their operations and better meet their customers’ needs,” said Hemlata Narasimhan, President of Elavon in Europe. “We’re pleased to extend our relationship with FreedomPay to continue to offer the first-class payments experience we’ve become known for.” Elavon has long been a leader in hospitality and retail payments, and integrating with the FreedomPay Commerce Platform merges security, identity, payments, loyalty, and advertising with proprietary data driven solutions. “Together, Elavon and FreedomPay are reshaping the global payments landscape, introducing greater functionality and innovation to enterprise businesses and their customers,” said Chris Kronenthal, President of FreedomPay. “Merchants can now expect a seamless and consistent payments experience backed by Next Level data, loyalty, and security.” About Elavon (elavon.co.uk) Elavon is a leading global payments company with more than 4,300 employees and operations in 10 countries. A subsidiary of U.S. Bancorp (NYSE:USB), Elavon provides businesses with the technology needed to accept payments from customers, whether they are shopping in stores, at home or on the go. Its platform is distinctive in that it is common across countries, making it easier for businesses to get their payment system up and running quickly and securely. Elavon Financial Services DAC. Registered in Ireland with Companies Registration Office. The liability of the member is limited. United Kingdom branch registered in England and Wales under the number BR022122. Elavon Financial Services DAC, trading as Elavon Merchant Services, is a credit institution authorised and regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.  Authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority.  Subject to regulation by the Financial Conduct Authority and limited regulation by the Prudential Regulation Authority.  Details about the extent of our regulation by the Prudential Regulation Authority are available from us on request. About FreedomPay (www.freedompay.com) FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge and enables merchants to unleash the power of pay. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale.

UK Businesses Must Prioritise Payment Technology to Build Customer Loyalty and Stay Competitive: New Research from Lloyds Bank and FreedomPay

Less than a third (27%) of businesses are confident they offer seamless payments experiences. Almost two-thirds of businesses (59%) across Retail, Food & Beverages and Hospitality believe a good checkout experience offers the same competitive advantage as having the best products. Customer preference is the factor most likely to influence businesses’ investment in payment technologies. 24 April 2024- London, UK – New research from Lloyds Bank and FreedomPay highlights the importance of UK businesses investing in new payment technology. Two-thirds (59%) of UK Retail, Food & Beverage (F&B) and Hospitality companies were found to already put payments at the heart of their customer experience strategy, reflecting the growing importance of payment options to customers. For retail-focused businesses, 59% believe that a good checkout experience is essential to building customer loyalty, with respondents believing it is as much a competitive advantage as having the best products. Meanwhile, 57% of retailers said that a poor payment experience could have a detrimental effect on their business, pushing customers to competitors who offer a better experience. The findings come as payment infrastructure is increasingly viewed as a critical part of customers’ shopping experience. As high inflation takes its toll on both independent venues and enterprise chains, this research demonstrates the need for businesses to prioritise customer satisfaction and build brand loyalty. Businesses understand that payments are a crucial part of the customer experience A Chip Off the Old Block However, despite understanding the importance of providing a good payment experience for customers, making this a reality appears to be a challenge for many businesses. Half of all business surveyed (49%) said they had not invested in payment solution updates at all, and only 27% of respondents felt confident in their omnichannel payment experience offering. This disparity highlights that businesses have a lot of room for growth, as investment in new payment technology could lead to significantly enhanced customer experiences and result in increased sales. Data leads to better customer engagement Other findings highlighted how businesses are using data, with many understanding that payments data can help them to make more informed decisions. 80% of respondents said they are using payments data to learn more about their customers to tailor services and products for them, which can be crucial to maintaining customer engagement and driving brand loyalty. FreedomPay’s President Chris Kronenthal said: “What is evident from our research is that brands must focus on payments innovation now more than ever. Understanding what customers expect and want from a payment experience is fundamental to ensuring that customers keep coming back. Choosing the right payments partner can support strategic business decisions and streamline checkout to help to deliver a personalised, seamless, and data-driven experience any time, any place.” Melinda Roylett, Managing Director, Lloyds Bank Merchant Services said: “The way we pay has undergone rapid shifts in the past few years. Accelerated by the pandemic, technological advancements and innovative ways of using open banking have led to the increasing adoption of contactless, digital wallet solutions and embedded finance options such as Buy Now, Pay Later. Consumers now have more choice than ever. This means that businesses also need to think about how they use the payment experience at checkout to build business growth.” We hope you enjoy the full Report at lloydsbank.com/paymentsinsight Media Contacts: Lloyds Bank Adam Charles, Media Relations Adam.charles@lloydsbanking.com 0207 356 2374 Hill & Knowlton (FreedomPay) freedompayUK@hillandknowlton.com ABOUT FREEDOMPAY FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com ABOUT LLOYDS BANKING GROUP Lloyds Banking Group is a leading UK based financial services group providing a wide range of banking and financial services, focused on personal and commercial customers. We are proud to be by the side of British business, supporting more than 1 million UK businesses with leading digital and relationship banking services, as they start up, grow, thrive and trade internationally. As part of the Group, Lloyds Bank Cardnet Merchant Services offers leading end-to-end payment acceptance solutions. We help businesses from all parts of the UK, and across all different sectors and sizes, giving them the support they need to take payments online, in store, or over the phone at any time. For more information on how we help businesses to receive payments please visit: lloydsbank.com/cardnet

How SMEs can win at cross-border commerce in 2024

By Kevin Carson, Senior Vice President, FreedomPay While COVID impacted global businesses differently, the entire world witnessed an ecommerce boom during the pandemic’s peak. According to Statista, cross-border purchases accounted for 17% of business-to-consumer commerce revenue just two years ago. And although many thought this trend would continue, what we’ve seen is quite the opposite. Recent research also shows we are in fact shifting away from the purely digital shopper towards the physical shopper, as social distancing rules lessened over time and consumers returned to the high street. Global cross-border ecommerce sales are forecast to grow by 26 percent by 2030. This is clearly an area of business brands need to pay close attention to, as newer, wide-reaching digital marketing strategies can engage shoppers from across the globe. For larger companies, digital infrastructure is already in place to offer a seamless cross-border commerce strategy. However, for smaller brands, this jump can seem daunting and hard to achieve – putting them at risk to be left behind. As small businesses continue to seek new growth opportunities, cross-border sales will become a crucial solution for profitability. But how do SMEs open themselves up to the world of global retail? The biggest investment they must make is in the latest – and emerging – technology. This applies to every part of the customer journey, from personalised offers to frictionless checkout. In a world where brands are constantly battling to cut through to consumers, ensuring a smooth user experience via new solutions is what will make businesses stand out amongst the competition. With the most up-to-date tools at their fingertips, smaller companies have the opportunity to scale internationally and provide customers with the quick, seamless experience they seek. Here are three key steps SMEs should take in order to maximise their cross-border ecommerce strategy:   Personalise and localise Merchants must deliver an engaging and personalised experience both in-store and online. Basic customer details are no longer enough; today, understanding customers’ likes, dislikes and buying behaviour, and being on top of the full end-to-end journey, is a must. From a cross-border perspective, personalisation could be as simple as enabling shoppers to view prices, and pay, in their local currency, accepting payments via local and alternative payment methods, providing them with taxes and duties calculations and prepayment options, and offering a wide range of attractively priced shipping and return options. Localisation is a strategy brands must also adopt if they want to be successful in cross-border ecommerce. Arguably, this is part of a wider ‘personalisation’ conversation. For example, 55% of people continue to value personalised offers and discounts when shopping. This research also finds that just over 30% of all retail purchases made by millennials can be attributed to personalised marketing. Utilise data Understanding customer data is vital to success. However, pinpointing where to start in terms of data collection and interpretation may feel overwhelming for SMEs. Fortunately, partnering with the right platform can assist businesses in not only gathering customer information but can lay it out in a way that is easy to analyse and so that it can be utilised for tailored offers or discounts. For example, some platforms can deliver information on customers’ past purchases when taking a payment, giving brands a 360° view of shoppers. With this, SMEs can adopt different marketing strategies and messaging according to shopper preferences. Despite these advanced platforms being available, many continue to utilise legacy systems which are outdated and inefficient when it comes to data delivery and functionality. An “if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it” mentality has long hindered the evolution and progression of retailers’ payment solutions. In reality, their tech stacks need an overhaul to newer technology which gives them greater visibility into their customer and provides a full view of consumer and cardholder behaviours. To successfully create a cross-border ecommerce strategy, businesses must understand the importance of these demands. Build trust Building trust as an SME can be challenging, with shopper reviews playing a pivotal role in attracting new customers in the early stages of a business. People buy more from brands they trust – building a reputation of being a trustworthy retailer can take time and perseverance but starts with nailing the basics. A fundamental way of showing existing and new customers that a brand is trustworthy is by keeping their payment information and personal data safe. With cases of fraud, identity hacking and scams on the rise, shoppers value payment privacy now more than ever. Platforms that offer next-level security can give reassurance to both merchant and customer when it comes to data safety. In addition to personalisation and understanding data, data protection is a great way SMEs can steadily begin to build a rapport with customers. With a strong foundation to build upon, a brand’s reputation can go from strength to strength. Devising the right strategy and mastering the basics are an essential part of building SMEs’ cross-border approach. Once personalisation, data and protection are understood, brands can go – and grow – beyond borders and achieve global success.   See the original article here.

FreedomPay doubles down on gateway focus

The company, which provides point-of-sale payments and other technology services to merchants, isn’t interested in handling acquiring, said President Chris Kronenthal. Payments gateway FreedomPay has become a point-of-sale specialist, and it isn’t looking to take on merchant acquiring. That’s according to the privately-held company’s president, Chris Kronenthal, who said FreedomPay is focused on providing its merchants with technology that integrates payments and more at the point-of-sale, rather than getting into the acquiring business. The Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based company’s commerce platform seeks to bring together and connect the services merchants need, including payments, loyalty and customer data analytics, while being compliant with security standards. FreedomPay, which has about 600 employees, has consistently been self-funded and generates “hundreds of millions in revenue,” although Kronenthal wouldn’t be more specific. Founded in 2000, FreedomPay directly serves large, global clients such as hospitality company Marriott and shipping giant FedEx, as well as small and medium-sized businesses by partnering with distributors such as independent software vendors, Kronenthal said. FreedomPay also partners with the likes of payment processor Worldpay and restaurant fintech Toast. Kronenthal spoke with Payments Dive March 13 about the company’s international expansion plans and a recently launched consulting service. Editor’s note: This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.  PAYMENTS DIVE: As a gateway, how does the company ensure it remains relevant to the payments ecosystem when it competes with rivals who also provide acquiring? CHRIS KRONENTHAL: We’ve remained agnostic, and that allows us to be really meaningful for lots of different kinds of partners: global acquirers and processors that need multi-acquiring functions; selling systems and ISVs that want to code once and then be activated to access a lot of different participants; merchants who want flexibility and protection. We’ve chosen not to go into acquiring and chosen to really focus on where we think that problem area is, which is the technology around integrating those things. We think there’s as much of a value statement, if not more, supporting the merchant in his or her quest to integrate all the different complexities, as there is to be just part of that ecosystem, for example, acquiring. Once you go on the acquiring side, which is what a lot of providers do, that takes your inertia in a different way. Now you’re involved in know-your-customer, anti-money laundering. You’ve got to deal with underwriting, you have to deal with reserves, that drags you into issuing and lending and all those things. It sort of becomes this self-fulfilling prophecy of where you spend your time and resources. FreedomPay recently launched in Spain. Where else is the company looking to expand? In the last year, we’ve opened a dozen new markets. We’re live in the Middle East. We’ve added Mexico in the last year. We have a vision probably over the next 12 months to add additional countries in Central America, Asia-Pacific and South America. Our global march is intended to go to about 117 countries, and we believe we have coverage right now for 88. So within that grab-bag, you’ll see us go after markets like Brazil, Argentina; you’ll see us go after Kenya, South Africa; opening up the rest of what we’ve set up in APAC. We just launched Hong Kong, Singapore. We’ll be launching in the Phillippines, Thailand. How has FreedomPay sought to branch out when it comes to services? We’re seeing a lot of growth with a program we’ve introduced called merchant-centric acquiring. That’s a consultative service that we now provide for merchants to help them understand their acquiring relationships: Do they have preferential terms? Do they have the right buy rates? Do they have the right partners in the right geographies? We will come in and review what you are doing and why, and if we can help you find a better set-up, we’ll do so. That service was soft-launched late last year, coming into this year. We’re seeing merchants rapidly embrace it and adopt it. We started with an entry program, with merchants doing anywhere from $500,000 to $5 million a year in gross dollar volume participate. Now, we have several merchants in that $500 million to billion-dollar range participating. There’s just a tremendous opportunity for the merchant to have a sponsor in that discussion who’s not actually an acquirer.   See the original article here.

FreedomPay Expands Next Level Commerce to Merchants Across Spain with Redsys Certification

FreedomPay launches across Spain following successful integration Madrid, Spain – January 22 ,2024: – FreedomPay, a global leader in Next Level Commerce™, announces that its fully independent, open, and agnostic commerce platform is now available to all merchants in Spain. This significant milestone comes as FreedomPay secures an integrated certification from Redsys, Spain’s leading payments processing provider. With its fully integrated payments and loyalty solution, FreedomPay brings the highest level of speed, security, and flexibility to merchants in various sectors, including Hospitality, Retail, Food & Beverage, Stadia, Gaming, Ticketing, and more throughout Spain. The suite of solutions offered by FreedomPay is distinguished by its focus on the evolving needs of merchants and consumers, making it the preferred choice for enterprises worldwide. With over +1000 integrations with the industry’s most innovative point-of-sale and eCommerce software providers, merchants on FreedomPay’s global platform can now offer Spanish consumers a Next Level of omni-channel experience across in-store, online, and mobile commerce. “The needs of merchants and consumers are constantly changing and FreedomPay is always looking to stay at the forefront with solutions that respond to new demands. Spain is a strategic market for us and this alliance with Redsys will allow us to join forces to improve the payment experience for businesses throughout the country”, said Cesar Diez-Rivera, VP Global Business Development and Country Manager of FreedomPay in Spain. As Spain’s leading payments processing provider, Redsys manages transactions and authorizations in collaboration with over 60 banks, savings banks, and credit institutions, making it the country’s most widely used payments processor. FreedomPay’s certification with Redsys marks a major milestone in its international expansion plans, enabling it to operate seamlessly in Spain. As a fully agnostic payment platform, FreedomPay now allows Spanish merchants to access its extensive partner and solution network while benefiting from the local acquiring and banking advantages they already enjoy in the region. “As part of our continuous Spanish expansion, we are delighted to announce the addition of Redsys integrated certification in Spain to our already extensive list of 1000+ integrations on the FreedomPay platform. This certification will significantly strengthen our capacity to bring Spanish merchants closer to their customers through a truly connected omni-channel experience,” said Chris Kronenthal, President of FreedomPay. This expansion brings true omni-channel commerce capabilities to Spanish businesses. FreedomPay’s technology seamlessly connects point-of-sale (POS) systems, payment processors, incentive engines, and other disparate systems, providing a gold standard in security solutions, including PCI-Validated P2PE , across in-store, web, and mobile channels. Spanish merchants can now enjoy a tailored payment experience that is safe, secure, and ensures a seamless customer journey. As a pioneer in cutting-edge technologies, FreedomPay excels in speed, security, and innovation. With extensive expansion plans, FreedomPay currently processes billions of transactions worldwide and operates in more than 75 countries across five continents, enabling enterprises to deliver a consistent and repeatable experience on a global scale. About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge and enables merchants to unleash the power of pay. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com For media enquiries, please contact: David Vindel/Fernando Cardona from H+K Strategies at david.vindel@hkstrategies.com or Fernando.cardona@kstrategies.com

FreedomPay Launches EFTPOS Least Cost Routing on PCI P2PE Integrated Payments Platform in Australia

Sydney, Australia –  January 23, 2024  – FreedomPay, a leading global provider of integrated commerce solutions, announces the successful certification and official launch of EFTPOS Least Cost Routing on its market-leading PCI P2PE integrated payments platform in Australia. This milestone achievement enhances the capabilities of FreedomPay’s platform, providing a seamless and cost-effective solution for both domestic and international merchants operating in the Australian market. With the announcement of EFTPOS Least Cost Routing, FreedomPay extends its commitment to deliver innovative payment solutions with its integration of over 1000 Electronic Cash Register (ECR) and point-of-service (EPOS) applications. Merchants now have the capability to offer fully integrated contact and contactless transactions for EFTPOS, as well as support for all popular international card schemes. “We are thrilled to announce the successful deployment of EFTPOS Least Cost Routing on our PCI P2PE integrated payments platform in Australia,” said Tony Hammond, SVP, Global Product Delivery at FreedomPay. “This milestone reflects our dedication to empowering merchants with cutting-edge solutions that not only enhance the customer experience but also drive operational efficiency and cost savings.” One of the key advantages of FreedomPay’s PCI P2PE solution is its ability to significantly reduce the time and costs associated with Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) compliance. Merchants can now benefit from enhanced security features while simultaneously lowering their overall costs of card processing. The integration of EFTPOS Least Cost Routing aligns with FreedomPay’s commitment to providing comprehensive solutions that address the evolving needs of the payments landscape. FreedomPay’s omnichannel solution further reinforces its position as an industry leader, seamlessly integrating with all sales channels to deliver a consistent and user-friendly experience across the entire merchant enterprise. This omnichannel approach enables merchants to enhance customer engagement and satisfaction, regardless of the chosen sales channel.   About FreedomPay About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge and enables merchants to unleash the power of pay. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against the PCI Point-to-Point Encryption (PCI P2PE) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com

Worldpay from FIS Helps British Brand HMV Expand and Innovate with New, Enhanced Omni-Channel Solution

KEY FACTS Music and entertainment retailer HMV is utilizing Worldpay from FIS’ enhanced omni-channel solution to aid European expansion. Worldpay Omnichannel has been created through a partnership between Worldpay and FreedomPay. Executing an omni-channel retail strategy is now key for merchants, with research finding that half of all consumers used three or more channels to shop in the last 12 months. JACKSONVILLE, FL, December 20, 2023 – Worldpay from FIS, the merchant solutions business of global financial technology leader FIS® (NYSE: FIS), is expanding its relationship with music and entertainment retailer HMV to support the iconic British entertainment retailer with its European expansion through an enhanced omni-channel strategy. Worldpay Omnichannel will give HMV greater flexibility and choice when it comes to improving their omni-channel strategy, across 34 geographic markets. Developed in partnership with FreedomPay, the solution brings together Worldpay’s leading Global eCommerce capabilities with FreedomPay’s commerce platform. Through a single integration, Worldpay Omnichannel allows merchants to operate across borders and Point of Sale (POS) providers, supporting both major and local card schemes, alongside local payment methods. The solution covers many of consumer’s preferred payment methods and enables merchants to deliver a more consistent omnichannel experience across the retail landscape. The solution will allow for synchronization and tokenization across multiple channels, enabling merchants to operate more efficiently, as well as innovate to better meet shoppers’ expectations and changing payment habits. The solution also enables access to multiple POS providers allowing merchants to maintain their preferred relationships with partner ecosystems, while supporting simpler and faster implementation through a single integration. Worldpay Omnichannel is now live in HMV’s Dublin and Antwerp stores and will be rolled out across Europe in the coming months. Pete Wickes, Head of Worldpay Enterprise, EMEA at FIS said: “We’re pleased to extend our relationship with HMV to provide them with the next generation of omni-channel solutions and support their expansion across Europe. Our enhanced capabilities will help HMV future-proof their business and accelerate growth. We will connect HMV fully with their shoppers across the digital and physical worlds, enriching their purchasing journey across multiple channels.” Darren Houghton, Head of IT at HMV said: “We needed a solution that would enable us to provide our customers with a seamless journey across multiple channels, as well as bring us into new markets simply and efficiently. Worldpay is a trusted partner that understands our business. Our new capabilities will speed our ability to innovate and better help our customers as we expand across Europe.” “Together Worldpay and FreedomPay are transforming payments across the globe, bringing more functionality and innovation to enterprise businesses and their customers”, said Chris Kronenthal, President at FreedomPay. “By coupling FreedomPay’s data-driven, secure commerce technology platform and Worldpay’s leading Global eCommerce platform, we can provide merchants with enhanced omni-channel experiences for them and their shoppers.” The Next Level Retail Report This new solution comes at the right time for HMV, with new research demonstrating why merchants need to prioritize their omni-channel strategy as shopping habits continue to converge across channels. The Next Level Retail Report, a joint research project between Worldpay and FreedomPay, found that over the past 12 months: 50 percent of consumers have used more than three shopping channels to purchase something, rising to 60 percent of millennials. Use of marketplaces (77 percent) is now on par with physical shopping (78 percent). 69 percent of consumers want to shop in checkout-free stores, including 59 percent of those aged 59+. About the Data For the full report, visit https://omnichannel.wpfisglobal.com/ About FIS FIS is a leading provider of technology solutions for financial institutions and businesses of all sizes and across any industry globally. We enable the movement of commerce by unlocking the financial technology that powers the world’s economy. Our employees are dedicated to advancing the way the world pays, banks and invests through our trusted innovation, system performance and flexible architecture. We help our clients use technology in innovative ways to solve business-critical challenges and deliver superior experiences for their customers. Headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, FIS is a member of the Fortune 500® and the Standard & Poor’s 500® Index. To learn more, visit www.fisglobal.com. Follow FIS on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter (@FISGlobal). About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge and enables merchants to unleash the power of pay. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com

FreedomPay and Citi Retail Services Join Forces to Empower Consumers with Choice at the Point-of-Sale with Citi Pay

FreedomPay, a global leader in Next Level Commerce™ technologies has collaborated with Citi Retail Services, one of North America’s largest and most experienced retail payments and credit solution providers, to enable Citi Pay® products at the point of purchase for interested merchants. This collaboration provides consumers with flexibility in selecting their preferred lending solutions at the point-of-sale, further enhancing their shopping experience. The relationship reflects a commitment to innovation and customer-centric solutions, leveraging FreedomPay’s robust technology and Citi’s expertise in payments to bring forth a seamless, user-friendly experience for consumers and merchants alike. The collaboration sets the stage for a new era of choice and flexibility in point-of-sale lending, where consumers can be in control of their financial decisions, and merchants can offer a broader range of ways to pay including a digital-only credit card and monthly installment loan to meet their customers’ needs. “We are excited to work with Citi Retail Services to offer Citi Pay products, giving consumers the ability to make personalized choices when it comes to their lending solutions,” said Chris Kronenthal, President at FreedomPay. “Our collaboration underscores our dedication to providing cutting-edge commerce technology that empowers consumers and merchants, ultimately improving the overall shopping experience.” Citi Pay products can help inform customer purchase decisions by giving them the flexibility to finance purchases based on what works best for their budgets. By joining forces with FreedomPay, Citi Retail Services aims to expand the reach of its Citi Pay products and provide convenient digital payment products to a new cohort of merchants and customers. “Our collaboration with FreedomPay enables us to seamlessly integrate Citi Pay® Credit and Citi Pay® Installment Loan into merchants’ checkout experiences, making it easier for merchants of any size or scale to bring new payment options and more choice to their customers,” said Terry O’Neil, Head of Connected Commerce and Strategic Growth for Citi Retail Services. “We look forward to the opportunities the relationship will continue to unlock as we scale our embedded digital payment products over the coming months and years.”   Click here to read the original article.

FreedomPay and Citi Retail Services Join Forces to Empower Consumers with Choice at the Point-of-Sale with Citi Pay

December 6, 2023 | Philadelphia – FreedomPay, a global leader in Next Level Commerce™ technologies has collaborated with Citi Retail Services, one of North America’s largest and most experienced retail payments and credit solution providers, to enable Citi Pay® products at the point of purchase for interested merchants. This collaboration provides consumers with flexibility in selecting their preferred lending solutions at the point-of-sale, further enhancing their shopping experience. The relationship reflects a commitment to innovation and customer-centric solutions, leveraging FreedomPay’s robust technology and Citi’s expertise in payments to bring forth a seamless, user-friendly experience for consumers and merchants alike. The collaboration sets the stage for a new era of choice and flexibility in point-of-sale lending, where consumers can be in control of their financial decisions, and merchants can offer a broader range of ways to pay including a digital-only credit card and monthly installment loan to meet their customers’ needs. “We are excited to work with Citi Retail Services to offer Citi Pay products, giving consumers the ability to make personalized choices when it comes to their lending solutions,” said Chris Kronenthal, President at FreedomPay. “Our collaboration underscores our dedication to providing cutting-edge commerce technology that empowers consumers and merchants, ultimately improving the overall shopping experience.” Citi Pay products can help inform customer purchase decisions by giving them the flexibility to finance purchases based on what works best for their budgets. By joining forces with FreedomPay, Citi Retail Services aims to expand the reach of its Citi Pay products and provide convenient digital payment products to a new cohort of merchants and customers. “Our collaboration with FreedomPay enables us to seamlessly integrate Citi Pay® Credit and Citi Pay® Installment Loan into merchants’ checkout experiences, making it easier for merchants of any size or scale to bring new payment options and more choice to their customers,” said Terry O’Neil, Head of Connected Commerce and Strategic Growth for Citi Retail Services. “We look forward to the opportunities the relationship will continue to unlock as we scale our embedded digital payment products over the coming months and years.” About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge and enables merchants to unleash the power of pay. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com

FreedomPay Wins Best Data Insights Title at the Fintech Finance Awards 2023

LONDON, 29th November 2023 — FreedomPay, the global leader in Next Level Commerce™, was announced the winner of Best Data Insights at the annual FF Awards presented by Fintech Finance. The FF Awards are a celebration and recognition of companies in the fintech space and their products, services or ideas that bring meaningful change to the financial services sector. The Best Data Insight award recognises FreedomPay’s use of data in an unexpected way to enhance customer experience and empower merchants. “We are incredibly honoured to be recognised as the Best Data Insights at the FF Awards 2023,” said Chris Kronenthal, President of FreedomPay. “The recognition is a testament to our dedication to providing innovative and secure commerce solutions that empower businesses and enhance the customer experience.” FreedomPay continues to be at the forefront of innovation, pushing boundaries to deliver exceptional solutions that shape the future of commerce. The company remains committed to driving Next Level commerce technology while continue to deliver cutting-edge solutions to our valued partners and merchants around the world.   About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge and enables merchants to unleash the power of pay. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com

RealTime Reservation Partners with FreedomPay to Elevate Hospitality Payment Solutions

Cutting-edge integration between RealTime Reservation and FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform promises enhanced guest experiences and seamless payment solutions. Long Island, New York – November 29, 2023. RealTime Reservation LLC, a pioneering provider of cloud-based hospitality software solutions, has announced a strategic partnership with FreedomPay, the world’s leading innovator in payment technology. This collaboration will maximize ancillary revenues for the hospitality industry while enhancing the overall guest experience. By combining RealTime Reservation’s comprehensive platform with FreedomPay’s cutting-edge Next Level Commerce™ technology, the integration offers hotels and resorts unparalleled payment solutions. RealTime Reservation’s cloud-based software platform seamlessly integrates allowing guests to reserve everything offered on-property (amenities, activities, parking, airport shuttle, food and beverage, marina, cabanas, pool and beach areas, etc.). This creates a fully developed guest itinerary that empowers hotels and resorts to streamline operations, increase ancillary revenue, and elevate guest satisfaction. This strategic partnership with FreedomPay further enhances the capabilities of RealTime Reservation’s platform by incorporating the rock-solid performance and security of FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ technology. “Together, FreedomPay and RealTime Reservation are giving guests more personalization, flexibility, and greater security when booking their experience,” said Chris Kronenthal, President, FreedomPay. “Hospitality groups can now offer their guests a trusted end-to-end booking experience backed by FreedomPay’s industry-leading secure commerce platform.” FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform is trusted by global giants in various sectors such as retail, hospitality, gaming, sports and entertainment, food service, education, healthcare, and financial services. The platform has been designed to excel in the complex environment of global commerce, offering solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics. FreedomPay’s technology is backed by world-class security measures and holds the distinction of being the first to achieve validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against the Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. The integration of FreedomPay’s technology into RealTime Reservation’s platform will result in a seamless payment experience for guests, ensuring security, convenience, and innovation throughout the transaction process. Guests and hospitality establishments alike will benefit from the robust solutions that the partnership brings to the table. “We are excited to join forces with FreedomPay and bring their Next Level Commerce™ technology to our hospitality software solutions,” said Shawn Tarter, President and Founder, RealTime Reservation. “This partnership will empower hotels and resorts to provide a frictionless payment experience for guests while maximizing operational efficiencies and revenue opportunities.” The combination of RealTime Reservation’s advanced hospitality platform with FreedomPay’s world-class payment technology promises to reshape and enhance the industry landscape, delivering exceptional value to both businesses and guests. For more information about RealTime Reservation and FreedomPay, please visit: RealTime Reservation: www.realtimereservation.com FreedomPay: www.freedompay.com About RealTime Reservation, LLC RealTime Reservation, LLC is a leading provider of cloud-based hospitality software solutions, allowing seamless integration of reservation, marketing, and operational systems. The company’s platform is designed to help hotels and resorts increase bookings, streamline operations, and enhance guest experiences. In addition to serving guests, the platform offers a powerful marketing tool for hotels and resorts. The unrivaled distribution channel allows properties to market amenities and activities to entice new daytime guests. Using RealTime Reservation, properties can increase ancillary revenue, collect data, and improve forecasting and yield management. Our deep reporting capabilities enable properties to create operational efficiencies while enhancing the guest experience. About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge and enables merchants to unleash the power of pay. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com

Hudini and FreedomPay Collaborate to Make Commerce Technology in the Hospitality Industry Future-ready

November 27, 2023 – Hudini, the digital transformation partner for world’s leading hotels, and payments technology innovator FreedomPay are teaming up to make commercial transactions on hospitality apps seamless and guest-centric. The first project that Hudini and FreedomPay have collaborated on is the digital transformation of SH Hotels & Resorts, the hospitality affiliate of Starwood Capital Group. Hudini has developed separate apps on iOS and Android for three hotel brands in the SH Hotels & Resorts portfolio – 1 Hotels, Baccarat Hotel, and Treehouse Hotel. Hudini’s proprietary middleware can consolidate 100+ functionalities throughout the guest journey, driving great guest experiences and streamlining operations for hotels of every size. The partnership will see Hudini’s hospitality apps being integrated with FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform. “The convergence of functionalities is essential to delivering exceptional service to guests,” says Prince Thampi, Founder and CEO of Hudini. “The fact that guests can perform multiple tasks, including paying for products and services, on a single platform is sure to drive usage of the technology and also improve operational efficiency at hotels. FreedomPay’s robust and secure platform is renowned in the hospitality industry, and we’re delighted to partner with them.” Hudini’s hospitality apps enable guests to skip the queue at the front desk by registering and paying for their room, make in-room purchases, order and pay for room service and services such as laundry directly, as well as review and clear their bills prior to check-out. The payment gateway for these transactions will be powered by FreedomPay, the award-winning innovator in commerce technology that has transitioned several leading hospitality brands from legacy payment systems to digital technology solutions. Chris Kronenthal, President of FreedomPay adds, ”Today, guest expect their payments to be secure, seamless, and personalized. The partnership between FreedomPay and Hudini gives more flexibility and optionality along with data privacy and reliability to create a next level guest experience.” The FreedomPay commerce platform offers best-in-class capabilities in the areas of security, payments, loyalty and identity while leveraging data to offer hotels key business insights. By providing secure, contactless and alternative payment solutions, the platform prioritizes the guest’s convenience and preferences. The ability to pay directly and digitally also creates more revenue generation opportunities for the hotel, while making operations more cost-effective and time-efficient. About Hudini Hudini is the leading digital transformation platform for the hospitality industry. Powered by a proprietary middleware and an omnichannel (App, Web, TV) guest interface that leverages data + AI to increase guest engagement and hotel revenues, Hudini delivers an enhanced guest experience. Through its 100+ pre-built integrations across all functionalities, Hudini delivers personalized, immersive guest experiences that enable guests to communicate, control and interact with hotels closer than ever before. Working with over 400 hotels across 25 countries, Hudini is fast becoming the benchmark for digital transformation in the hospitality industry. To learn more about Hudini, visit www.hudini.io About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge and enables merchants to unleash the power of pay. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com  

FreedomPay Partners with Pennies to Drive Philanthropic Growth and Payment Innovation

November 9th, 2023 – FreedomPay, the innovative leader in Next Level Commerce™ technologies, has announced an exciting strategic partnership with Pennies, the micro-donation charity. The partnership signifies a significant step forward in bringing payment innovation and philanthropy together. This move further reinforces FreedomPay’s unwavering commitment to elevating the customer experience and broadening its range of payment solutions, which has solidified its position as the favoured choice for merchants worldwide. As part of its commitment to enhancing the payment experience and supporting charitable causes, FreedomPay will seamlessly integrate Pennies into its world class technology stack. Alison Hutchinson CBE, CEO of Pennies said: “Pennies is delighted to be partnering with FreedomPay, whose innovation, growth and purpose-led mission has the potential to unlock millions more micro-donation opportunities. FreedomPay’s values align with Pennies own commitment to making giving simple, every day – ensuring customers have affordable ways to donate and enabling brands to generate real social impact. We look forward to working with FreedomPay and their merchants, using tech for social good and raising millions for charity.” With FreedomPay’s established presence in the UK market and a rapidly growing customer base, the potential for making a substantial impact through micro-donations is significant. This collaboration not only enriches the payment experience but also paves the way for a brighter and more charitable future. This integration opens up new avenues for customers to make a positive impact on society while carrying out their everyday transactions. FreedomPay merchants will have the option to enable the Pennies’ micro-donation option to support their nominated charity partners. Customers will then be offered the chance to add a small digital donation to their purchases when they pay, collectively raising significant funds for good causes. Tony Hammond, SVP, Global Product Delivery at FreedomPay, said about this partnership: “We are thrilled to extend our support and become an integral part of Pennies’ future growth and ambitions. This collaboration represents a significant milestone in the fusion of commerce and philanthropy, empowering businesses to create a meaningful impact while ensuring a smooth payment experience for their customers. Our eagerness to seamlessly integrate Pennies into our payment platform from the outset, coupled with our deep appreciation of Pennies’ mission and its capacity to effect positive change, has driven us to embrace this partnership wholeheartedly.” As we look ahead, FreedomPay and Pennies are excited about the possibilities this partnership will bring, aiming to make the world a better place one penny at a time. About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge and enables merchants to unleash the power of pay. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com About Pennies Pennies is an award-winning fintech charity with an important mission: to protect and grow micro-donations, ensuring people have digital ways to keep donating the small sums of money that are so vital to charities. As a trusted leader in digital micro-donations, Pennies has created a movement that encourages giving, offers businesses a powerful way to demonstrate social purpose, helps charities make a greater impact, and gives the public a way to donate without cash, as part of their daily lives. In an increasingly cashless society, Pennies’ gives customers paying by card or digital wallet a convenient way to add a small donation to their purchase, when shopping with participating brands.  Whether in-store, online and in-app, it’s a simple, affordable, data-free way to donate, with 100% of funds raised going to charity. Millions of people are now making micro-donations every single week. To date Pennies has partnered with more than 120 brands and enabled almost 200 million micro-donations, raising millions of pounds in much-needed additional income for charities in the UK, Republic of Ireland and beyond.  Together, payment providers, merchants and their customers are helping hundreds of charities make a meaningful difference to the causes and communities they serve. Because micro-donations matter, now more than ever. For more information about Pennies, please visit www.pennies.org.uk.

Lloyds Bank Accelerates Strategic Payments Partnership with FreedomPay

Leading technology company appointed to provide Lloyds Bank Cardnet customers with a fast, efficient, and secure payments solution LONDON, UK – Lloyds Bank has accelerated its strategic partnership with FreedomPay, a leading consumer-centric commerce platform, as part of its continued growth strategy to offer clients access to a suite of fast, efficient, and secure payments solutions. The partnership gives merchants using Lloyds Bank Cardnet access to FreedomPay’s advanced payment processing capabilities. The fully integrated, patented technology offers Lloyds Bank Cardnet customers the flexibility to process payments across borders, key sectors, point of sales and merchant service providers. FreedomPay’s patented Next Level Commerce™ platform is an end-to-end cloud-based solution that offers fast, secure payments solutions to merchants while giving them access to the most up to date payment types and technologies. FreedomPay also supports popular payment methods such as mobile wallets functionality. Melinda Roylett, Managing Director of Lloyds Bank Merchant Services, said: “Our renewed strategic partnership with FreedomPay will enable us to continue offering best-in-class payments solutions to our clients. We look forward to developing more benefits that add further value to the service we currently provide our clients with, to help them grow their businesses.” Chris Kronenthal, President of FreedomPay, said: “Together with Lloyds Bank, we are redefining the customer experience for UK merchants by blending loyalty, security, and value-added-services. Through the FreedomPay platform, Lloyds Bank’s Cardnet service offers market leading capabilities, optionality, and innovation to merchants.” About Lloyds Bank Cardnet With 21 million digitally active customers, Lloyds Banking Group is an integral part of the UK payments ecosystem processing some 180 million BACS and 137 million faster payments each month. With 30+ years experience in acquiring and merchant services,​ Lloyds Bank Cardnet is a household name in the UK payments landscape. Prominent across all channels and foremost in key sectors from retail, hospitality, education, healthcare and financial services, we are committed to reinvigorating, streamlining and elevating the merchant journey. Whatever your needs, Lloyds Bank Cardnet will find the solution that will enable you to exceed the payment expectations of your customers in a way that fulfils the needs of your business. About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge and enables merchants to unleash the power of pay. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com

Revamped Grubhub kiosk streamlines workflows, improves student experience

   Elo Touch and FreedomPay now power the kiosk’s hardware and payment processing Article Originally Posted by: CAMPUSIDNEWS STAFF   ||   OCT 03, 2023   Grubhub has revealed a new kiosk model that supports the full range of customer order types in high-volume environments. The updated kiosk ordering platform offers campuses an all-in-one, self-ordering experience that enables a dining location to streamline the ordering process for customers, reduce overhead costs and repurpose employees to other workflows. “With many of our campus partners finding success with Grubhub mobile ordering – oftentimes exceeding the expected volume of walk-up orders – we realized the pain that operating two separate systems can create for the team working behind the counter,” says Lyle Margerum, director of technical operations at Grubhub. “We wanted to create a modern and unified product set that blends all the service types into a single system.” Elo Touch hardware now powers the updated kiosks, including Android tablets, which were previously not supported, as well as counter, floor and point of sales (POS) mounts. Additionally, all payment processing and card readers are powered by FreedomPay. The kiosk product line was developed specifically for higher education and other closed ecosystems like healthcare, stadiums and hotels that have notoriously high order volumes and demand stability. “The new kiosk model has been developed with the guidance of our partners and iterated upon based on the feedback we get directly from those who have them deployed at their campuses,” says Margerum. Consolidated workflow One of the largest benefits from a dining operator standpoint is the consolidation of various orders into one workflow. “A single stream of order fulfillment and menu management across walk-up, mobile order ahead and delivery services allows for the best operator experience, which translates to an improved experience for the students,” says Margerum. It was vital to our operations that the Grubhub kiosk take all forms of tender, including meal equivalency/exchange across all credential types on physical cards or digital wallets In terms of deploying the kiosk, setup for the campus or dining operator is very straightforward, needing just a 120-volt outlet and an internet connection. “The technical requirements are super simple. Power and basic outbound internet for each device, no inbound firewall rules, server hosting or any other complexities typically seen with POS systems,” explains Margerum. “The devices are also being shipped in new packaging that truly makes these kiosks plug-and-play.” Campus card payments The Grubhub kiosk supports the full range of payment options, including campus cards, credit cards, debit cards and mobile credentials, all powered by FreedomPay. “It was vital to our operations that the Grubhub kiosk take all forms of tender, including meal equivalency/exchange across all credential types on physical cards or digital wallets,” says Margerum. “For credit cards, the P2PE Ingenico reader accepts tap, dip or swipe payment options. Campus cards are taken either on a simple magstripe reader or contactless radio frequency identification readers that work with each campus card provider and credential type.” In terms of security, the kiosk chassis features a robust and secure frame with custom tamper-proof screws. Kiosk payments, meanwhile, are fully compliant with payment card industry regulations and feature point-to-point encryption. “The kiosk solution is fully managed by Grubhub, devices are deployed with our mobile device management software to ensure the latest software is applied along with any security updates,” says Margerum. “One of the largest enhancements from our previous kiosk version is the ability to add a P2PE credit card terminal to the unit, which allows us to remove any possibility of credit card leakage and takes the network out of scope where these will be deployed.” Fully integrated solution The kiosk platform is also fully integrated with the Grubhub app and all back-of-house systems to streamline order management. “Having a true omni-channel solution for all order types – mobile pickup, delivery, POS, kiosks, lockers – makes for a simpler solution for the operator to manage, which in turn translates to a better experience for the user,” explains Margerum. “From the operator side, they have one menu to manage and a single queue that all orders go through before being distributed to the back-of-house printer, kitchen display system and tablet hardware.” Having a single queue provides full visibility into the volume of orders being received and how fast they are being processed through the kitchen. This becomes increasingly important in the mobile ordering realm, as transparency regarding order status becomes a vital part of the customer experience. “These are all data points that feed back into the estimated time of arrival algorithm to present accurate wait times so customers have the right expectation on their order status,” explains Margerum. “We offer custom reporting options and automated delivery to make sure sales and operational data can be piped back into an existing data warehouse, in addition to a variety of inventory management tools, including ERP systems and more.” For more on the Grubhub kiosk ordering platform, visit onsite.grubhub.com.

FreedomPay Announces Partnership with Worldpay from FIS to Provide Best in Class Integrated Payments for Enterprise Merchants

FreedomPay will extend its integrated payments support for Worldpay merchants globally, across 33 new markets September 20, 2023 – FreedomPay, an innovative leader in Next Level Commerce™ technologies has today announced an expansion to their partnership with Worldpay from FIS, the largest global merchant acquirer, to provide integrated payments and omni-channel technology for Retail and Hospitality and other enterprises. The collaboration between two best-in-class companies expands their relationship through a phased roll out to eventually cover numerous EMEA, North America and APAC markets, enabling Worldpay’s global customers to benefit from improved payments technology across a number of consumer touchpoints. FreedomPay offer enhanced flexibility and optionality for Retail and Hospitality and other enterprises operating across borders and across point-of-sale providers. “Together Worldpay and FreedomPay are transforming payments across the globe, bringing more functionality and innovation to enterprise businesses and their customers”, said Chris Kronenthal, President at FreedomPay. “By connecting FreedomPay and Worldpay’s technologies, merchants can expect a seamless and uniform experience.” The FreedomPay Commerce Platform supports merchants and enterprises worldwide merging security, identity, payments, loyalty, and advertising with proprietary data driven solutions while offering world-class service with 24/7 365 premium support.  About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge and enables merchants to unleash the power of pay. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com

FreedomPay Announces Strategic Partnership with PAX Technology, Inc. for Enhanced Global Commerce Solutions

The collaboration unleashes a Next Level customer experience enriched with loyalty and value-added services for millions of global customers. September 14, 2023 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – FreedomPay, the preferred commerce technology platform for global industries including hospitality, lodging, retail and more, today announces its collaboration with PAX Technology, Inc., one of the largest electronic payment solution providers in the world. Available in Q2 2024, FreedomPay will introduce PAX Technology devices to enable a secure, seamless, and unified checkout experience for consumers while empowering merchants with FreedomPay’s robust loyalty programs and data analytics capabilities. This partnership reinforces FreedomPay’s commitment to fostering an open and accessible ecosystem for its merchants and industry partners. “FreedomPay is dedicated to delivering an unparalleled consumer experience by prioritizing speed, security and personalization,” said Chris Kronenthal, President of FreedomPay. “By teaming up with PAX Technology, merchants worldwide can now offer merchants and consumers a Next Level commerce experience.” The partnership signals a new era of commerce excellence for merchants and consumers globally. With the inclusion of cutting-edge 4G wireless connectivity, merchants can now enjoy seamless and rapid transactions. PAX Technology’s all-in-one devices, integrating both point-of-sale and payments, streamlines operations and simplifies the checkout experience. “This collaboration with FreedomPay combines cutting-edge commerce technology with industry-leading payment acceptance hardware solutions, driving global commerce by facilitating secure transactions for both consumers and businesses,” said Andy Chau, PAX Technology, Inc. President & CEO. “Our Android line of terminals will provide an extremely flexible payment solution for FreedomPay, and their customers.” About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge and enables merchants to unleash the power of pay. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com About PAX Technology, Inc. PAX Technology, Inc.is one of the largest electronic payment solution providers in the world, with 70 million terminals located in over 120 countries. As a leading global manufacturer of payment solutions, we are committed to delivering innovative, high-quality, and secure payment solutions to businesses, large and small, worldwide. To learn more visit www.pax.us.  

UK DIGITAL WALLET TRANSACTIONS TO RISE TO £210BN BY 2033

LONDON, 14 SEPTEMBER 2023: New research by FreedomPay and Retail Economics shows that the UK is on the brink of a digital payments transformation, with digital wallet purchases set to surpass card transactions within ten years. Currently, around a fifth (17.0%) of retail, leisure and hospitality spending is made through digital wallets; compared to over half (55.7%) by plastic, and a fifth (18.8%) for cash. This is set to increase to £127.7bn in 2027/28 (£72.5bn currently). By 2033, the share of digital wallet payments will likely more than double to 39.7% to £210bn. In the next five years, the value of digital wallet use is set to surge by 76.3% – well ahead of other payment methods including transactions through loyalty points and Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) services, while more traditional payment methods of cash and card are predicted to decline. Figure [1]: Digital wallet spending to overtake plastics within the next decade. Source: FreedomPay and Retail Economics. UK shoppers seek maximum convenience through payments as they embrace cross-channel shopping and personalisation. In the next five years, the emerging connected shopper will expect seamless omnichannel experiences and place increasing value on integrated loyalty schemes and personalised offers – with almost a third (31.7%) wanting both features in the future – as well as BNPL options. Figure [2]: The value of digital wallets is evolving at pace over time. Source: FreedomPay and Retail Economics. The research shows that the wealthiest 20% of shoppers spend almost five times the amount by value compared with the poorest group, which is currently driving the rapid growth in digital wallet transactions. Two-thirds (66.4%) of affluent under 35s have used a digital wallet in a physical environment in the last 12 months. In this group, digital wallets have already overtaken cash. However, digital wallets risk excluding some of the most vulnerable. One in six respondents stated they have no intentions of using digital wallets over the next five years – half of these customers are in the bottom two affluence groups, aged over 55, with a quarter having no (or unreliable) mobile data access when shopping. Figure [3]: Some of the most vulnerable are at risk of shunning digital wallets and exclusion. Source: FreedomPay and Retail Economics. FreedomPay President, Chris Kronenthal, says: “This research is a clear indication that the world of payments is changing rapidly, and the merchant needs to adapt to meet the needs of the evolving payment tech landscape. “It’s no surprise that physical forms of payments such as cash and plastic will be surpassed by digital wallets in the years to come and it’s an imperative that businesses re-evaluate their commerce capabilities.” Retail Economics Chief Executive, Richard Lim, says: “Digital wallets are poised to become the primary mode of payments, eclipsing the use of physical cards and cash. Shoppers love the convenience they offer, helping to provide a more seamless journey that blends physical and digital together while incorporating the benefits of more personalised offers and loyalty schemes. “While younger, more affluent shoppers have been at the forefront of this transformation, the industry must ensure that the benefits of digital wallets are accessible to all, irrespective of age or financial status. Fundamental to this is building trust in digital wallets and bridging knowledge gaps to avoid leaving vulnerable customers behind.” Download From Plastic to Pixels Here   For more information, contact: H+K for FreedomPay freedompayUK@hkstrategies.com NOTES TO EDITORS Research methodology In this research digital wallet were defined as “financial technology innovation, providing cashless experiences by storing payment, loyalty and other details on a smartphone app or wearable device for online and offline transactions.” Examples include payments through mobile apps such as Google Pay, Apple Pay, PayPal, Tesco Clubcard app via smartphone, or wearable devices (e.g. smartwatch). Modelling and analysis undertaken by Retail Economics. It uses a nationally representative survey across 2,000 shoppers undertaken in August 2023 and draws on third-party sources including national statistics. About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge and enables merchants to unleash the power of pay. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com About Retail Economics Retail Economics is an independent economics research consultancy focused on the retail industry. We provide independent thought leadership on major economic and retail trends and analyse their impact on the industry. Retail Economics provides proprietary data on sector growth, behavioural trends, channel performance and forecasts. Find out more at www.retaileconomics.co.uk Contributors – Nicholas Found, Richard Lim, Yaamir Badhe

The Very Point of Sale: Hospitality’s Magical Commerce Journey

By Dale Laszig, The Green Sheet | July 24, 2023 HITEC, held June 26 to 29, 2023, at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, was a hive of tech, from guest-room towel tracking systems to in-room entertainment and self-attended check-ins. Assorted solutions reflected technology’s proliferating role in the hotel guest experience. Produced by Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals, a global nonprofit hospitality association, HITEC Toronto featured an exhibit hall filled with solutions introduced during the pandemic that continue to scale due to convenience, flexibility and ease of use. I discussed these trends with IHG Hotels and Resorts, Worldpay, Toast, and FreedomPay executives at the Toast and FreedomPay booth. Our discussion coincided with the publication of a white paper, “Implementation vs. Rewards of Tech Investments,” prepared by Hanover Research for FreedomPay, Worldpay and Cornell. Researchers identified five considerations for tech investment: data privacy, security, reliability, ease of use, and customer satisfaction. “Customer satisfaction is the highest priority for the largest share of companies when purchasing payment solutions,” Hanover researchers wrote. “More than half (59%) believe customer satisfaction is a high priority. And yet, when it comes to considering customer preferences, less than a quarter (23%) said they would strongly consider customer preferences vs more than half (67%) who would moderately consider their customer preferences.” Magic behind the scenes In opening the discussion, I congratulated FreedomPay for winning a technology innovation award from Hospitality Upgrade magazine and mentioned how the guest experience has improved in recent years, largely driven by the behind-the-scenes magic of unified commerce. Marilyn May, head of product management at IHG Hotels and Resorts, noted that commerce fascinates payments professionals but is hardly top of mind for consumers. “No one ever came back from a hotel or a restaurant raving about how great it was to use their credit card,” she said. “They usually talk about a server or front-desk agent, and if we’ve all done our jobs, we’ve made it better for them to do their jobs by taking technology out of the equation.” Jeff Walls, vice president, solution sales at FreedomPay, stated the magic behind the scenes enables FreedomPay and other gateways to deliver complex solutions in simplified ways. “We make it look easy, where our partners are plugging in devices into their workstations, whether it’s PMS (property management system), POS, or connecting remotely,” he said. “We’re configuring that technology and have the ability to make it look easy because our middleware is communicating with the point of sale, PMS systems and [payment] processors.” Nice-to-have, must-have Kelly Esten, senior vice president and general manager, enterprise at Toast, pointed out that digital commerce, like our phones, is embedded in our lives. “We’ve all been using [smartphones] for a long time and they’ve become part of us, something that we don’t ever leave the house without,” she said, adding that during COVID, numerous technologies that were nice to have, like the ability to order online or on your phone, or to grab a menu and interact digitally with a restaurant, have become a hotel guest expectation. In concert with advancements in technology, guest expectations have changed the way restaurants and food and beverage outlets and hotels are approaching technology, which has evolved from “these things I can offer my guests” to “things that my guests really can’t live without,” Esten said. May agreed, stating that hotels are still evaluating which pandemic-related solutions will stick. She noted that contactless payments and remote ordering are still popular, but queried whether other solutions, such as QR code menus, will go back to being nice-to-haves. Throughout this process, she added, our partnership with FreedomPay will give us a strong foundation to build on to create memorable guest experiences where no one even notices how they paid. Security as table stakes As Hanover researchers noted, protecting against data breaches and cyberattacks is a clear priority: 86 percent of respondents viewed data privacy as a highly or moderately important attribute of their POS and PMS systems. “Data breaches can wreak havoc on a company’s reputation and the satisfaction of its stakeholders,” researchers wrote. “84% of respondents suggest that customer satisfaction is important for them, and securing valuable personal customer and transactional information is vital to maintaining the trust of customers, investors, and all other stakeholders.” Elliot Bunney, senior strategy manager at Worldpay, concurred with researchers that data breaches can wreak havoc on a brand’s reputation, stating restaurants and hotel brands are hardening their security postures following years of bad press about high-profile data breaches. “Security has always been an issue in the hospitality industry, but not long ago it was lower down on the investment list,” he said. “Merchants didn’t care about data breaches but history has done a lot to change that, with data breaches occurring on a massive scale.” Tech that just works Bunney also mentioned that implementation has become less of a pain point for hospitality stakeholders in recent years. “Implementation for hotels and restaurants at scale is easy when you partner with the right people,” he said. “I remember installing restaurant solutions in my early payment days that could take up to six or eight hours to complete. With today’s plug-and-play solutions, you no longer need to close the restaurant for an installation. You do that in an hour before it opens.” Wall agreed, stating, “There’s no closing the hotel; we’ll do this off hours, before you open,” he said. “People who haven’t invested in payment technology in a while are really surprised by not only how quickly and efficiently we can implement, but also by the fact that there’s limited training; everyone knows how to use a credit card machine; everybody knows they can tap their card or watch or phone. There’s this common knowledge in the industry about how these things work.” Esten said easy integration was one of the reasons behind starting Toast. “Our founders wanted to create a consumer mobile app,” she said. “When they couldn’t integrate all the legacy technology, they decided to build a POS from scratch. Ten years later, after building all that tech, they joke that they finally got to launch the app.” Read the original article here to see what other experts had to say.

FreedomPay and Cornell Survey Finds Almost 75% of American Hospitality Merchants are Running on Legacy Payments Technology

Philadelphia, PA – June 27, 2023 – FreedomPay, a global leader in Next Level Commerce™, collaborated with Cornell University’s Center for Hospitality Research to conduct a survey of senior US decision-maker employees in the Hospitality Industry to understand how merchants are solving for the future of the consumer-payment eco-system. Hanover Education conducted the research of the 226 respondents with key findings including: Data privacy, security, reliability and customer satisfaction are the most important attributes for payment technology solutions. Customization, acceptance of debit or credit cards, offering alternative payment methods, and number of accepted currencies are the most important features of payment technology solutions. Customer satisfaction is the highest priority for the largest share of companies when purchasing payment solutions. Two thirds of companies plan to purchase new payment technology solutions within the next 4 years. If budgets were unlimited, professionals would improve the reliability (42%), security (39%), customer loyalty programs (36%) and end-to-end data gathering capabilities (35%) of their payment systems. “In the ever-evolving landscape of payments and guest preferences, hospitality industry leaders recognize that prioritizing security, privacy, and reliability in their payment technology investments builds trust, reduces friction, and enhances the guest experience, and altogether, I would expect this to boost loyalty,” said Linda Canina, Professor of Finance and Director of the Cornell Center for Hospitality Research. This study found that most companies have been using their primary POS systems for at least 3 years and with two thirds of companies planning to purchase new payment technology solutions within the next 4 years, most merchants are therefore running on legacy payments technology almost a decade old. “With hackers frequently changing their approaches, this isn’t often enough to protect consumer data and privacy, said Chris Kronenthal, President of FreedomPay. Similar to smartphone updates, our scalable payments software solutions are able to push frequent software updates as needed to ensure merchants payments technology always provides optimal security for its merchants and their customers. Download the full survey results here and visit FreedomPay (booth #516) at HITEC June 26-29 in Toronto to see firsthand how their payments technology provides Next Level Commerce™. About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge and enables merchants to unleash the power of pay. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com   About Cornell University’s Center for Hospitality Research The Center for Hospitality Research was created in 1992 for the purpose of expanding both the quality and volume of research supporting the hospitality industry and its related service industries. www.sha.cornell.edu/chr/  

IHG Hotels & Resorts Taps FreedomPay to Transform Commerce Technology

IHG launches Next Generation Payments powered by FreedomPay across iconic brands at nearly 4,000 hotels Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – June 26, 2023 – IHG Hotels & Resorts, one of the world’s leading hospitality companies, has selected the FreedomPay Commerce Platform as its next generation payment technology to be used at close to 4,000 IHG properties in the U.S. and Canada, across notable brands such as InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, Hotel Indigo and Holiday Inn Express hotels. A global leader in hospitality technology, FreedomPay’s fully integrated payments will bring the highest level of speed, security and flexibility to IHG hotels and their guests. “By partnering with FreedomPay, we will be able to provide guests with easier, faster and more secure payment options and lower costs for owners,” said Peter Palli, Senior Vice President, Hotel, Owner & Commercial Products and Platforms at IHG Hotels & Resorts. “Our hotels will ultimately be able to provide faster check-ins, using FreedomPay’s Quick Chip technology and a broader range of payment options, including e-wallet payments, contactless and alternate payments such as Apple Pay, Alipay and WeChat Pay thanks to this technology.” FreedomPay’s Next-Gen Payments platform will enable: The ability to unify commerce across IHG properties, channels and regions within a single open, fully agnostic, flexible platform A touchless ecosystem that supports contactless payments, quick response (e.g., QR code) technology, Apple Pay and Google Pay A fully integrated end-to-end solution enabling secure payments, identity-as-a-service, loyalty, and business intelligence “FreedomPay is the partner of choice for many of the leading global hotel brands and we’re excited to partner with IHG Hotels & Resorts to transform their guest experience,” said Chris Kronenthal, President of FreedomPay. “Our best-in-class payment solution will bring a personalized and reliable experience to IHG’s millions of guests.” The FreedomPay Commerce Platform supports merchants and enterprises worldwide, merging security, identity, payments, loyalty and advertising with proprietary data-driven solutions. Its fully integrated, patented technology offers unparalleled flexibility and options for enterprises operating across borders, industries and point-of-sale and merchant service providers. As corporations begin to consolidate commerce delivery across the globe, a single, unified platform is required to deliver a true omni-channel solution.   About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com   About IHG Hotels & Resorts IHG Hotels & Resorts [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is a global hospitality company, with a purpose to provide True Hospitality for Good. With a family of 18 hotel brands and IHG One Rewards, one of the world’s largest hotel loyalty programs, IHG has over 6,000 open hotels in over 100 countries, and more than 1,800 in the development pipeline. Luxury & Lifestyle: Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas, Regent Hotels & Resorts, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Vignette Collection, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, Hotel Indigo Premium: voco hotels, HUALUXE Hotels & Resorts, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, EVEN Hotels Essentials: Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn Express, avid hotels Suites: Atwell Suites, Staybridge Suites, Holiday Inn Club Vacations, Candlewood Suites Exclusive Partners: Iberostar Beachfront Resorts InterContinental Hotels Group PLC is the Group’s holding company and is incorporated and registered in England and Wales. Approximately 345,000 people work across IHG’s hotels and corporate offices globally. Visit us online for more about our hotels and reservations and IHG One Rewards. To download the new IHG One Rewards app, visit the Apple App or Google Play stores. For our latest news, visit our Newsroom and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

FreedomPay Partners with Visa to Offer Global Omnichannel Network Tokenization

Philadelphia, PA – June 22, 2023 – FreedomPay, a global leader in Next Level Commerce™, announces a partnership with Visa to integrate Visa’s network tokenization capabilities within FreedomPay’s global identity and tokenization framework. The true omnichannel global tokenization product will provide network tokens across card brands, helping to keep merchants compliant with cross-border and in-region data and privacy regulations, while helping merchants qualify for lower interchange rates for certain Visa network tokenized transactions. “With the growing number of connected devices, changing consumer behaviors and shifting privacy regulations, the benefits of utilizing network tokens are many. Using the Visa Acceptance Platform, Visa has the scale and flexibility to seamlessly provision them for FreedomPay’s clients around the globe, helping to improve customer experience, improve authorization rates and reduce fraud,” said Bill Dobbins, SVP, Head of Acquiring and Enablement at Visa. Network tokenization will also help streamline the customer journey, providing a seamless experience across borders and merchant locations. The new capabilities will be integrated into FreedomPay’s larger identity suite, offering a 360-degree view of the customer to the merchant, creating a more personalized checkout experience through data-driven loyalty and incentives. “FreedomPay is trusted by the largest brands across hospitality, retail, F&B and more to provide repeatable and scalable next level solutions for security, data management and compliance, and to create a personalized and seamless customer journey around the globe,” said David Knowlton, CTO at FreedomPay. “By partnering with Visa for network tokenization, FreedomPay will provide merchants with more flexibility and geographic coverage, including in harder-to-access regions, when managing customer and card data.” Additional features will also be supported without any changes to the merchant’s systems such as supporting card on file use cases with digital wallet taps as well as token life cycle management.   About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge and enables merchants to unleash the power of pay. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com

Toast Selects FreedomPay as its Preferred Payments Partner for Global Enterprise Merchant

Toast will now enable enterprise merchants to combine FreedomPay’s best-in-class global Commerce Platform with its leading restaurant digital platform June 12, 2023 – Philadelphia, PA – FreedomPay, the world’s leading independent commerce platform and Toast, the all-in-one digital platform built for the entire restaurant community, signed a partnership agreement making FreedomPay Toast’s preferred payments gateway partner for select enterprise brands. Toast will be able to offer its cloud-based digital platform for restaurants to leading enterprise merchants in the U.S. and Canada who are on the award-winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform. Kelly Esten, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Enterprise at Toast stated: “As the restaurant industry rapidly adapts to new service models, Toast continues to deliver the industry’s trusted digital platform to help restaurants of all sizes and types—including franchisees—drive profitability, create the streamlined dining experiences guests expect, and make managing food service operations across properties easier than ever. We look forward to partnering with FreedomPay as we drive our enterprise expansion.” FreedomPay Senior Vice President, Sales & Digital Development Nate Ware added: “This exciting collaboration between FreedomPay and Toast delivers advanced capabilities to large merchants. We are quite simply ‘unleashing the power of pay’ to thousands more businesses to help support Toast’s growth across enterprise level merchant solutions.” FreedomPay is one of the world’s fastest growing Fintechs, innovating and transforming commerce to Next Level™ payment solutions. FreedomPay is aggressively expanding in new markets including the Middle East, South America, Africa and APAC. FreedomPay has recently been named one of the the Fastest Growing FinTechs to Watch in 2022 and is a finalist for the Best Payment System in the PayTech Awards, London 2023. FreedomPay and Toast will be exhibiting together at HITEC in Toronto, June 26-29. Visit booth 516/518 to learn more. About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com

Prommt Announce US Partnership with Leading Payments Platform FreedomPay

Irish paytech company, Prommt, announces extension of its partnership with FreedomPay in the US during Irish Government Trade Mission in NYC May 15, 2023 – IRELAND & USA – Leading payment request platform Prommt has today announced that it has extended its partnership with one of the world’s top payment brands, FreedomPay, to the US market. This partnership builds on existing collaboration in Europe and was announced today during the Government of Ireland’s US Trade Mission, at a special delegation meeting in New York City with Simon Coveney, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Nathan Ware, SVP, Global Sales, FreedomPay and Donal McGuinness, CEO of Prommt. By partnering with FreedomPay, Prommt has a significant growth opportunity in the US, given the company’s impressive footprint across North America. FreedomPay has established itself as a leader in several key industries, including retail, hospitality, healthcare, and education, by offering tailored, secure, reliable, and scalable solutions that cater to the specific needs of each industry. Moreover, FreedomPay is a trusted partner to businesses across North America, providing them with the tools they need to succeed in a competitive marketplace. Nate Ware, SVP of Sales & Digital Development at FreedomPay said: “We are proud to grow our partnership with Prommt and continue to bring next level flexibility and functionality to enterprise customers across the US and Europe. With FreedomPay and Prommt’s joint successes in key verticals including Hospitality, Retail, and F&B, we look forward to driving innovation and customer satisfaction.”For FreedomPay, the partnership with Prommt is a valuable addition to its Next Level Commerce solution, as it offers their US-based clients a more personalized and sophisticated remote payment collection solution. This is especially beneficial for enterprise clients who require a more robust remote payment experience for their customers, coupled with advanced reporting and alerting capabilities that add value to their business. Prommt’s integration capabilities to leading hospitality Property Management Systems such as OPERA Cloud, further enhances their offering within the hospitality sector and empowers hotels to offer an enhanced streamlined payment process for the collection of advance bookings, outstanding balances/accounts receivable, and guest payments for events.  In addition, Prommt will reduce card fraud and chargebacks, as well as significantly reducing payment operations costs. With the assistance of Enterprise Ireland, Prommt is continuing to expand its customer footprint in the US market through a range of in-market intelligence and other resource supports. Commenting on this latest milestone on their partnership with FreedomPay, Donal McGuinness, CEO of Prommt said: “We are delighted to expand and deepen our relationship with FreedomPay as we continue to build our presence in the US market. FreedomPay is a global payments brand, with a dominant position achieved in markets that neatly align with Prommt such as Hospitality and Sports & Entertainment. We look forward to continuing to foster our partnership and are proud to help strengthen the Freedompay Next Level CommerceTM offering. About Prommt  Founded in 2017, Prommt is a payments request platform that is revolutionizing remote payments for enterprises and their clients. Its innovative solutions enable fast, frictionless card and open banking payments. Prommt is an enterprise-grade solution that is built for teams, supporting multiple locations and provides powerful reporting, and alerting capabilities. Based in Dublin, Ireland, Prommt is used by businesses today across Europe and North America. For further information please visit https://www.prommt.com/   About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com    For more information, please contact: Prommt: Ashley Roberts, Senior Account Executive, Clearstory International E: ashley@clearstoryinternational.com P: +44 777 088 4893 FreedomPay: Garrett Brennan, Head of External Relations, FreedomPay E: garrett.brennan@freedompay.com P: +44 755 138 6482  

FreedomPay Unleashes the Power of Pay to Deliver True Omnichannel Next Level Commerce™ for Retail

FreedomPay advances its presence at #RTS2023 to announce itself as the only viable option for unified commerce. 26 April 2023, London, UK – FreedomPay, one of the world’s fastest growing fintechs returns to London’s Retail Technology Show with an even bigger and better presence. FreedomPay, the partner of choice for many of the globe’s trusted brands including Marriott, Foot Locker, MGM and Sephora will be on site to uncover how its Next Level commerce technology platform handles all in-person, mobile and online payments for tens of thousands of locations in 75+ countries. The Retail Technology Show will also mark the official launch of FreedomPay’s research conducted by Retail Economics, titled “Browsing Britain”. Key findings from the study indicate that shoppers are dedicating more time to browsing for non-food products, buying more instore and a generation shift towards a desire for a more personalised shopping experience. Chris Kronenthal, President of FreedomPay said “We firmly believe that nobody is solving for the new era of retail like FreedomPay, we are the only viable option for true omnichannel shopping. Our open platform with advanced technology and 1,000+ (POS, PMS, Kiosk, Web and Mobile) integrations is fast becoming the only choice for merchants and our partners around the world.” In addition to publishing the research FreedomPay will host a series of solution and tech demonstration plus a thought-provoking roundtable discussion titled, Personalisation Pays: How Data-Driven Strategies are Shaping Retail, on Wednesday, 26th April, at 1 pm at booth #6E70. The session will feature influential industry leaders from FreedomPay, Accenture, British Retail Consortium & Retail Economics, moderated by NBK Retail. Join the conversation and visit FreedomPayLive.com  ___   For More Information Please Contact: Garrett Brennan, Head of External Relations T. 0044 7551 386 482 | garrett.brennan@freedompay.com 26th Floor | 40 Bank Street | Canary Wharf | London | E14 5NR

BROWSING BRITAIN: CASH-STRAPPED BRITS NOW SPENDING 4 HOURS A WEEK SHOPPING AROUND – BUT BUY FEWER PRODUCTS

Shoppers spend 35 minutes extra per week searching for the best deals and browsing for non-food products compared with last year A quarter spending more time browsing as they have cut back on activities such as socialising Age a more important driver than gender, geography or affluence Results show a disproportionate decline in online retail sales volumes (falling 14.9% year-on-year), reinforcing that shopper journeys have become more complex 26th April 2023: New research from Retail Economics and FreedomPay shows that Brits are taking longer to decide which products they want to buy, amid continued pressures on personal finances. More than a third of shoppers (33.7%) have increased the amount of time they spend investigating items in the past year before then going on to purchase. This significantly overshadows the one in 10 who have cut back their time ‘browsing’, typically in a bid to avoid the temptation of buying non-essentials. On balance, Brits are dedicating an additional 35 minutes per week to ‘browsing’ and comparing products versus last year, which equates to an extra one and a half days per year. This marks a 17.6% year-on-year increase in time dedicated to researching, price comparing and seeking out the best deals for non-food products across physical and digital channels, to an average of around four hours per week per person. But the extra time leading up to the point of purchase is not leading to increased sales, with the amount of actual non-food products bought down by 5.7% on last year[1]. Disproportionate impact online Shoppers are twice as likely to be using the additional browsing time by researching online rather than in-store, which has increased by over a quarter (28.3%) compared with last year. But over the past year, there has been disproportionate decline in online retail sales, with non-food ecommerce volumes falling 14.9% year-on-year. This suggests customer journeys have become more complex across channels, with shoppers spending more time to research online, with the ultimate intention of purchasing in-store. It comes as 86% of shoppers who say that they “shop almost entirely online” are considering shopping with new retailers for the first time to save money because of the challenging economic backdrop, compared to 71% of those “who shop almost entirely in-store”. Recessionary behaviours driving research Probably unsurprisingly, more time deciding whether to purchase products is being driven by recessionary shopping behaviours, including greater hesitancy, price sensitivity and cutting back on other activities. Among shoppers who are spending more time ‘browsing’, 39.8% are doing so in search for deals; 35.1% are spending more time making sure products are worth buying; and 25.1% are using their time in this way because they cut back on other activities such as socialising. Figure 2. Recessionary behaviours drive more time browsing. Source: Retail Economics and FreedomPay Under 35s lead ‘browsing’ behaviour Age is a key driver of changes in this ‘browsing’ behaviour – more so than gender, geography or affluence. Half of the shoppers spending more time ‘browsing’ compared to last year are under the age of 35 years old. People aged between 25 and 35 are dedicating around six hours per week to researching and comparing products across stores, online and other media such as TV and print. This is more than double the amount of time spent by those 55 and older. Figure 3. Millennials spend the most time browsing for products. Source: Retail Economics and FreedomPay The value of personalisation in driving conversion The notion that Gen Zs and Millennials are driving the uplift in ‘browsing time’ is important because shoppers under the age of 35 are those who are most likely to value personalised shopping experiences. Around a third (32.2%) of retail purchases made by 18- to 24-year-olds are driven by personalised marketing, and 29.3% among 25- to 34- year-olds. This is compared to an average of a quarter (24.8%) across all UK shoppers. Figure 4. Majority Proportion of spend driven by personalization. Source: Retail Economics and FreedomPay. This leaves an opportunity for retailers to drive personalised experiences to support conversion as shoppers dedicate more time to browsing and researching the right products. Amid the depressed economic backdrop, the research shows most people value personalised offers and discounts when shopping – well ahead of new products and loyalty offers.   Figure 5. Majority of people value personalised discounts. Source: Retail Economics and FreedomPay. FreedomPay’s President Chris Kronenthal says: “This new research validates FreedomPay’s perspective on the future of retail that merchants demand a seamless, true omnichannel experience to serve the modern-day shopper both online and offline. Payment evolution is accelerating rapidly and it’s imperative to have a fully connected economy, technology and data will become the currency of the new digital era.” Retail Economics Chief Executive Richard Lim says: “Households have adopted a relentless focus on value as stubbornly high levels of inflation and rising interest rates continues to squeeze finances. Shoppers are spending considerably more time searching for the best deals, cheapest prices and most competitive retailers before committing to a purchase. “However, more time researching online has not resulted in higher ecommerce sales. As retailers battle for shoppers’ attentions, the winners are those offering the most sophisticated digital proposition which also underpins the in-store customer experience. The data shows people are turning back to physical retail in a bid to secure the lowest prices and in some cases avoid the unnecessary cost of online deliveries and returns. But for many, the moment of discovery, inspiration and intent to purchase is being made online”. For more information, contact H+K for FreedomPay: freedompayUK@hkstrategies.com Notes to Editors: Express permission is granted for a link to FreedomPay and Retail Economics to be included in online news articles, blogs and posts. Research methodology: Consumer surveys were undertaken by Retail Economics in April 2023 to model shopping behaviour and include answers from a sample of more than 1,500 nationally representative consumers across the UK. Time browsing excludes time spent travelling to different destinations. Retail sales data is modelled using data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). ‘Browsing’ is defined as the stage where consumers intend to purchase a product, but are still researching and looking for the right product. [1] Year-on-year comparisons are for April 2022 to March 2023 compared to April 2021 to March 2022 – the latest available data. About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge and enables merchants to unleash the power of pay. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com   About Retail Economics Retail Economics is an independent economics research consultancy focused on the consumer and retail industry. We provide independent thought leadership on major economic and retail trends and analyse their impact on the industry. Retail Economics provides proprietary data on sector growth, behavioural trends, channel performance and forecasts. Find out more at www.retaileconomics.co.uk

FreedomPay and Qu Announce Partnership to Take the Connected Restaurant Experience to the Next Level

April 13, 2023 – Philadelphia, PA – FreedomPay, the global leader in Next Level Commerce™, and Qu announced today a new integration that will transform the commerce experience for Qu’s portfolio of QSR and Fast Casual brands. Together, FreedomPay and Qu are unifying the in-store and digital ordering experience, delivering a platform that couples Qu’s innovative omni-channel order management platform with FreedomPay’s industry-leading commerce technology. The combined platform creates a secure, unified dining experience for consumers while supporting merchants with robust cloud-based ordering, loyalty and data analytics capabilities at the foundation of their business. “Qu has always prioritized letting brands choose who they partner with for payments processing,” said Amir Hudda, CEO of Qu. “This partnership with FreedomPay increases the choices available to our brand partners while providing a seamless unified commerce experience across channels and across brands.” FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform offers many benefits to merchants and their customers, including: The ability to unify commerce across properties, channels, and regions within a single open, fully agnostic, flexible platform; A touchless ecosystem that supports contactless payments, QR technology, Apple Pay, and Google Pay; and A fully integrated end-to-end solution enabling secure payments, identity-as-a-service, loyalty, and business intelligence. “We’re excited to partner with Qu on our shared goal of creating a unified and connected omni-channel commerce experience for QSR and Fast Casual restaurants and their guests,” said Chris Kronenthal, President of FreedomPay. “Together, our combined solutions will give restaurants and their customers a secure, seamless and best-in-class checkout experience.” Qu’s unified commerce platform goes beyond POS to connect the on- and off-premises ordering journey with single menu, data, and cloud performance, enabling enterprise brands to: Take orders faster—with robust multi-channel and multi-brand capabilities that leverages the industry’s first in-store cloud using edge computing. Make orders accurately—using Qu’s fully integrated kitchen and production optimization capabilities to improve guest experiences. Serve orders consistently—simplifying the fragmented order journey through bi-directional integration with leading delivery service providers, the API-first platform delivers consistency to guests, operators, and franchises alike.   About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge and enables merchants to unleash the power of pay. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com   About Qu Qu is the restaurant technology company evolving POS, responsibly, for a more sustainable future. With the industry’s first unified commerce platform, Qu’s fully integrated products go beyond fragmented ordering and tech experiences to create healthier connections for restaurant operating teams and their many stakeholders. www.qubeyond.com

Elo Partners with FreedomPay to Transform the Digital In-Store Experience

January 16, 2023 – Philadelphia, PA – FreedomPay, the global leader in Next Level Commerce™, and Elo, a leading global provider of interactive solutions and interactive display solutions, announce the integration of Elo’s M60 Pay handheld computer with FreedomPay’s secure commerce technology. Built to accept today’s popular payment and loyalty cards, the M60 Pay has a built-in EMV, magnetic stripe reader and NFC for cards with either chips or strips and digital contactless payments. The Android®-based M60 Pay computer can transform from a mobile to a fixed POS solution with the optional docking station, expansion module and Elo touchscreen monitor. Together, FreedomPay and Elo are reinventing the digital in-store experience by uniting Elo’s innovative and interactive solutions with FreedomPay’s industry-leading commerce technology platform to create a secure, frictionless, unified shopping experience for global consumers while supporting merchants with robust loyalty and data analytics capabilities. “The M60 Pay makes decentralizing the checkout process and taking payments anywhere easy,” said Craig Witsoe, CEO at Elo. “The partnership with FreedomPay will bring enhanced functionality and security to create a more personalized experience for consumers.” FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform offers many benefits to merchants and their customers, including: The ability to unify commerce across properties, channels, and regions within a single open, fully agnostic, flexible platform; A touchless ecosystem that supports contactless payments, QR technology, Apple Pay, and Google Pay; and A fully integrated end-to-end solution enabling secure payments, identity-as-a-service, loyalty, and business intelligence. “Consumers are looking continually for new payment functionality and greater customization when it comes to payments. The partnership with Elo will give customers secure and seamless checkout experience expected with FreedomPay coupled with the innovative and modular designed solutions from Elo.” said Tom Durovsik, Founder & CEO of FreedomPay. To learn more about the solution, visit FreedomPay at NRF booth #4250 or Elo at NRF booth #5803 to request a demo.   About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com    About Elo As a leading global supplier of interactive solutions, #EloIsEverywhere. To date, Elo has deployed more than 25 million installations in over 80 countries. A new Elo touchscreen is installed every 21 seconds, on average, somewhere in the world. Built on a unified architecture, Elo’s broad portfolio allows its customers to easily Choose, Configure and Connect & Control to create a unique experience. Choose from all-in-one systems, open-frame monitors and touchscreen monitors ranging from 7 to 65 inches. Configure with Elo’s unique Elo Edge Connect® peripherals that allow use-specific solutions. Connect & Control with EloView®, a secure, cloud-based platform for Android-powered devices. EloView enables secure deployment and management of a large network of interactive systems designed to reduce operating costs while increasing up-time and security. Consumers can find Elo touchscreen solutions in self-service kiosks, point-of-sale terminals, interactive signage, gaming machines, hospitality systems, point-of-care displays and transportation applications, to name a few. Learn more at EloTouch.com.

FreedomPay to Unleash the Power of Pay at NRF 2023

One of the world’s fastest growing fintech to showcase award-winning global commerce technology platform and industry-leading partner network. January 15, 2023 – NEW YORK, National Retail Federation – FreedomPay, the global leader in Next Level Commerce™ and the commerce technology platform of choice for global retail, hospitality and payments brands including Marriott, Foot Locker, Shake Shack, Engage People, and Castles Technology, will showcase its innovations and partnership announcements this week at NRF in booth #4250. The event will mark the launch of FreedomPay’s new call to action, Unleash the Power of Pay. As the commerce landscape evolves with new technologies and changing consumer needs, Unleash the Power of Pay introduces the notion of unleashing the power of payments to drive greater customer loyalty, leverage business intelligence insights, and bring value-added services. “FreedomPay is excited to make a splash at this year’s NRF and to launch Unleash the Power of Pay. The concept is a testament to our award-winning technology and best-in-class partner network that is enabling billions of transactions in more than 75 countries across the globe,” said Tom Durovsik, Founder & CEO of FreedomPay. As part of its line-up at NRF, FreedomPay will host a roundtable discussion on Monday, January 16 at 10:30AM at booth #4250 with industry influencers Castles Technology, Charter Communications, and Elo Touch, moderated by Dale Laszig of the Green Sheet. The event, Next Level Commerce™: Unleashing the Power of Pay, will focus on the challenges and opportunities across retail, the trends influencing retail’s future, and strategies for merchants to navigate the changing retail sector. Those who would like to attend virtually are encouraged to register here. FreedomPay also announces the publication of a new industry white paper The Next Level of Global Payments: Unleash the Power of Pay. The report highlights pivotal opportunities for retailers to elevate customer relationships and increase profit margins internationally, outlining strategies for security, safety, speed, simplicity, and customer satisfaction with service across borders. Download now to read the bespoke report. FreedomPay’s global footprint continues to grow through the power of its partner network and new integrations to allow merchants to Unleash the Power of Pay for their customers. FreedomPay also announced in the days leading up to NRF 2023 new partnerships that will bring its solutions to more merchants around the world. Moneris Solutions Corporation (“Moneris”), the largest payment processor in Canada*, will now be able to offer its merchants access to FreedomPay’s commerce technology platform, bringing an enhanced checkout experience to millions of shoppers across Canada. FreedomPay also announced an integration with Flooid, bringing enhanced innovation, choice, and flexibility to retailers around the globe on the Flooid platform. To learn more about FreedomPay, visit us at NRF booth #4250 or www.freedompay.com. About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com *Based on total number of transactions processed in Canada

Flooid Announces Strategic Partnership with FreedomPay to Expand Global Reach

The partnership will bring enhanced commerce functionality to Retailers around the world. January 13, 2023 –London, England –Flooid today announces a strategic partnership with FreedomPay, the global leader in Next Level Commerce™, to bring industry-leading Retail solutions to merchants globally. Powered by FreedomPay, Flooid allows merchants to connect their retail channels, removing barriers between online and in-store payments. FreedomPay’s data-driven commerce platform grants merchants access to valuable analytics and Business Intelligence platform to drive further customer engagement and loyalty through targeted offers and incentives, all within a frictionless integrated payment solution. “Through this partnership with FreedomPay, we are bringing enhanced innovation, choice, and flexibility to retailers on the Flooid platform,” said Donna Stevens, Senior VP of Product and Marketing at Flooid. “Our goal is to empower merchants with the tools they need to provide the best shopping experience to consumers globally.” The FreedomPay platform enables enterprises to provide a consistent payment experience for their customers globally, creating a seamless and flexible retail experience managing security, data and loyalty all from a single, unified tech stack. “The partnership between FreedomPay and Flooid will bring a world-class commerce experience to retailers and shoppers around the globe,” said Liesl Smith, Senior VP of Marketing and Sales Enablement at FreedomPay. “Together we are committed to delivering a seamless payment experience to customers, enabling an innovative and seamless omnichannel payment environment.”   About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com    About Flooid Flooid helps retailers create the seamless shopping experiences customers demand. Flooid’s unified commerce platform empowers merchants to sell to customers flexibly and consistently wherever they are and however they choose to shop. Our best of breed open ecosystem givers retailers the power to connect leading retail tech partners with a single unified commerce platform to engage with your shoppers, sell more effectively across channels and adapt to retail shopping changes we have yet to imagine.   FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: Garrett Brennan, Public Relations & Communications Manager, FreedomPay Call: 0044 7551 386482 or Email: garrett.brennan@freedompay.com

FreedomPay Brings World-Class Commerce Technology to Canadian Merchants with Moneris Partnership

Merchants across Canada will now have access to FreedomPay’s global Next Level Commerce™ technology to Unleash the Power of Pay. January 12, 2023 –Philadelphia, PA – FreedomPay, the global leader in Next Level Commerce™, announces an integration with Moneris Solutions Corporation (“Moneris”), a Canadian leader in unified commerce. Moneris, the largest payment processor in Canada*, will now be able to offer its merchants access to FreedomPay’s commerce technology platform, bringing an enhanced checkout experience to millions of shoppers across Canada. “FreedomPay is recognized by global businesses as the premiere commerce technology platform, so it was only natural for us to partner with the leading acquirer in Canada,” said Tony Hammond, Senior Vice President of Global Product Delivery at FreedomPay. “Our joint offering will unleash the power of payments by enabling more choice and personalization for merchants processing with Moneris and their customers.” FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform offers merchants the ability to unify commerce across properties, channels, and regions within a single “open,” fully agnostic, flexible platform. FreedomPay provides merchants with a fully integrated end-to-end solution enabling secure payments, identity-as-a-service, loyalty, and Business Intelligence, creating an innovative, personalized and seamless payment experience for merchants acquiring with Moneris. “Our partnership and integration with FreedomPay will ensure we’re able to give merchants the tools they need to support their business –wherever it takes them,” said Patrick Diab, Chief Product & Partnership Officer at Moneris. “We’re excited to be able to offer increased choice for our merchants and work with a leading commerce technology platform provider like FreedomPay.”  Moneris expects the FreedomPay integration to be available to its merchants in mid-2023. Merchants acquiring with Moneris can learn more about the FreedomPay commerce technology platform at www.freedompay.com.     About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com    About Moneris Moneris is Canada’s largest provider of innovative solutions for mobile, online and in-store payments, processing more than one in three transactions. Serving businesses of every size and industry, Moneris offers hardware, software and solutions to help transform the way businesses grow and operate, in payments and beyond. For more information, please visit www.moneris.com and follow @moneris. *Based on total number of transactions processed in Canada

FreedomPay Partners With Savvy To Offer Gift Card Services On Platform

By George Morahan, Business Plus | Friday, January 6, 2023 Cloud commerce platform FreedomPay has partnered with Irish gift card analytics firm Savvy to take advantage of growing consumer demand for physical and digital gift cards. The deal will allow FreedomPay merchants to integrate the Savvy gift card platform into their card terminals to enable end-to-end gift card services and begin selling gift cards to their customers. It will also allow FreedomPay users to sell digital gift cards through a fast deployment solution, with Savvy giving customers the ability to redeem digital codes in-store via FreedomPay devices. FreedomPay said the partnership with help the company to deliver an effective and intuitive gift card programme, including digital and third-party sales capabilities. “Gift card services have become an essential and competitive tool for merchants across the globe,” said Nate Ware, senior vice president of sales & digital development at FreedomPay. “The FreedomPay platform provides merchants with a fully integrated end-to-end solution enabling secure payments, identity-as-a-service, loyalty, and business intelligence. “With this integration, we can now offer the ultimate in gift card management to complement our world-class technology stack.”Eoin Whyte, co-founder and chief revenue officer at Savvy, added: “We are delighted to partner with FreedomPay. “This relationship further underlines our international opportunities and is part of the rollout of our global partner programme. We look forward to helping FreedomPay customers drive business performance by launching their own gift card programs.” Read the original article here to see what other experts had to say.

IRIS Announces Hospitality Partnership With FreedomPay to Enhance the Guest Experience

Delivering an even more in-depth, data-focused ordering and payment platform for Hospitality operators and end-customers. December 5, 2022 –England, UK – IRIS today announced a strategic partnership with FreedomPay, the global leader in Next Level Commerce™ technology that is powering the leading hospitality brands across the globe. Together FreedomPay and IRIS, a global leader in digital ordering for the hospitality industry, will transform the guest experience across the United States and Canada as well as various regions worldwide. Graham Rushin – VP, Sales & Marketing at IRIS comments, “Cementing our partnership with FreedomPay is a key part of our strategic growth plans and will enable IRIS to enhance our proposition even further for clients worldwide. Combining the comprehensive ordering and payment functionality from the IRIS platform with FreedomPay’s wealth of commerce expertise will enable us to continue to not only exceed client expectations but also grow our client base at a global level.” The partnership with FreedomPay will provide guests and hotels using the IRIS hospitality platform an improved checkout experience powered by speed and security. FreedomPay’s data-driven commerce platform will enhance the level of customization and personalization experienced by IRIS users. “FreedomPay is trusted by the largest Hospitality brands around the world to bring connectivity and a world-class experience to their guests,” said Nate Ware, SVP Sales & Digital Development at FreedomPay. “With IRIS, we’re reshaping the guest experience through speed, security, innovation, and personalization. Hotels and guests can trust they are receiving best-in-class service when using IRIS and FreedomPay.”   About IRIS Software Systems IRIS is a global market leader in digital F&B ordering, guest directory and concierge solutions for hotels, working with many of the world’s leading chains including Marriott, Hilton, Mandarin Oriental, IHG and Four Seasons. IRIS empowers Hotels and F&B leaders to do what they do best: increase revenue, look after their teams, and provide an outstanding customer experience. Their flexible hospitality platform enables hotels and restaurants to provide a truly digital ordering experience to their guests, making it easier and faster for guests to browse, order and pay for items and services across multiple outlets. Since 2010, thousands of hotels on every continent across the world have used IRIS’s mobile, tablet and web app technology to boost additional revenues by 20% on average. More information: www.iris.net or info@iris.net   About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com 

Savvy and FreedomPay Join Forces to Provide End-To-End Gift Card Services Across the FreedomPay Merchant Network

December 1, 2022 – Dublin, Ireland – Savvy is pleased to announce an exciting new partnership with FreedomPay, the data-driven global commerce platform, thus, allowing its merchants to capitalise on the ever-growing global consumer appetite for physical and digital gift cards. With the new FreedomPay integration to the Savvy gift card platform, FreedomPay merchants can now have their card terminals enabled for Savvy’s end-to-end gift card services. As a result, at the touch of a button, merchants can begin selling gift cards to their customers.  Also included is the ability to sell digital gift cards online via a fast deployment solution via Savvy allowing customers to have the ability to redeem digital codes in-store via FreedomPay devices. The partnership with Savvy will enable FreedomPay to support its customers with their gift card choices allowing them to deliver an effective and intuitive gift card programme, including digital and third-party sales capabilities.   “We are delighted to partner with FreedomPay. This relationship further underlines our international opportunities and is part of the rollout of our global partner programme. We look forward to helping FreedomPay customers drive business performance by launching their own gift card programs”. Eoin Whyte, Chief Revenue Officer & Co-Founder   “Gift card services have become an essential and competitive tool for merchants across the globe. The FreedomPay platform provides merchants with a fully integrated end-to-end solution enabling secure payments, identity-as-a-service, loyalty, and business intelligence. With this integration, we can now offer the ultimate in gift card management to complement our world-class technology stack.” Nate Ware, SVP of Sales & Digital Development at FreedomPay.   About Savvy: Savvy is a leading technology company specialising in stored value exchange programmes. Savvy owns and operates a highly secure cloud-based processing platform that enables hundreds of domestic and international brands to run physical and digital gift card programmes and other stored value programmes supporting digital refunds, rewards, incentives, and discounts.  Savvy’s passion is helping businesses win, driving commercial growth and exceptional customer experiences. Working in collaboration with many affiliates and as an internationally recognised processor in the gift card industry, Savvy is well positioned to support our partners who wish to provide their merchants with our innovative range of services with reliable technology, processing, and analytics expertise.  Learn More: Savvy   About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com    FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:  Tricia Rogers, Marketing Consultant, Savvy Call: 07958 258 137 or email: tricia@gingertree-marketing.uk Garrett Brennan, Public Relations & Communications Manager, FreedomPay  Call: 0044 7551 386482 or email: garrett.brennan@freedompay.com 

HRS Hospitality & Retail Systems Selects FreedomPay as their Global Partner to Deliver Next-Level Customer Experiences

HRS is Oracle’s largest Hospitality Partner worldwide November 18, 2022 – Dusseldorf, Germany – HRS Hospitality & Retail Systems have announced a strategic partnership with global commerce technology platform FreedomPay to implement Next Level Commerce™ solutions across their business.  This end-to-end customer experience will deliver a wide range of dynamically targeted offers, deep analytics, and business intelligence while providing an integrated payment solution for Oracle hospitality clients.  “This is a good example of our commitment to innovation and service. We welcome having FreedomPay as our new partner, whom we believe will add substantial value for our customers and improve their experience. The partnership will enable us to offer an integrated payment solution and benefit from a diverse partner ecosystem,” said Daniel Krisch, Sr. Director of Hospitality Strategy and Solutions Management. The partnership with FreedomPay will enable HRS to support its customers with their payment choices and global implementation projects for its international customers.  “In delivering world-class customer experiences around the globe, HRS was looking for a technology partner that could provide top-level security, innovation, and personalization,” said Nate Ware, SVP of Sales & Digital Development at FreedomPay.  “FreedomPay is that platform, and we are excited to have created an innovative and seamless payment experience for HRS customers.”  The FreedomPay platform upgrades payment systems from legacy to leading edge by providing global merchants with a fully integrated end-to-end solution that enables secure payments, identity-as-a-service, loyalty, and Business Intelligence.  About HRS In 1990, HRS Hospitality & Retail Systems was created to provide a superior customer experience for service industry companies and their clients. HRS provides innovative management solutions for hotels, restaurants, retail chains, stadiums, spas, and fitness clubs across 90+ countries  HRS has an impressive portfolio of products and services; these include pre-project analysis, hardware and software supply, strategic IT consulting, solutions implementation and  integration, staff training and consulting 24/7 technical support, and a wide range of professional customer services.  The company has a reputation for providing quality services with a robust global presence. HRS has established itself as an innovative IT solution provider and a proactive contributor to the hospitality industry.  Learn More: HRS    About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com    FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:  Garrett Brennan, Public Relations & Communications Manager, FreedomPay  Call: 0044 7551 386482 or email: garrett.brennan@freedompay.com 

FreedomPay & Prommt Announce Global Partnership to Deliver Secure Personalised Payment Requests

November 17, 2022 – London, England – Global commerce technology platform FreedomPay, has partnered with Prommt, the payment request platform that enables businesses to request, collect, and track remote payments. The move will further enhance FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ solution by providing greater flexibility and choice for enterprise customers who wish to offer a fully branded and rich payment experience.  This strategic alignment will help deliver instant, branded, personalised payment requests via email, text, chat, and messaging apps while integrating with FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics.  “Prommt is very pleased to announce this partnership with FreedomPay, enabling us to expand our mission to help businesses get paid more securely with secure, branded messaging-based payment journeys. In tandem with FreedomPay, we will deliver innovative new solutions to our customers, providing choice and flexibility and enhanced customer experiences. Existing integrations with leading industry ERP systems within hospitality, retail and automotive sectors offers speed of delivery for new clients. We look forward to the opportunities that lie ahead.” said Donal McGuinness, CEO at Prommt.  Prommt payment request will allow customers to process their payments securely via any payment type, via any channel and at scale. It is designed with enterprise-level capabilities that support teams, multiple locations, with advanced reporting and alerting capabilities. In addition, this new customer experience will help turn risky, time-consuming telephone payments into secure online frictionless transactions for merchants.  “The partnership with Prommt will enable FreedomPay to support its customers with their payment choice. Whether it is payments for goods or services with variable pricing or large or complex transactions, we can provide the responsive service customers want while protecting payment and card data,” said Nate Ware, SVP of Sales & Digital Development at FreedomPay. “Additionally, the FreedomPay platform will provide merchants with a fully integrated end-to-end solution enabling secure payments, identity-as-a-service, loyalty, and Business Intelligence. We are excited to have created another innovative and seamless payment channel experience for our customers.”  About Prommt  Prommt helps businesses maximise the success of remote card payments, enabling them to send secure, branded payment requests to customers, requesting payment by card or bank in a quick and easy way. The solution offers an easy, seamless way to deliver remote transactions with a highly personalised, bespoke customer buying journey. Prommt is an enterprise grade solution that is built for teams, supporting multiple locations, reporting, and alerting capabilities.  Learn More: Prommt  About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com    FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:  Garrett Brennan, Public Relations & Communications Manager, FreedomPay  Call: 0044 7551 386482 or email: garrett.brennan@freedompay.com  Lorraine Fahy, Chief Marketing Officer, Prommt email: lorraine.fahy@prommt.com 

FreedomPay Announces Integration with Castles Technology to Expand Commerce Offering Globally

The partnership brings a unique consumer experience powered by loyalty and value-added services to millions of merchants globally. November 16, 2022 – Philadelphia, PA: FreedomPay, the commerce technology partner of choice for global leaders across hospitality, retail, restaurants and sports and entertainment, announce today a partnership with Castles Technology, a globally recognized and industry-leading manufacturer of payment hardware solutions. “FreedomPay creates a world-class experience for consumers through optimized speed, security, and personalization,” said Chris Kronenthal, President of FreedomPay. “By partnering with Castles, merchants can provide a best-in-class commerce experience for consumers globally.” Available beginning Q1 2023, FreedomPay will offer Castles’ all-in-one Android SmartPOS terminal to create a secure, frictionless and unified shopping experience for consumers while also supporting merchants with robust loyalty and data analytics capabilities.  The move furthers its commitment towards an open and accessible ecosystem for FreedomPay’s merchants and industry partners alike.  “Ultimately, FreedomPay’s proposition to the market is innovation based around choice and flexibility – we take another step forward with this announcement”, said Kronenthal. “This partnership with FreedomPay brings together world-class commerce technology with industry-leading payment acceptance hardware solutions that drive global commerce by serving consumers and businesses to securely pay and get paid. Delivering innovation and trust is part of our DNA, and we are thrilled to be working with FreedomPay, who shares our ambitions to keep pushing our industry forward for our clients,” said Ben Love, President & CTO of Castles Technology North America. Supported by Castles, FreedomPay continues its global expansion across 130+ countries, more than one hundred currencies and thousands of commerce partners. About Castles Technology With thirty years of worldwide market experience, Castles Technology has established itself as a top global manufacturer of next-generation payment acceptance hardware. Our goal is to create simple, innovative, and secure payment solutions that provide mobility and flexibility for a diverse range of attended and unattended payment environments such as retail, vending, micro markets, restaurants, transportation, finance, lodging, and hospitality. We pride ourselves on crafting accessible payment solutions, reducing the lifetime cost of payment acceptance hardware, and providing robust integration options. Our North American headquarters are in Atlanta, GA, and Castles Technology has 11 regional offices across Asia, Europe, and North and South America. About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare, and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com

FreedomPay – Next Level Happens Now

FreedomPay is a creative force in connected commerce across the globe. The Philadelphia-based company has become one of the fastest-growing FinTechs in the world and is the partner of choice for many leading international brands across retail, hospitality, food & beverage, higher education, and other sectors. FreedomPay is the only single, unified, independent technology platform to bring a Next Level™ experience to merchants and customers, driven by real-time loyalty incentives and best-in-class tech, security and speed. With FreedomPay, merchants can connect with their customers, whether in-store or online, offering a highly personalized, omnichannel experience catered to their individual needs. FreedomPay’s repeatable, trustworthy technology solution empowers businesses of all sizes to modernize their payment architecture.   FreedomPay continues to build and expand its commerce platform capabilities with more than 1,000 integrations and covering 75+ countries.  FreedomPay has a European headquarters in London, UK, and recently announced a series of new partnerships and customers in Mexico, Canada, the Middle East, and Africa (MEA). FreedomPay is the selected commerce partner of many of the world’s largest merchants, including Inspire Brands, Compass Group, FedEx, Shake Shack, MGM, and Foot Locker. FreedomPay powers the checkout experience across hundreds of locations, from airports to stadiums to holiday resorts. FreedomPay’s safe, advanced, and user-friendly payment platform makes digital transactions convenient for customers. For example, it powers a flexible, connected commerce experience across 7,000 locations through its collaboration with Marriott International, the world’s largest hotel chain, FreedomPay’s Freeway Commerce Connect (FCC) is an intelligent software system which allows payment and fintech partners such as Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) to merge directly with a device or multiple payment back-ends if they accept credit cards, within weeks. It also fully supports EMV, PCI, PA, DSS, and Private Labels. “Digital transformation is essential for merchants as technology innovation matures with consumer preferences. FreedomPay makes it easy for merchants, offering a secure and swift solution that is scalable to any size and provides a personalized customer experience,” said Chris Kronenthal, President of FreedomPay. FreedomPay is the commerce technology partner for many of the world’s leading brands, including Marriott International. With a global portfolio boasting over 7,000 properties in 132 countries and territories, Marriott International is recognized as one of the leading hospitality companies in the world. The FreedomPay Commerce Platform supports Marriott by driving innovation, speed to market, and scale towards their goal of a seamless customer experience. FreedomPay’s technology is truly transformational for enterprises dealing with a rapidly changing payments landscape and who are focused on delivering best-in-class capabilities today and in the future. FreedomPay is taking the world of commerce to the Next Level™ and is constantly expanding its geographical footprint and capabilities to meet the ever-changing needs of merchants and consumers internationally.   Please follow the FreedomPay global journey on LinkedIn and Twitter: @Freedompay Click here to read the original article.

10 Fastest Growing FinTech Companies to Watch in 2022

Financial Technology: Where Do We Go From Here? There is no doubt that fintech is red hot right now. Financial firms are looking to satisfy consumers’ expectations of on-demand finance and fintech is the way to combat the slow pace of traditional financial services. Startups and financial institutions are investing in financial technology to keep up with contemporary industry standards. The evidence for the rising popularity of fintech is seen in the quadrupled investments in the industry, compared to six years ago. Today, the global fintech market is said to grow to $31.5 billion by 2026, and the investments in the industry in 2021 alone, grew by 144% compared to 2020. Artificial Intelligence is single-handedly driving up the efficiency of financial technology. AI-first institutions yield greater operational efficiency and replace the need for human input in the decision-making process. Combined with cloud computing and storage, institutions become private and secure like never before. Edge computing and edge cloud are becoming essential to fintech. With the help of 5G communication, edge technology drives new interactions across industries, adjusting resources to strategically meet the shifts in demands. Development in financial technology is not a sprint but rather a marathon. There is tremendous room for growth and equal opportunities for downfalls. Thus, it is essential to keep up with all the information and stay disillusioned to enjoy the maximum benefits of financial technology. Click here to read more.

Virdee-FreedomPay Integration Bolsters Real-Time Transactional Security

Purchases made via Virdee’s digital check-in and virtual concierge platforms are now Secured by FreedomPay AUSTIN, Texas – October 17, 2022 – Virdee, a SaaS company delivering digital check-in and virtual concierge services to the hospitality industry, has integrated with FreedomPay, the Next Level Commerce™  technology whose platform is powering security, data, and customer loyalty for leading global hospitality brands. FreedomPay was the first PCI-validated point-to-point encryption solution in North America with EMV, NFC, dynamic currency conversion and real-time data capabilities that delivers on a global scale. The integration enables Virdee to offer customers end-to-end protection for credit card payments made through FreedomPay’s cloud-based global payments platform. The partnership also provides FreedomPay compatibility with Virdee’s ongoing approach to elevating the check-in/check-out process with software for identity verification, payment collection, access control and remote support. “Our integration with Virdee offers our customers expanded options, flexibility and, most important, security,” said Chris Kronenthal, President of FreedomPay. “We help streamline and simplify complex payment options, while providing a single flow of data to facilitate consumer insights and engagement for our hotel clients. We’re proud to partner with best-in-class solution providers, like Virdee, as we work together to revolutionize hotel operations and guest-facing technologies.” By leveraging technology for 100 percent of guest arrivals, owners and management companies utilizing the Virdee platform can reduce costs at any property that requires front desk payment or access control services. The Virdee Virtual Reception solution provides a fully contactless check-in experience, empowering 100% of hotel guests to check-in via mobile web, app or kiosk, receive a digital or physical key and head straight to their guest room without ever standing in line at the front desk. The new web version facilitates more engagement earlier in the pre-check-in process; guests can complete much of the pre-check-in requirements before arrival, and can seamlessly transition to the app to receive their digital key. Virdee’s platform also enables additional customer engagement, such as the ability to purchase upgrades and order room service, making real-time transactional security and data protection essential. The FreedomPay integration greatly strengthens Virdee’s ability to offer these benefits to its hotel customers and the guests using the system to make purchases. “Virdee is happy to announce FreedomPay as our latest payment integration partner, extending the benefits of both of our companies to our mutual hotel customers,” said Nadav Cornberg, co-founder at Virdee. “This integration further strengthens the protections we can offer FreedomPay users on the Virdee network, while growing our roster of trusted hotel payment platforms. Hoteliers and guests need to know that data is safe and transactions are secure at every stage of their journey, and Virdee and FreedomPay are working together to provide solutions.” FreedomPay’s PCI-validated P2PE solution also enables Virdee customers to realize cost savings by reducing annual PCI DSS audit and compliance scope, while also minimizing the impact of a data breach. The platform is also capable of processing mobile wallet transactions from Apple Pay, Samsung Pay and Android Pay.   About Virdee Virdee is a technology company providing best-in-class virtual reception and user interaction software for clients and their tenants, guests, and other stakeholders. Virdee helps building owners reduce costs and generate ancillary revenue by automating front-of-house workflows via its mobile application and in-lobby experiences. Using an API-first approach, Virdee connects platforms for ID verification, payment collection, access control, and remote assistance while serving customers in lodging, multifamily, and commercial real estate industries. Visit www.virdee.co to learn more. About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare, and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock-solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award-winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents, allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com

Engage People and FreedomPay Partner to Expand the Ubiquity of Loyalty Points as Currency

Partnership allows retailers to accept points as a form of in-store payment through the FreedomPay commerce technology platform   Toronto – September 13, 2022: Engage People, the only loyalty network that enables program members to pay with points (PwP) directly at checkout, today announced it is partnering with FreedomPay, the data-driven commerce platform, to deliver PwP capabilities to retailers’ brick-and-mortar locations. The partnership will enable consumers to pay with points for every-day purchases seamlessly through the FreedomPay platform, allowing for frictionless transactions of any amount like any other currency. “Our partnership with FreedomPay is truly a game-changer across the loyalty industry,” said Jonathan Silver, CEO of Engage People. ”Retailers now have an opportunity to provide an alternative payment option that meets growing consumer demand during a time when inflation is at its highest point in years. We’re looking forward to collaborating with FreedomPay to continue to evolve loyalty points into a ubiquitous form of currency – like paying with cash or card – and expanding our loyalty network to include a wider roster of leading retailers.” Through a combination of Engage People’s APIs and FreedomPay’s loyalty and incentives engine, customers will have the option to easily pay with points in-store, in real time across a variety of retailers. As a result, Engage People will expand its access to additional retail partners across North America, ultimately bolstering its loyalty network. “Consumers are continuously seeking alternative and diverse methods of payment,” said Chris Kronenthal, President of FreedomPay. “Through our partnership, retailers are not only providing more convenience and flexibility to their customers, but they’re also enhancing the everyday shopping experience. This can lead to repeat purchases and long-term customer loyalty.” Len Covello, CTO at Engage People, said the collaboration with FreedomPay will help broaden the use and redemption of loyalty points outside of e-commerce, which allows for retailers to increase customer loyalty at point of sale (POS). “Our partnership with FreedomPay will expand the universality of loyalty points as a form of payment, which is significant given more consumers will have the option to use their points on common, inexpensive purchases,” he said. “For retailers, expanding payment options helps them to retain exceptional brand loyalty by strengthening the connection between consumers and the brand.” About Engage People Engage People is the only loyalty network that enables program members to pay with points directly at checkout. The global technology provider connects loyalty programs with global payment systems and online retailers, and covers 100% of the top purchase categories in North America. Leading banks and retailers around the world rely on Engage People for its pay-with-points capabilities and first-of-its-kind loyalty network, which has facilitated more than 3.4 million points-based transactions to date. The Company is headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and has offices in the U.S., Canada and Italy. For more information visit: www.engagepeople.com. About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare, and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com Contact: Ryan Hall Caliber Corporate Advisers Ryan@calibercorporate.com 949-280-4704

FreedomPay and MWC Partners Deliver A Next Level Retail Experience for Customers

MWC Partners helps deliver payment connectivity across Europe between FreedomPay and Cegid Retail. London, UK – 6 September, 2022 – As part of its ongoing investment in future-proofing digital retail solutions, global leader in connected commerce, FreedomPay, has announced that it has partnered with MWC Partners to enhance its retail offering giving access to the full suite of Cegid Retail POS solutions. With MWC Partners’ support, FreedomPay can offer retailers a tailored payment experience that is safe, secure and will ensure a seamless customer experience. This integration between FreedomPay’s commerce platform and Cegid Retail POS solutions will accelerate a further European expansion. The partnership will also develop the companies’ combined portfolio of new and existing offerings for customers. “FreedomPay’s continued growth can be attributed to two things: the global provision of a single merchant experience across our platform, and our commitment to enhancing our connectivity to critical partner networks, commented Barry Stearn, VP of Partnerships at FreedomPay.  “We’re adding the Cegid Retail payment connector to the existing 1000+ integrations the FreedomPay platform possesses. This will enhance our ability to bring retail merchants closer to their consumers via digital commerce.” With over twenty years of experience developing, implementing, and supporting retail payment systems for physical retail and integrating payment software with POS solutions, MWC Partners bridges the technology and knowledge gap between in-store systems and payment software. MWC Partners supports payment service providers, online payment companies, and retailers. Steve Watson, Chairman of MWC Partners, said: “FreedomPay is a recognized global leader in commerce technology and their innovative platform brings more flexibility and choice to consumers at the point-of-sale. We are excited to bring merchants a Next Level experience through this powerful integration.”   ABOUT MWC Partners MWC Partners work with selected retail technology companies to bring together a market-leading suite of retail software products, delivered and supported by our comprehensive portfolio of retail IT services. Working either as prime contractor and system integrator or as part of a consortium of companies on major turnkey systems, or on discrete one-off projects, we build, implement, manage, and support retail IT systems that deliver performance and value-for-money for our clients. Our team have deep experience in the development, implementation, management, and support of point of sale, payment and store solutions, and expertise in multiple technologies and software architectures. We build long-lasting partnerships with clients, software authors and vendors to integrate and implement their software products. We are the glue that binds retail IT systems together and an essential part of the retail IT ecosystem.   Learn more: MWC Partners   ABOUT FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. Learn More: FreedomPay

FreedomPay Accelerates Industry Leading Growth Across the World with a Push and Mandate to Hire Best-in-Class Tech Professionals

The global fintech company is powering ahead with its  “Technology First” vision, leading the end-to-end future of the commerce industry    Philadelphia, USA – London, UK: FreedomPay, one of the world’s fastest growing fintechs, innovating Next Level™ payment solutions,  is creating hundreds of new positions, delivering record sales and turning on revenue streams at pace. The global company is aggressively expanding in new markets including the Middle East, South America, China, Africa and APAC. To fuel this growth, the company is aggressively seeking hundreds of technologists, both remote and in-office at it’s many locations around the world. “FreedomPay is like no other company, and we’re experiencing extraordinary growth. We’re accelerating rapidly as our unique tech unleashes groundbreaking solutions for our partners and clients in the new world of commerce,” said David Knowlton, Chief Technology Officer at FreedomPay.  “We’re looking to hire a force of tech wizards with a passion for payments and tech to come and join us in this once in a lifetime opportunity. FreedomPay supports over 1,000 + partners across the world and many of the leading brands including; Marriott International, Inspire Brands, Compass Group and many more who depend on FreedomPay’s technology to deliver safe, secure and scalable experiences across all channels.” continued Knowlton. Over the next 12-18 months FreedomPay is exponentially growing it’s team and seeking diverse talent to drive growth. FreedomPay is hiring graduates and experienced professionals to join the company as software engineers and developers, with a broad set of technical skills who can add fresh ideas, energy, and expertise to the company’s unique commerce technology such as distributed computing, information retrieval, data management, large-scale system design and design code architecture. Direct Payment experience is not required, as we seek individuals excited and motivated to  “break-the-mold” and “shake-things-up” – envisioning future states for Consumer and B2B payments. “FreedomPay employees are the fuel cells propelling this rocket ship to the top. So recognizing and rewarding our team members is an absolute must to attract and retain the best talent,” said Allan Moulds, SVP of Human Resources at FreedomPay.  “When it comes to healthcare, compensation, and other employee benefits, it is critical that we provide the best experience and well-being to our team members. The FreedomPay culture allows everyone to bring their unique and true self to work and help foster innovation and creativity.” Interested in taking your career to the Next Level? Check out our openings and apply at https://corporate.freedompay.com/company/careers/. About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com

FreedomPay Showcases Next Level Commerce Technology at Industry-Leading Conference HITEC

One of the world’s fastest growing fintechs to showcase award-winning global commerce technology platform June 28th, 2022 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – FreedomPay, selected by leading global hotel brands including Marriott International and MGM to implement Next Level Commerce™ solutions, announces a major presence at the Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference (HITEC) June 27-30 in Orlando, Florida. FreedomPay will be onsite showcasing their leading commerce technology platform that is driving innovation across the Hospitality industry. FreedomPay is revolutionizing the guest experience across hotels through personalized check-in and checkout, loyalty rewards and incentives in real-time all backed by FreedomPay’s best-in-class payment and data security. FreedomPay will be joined in booth #2025 by Microsoft, a key partner who is also transforming the Hospitality industry through new technology and an enhanced customer experience. “Hospitality & Travel are beginning to see some significant signs of travel rebound but also face some challenging times as they begin to navigate the new normal, so having a view to larger trends affecting this industry is now more critical than ever. All of which underscore the importance of events such as HITEC and the future-proofing technologies that companies like Microsoft and FreedomPay are putting forward.” said Shane O’Flaherty, Global Director: Travel, Transportation & Hospitality at Microsoft. HITEC is the world’s largest and oldest hospitality technology conference and celebrating 50 years in 2022. The show brings together top hospitality technology industry experts from across the globe for a week of networking and education. FreedomPay’s extensive network of partners will be onsite and partaking in interviews at booth #2025 discussing trends across the industry, partners include Agilysys, Samsung, Sertifi, and Book4Time. Chris Kronenthal, President of FreedomPay said: “FreedomPay is changing the ways hotels operate across the globe and we’re excited to showcase our Next Level technology from that longest running hospitality technology show, HITEC. We look forward to meeting with our growing network of hospitality partners and leading the discussion on technology transformation and innovation across hotels.” Visit FreedomPay at Booth #2025 and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter @freedompay to see more content and interview from the conference.   About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare, and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock-solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award-winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents, allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com

Money20/20 Europe with Chris Kronenthal, FreedomPay

Hear from Chris Kronenthal, President of FreedomPay  at Money20/20 Europe with Fintech Finance. Kronenthal discusses the key pillars of The FreedomPay Commerce Platform, what is unique about FreedomPay’s offering in the Open Banking landscape, and what the future holds, both for Open Banking and the FreedomPay team. Read the original post here.

Euronet Worldwide, Inc Announces FreedomPay as a Strategic Partner to Bring Next Level Digital Services to Card Paying Clients

FreedomPay and Euronet Worldwide, Inc will evolve payment technology performance and ease-of-use for merchants and their customers. London, United Kingdom – June 7, 2022 –Euronet Merchant Services, part of the EFT business segment of leading global financial technology solutions and payments provider Euronet Worldwide, Inc., has announced a strategic partnership with FreedomPay, the Next Level Commerce™ platform of choice for thousands of merchants globally. As a leader in connected commerce, FreedomPay is rapidly expanding globally across critical verticals such as Retail, eCommerce, Hospitality and Food & Beverage. With its partnership with Euronet Merchant Services, FreedomPay’s customers globally will enjoy integrated, complete solutions to enable more dynamic payment options. Both companies plan to use advanced technology and a fully integrated cultural approach to payment services for merchants to bring businesses and consumers together. “Customers are pushing the boundaries of technology. As a result, demand for more innovative, easier and faster ways to pay for goods and services is a daily challenge,” said Tony Hammond, SVP of Global Product Delivery at FreedomPay. “With our strategic partnership with Euronet Merchant Services, we will increase our presence in key markets to deliver secure payment processing capabilities and insights to more customers across the globe. Both companies’ clients increasingly demand a secure solution that seamlessly integrates diverse payment methodologies and currencies on a single, unified platform. This partnership will deliver that solution.” The partnering of FreedomPay with Euronet Merchant Services will bring together class-leading payment innovation for mutual international clients. Both organisations share an ethos of solving complex payment scenarios, thus improving consumer journeys. As part of an internationally led global approach, the pairing will seek to deliver clean, safe, and secure digital payments for the future, allowing further card support and extending customer services while providing value for money for merchants. “The strategic partnership between Euronet Merchant Services and FreedomPay heralds the global expansion and broadening of services available to card paying clients”, comments David Gebhardt, Managing Director of Euronet Merchant Services. “Our multi-faceted services, with FreedomPay’s platform capability, will see the addition of Tax-Free claim-back functionality, Dynamic Currency Conversion, and a diversification of accepted cards including local and more exotic card schemes to the portfolio, ensuring we meet the payment needs and requirements of an international audience.” For more information about Euronet Merchant Services, please visit www.euronetmerchantservices.com. About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare, and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com About Euronet Worldwide, Inc. Euronet Worldwide is an industry leader in processing secure electronic financial transactions. The Company offers payment and transaction processing solutions to financial institutions, retailers, service providers and individual consumers. These services include comprehensive ATM, POS and card outsourcing services, card issuing and merchant acquiring services, software solutions, cash-based and online-initiated consumer-to-consumer and business-to-business money transfer services, and electronic distribution of digital media and prepaid mobile phone time. Euronet’s global payment network is extensive – including 49,521 ATMs, approximately 491,000 EFT POS terminals and a growing portfolio of outsourced debit and credit card services which are under management in 62 countries; card software solutions; a prepaid processing network of approximately 760,000 POS terminals at approximately 335,000 retailer locations in 63 countries; and a global money transfer network of approximately 495,000 locations serving 164 countries. With corporate headquarters in Leawood, Kansas, USA, and 66 worldwide offices, Euronet serves clients in approximately 175 countries. For more information, please visit the Company’s website at www.euronetworldwide.com

New Survey Research Conducted in Partnership with FreedomPay and Cornell University Highlights Gen Z’s Attitudes on Data Privacy and Sharing

Gen Zers are more willing to share biometrics info than details from their social media accounts Philadelphia, PA – June 8, 2022 –– New research released today from FreedomPay, conducted in partnership with Cornell University, a leader in Hotel Administration and Hospitality Management, explores Gen Z student’s attitudes towards data privacy and their willingness to share their personal information. Age, email, income, and GPS location were among other personal details the study explored and participants willingness to share with payment platforms and merchants. The research – which surveyed 200 Cornell Generation Z students, defined as those born in 1995 or later – found that the perceived privacy level of a piece of information has a significant impact on participants’ willingness to share with third parties, such as banks and retailers. To start, the researchers first determined how participants might categorize the privacy level for several pieces of data. Placed on a 6-point scale, with 1 equaling extremely unlikely to share and 6 equaling extremely likely to share, the data items were sorted as follows: Privacy Level Data Items Average Willingness Low   Gender 5.24 Name 5.09 Age 5.09 Email Address 4.76 Date of Birth 4.59 Phone Number   4.04   Medium   Shopping Preference 3.40 Shopping History 3.36 Biometrics 3.31 Expected Monthly Expense 3.03 Income 2.91 Social Media Account   2.78   High GPS Location 1.95 SSN 1.74 Medical Record 1.71   Rewards Incentivize Sharing The findings indicate that customers are more inclined to give out personal information if there is a reward involved, and participants were clear about how much – and what data – they would be more willing to share. Within these privacy level categories of low, medium, and high, data in the medium category was the most likely to be swayed by a monetary reward. The research also suggested that Gen Z appears to be generally less willing to share their personal information than other groups. The study found that a $15 reward incentive seemed to have limited impact on respondent’s willingness to disclose high-level privacy details. On the other side of the spectrum, a monetary reward also seemed to have a minimal influence for low level data sharing, considering that participants are generally more agreeable to part with this information. Taking a closer look at the data, in offering Gen Zers a $15 reward, their willingness to share data increases across the three privacy categories: 11% more likely to share low-privacy data 27% like to share medium-privacy information High-privacy data is more likely to be shared 24% Additionally, the research revealed preferences in terms of the rewards offered for sharing information as well: Participants prefer cash discount to loyalty points (at 69% and 31% respectively) They are likely to choose loyalty points if that value is 20x greater than cash discount value For those Gen Zers who prefer loyalty points, food & beverage was the most preferred category (at 44) The least popular options include debit cards, gas, grocery stores, and the hospitality industry Other participants were equally likely to choose food & beverage and retailers equally Among the generations, Gen Zers earned the lowest score revealing they are less willing to share personal details than other generations – re-emphasizing that this generation does place a high priority on privacy issues. “We were so delighted to be able to work with these outstanding students, who were able to uncover some truly great insights about Gen Z and how they think about data and their threshold for sharing,” said Liesl Smith, Senior Vice President Marketing & Sales Enablement at FreedomPay. “While they are privacy-oriented and have clear priorities on what to protect – one student shared that her social media accounts were as important to her as her Social Security number – there are also clear opportunities for retailers and merchants to reach these consumers with the right mix of promotions.” “Our students have enjoyed being able to partner with FreedomPay on this excellent research,” noted Aija Leiponen, Professor of Strategy and Business Economics at Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management at Cornell University. “All partners were fully engaged which enabled our students to truly dive in and try to uncover the fundamentals of this generation and how they view and protect their data privacy.” Click here to download the research.   ABOUT FREEDOMPAY FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com ABOUT CORNELL DYSON SCHOOL The Dyson School is a part of both the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business. This unique positioning, straddling two leading colleges, allows the school to offer robust undergraduate and graduate programs ranked among the most competitive in the world. Meanwhile, the Dyson School’s pioneering research programs tackle some of the world’s most intractable economic and social issues. At Dyson, we immerse our students in unparalleled learning experiences. This is applied learning like no place else. If today’s business students are to become tomorrow’s innovators and leaders, they need more than yesterday’s business school. At the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, students take on real global challenges through an immersive, collaborative learning experience. With internationally renowned areas of expertise in food and agricultural economics, management, environmental and resource economics, and international and development economics, the Dyson School is perfectly poised to fulfill its core mission: to use business for the greater good. Media Contact Hill and Knowlton Strategies for FreedomPay Jennifer Tayebi Jennifer.Tayebi@hkstrategies.com

FreedomPay Announces Further Expansion Globally with Network International

Strategic collaboration will enable Network to offer a fully integrated payments platform to its hospitality and retail merchants in UAE and MEA region to achieve seamless customer experience Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 6 June 2022: Network International, the leading enabler of digital commerce across the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region, aims to transform its product proposition to the hospitality sector following  its strategic engagements with next-gen fintech, FreedomPay. According to a recent study, the tourism industry will contribute approximately AED 280.6 billion to the UAE’s GDP by 2028[1]. As the largest merchant acquirer in the UAE, Network International aims to strengthen its role in supporting the hospitality industry by bringing global tech best practices to the forefront to create secure and seamless customer experiences. This collaboration with FreedomPay will enable Network as FreedomPay’s preferred partner in the MEA region, to offer its hospitality merchants across the UAE and MEA region a fully integrated hospitality payments platform covering all operations including front desk reservation system, F&B, theme parks, spas, etc. The platform enables hotels and retail chains to recognise customers through their preferred method of payment with its unique omni-channel capabilities, ensuring frictionless transactions across all their properties. “In today’s world, merchants are expected to provide a fully secured, omni-channel commerce experience that is personalized to each consumer,” said Chris Kronenthal, President at FreedomPay. “Global businesses continue to choose FreedomPay as their trusted commerce technology partner and we’re excited to bring our award-winning platform to the UAE and MEA region through Network International. The exciting partnership will open doors for thousands of merchants across hospitality, retail, and F&B, giving them access to FreedomPay’s global network of commerce connectivity.” Network International’s partnership with the multi-patented, award-winning fintech FreedomPay, will forge superior merchant-consumer relationships with its single unified platform and portal, servicing broad market segments including hotels, restaurants and retail chains across the MEA region. Merchants can expect to achieve best-in-class payment data security, coverage for emerging payment technologies, operational efficiencies and expansion of loyalty and value-added services, while maintaining global or regional corporate brand goals across all their stores and properties. Commenting on the MoU, Andrew Key, Group Managing Director – Acquiring at Network Internationalsaid, “We are thrilled to be supporting the UAE’s most dominant sectors at a critical scale once again. As the hospitality sector rapidly adapts to the age of customer-centric digital solutions, we aim to prepare our merchants with next-gen payments capabilities that will enable more rewarding experiences for guests while driving operational efficiencies for the merchants. The opportunities in the region’s tourism sector need to be supported with omni-channel payments to ensure customers have a seamless purchasing experience.” Andrew added, “This exciting collaboration with FreedomPay will complement our objective to always offer best-in-breed payments solutions to unify industry operations and enable merchants to provide their customers with the best payments experience possible.” About Network International Network International comprises a group of companies and is the leading enabler of digital commerce across the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region, providing a full suite of technology-enabled payments solutions to merchants and financial institutions of all types and sizes, including acquiring and processing services and a comprehensive ever-evolving range of value-added services. Network International Holdings Plc (LSE: NETW) is the holding company for Network International and the group companies, including the DPO Group. Network International: Tricia Kaul ASDA’A BCW, Dubai, UAE, Tel: +971 4 450 7600 Email: tricia.kaul@bm.com About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com FreedomPay: Michael Korjen Hill + Knowlton Strategies +971 4 553 9543 Michael.Korjen@hkstrategies.com [1] https://www.statista.com/topics/4643/tourism-industry-of-the-uae/#dossierKeyfigures

FreedomPay Brings Next Level Global Commerce to Retail Technology Show in London

One of the world’s fastest growing fintechs to showcase award-winning global commerce technology platform 25th April, 2022 – London, UK – FreedomPay, selected by global brands including Sephora, Dine Brands, Marriott, MGM and Foot Locker to implement Next Level Commerce™ solutions, announces a major presence at the Retail Technology Show in London. FreedomPay, the partner of choice for leading brands across hospitality, retail and F&B, will be on site to uncover how its platform technology handles all in-person, mobile and online payments for tens of thousands of locations around the world. Chris Kronenthal, President of FreedomPay said: “Nobody is solving for future commerce like FreedomPay. We believe retailers must meet consumer expectations of the checkout process regarding flexible payment processes and personalized customer experiences. Our solution will be critical for growth and omnichannel customer satisfaction in today’s new world of commerce.” Retail Technology Show from 26th – 27th April in London’s Olympia aims to bring together Europe’s most forward-thinking retailers and leading tech innovators all under one roof. Thousands of visitors and exhibitors are expected to attend the show over the two days. Matt Bradley, Event Director of the Retail Technology Show, said “The FreedomPay client list speaks volumes. They are making a real difference to their customers on a daily basis, and I’m thrilled to have them on a such a prominent stand at Retail Technology Show.” Chris added: “With advances in commerce technology businesses have the means to revolutionize their customer acquisition and retention approach. The race to secure customer loyalty will be won by those merchants that can connect the data dots within their businesses as well as multiple touchpoints within their channels.” From its European base in London, FreedomPay has committed to taking a significant presence at the show with an exhibition space of almost 100m2. By incorporating its hi-definition video broadcast studio, the FreedomPay team aims to contribute, listen, and capture all the latest industry experts’ insights, interviews, and opinions over the two-day event. To access our live content from #RTS2022: https://www.freedompaylive.com/. About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare, and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock-solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award-winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents, allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com More details about the show can be found at https://www.retailtechnologyshow.com/

FreedomPay Attends AAHOACON in Baltimore as a Major Sponsor

FreedomPay Welcomes 6,000 Hospitality Leaders to America’s Largest Hotel Owner Show. Philadelphia, PA – April 11th, 2022 – FreedomPay, an innovative global leader in commerce technologies, today announced it is a major sponsor at the nation’s largest hotel owners event, the 2022 AAHOA Convention & Trade Show (AAHOACON22) April 12-15, in Baltimore, Maryland. AAHOACON22 brings together hotel, lodging businesses and thought leaders from across the U.S. and is the biggest annual gathering of AAHOA Members who own 60% of the hotels in the nation. “FreedomPay is proud to attend the event and be the technology partner of choice for the top hospitality brands across the globe; and we’re excited to showcase our award-winning solution at AAHOACON,” said Nate Ware, SVP Sales & Digital Development at FreedomPay. “AAHOA is recognized as the leading organization for hotel owners, and we look forward to partnering with the organization.” The FreedomPay Commerce Platform supports a growing number of hotels in the U.S., including the world’s top 5 hospitality resorts, merging security, identity, payments, loyalty, and advertising with proprietary data driven solutions. As merchants begin to consolidate commerce delivery across the globe, a single, unified platform is crucial to deliver a true omni-channel solution. “AAHOA is grateful to have FreedomPay participate in this year’s flagship event in Baltimore, and for being a 2022 Convention Sponsor,” said Vinay Patel, AAHOA Chair. “Their partnership and sponsorship highlight FreedomPay’s support of our association and our nearly 20,000 AAHOA Members across the United States.” Attendees are also invited to join us at the annual AAHOA Block Party, hosted at Luckie’s Tavern in the Power Plant Live! District on Wednesday, April 13, starting at 7 p.m. To learn more, visit FreedomPay at booth #605 or talk to our team today. About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com  

Dine Brands Selects FreedomPay to Enhance the Omni-Channel Checkout Experience

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – March 29, 2022 – Dine Brands today announces it has selected FreedomPay to implement Next Level Commerce™ solutions across its Applebee’s and IHOP Restaurants and online platforms. FreedomPay, the partner of choice for leading brands across hospitality, will handle all in-person and online payments at Dine Brands restaurants across North America. Dine Brands has already begun rolling out FreedomPay as part of its commitment to consistently delivering an exceptional guest experience. “FreedomPay provides us with a secure and robust platform and a comprehensive ecosystem of vendor partnerships while providing a customized user experience for our guests,” says Justin Skelton, CIO of Dine Brands. “We are excited to be undergoing this transition toward a new and improved payment solution.” FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform offers many benefits to merchants, including: The ability to unify commerce across properties, channels, and regions within a single “open,” fully agnostic, flexible platform; A touchless ecosystem that supports contactless payments, QR technology, Apple Pay, and Google Pay; and A fully integrated end-to-end solution enabling secure payments, identity-as-a-service, loyalty, and Business Intelligence. “FreedomPay’s industry-leading commerce technology has transformed the payment experience for millions of consumers globally, and we’re excited to bring these next level capabilities to Dine Brands’ restaurants,” said Chris Kronenthal, President of FreedomPay. “The partnership will bring a fast and secure transformational experience in-store and online.” Media Contact Susan Nelson Vice President, Global Communications and Public Affairs Dine Brands Global, Inc. Susan.Nelson@dinebrands.com Jennifer Tayebi Hill+Knowlton Strategies on behalf of FreedomPay Jennifer.Tayebi@hkstrategies.com About Dine Brands Global, Inc. Based in Glendale, California, Dine Brands Global, Inc. (NYSE: DIN), through its subsidiaries, franchises restaurants under both Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill + Bar® and IHOP® brands.  With over 3,400 restaurants combined in 16 countries and 338 franchisees, Dine Brands is one of the largest full-service restaurant companies in the world.  For more information on Dine Brands, visit the Company’s website located at www.dinebrands.com. About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com  

FreedomPay Enables Sephora to Deliver Next Level Mobile POS Platform for Enhanced Consumer Experience across the Americas

Global Beauty Giant Selects FreedomPay for Next Level Commerce™ Solutions March 21, 2022 – Philadelphia, PA – FreedomPay, the world’s leading commerce platform, announces partnership with Sephora USA, Inc. the leading prestige beauty omni-retailer, to integrate FreedomPay’s data-driven commerce technology platform in Sephora’s 500 plus stores across the Americas. “FreedomPay is proud to announce the agreement with Sephora, to provide a world class experience to its millions of customers across the Americas,” said Chris Kronenthal, President at FreedomPay. “Our suite of touchless commerce and data solutions will enable Sephora to provide customers a fast, frictionless, and innovative consumer experience.” The partnership allows for a safe and secure next-level Mobile POS consumer experience for shoppers with FreedomPay. The new touchless capable payment system enables Sephora clients to have complete control over their checkout experience, giving consumers the option to pay via contactless payment methods and digital wallets all on their own device, including Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay. “Now more than ever, it is critical for us at Sephora to be able to adapt to the quickly changing retail environment and that’s especially important at the point of sale,” said Sree Sreedhararaj, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at Sephora. “Our clients desire a seamless experience in every step of the shopping journey, and our partnership with FreedomPay allows us to maximize efficiencies and capabilities at checkout.”   About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com   About Sephora Americas Since its debut in North America more than 20 years ago, Sephora has been a leader in prestige omni-retail with the mission of creating an inviting beauty shopping experience and inspiring fearlessness in our community. With the goal of delivering unbiased shopping support and a personalized experience, Sephora invites clients to discover thousands of products from more than 340 carefully curated brands, explore online and through our mobile app, enjoy services at the Beauty Studio and engage with expertly trained Beauty Advisors in more than 500 stores across the Americas. And with its new long-term retail strategic partnership, clients can now shop Sephora at Kohl’s, a fully immersive, premium beauty destination, with 200 locations in 2021, and at least 850 locations by 2023. Clients can access the free-to-join Beauty Insider program and digital community, which together enhance the experience of Sephora’s passionate clients. Sephora has been an industry-leading champion of diversity, inclusivity, and empowerment, guided by our longstanding company values. In 2019, Sephora announced a new tagline and manifesto, “We Belong to Something Beautiful,” to reinforce its dedication to fostering belonging amongst all clients and employees and to publicly strive for a more inclusive vision for retail in the Americas. Sephora continues to give back to our communities and advance inclusion in our industry through its social impact and equity programming, called the Sephora D&I Heart Journey. For more information, visit: https://www.sephora.com/about-us and @Sephora on social media. For media inquiries, please visit our Sephora newsroom or email ExternalComms@sephora.com

Global Leader in Commerce Technology Set to Transform Payments for Thousands of Merchants across Mexico

Mexico City March 1, 2022 – FreedomPay, a global leader in Next Level Commerce™ , announces its fully independent, open and agnostic commerce platform is now available to all merchants across Mexico. FreedomPay’s fully integrated payments and loyalty solution will bring the highest level of speed, security, and flexibility to merchants in Hospitality, Retail, Food & Beverage, Stadia, Gaming, Ticketing and many more sectors. FreedomPay’s focus on the changing needs of both merchants and consumers distinguishes the suite of solutions and is the premiere choice for enterprises across the globe. Boasting 600+ integrations with the industry’s most innovative point of sale and eCommerce software providers, merchants on FreedomPay’s global platform can now offer consumers a Next Level experience across in-store, online, and mobile commerce in Mexico. “Global commerce is constantly evolving as a consequence of changing consumer habits, emerging technologies, and digital transformation. Merchants are expected to offer omni-channel solutions that provide a fast and frictionless checkout experience,” said Nate Ware, SVP, Sales & Digital Development of FreedomPay. “We’re excited to bring our fully-integrated solution to Mexico, creating a global network of commerce connectivity that brings scalability and innovation to all merchants.” A pioneer in cutting-edge technologies, FreedomPay is unrivaled in speed, security, and technology. With significant expansion planned for 2022, FreedomPay currently processes 3 billion+ transactions across the globe and is available in more than 130+ countries across 5 continents allowing enterprises to deliver a consistent, repeatable experience on a global scale. For more information visit www.freedompay.com About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com Press Contact Hill and Knowlton Strategies Fleur Grillon fleur.grillon@hkstrategies.com

FreedomPay, líder mundial en la tecnología de comercio, llega a México para transformar los pagos de miles de negocios

Ciudad de México, 1° de marzo 2022. – FreedomPay, líder global en Next Level Commerce™, anuncia que su plataforma de comercio totalmente independiente, abierta y agnóstica ya está disponible para todos los negocios de México. La solución de pagos y lealtad plenamente integrada de FreedomPay aportará el nivel más alto de velocidad, seguridad y flexibilidad a la industria minorista, de hotelería, hostelería, alimentos y bebidas, estadios, juegos de azar, emisión de boletos, y muchas más. El enfoque de FreedomPay en las diversas necesidades tanto de los comerciantes como de los consumidores es lo que distingue al conjunto de soluciones de la plataforma, y que la posiciona como la primera opción para las empresas de todo el mundo. Al implementar más de 600 integraciones en conjunto con los proveedores de software de punto de venta y comercio electrónico más innovadores de la industria, los usuarios de FreedomPay ahora podrán ofrecer a sus clientes en México las mejores experiencias de compra ya sea, directo en la tienda, en línea o dispositivos móviles. “El comercio global está en constante evolución como consecuencia de los cambios en los hábitos de los consumidores, las tecnologías emergentes y la transformación digital. Se espera que los comercios ofrezcan soluciones omnicanal que proporcionen una experiencia de pago rápida y sin problemas“, comentó Nate Ware, SVP, Ventas y Desarrollo Digital de FreedomPay. “Estamos muy emocionados de que nuestra solución completamente integrada ya esté disponible en México, y así crear una red global de conectividad comercial que ofrezca escalabilidad e innovación a todos los negocios.” Pionero en tecnologías de vanguardia, FreedomPay no tiene rival en cuanto a velocidad, seguridad o tecnología. Con una expansión importante prevista para 2022, la compañía procesa actualmente más de 3 mil millones de transacciones en todo el mundo y está disponible en más de 130 países en 5 continentes, lo que permite a las empresas ofrecer una experiencia consistente y repetible a escala global. Visite www.freedompay.com  para obtener más información. Acerca de FreedomPay La plataforma Next Level Commerce™ de FreedomPay transforma los sistemas y procesos de pago existentes con tecnología de vanguardia. Como la principal opción para muchas de las empresas más grandes del mundo en comercio minorista, hotelería, hostelería, juegos de azar,  deportes y entretenimiento, servicio de alimentos, educación, atención médica, y servicios financieros; la tecnología de FreedomPay se ha diseñado expresamente para ofrecer un rendimiento sólido en el altamente complejo entorno mundial. La compañía fue la primera en obtener la validación de la organización PCI Security Standards Council contra el estándar de cifrado punto a punto (P2PE/EMV) en Norteamérica. Las soluciones robustas de FreedomPay en pagos, seguridad, identidad y análisis de datos están disponibles para su uso en tienda, en línea y en dispositivos móviles, con el respaldo de una rápida adopción de API. FreedomPay opera en una única pila tecnológica unificada en varios continentes, lo que permite a las empresas ofrecer una experiencia innovadora de siguiente nivel a escala global. www.freedompay.com   Contacto de prens Hill and Knowlton Strategies Fleur Grillon fleur.grillon@hkstrategies.com

FreedomPay: How advances in data regulation and computer science will redefine loyalty

By Joe Streeter – January 10, 2022 Writing for PaymentExpert, Julian Wilson, Director, Consumer Innovation at FreedomPay details the impact the growth of data innovation could have on the overall user experience. For years brands have regarded customer loyalty programmes as a valuable tool for recognising and rewarding their regular customers. They do this with points or discounts or other incentives.  And for those companies who have the skills and technology to invest in their loyalty programme, it works. According to Experience Matters, loyal customers are 5x as likely to repurchase, 5x as likely to forgive, 4x as likely to refer, and 7x as likely to try a new offering. However, loyalty is not easy or affordable for many businesses.  An effective loyalty programme requires significant investment in technology, skills, and time which, when combined with the legal obligations and acquisition costs, is unaffordable for many companies. Even when loyalty is ‘working’ the programme operator only ever has insight into their existing customers. Loyalty programmes show a business what currently happens with existing customers. The business of acquiring new customers is dominated primarily by several major tech companies who effectively sell ‘propensity’. By propensity, I mean accumulated data about an individual which may indicate or suggest that they are likely to buy your product.  Suffice it to say, this is the world of cookies and ‘click thrus’, digital advertising campaigns and SEO. But new data laws around the world such as the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and its US equivalent CCPA is frustrating access to this type of data and/or making it onerous to use. That said, recent developments in computer science combined with new financial legislation in many countries around the world will offer an alternative approach. This new approach has the potential to redefine loyalty and its impact on both the merchant and the customer. By way of establishing how we ‘got here’: Web1.0 was defined by the Browser and HTML creating a standardised means to access, view and navigate the Internet’s vast resources. Next came Web2.0 which was defined by APIs enabling hybrid ‘web’ applications simplifying service delivery for many types of businesses. The emerging Web 3.0. will be defined by the use of cryptographic proofs to enable people to assert something they have earned [loyalty], proven [identity] or own [money], and a business to verify ownership or permissions, or veracity without needing a pre-arranged relationship.  These ‘cryptographic’ building blocks were first introduced between 2008 and 2010 when Satoshi Nakamoto described and published the bitcoin protocols and currency. The bitcoin protocols were put into Open Source and provided the likes of Ethereum, Hyperledger, Sovrin and others, to do new things using the same techniques.  One of the new ‘things’ to emerge is ‘Self Sovereign Identity’ [SSI] and Zero Knowledge Proofs [ZKP] in other words they enable a consumer to assert something [earned, proven, own] without necessarily revealing their identity, but whilst giving the business the confidence to rely upon the information. Now, let’s imagine combining cryptography with a series of reforms which now require banks to make this valuable information accessible to both their customers and non-banks (Open Banking) and we see how we can redefine loyalty – in this world I don’t walk around with my airline or supermarket loyalty card, I walk around with my ‘airline spend or supermarket value’ badge. These changes are technically possible today and will allow merchants to make informed decisions on acquisition and retention, crucially without ever having any prior relationship with the customer. In many ways this approach is diametrically opposite to what happens today:  a consumer is loyal to themselves [not a brand] and they can broadcast their intent [not passively receive marketing]. These web3.0 capabilities will enable identity and data management influence retention, acquisition, eligibility, and reward strategies in a way which is affordable and manageable for a business and better respects the privacy and importance of the customer: whilst at the same time creating the opportunity for new creative marketing to evolve. Research has proven the value of retaining loyal customers over acquiring new ones. By increasing customer retention by just 5% through loyalty programs and offers can increase profits anywhere from 25%-95%, proving the worth of a value customer. This Data Nirvana scenario is technically possible today. However, introducing something which requires a change in consumer behaviour is never trivial. It remains to be seen how businesses will incentivise us all to make our data available and more importantly whether we will be persuaded by their ‘invitations’.| Click here to read the original article.

What can hospitality firms do to mitigate the effects of PSD2?

Written by Tony Hammond, SVP Global Product Delivery, FreedomPay In September 2019, despite appeals by many within the hospitality and travel (H&T) industries to delay its implementation, PSD2 legislation requiring two-factor authentication (2FA) came into force across the EU and the UK. Intended to be a quantum leap forward in the prevention of fraud related to credit and debit card transactions, the positive expectation has unfortunately, in certain quarters, led to equal measures of disappointment and confusion. It is believed by many that the regulations are both impractical and unworkable, with a hugely disparate set of affected parties unable to comply, either willingly or practically. The overriding issue It is very common for consumers to book their hospitality and travel arrangements through independent online travel agents (OTAs), who provide details of hotel room, flight and hire car availability and then reserve them on request in real-time on behalf of the customers of thousands of hospitality service providers, globally. OTAs often capture payment card details – essential for a merchant to be able to receive payment for products and services that will be used at some future date and for which the final balance is typically unknown at the time of booking. Those details effectively act as a guarantee, until the appropriate time comes to debit the card holder’s account. For example, in the hotel industry, OTAs convey such details to the merchant who will use them to charge guests in the event of late cancellations, ‘no shows’ and indeed for any additional services or products consumed during their stay. With implementation of self-service check-in and check-out facilities trending up, this process has also afforded hoteliers added protection to ensure that they get paid for the full term of a guest stay and can back charge for any products and services consumed throughout – whether the guest ‘physically’ checks out or not. However, with 2FA now being a legal requirement for online transactions above €30, there is an inherent limitation in the system, as the regulations currently stand, that greatly impacts what was common industry practice. Should the merchant need to charge a guest’s card where 2FA did not take place, the request for payment will be declined by the card issuer. The issuer, in complying with PSD2, has a duty to decline the request for payment, leaving the merchant to effectively prove a cardholder’s consent to debit their card. 2FA is essentially the electronic proof needed to show that the cardholder authorised a payment, without which the merchant is left exposed. Some market commentators, fearful of an inevitable increase in declined transactions, have estimated that this could cost the EU and UK hotel industry €5 billion or more in lost revenue per annum. The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) was approached by H&T industry representatives and solution providers to consider the issue and offer recommendations to mitigate potential losses. However, with PSD2 being enshrined in European law, it essentially set the rules for payment processing whilst leaving industry practitioners to determine how best to change systems and practices in order to comply. Whilst there had been a consultation period prior to the law coming into effect, what the legislature may not have appreciated fully is the time it takes merchants, OTAs, technical solution providers, payment service providers (PSPs), acquirers, card schemes and card issuers to fully align on a new set of standards – which had yet to be designed, ratified and mandated, let alone implemented and tested across the entire H&T industry and payments ecosystem. Obtaining 2FA at the time of reservation has not been the norm in the H&T sector and in an industry heavily impacted by global travel restrictions and national lockdowns due to COVID-19, the added burden and cost of upgrading systems and business practices could not have come at a more challenging time. Following implementation of the PSD2 legislation, 3D Secure for online commerce was mandated by most card schemes who in a bid to minimise declined payment requests have worked with H&T industry practitioners to define additional ‘voluntary’ standards for providing evidence of 2FA in payment transactions. However laudable though these initiatives are, the process can only be reliable once all industry players effectively ‘opt in’, which is likely to take an indeterminate amount of time. Where next? The nub of the problem lies in the fact that required changes in industry standards to help facilitate 2FA lagged some time behind the new legislation – indeed many of these standards were only published ‘in draft’ relatively recently, and without being mandated will likely take many years to attain mainstream adoption. Meanwhile, card issuers have no choice but to comply with the law, hence many transactions are inevitably being declined that previously would have been authorised – running the risk that both merchant and consumer will consequently suffer. One solution might be that cardholder payment is taken at the time of booking and refunded as appropriate after the event. However, this would almost certainly prove unpopular with consumers booking services often weeks or months in advance and with high average transaction values. All is not lost, however. It is already becoming apparent that many PSPs and merchants are adapting to the changes. For example, the use of ‘Pay-by-Link’ payment solutions are enabling OTAs and merchants to obtain 2FA following reservation, thereby ensuring the essential guarantee of future payment, prior to arrival. This process also affords merchants the opportunity to obtain cardholder consent to any incidental charges arising before, during or following the guest’s stay with the side benefit of being able to up-sell and cross-sell other services in the process. Implementing the latest 3DS-enabled payment solutions for merchant owned online booking services is also ensuring that the business merchants secure directly not only has a lower cost of acquisition but a higher authorisation success rate, coupled with the benefits of a payment guarantee for incidental charges. Add to this the fact that merchants who have a low history of fraud associated with online commerce can also apply to qualifying acquirers for a ‘Transaction Risk Analysis (TRA) exemption’. This effectively removes the need for 2FA on most transactions, providing a high authorisation success rate whilst simplifying the cardholder experience. TRA exemptions often come with the condition of using appropriate anti-fraud monitoring tools. Despite the challenges, the industry is clearly motivated and compelled to find ways to adapt under the current legislative framework. It’s very encouraging to see a growing number of H&T reservation solution providers doubling down in working with the payment industry to ensure that reservations carry all the vital data needed to guarantee their merchants get paid for the business they acquire on their behalf. I am confident that as more tactical solutions emerge, industry operators and merchants will not only mitigate the negative impacts of PSD2, but in doing so will find new ways to maintain or enhance the overall consumer experience. Only time will tell whether the industry cost of implementing PSD2 compliance is justified when juxtaposed against the reduction in fraud it was expected to deliver.   Read the original article here.

The open banking juggernaut: PSD2, SCA and the journey to compliance

Published 22-Nov-2021 by Julian Wilson, director of consumer innovation, FreedomPay September 2021 marked two years since the implementation of the revised Payment Services Directive ( PSD2) open banking regulation in Europe. Recent statistics suggest that some 3,400 banks and 1.3 billion accounts are now covered under the directive. What began as a European initiative has quickly been replicated in other regions, with many jurisdictions implementing similar rules but using a different legal approach. In Australia and South Korea, for example, open banking rules have been introduced as part of consumer data legislation. India has meanwhile implemented a universal payment initiative which is centred around enabling small and medium-sized enterprises. In the United States, what started out as private enterprise led by companies such as Plaid has now evolved into a consortia of banks and industry alliances under the name Financial Data Exchange. It is not possible to view open banking through an international lens, however, as each country’s rules and criteria for participation differ. There is no standard approach. To what extent is PSD2 (open banking) taking off? This is one of the biggest questions being asked about open banking, and the answer seems to be a function of two things: The willingness of the government to impose compliance upon the banks. How easy is it to be regulated as an open banking provider — open banking providers’ processes and business models are vetted and regulated. The UK, which introduced a version of PSD2 in January 2018 under the name CMA9, has imposed strict rules for compliance on its banks. These are overseen by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The objective of open banking is to increase competition in the provision of financial services by lowering the barrier to entry for smaller players. Reuters subscribers can read the full article here.

Report: Multiple data breaches common in past year

A new report from Cornell University and FreedomPay found that stakeholders were almost universally satisfied with internal risk assessment processes (96%) and cybersecurity systems (95%), despite the reality that one in three (31%) has experienced a data breach in the past. Among companies that had suffered a breach, most (89%) had experienced multiple breaches in a single year. Consumer-facing businesses, like retailers, restaurants, and hospitality brands, have a major gap between their leaders’ confidence in their cybersecurity postures and the realities at hand. As businesses contend with growing and more frequent threats, prevention and remediation efforts are spurring complexity. Three-quarters (74%) of companies report they use multiple cybersecurity systems, most (56%) have multiple systems spread across multiple locations, and half (49%) say these systems are governed by multiple departments. Small merchants (57%) were significantly more likely to report governance falls under a single department, while large merchants (63%) are more likely to have multiple departments involved. Most companies have a cybersecurity system in place for cloud security (80%), as well as network (75%), customer data (75%), and payment (74%) security. The proliferation of systems and matrixed reporting are reflective of executives’ attitudes, with many (87%) seeking leadership in the form of government intervention in the fight against cybersecurity threats. Cornell University and FreedomPay queried 300 retail, food/beverage, and hospitality respondents identified as primary and shared decision-makers for cybersecurity product purchasing at their respective companies. All respondents came from companies with 50 or more employees and an annual revenue of $1 million or greater, including 115 respondents from companies with revenues of $250-999 million and 38 from companies with revenues of or above $1 million. Read the full report by Cornell University and FreedomPay. Click here to read the full article.

New Research from Cornell University and FreedomPay Reveals Cybersecurity Confidence Gap in Retail, Restaurant and Hospitality Sectors

Despite High Confidence in Their Risk Assessment Capabilities, Study Finds a Third of Companies Have Been Breached, and 89% Have Been Hit Multiple Times  PHILADELPHIA, PA November 11th, 2021 – New data released today by Cornell University’s Center for Hospitality Research and FreedomPay, a global leader in data-driven commerce, reveals that while nearly all (96%) surveyed retail, restaurant and hospitality stakeholders are confident in their companies’ internal risk assessment processes, their satisfaction (95%) in the security of their systems is misaligned with reality, as one-third of companies (31%) have experienced a data breach in their company’s history. Of companies that have been breached, 89% have been hit more than once in a year, and 69% of retail businesses have been breached upwards of three times in a year. Check Please! How Restaurant, Retail and Hospitality Businesses are Managing Cybersecurity Risks – a joint study between Cornell and FreedomPay – is based on a new survey of small, medium, and large-size enterprises across the hospitality, retail, and food and beverage sectors. “Especially over the past two years, cybersecurity has been top of mind for businesses as we navigate a highly complex eCommerce network,” said Chris Kronenthal, President of FreedomPay. “Retailers and hospitality businesses increasingly view their payments systems as more than transaction processing – they are important sources of data and customer insights. Merchants and consumers alike need the assurance that this data is being protected and managed properly.” “These findings provide a baseline understanding of how key decision-makers are handling cybersecurity issues and offer key insights for optimizing and fortifying systems as we continue down this path of accelerated digital transformation,” said Professor Linda Canina, the Dr. Michael Dang Director of the Center for Hospitality Research at the Cornell Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration. Threats Are Rising, Complexity Abounds With new cyber threats emerging daily both internally and externally, business leaders are juggling a full slate of concerns and challenges. Threats such as payment integrity (59%) and malware (58%) are the most cited concerns, with risk management (57%) cited as the biggest challenge leaders say their systems face. Companies also fear internal threats, with hospitality companies most frequently citing human error (86%) and lack of employee education (81%) as negatively impacting cybersecurity systems. Businesses’ best efforts to protect themselves and customers are spurring growing complexity and system proliferation. The findings revealed three-quarters (74%) of companies use more than one cybersecurity system. Medium merchants (80%) are significantly more likely than small merchants (67%) to use more than one system. More than half of companies (56%) have many cybersecurity systems in many locations. Overall, companies are split on whether systems are governed by a single department (51%) or multiple (49%). Small merchants (57%) are significantly more likely to keep governance to one department, while large merchants (63%) are significantly more likely to have multiple departments involved. Roadblocks Remain Businesses are challenged to balance security with customer preferences, with many implementing heightened cybersecurity measures to make their customers feel more secured and reassured when making a purchase. The study found that 91% of companies believe their customers deeply care about cybersecurity while 86% believe it increases customer loyalty. Yet, companies acknowledge the inherent tradeoffs – namely, two-thirds (65%) of leaders believe that customers are annoyed by extra security measures, and they want systems to be easy to use (67%). Budgetary concerns may also play a factor in determining any potential system enhancements – among the few (15%) that currently do not have plans to enhance their system, they are most likely to cite preventative costs (61%) and an unwillingness to have a disruption in service (52%). Despite these roadblocks, companies have said they are increasing or have increased their IT budgets, calling out the COVID-19 pandemic and technology as driving forces. Other notable findings include: In The Dark: More than one-third (35%) of surveyed leaders do not know how much of their company’s budget is spent on cybersecurity. Bicameral Opinion: While 91% of respondents agree that their customers do care about cybersecurity, 48% also believe their customers do not care about cybersecurity. Inaction: Nearly all (96%) companies say they value the importance of security systems to protect their data, and 85% agree that their customers would be more satisfied if they had extra security measures in place. Yet, half (50%) have either not increased their IT security budget or decreased their budget since 2019. Show Me The Money: Still, companies are divided on what precautions and guidance are worth the cost. Four-fifths (83%) of companies who do use a third-party to manage and secure information say this option is “more cost-effective” for their business, while half (51%) of companies who do not use a third-party supplier cite it as being “more costly” than their current process. Checking The Box? Almost all merchants (91%) are very or extremely confident that their company adequately trains end-users, relying on conferences and seminars (71%) to keep them trained and engaged. Notably, small (92%) and medium (95%) merchants are significantly more confident than their large (79%) counterparts, where the most common form of end-user engagement comes from training videos (82%). Looking for a Leader: A majority of companies (87%) say they would welcome involvement from the U.S. government to fight cybersecurity threats as well as enhance policy (84%). Large merchants (threats-76%, policy-74%) and retail companies (threats-81%, policy-75%) are significantly less likely to want the U.S. government involved. Click here to download the report.   Methodology The survey was conducted by Hanover Research and included 300 respondents for small, medium, and large-size enterprises across hospitality, retail, and food & beverage spaces. About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com About Cornell Center of Hospitality Research Cornell’s Center for Hospitality Research (CHR) was created in 1992 for the purpose of expanding both the quality and volume of research supporting the hospitality industry and its related service industries. The CHR’s mission is to advance hospitality thought leadership by publishing and disseminating impactful and actionable research that industry leaders can put into practice today; facilitating the exchange of new ideas by bringing students, faculty, and industry professionals together at roundtables, panels, conferences, and other engaging events; and partnering with the other Centers and Institutes in the Cornell Nolan School of Hotel Administration to maximize research, event, and networking collaborations.   Media Contact Hill+Knowlton Strategies for FreedomPay FreedomPay@hkstrategies.com

Klarna looks to capitalize on US holiday sales with in-store BNPL expansion

This holiday season, payments firm Klarna is looking to expand its brick-and-mortar reach across the US. The firm recently announced an integration with commerce platform FreedomPay, which will allow it to offer its BNPL solution in-store to FreedomPay’s network of companies including Foot Locker, FedEx, and Jo-Ann Stores. The service is kicking off in the US, with plans to expand globally over the coming months. It allows shoppers at FreedomPay’s participating retail stores to check out using the Klarna app by performing a one-time registration to generate their unique in-store QR code. A contactless payment can then be made by scanning the code. Shoppers can pay in four interest-free installments, just as they would when shopping online. Klarna has also launched a multi-year strategic partnership with Simon Property Group, the largest shopping center owner and operator in the US. The collaboration will provide customers at Simon shopping malls and outlets with access to Klarna’s in-store payment solutions. Additionally, Klarna will provide performance-based digital marketing capabilities to physical retailers and collaborate with Simon on marketing campaigns, in-mall activations, and communication programs. Holiday retail sales in the US are on track to exceed $1 trillion this year. The market share of ecommerce is growing rapidly – it will take up a record 18.9% of total holiday season sales. However, that still means that the vast majority of holiday sales – worth over $800 billion – will take place in-store. With a firm foothold in the ecommerce market, Klarna wants to expand its reach to brick-and-mortar customers by offering them flexible payment options in time for the holidays. “Expanding our in-store presence is a major priority for Klarna,” said David Sykes, head of North America at Klarna. “We were one of the first flexible payments providers to offer in-store services, and our physical retail footprint now includes over 78,000 brick-and-mortar stores globally including Bed, Bath & Beyond, Macy’s, and The North Face.” Shoppers are all set to head back to physical stores this holiday season. Klarna’s 2021 Holidays Unwrapped report finds that 30% of consumers plan to shop primarily in-store, while 27% want to do a mix of online and in-store shopping. Moreover, consumers have grown accustomed to the convenience of the online checkout experience, and increasingly expect the same in-store. According to Klarna’s 2021 Reopening Report, nearly three out of four (74%) shoppers now seek out flexible payment options when shopping online as well as in-store. “As ecommerce continues to grow, consumers increasingly expect brick-and-mortar retailers to offer the same level of convenience and flexibility that online shopping offers,” said Sykes. “For retailers, this means that they must ensure their in-store experience is consistent with what they are offering to consumers online, whether that means a more immersive shopping experience, or flexible payment options at checkout.” Click here to read the full article.

Shake Shack Partners with FreedomPay for Next Level Payment Experience for Guests

The partnership brings enhanced safety and security to consumers ordering in-store, online, or in-app across the United States. November 3, 2021 – Shake Shack (NYSE: SHAK), the modern day “roadside” burger stand, today announced a strategic partnership with FreedomPay, implementing Next Level Commerce™ solutions across over 200 locations in the United States. FreedomPay, the partner of choice for leading brands across hospitality, will bring added choice of payment type for guests through its Touchless Commerce capabilities. Shake Shack has already began the process of rolling out FreedomPay’s Touchless Commerce solution as part of their commitment to always delivering an exceptional guest experience. “With the ever changing landscape of hospitality because of the pandemic and the rise in online ordering and online experiences, we’re always innovating in the deployment of new technology solutions to meet our guests’ needs,” said Dave Harris, CIO of Shake Shack. “FreedomPay gives us the ability to standardize how we are managing payments across all of our channels in an integrated way. It also provides guests with secure and convenient options for how they pay, both in-Shack and on our digital channels.” With the recent updates to the Shack App on iOS and the Shake Shack website, the FreedomPay rollout at Shake Shack now gives guests an enhanced digital wallet. Guests now have options to use Apple Pay in app and Google Pay for web purchases, just like they can at the register in-Shack. The next generation of technology being rolled out across the Shake Shack ecosystem will support an increasingly consistent, secure and robust guest experience across all other popular digital channels. “FreedomPay’s Commerce Platform has been transformational in bringing an improved guest experience to businesses and we are excited to partner with Shake Shack to do just that,” said Christopher Kronenthal, President at FreedomPay. “Together FreedomPay and Shake Shack will create an innovative and seamless checkout experience for guests across the US.”   About Shake Shack Shake Shack is a modern day “roadside” burger stand known for its 100% all-natural Angus beef burgers, chicken sandwiches and flat-top Vienna beef dogs (no hormones or antibiotics – ever), spun-fresh frozen custard, crinkle cut fries, craft beer and wine and more. With its fresh, simple, high-quality food at a great value, Shake Shack is a fun and lively community gathering place with widespread appeal. Shake Shack’s mission is to Stand for Something Good®, from its premium ingredients and caring hiring practices to its inspiring designs and deep community investment. Since the original Shack opened in 2004 in NYC’s Madison Square Park, the company has expanded to more than 300 locations in 32 U.S. States and the District of Columbia, including more than 100 international locations across London, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Dubai, Philippines, Singapore, Mexico, Tokyo, Seoul and more. Skip the line with the Shack App, a mobile ordering app that lets you save time by ordering ahead! Guests can select their location, pick their food, choose a pickup time and their meal will be cooked-to-order and timed to arrival. Available on iOS and Android. Learn more: shakeshack.com | IG: @shakeshack | t: @shakeshack |facebook.com/shakeshack   About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com

FreedomPay Selects Hill+Knowlton Strategies as Communications Agency of Record Amidst Global Expansion

Philadelphia, October 12, 2021 – FreedomPay, a global leader in Next Level Commerce™ has selected Hill+Knowlton Strategies (H+K) as its communications partner, following a competitive agency review. H+K will work with FreedomPay’s in-house marketing team to execute the global fintech leader’s national communications strategy as it continues its global expansion across 130+ countries, more than one hundred currencies and thousands of commerce partners. FreedomPay is the only, fully independent, ‘open’ and agnostic Commerce Platform supporting the most innovative partners across banking, acquiring, processing and software vendors around the world. A pioneer in Commerce Technologies, FreedomPay’s cutting edge technology is unrivaled in speed, security, and capacity. With its award-winning, world-class Platform now serving 3 Billion+ transactions across the globe and accelerating into advanced cloud infrastructure, the company is growing rapidly to meet the needs of merchants with over 600+ integrations and the ‘new norm’ consumer demanding more experiences across in-store, online and on mobile commerce. “FreedomPay’s singular focus on the evolving needs of both merchants and consumers distinguishes our solution set and is driving exponential growth,” said Chris Kronenthal, President & CTO at FreedomPay. “As technology continues to unite markets across all continents, our international partners are turning to our globally available and scalable Platform to support increasingly complex requirements to satisfy merchant and consumer requirements. With a focus on continued innovation for the fintech industry, as well as an extensive US and global presence that delivers an understanding of the markets and stakeholders that we are expanding to reach – we look forward to collaborating with Hill+Knowlton as our communications partner and sharing our entrepreneurial drive and culture of innovation.” FreedomPay’s global footprint delivers full Omni-channel capabilities to merchants in 130+ countries and territories. FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform is now fully compliant with PSD2 strong customer authentication, on-line PIN and foreign language support now meeting the needs of hundreds of thousands of merchants around the world. —- About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, food service, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against the Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com   About Hill+Knowlton Strategies    Hill+Knowlton Strategies, Inc. is an international communications consultancy, providing services to local, multinational, and global clients. H+K operates 77 offices in 43 countries worldwide, as well as an extensive associate network, delivering award-winning campaigns to clients across all sectors and disciplines and with a focus on continued innovation for the industry. Headquartered in New York, the firm is part of WPP, one of the world’s largest communications services groups. Media Contact Amy Dalkoff Hill+Knowlton for FreedomPay Amy.dalkoff@hkstrategies.com 312-255-3078

A new solution to elevate in-store: FreedomPay and Klarna.

At Klarna, we are focused on driving the growth and success of our retail partners by offering them solutions that fit whatever their individual needs might be. We’re pleased to welcome FreedomPay to our partner network, bringing flexible payment options to even more physical retail stores across the US. Retailers live with FreedomPay can now offer Klarna’s interest-free payment solutions at checkout in-store, maximizing sales and bringing added ease and convenience to shoppers nationwide. We sat down with FreedomPay President Chris Kronenthal to discuss our partnership’s value to physical retailers and what’s ahead for the company in the coming months. Could you give us the FreedomPay elevator pitch? FreedomPay’s award-winning ‘agnostic’ commerce platform serves many of the world’s leading brands, including the top 10 food service providers, the top 5 resorts & hotels, and many of America’s global retailers. We provide an all-in-one open solution, fully integrated commerce platform for all retailers’ payment needs across in-store, online, and mobile channels. FreedomPay enables merchants to: Select payment technology providers of choice vs. limited choice Tap into omnichannel payment technology expertise Go-to-market faster with leading industry integration timeline of 4-6 weeks vs. months To date, we’ve processed over 3 billion transactions across 130+ countries, launched over 600 integrations, and achieved 100% client retention. Global leaders in retail, hospitality, gaming, education, healthcare, and financial services, including Marriott, Foot Locker, MGM, FedEx, Four Seasons, Delaware North, and Compass, trust us to deliver unmatched security and advanced value-added services. Klarna is excited to partner with FreedomPay to bring our flexible, interest-free payment solutions to retailers. What attracted FreedomPay to partnering with Klarna?  Together, Klarna and FreedomPay are enabling retailers to create next-level in-store shopping experiences by bringing even greater variety, flexibility, and functionality to payments and checkout options. Put simply, we uniquely blend the benefits of an online experience with a seamless in-store contactless checkout on the customer’s mobile device. We provide shoppers with the flexible payment solutions they demand, ultimately driving success for our merchant partners. You’ve talked about how retail point of sale (POS) is more than a transaction—it’s a critical piece of the consumer experience. Can you elaborate on what this means and the shopper behaviors driving this shift? COVID-19 had an unprecedented impact on retail around the world. Almost every part of the business changed, from the front of the house to the back-office environment. In part, these transformations were triggered by changing consumer behavior brought on by the pandemic, but let’s not forget technology has also been changing our lives for the last two decades and was also a major contributing factor. Technology has enabled a new world of commerce and payments, where consumers have the ability to shop and pay more safely and securely with methods such as contactless, QR codes, and mobile ordering. Everything has suddenly become possible and frictionless. Think about it; just 18 months ago, most of us were paying with cash, or signing receipts, swiping, and using chip n’ pin when paying for a meal. A January 2020 independent study commissioned by FreedomPay, when frictionless payments were still emerging, found a staggering 63% of consumers didn’t trust contactless card payments, while 73% would use contactless cards if they perceived them to be secure. Fast forward almost two years and “the payment” has become much more about an experience at the POS. Consumers today expect greater accessibility and choice when it comes to how they pay. How do you think POS will change for retailers in the near future, and how is FreedomPay positioned to help? Choice and relevance are here to stay when it comes to POS—from payments to delivery and pick up. Most shoppers love the flexibility, and the payments industry is rapidly becoming a technology play. Retailers who install the best tech ultimately will be the winners. Customer-centricity and data have become the two most important aspects of a business. We firmly believe in-store experiences will not go away, despite the shift to online and curbside. If anything, we expect shoppers will return, searching for that all-important experience in-store and not just a quick purchase. Retailers who deliver more advanced choices at the POS—such as flexible ‘buy now, pay later’ options and personalized incentives, experiences, offers, and rewards—will be the winners as the customers return again and again. Consumers know their inherent value and it is time the merchant recognized it too, across all channels. What are the most essential factors every retailer should consider when looking for a commerce platform partner? How does FreedomPay stand out? The right technology and a trusted third partner are essential to enable a 21st-century consumer experience. Retailers need a centralized capability linking together all of the ways and form-factors in which a consumer might pay and interact (i.e. loyalty). A properly implemented commerce platform enables a consistent, universal identity and consumer persona, unleashing significant advancements in cross-channel and cross-brand loyalty and recognition programs. Many merchants have a vision for what they want to do from a ‘data usage’ perspective but often overlook the complexities inherent in the ‘data collection’ prerequisite. FreedomPay provides that missing link with our globally available channel and vendor-agnostic commerce platform. As we look ahead to the peak holiday sales period, how is FreedomPay enabling retailers to maximize efficiency and drive sales during this time? FreedomPay is driving a modern-day commerce makeover for tens of thousands of retailers in America. We work around the clock with merchants to ensure their technology is delivering the most exciting commerce experience. Our merchants are front and center of our tech operations. With partners like Klarna, we are further enhancing the shopping and checkout experience for retailers, enabling them to meet evolving interests and needs of US shoppers this holiday season and beyond while reaping significant benefits at the same time. What’s next for FreedomPay over the next few months and beyond? It’s about growth, growth, and growth. We are accelerating our business to enable connected commerce at speed, not just in America but across the globe, including Europe, Asia, and beyond.   Feature published by Klarna here.

Klarna and FreedomPay partner to provide stores across the United States a modern payments makeover ahead of the holidays

US retailers live with FreedomPay can immediately offer a more convenient, flexible in-store checkout experience with Klarna Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – October 7, 2021 – FreedomPay, a leading consumer-centric commerce platform, today announced an integration with Klarna, the leading global retail bank, payments and shopping service. Starting today, FreedomPay’s US merchants can offer Klarna’s flexible, interest-free payment solutions at checkout in-store, maximizing sales and bringing added ease and convenience to shoppers across America ahead of the most anticipated shopping season yet. “In today’s retail environment, and as shoppers head in-store, point of sale is much more than a transaction—it’s a critical piece of the consumer shopping experience,” said Chris Kronenthal, President, FreedomPay. “Together, Klarna and FreedomPay are enabling retailers to create this next-level in-store shopping experience by bringing even greater variety, flexibility and functionality to payments and checkout options—just in time for the holidays.” Consumers have grown accustomed to the convenience and ease of the online experience, and expect the same in-store. Shoppers also overwhelmingly prefer having a choice of payment options at checkout. Klarna’s recent 2021 Reopening Report confirmed that nearly three out of four (74%) shoppers now seek out flexible payment options when shopping in-store and online. “As we head into the retail industry’s most critical sales period yet, we know there is clear demand for flexible payment solutions like Klarna’s interest-free Pay in 4 service,” said David Sykes, Head of North America, Klarna. “Through our partnership with FreedomPay we’re further enhancing the omni-channel shopping and checkout experience for retailers, enabling them to meet evolving interests and needs of US shoppers this holiday season and beyond, while reaping significant benefits at the same time. Klarna’s brand partners see average order values jump by 20-80% and conversions climb by 20%, on average.” With US holiday retail sales expected to reach $1.093 trillion[1], Klarna is uniquely positioned to meet the continued accelerated demand, both online and in-store, giving brick-and-mortar customers the ability to make purchases using four, interest-free payments while enjoying the same level of service and convenience they would when shopping online. Klarna’s payment options are the latest addition to FreedomPay’s Commerce platform, which offers many robust solutions for retailers across payments, security, identity, and data analytics that are available in-store, online and on mobile. Upon implementing the new Klarna and FreedomPay solution, shoppers can check out with Klarna simply by downloading the Klarna app and performing a one-time registration to generate their unique in-store QR code. The payment can then be made with a simple scan by a store associate, for a secure and contactless payment. The FreedomPay and Klarna partnership is kicking off in the US with plans to expand globally in the coming months. Learn more about what Klarna and FreedomPay can do for your business, here. ### About Klarna We make shopping smooth. With Klarna consumers can buy now and pay later, so they can get what they love today. Klarna’s offering to consumers and retailers include payments, social shopping and personal finances. Over 250,000 retail partners, including H&M, IKEA, Expedia Group, Samsung, ASOS, Peloton, Abercrombie & Fitch, Nike and AliExpress have enabled Klarna’s innovative shopping experience online and in-store. Klarna is one of the most highly valued private fintechs globally with a valuation of $45.6 billion. Klarna was founded in 2005, has over 4,000 employees and is active in 17 countries. For more information, visit klarna.com. About FreedomPay The FreedomPay Commerce Platform is the technology of choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services.  FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce and partners with over 600+ of the industry’s most innovative software providers. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack and is available in more than 133+ countries across 5 continents allowing enterprises to deliver a consistent, repeatable experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com.   [1] eMarketer, US Holiday 2020 Review and 2021 Holiday Preview

FreedomPay and Microsoft discuss digital transformation live from hospitality show HITEC

FreedomPay continued their series of roundtable events live from the bustling show floor of HITEC 2021 in Dallas, Texas. The discussion was aimed at hospitality, financial and technology professionals, bringing unique high-altitude perspectives on how hospitality brands are navigating digital transformation and commerce innovation – who is succeeding and why. Joined by Microsoft and Cornell University’s Center for Hospitality Research, panelists examined how consumer behavior has changed post-COVID, how the hospitality sector can adapt to new practices, technology as well as innovations that are changing the payments landscape. Moderated by the highly respected journalist Mike Giambattista, the discussion explored: What the term “digital transformation” really means in the world of hospitality right now Which wholesale, operational and technology shifts are required to meet and exceed newly amplified customer expectations to make digital transformation successful What lies five years down the road? The pandemic has caused a seismic shift in the customer/brand paradigm over the past 18 months; what challenges should hospitality brands be planning for right now to improve customer engagement? Speakers and panel participants will include: Mike Giambattista, CEO & Publisher (Moderator) John Styslinger, Executive Vice President, Product Engineering, FreedomPay Shane O’Flaherty, Global Director, Travel and Transportation Industry Elavon (TBC) Linda Canina, Director, Center for Hospitality Research To stream the roundtable event, visit: https://marketscale.com/live/freedompay-next-level-commerce-live-from-hitec For more information about FreedomPay, visit https://freedompay.com/   About FreedomPay The FreedomPay Commerce Platform is the technology of choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services. FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver a consistent, repeatable experience on a global scale.

Measuring The True Value Of Data-Commerce Investment

Hoteliers are now looking to emerging innovative technologies to fuel short-term growth. In turn, the commerce investment conversation is shifting from “what will we gain if we do” to “what will we lose if we don’t?” By: Chris Kronenthal, President & CTO of FreedomPay If COVID taught hotel CTOs one thing, it was that businesses that had already begun the journey towards digital integration and contactless payment platforms were best able to respond to widescale disruption and accelerated change. Those that were unable to pivot fast to new working practices and customer behaviors – whether it be with ‘phygital’’ hybrid services and ‘touchless’ transaction, check in and booking – found themselves falling behind in the face of social distancing, travel restrictions and dwindling occupancies. Hotel owners are now recognizing the importance of payment tech and data strategy Almost overnight attitudes to tech-investment, especially around payments and data commerce, changed. Prior to COVID, hotels measured value bookings, sales revenue and/or profit. In addition, ROI was measured in the long-term, especially if it involved infrastructure or hardware across physical estates. For example, returns on POS systems were often calculated over five to 10 years. Today, everything has flipped. Value is no longer just about revenue growth, it’s about commercial sustainability, customer-retention and satisfaction, and short-term gain. This is particularly true when it comes to data commerce. Without a cohesive strategy that embraces mobile apps, digital channels and contactless payments, CTOs will find it hard to keep their facilities relevant and support the changing needs of hotels and their guests. So, what are the ‘value’ drivers that are important to hotels in 2021? To ascertain whether their data commerce investment delivers real value, CTOs need to ask the following questions: Will it fast-track data-driven innovation – front and back? Leaders are hungry for richer, real-time data to help them identify trends and anticipate needs, whether determining customer behavior to optimize loyalty, offers and customer preferences or boosting efficiency through real-time analysis and stock control.  They need commerce technology that allows them to accelerate data-led projects that deliver both customer-facing and back-office benefits. Does it help us build more targeted experiences and support acquisition downstream? COVID highlighted the fact that many hotels were not fully able to exploit their digital platforms (information points, websites, social and apps) to the full.  Not only were they unable to join up services, but they also weren’t able to use data to unify communications across channels and offer seamless, personalized experiences including loyalty and rewards to incentivize customers. This will have to change if hotels are to bounce back quickly from pandemic disruption. CTOs will need innovative tools to aid guest acquisition as well as to re-connect with previously loyal customers. Will it improve data capture and sharing? Transaction based data has helped hotels to analyze changes in spending and booking behavior. But there is still much work to be done, even in the largest of organizations with the biggest of tech budgets. Hotels now recognize that business priorities must change to re-engage with customers and their rapidly evolving needs. Connecting data across their operations is key, there is renewed focus on removing service and business silos, making transactional, stock and customer data easier to share, increasing its value and delivering a competitive edge. Will it keep customer touch-points future-ready? Some hotels used the break in demand to streamline their processes and build out tech that will support their recovery – including contactless, QR codes and mobile payments and acceptance.  These changes will allow hotels to capture even more data at the sales point, feeding it back into the business and using it to enrich CRM and loyalty applications. Does the technology vendor have what it takes to help re-energize growth? In 2021, hotel CTOs renewed their focus on digitalization, mobilization and greater unification and sharing. They will need support of tech-providers who can go beyond plumbing and box shifting by supporting new ‘as a service’ models, flexible relationships and wider ecosystems.  Vendors who can help hotel CTOs secure business ‘buy-in’ by providing more tangible ‘customer-experience’ improvements, more compelling business use cases, and deeper richer consultative services (including compliance) will help them secure data commerce investment and unlock its true value. Read the original article here. Click here to download the report Preparing for the Return of Demand.

Let’s get ‘phygital’: The race to hybridize experience

Sept. 2, 2021 | by Chris Kronenthal Chris Kronenthal, president and CTO at FreedomPay, explains that in the race to secure customer loyalty through better connected experiences, the winners will be those that can connect the data dots within their businesses as well as multiple touchpoints within their channels. The pandemic has pushed one of the biggest challenges for retail businesses into the spotlight, namely ‘How do you smash channel silos and join operational dots to deliver seamless integration of physical and digital services?’ As customers demand more hybridized services, retailers are responding fast despite the many data hurdles to grab-and-go. From click-and-collect to curbside, self-serve and self-checkout, the past year has seen the proliferation of empowering retail services. But despite businesses giving the impression of being ‘omnichannel,’ the pandemic revealed that when it came to being able to innovate customer-facing services at scale, this was far from the case. Not only were many retailers unable to join up their ordering, sales and fulfillment services, but they also weren’t able to access the holistic data flows they needed to unify communications across multiple channels or to ensure seamless experiences including loyalty, and rewards to incentivize customers during the pandemic. Seventy-eight percent of leading U.S. retail and hospitality organizations face issues with channel integration. Even though webstores and mobile apps are able to access and utilize up-to-date digital data, the ability to harness in-store POS data within these platforms still lags behind. Many retailers are still not properly set up for connected commerce — either to sell online, to run their businesses remotely, or handle the complexity of multiple touchpoints. During the pandemic, more than two-thirds (69%) sought to integrate digital platforms to sustain their business during office-closures, staff-isolation, and diminished physical footfall. But many found they were not able to manage their supply chains remotely or allow customers to order online and then pick up curbside, which could have enabled their stores to still do business. Outlets that failed to “do digital” were left behind while those that could pivot services survived and thrived. The aftermath of 2020 has led to accelerated investment in connected commerce platforms and solutions. Things that were always thought of as ‘future’ technological advancements maybe five to 10 years away have accelerated to the fore as retailers use the break in demand to streamline their processes and build out tech that will support their recovery — including contactless, QR codes and mobile payments and acceptance. It is likely that the tech-changes implemented in the past twelve months will remain in place, becoming part of the new working practice long after the pandemic has passed. These changes will allow retailers to connect services more seamlessly and capture even more data at the sales point, feeding this back into the business to enrich CRM and loyalty applications. Retailers are rethinking loyalty As channels merge, retailers’ traditional loyalty programs, based on coupons and in-store redemption, are out of the window. While customers still want to buy their products and get great deals, many remain anxious about social distancing, so don’t want unnecessary physical contact in store. They’re looking for new loyalty models with digital rewards that follow them across their journeys whatever channel they are in and which can be redeemed at any touchpoint that’s convenient for them. As loyalty gets hybridized too, the big question for retailers is how do you ensure that reduced face-to-face interactions still deliver a positive experience? And how do you then market to customers in non-linear sales journeys to continue to drive sales add-ons and uplift? Once again, the answer lies in connected commerce. By tapping into transactional data, using tokens and personalized content combined with proactive out-reach, unified CRM platforms and mobile push notifications, retailers can create ‘follow-me’ incentives that optimize loyalty, conversion and spend. In this respect, the pandemic has forced retailers out of complacency, helping them to break free from the idea of standard buying habits and encouraging them to take a more personal approach to cross-over services. Merging services has thrust data management and security to the fore As retail organizations collect more data to fuel new phygital services, they also must overcome issues with internal IT-complexity and legacy debt. There can be dozens of information systems (spreadsheets, CRM applications, data warehouses, mainframe applications, point-of-sale, cloud applications, email servers, etc.) that hold service and customer data. Bringing it all together also creates issues with security and compliance. It’s clear that creating seamless hybridized platforms is a big ask, especially when in-house IT-support teams are already stretched, understaffed, or working remotely. It’s why many retailers are now looking to vendors to help them connect services and help them remain compliant with minimal effort and resources. As we get ready to embrace recovery and the return of live shopping, there is no going back. Customers that have become used to new hybridized services will expect these to continue for some time to come, if not indefinitely. Consequently, retail-tech, e-commerce and payment vendors will become even more important in re-energizing operations and fueling retail growth. In the race to secure customer loyalty through better connected experiences, the winners will be those that can connect the data dots within their businesses as well as multiple touchpoints within their channels. To achieve this, they will be seeking partners with more flexible relationships and the ability to develop new ecosystems with synergistic brands and hybridized services to drive innovation faster than ever before. All data is from the FreedomPay & J.P. Morgan survey report: Preparing for the return of demand, how America’s retail & hospitality elite are fighting disruption with new commerce investment.   Read the original article here.

Gala Technology partners with FreedomPay to support Touchless Commerce adoption

31 August 2021 – Gala Technology, the innovative Yorkshire-based company behind the multi-award winning ‘Cardholder Not Present’ (CNP) payment solution, SOTpay, have announced a partnership with FreedomPay, the global leader in secure commerce technology for lodging, retail, restaurants, stadiums and other hospitality merchants SOTpay enables cardholders to complete secure remote transactions, whilst remaining in control of their sensitive card information on their personal device. Transactions are fully authenticated and PCI DSS compliant, negating the risk of fraud-related chargebacks and associated costs for the merchant. FreedomPay deliver a unique client experience that meets the merchant where they are and helps them to where you want to be next. Their Data-Driven Next Level Commerce™ Platform enables end-to-end consumer experiences by delivering dynamic offers, a customized check-out across all channels and analytics through business intelligence. Following the outbreak of COVID-19, FreedomPay responded with characteristic determination and confidence, delivering uninterrupted platform services and increased customer and partner support. To prepare their partners for the future, FreedomPay also introduced the Touchless Commerce program. The partnership supports FreedomPay in providing its merchants with the ability to process secure and PCI DSS compliant payment transactions across a number of channels including telephone, webchat, SMS and social media platforms. The new agreement is also timely given the record number of people who continue to work from home in unprecedented situations following the outbreak of the pandemic. Barry Stearn, Vice-President, Partnerships, FreedomPay stated “FreedomPay are delighted to partner with Gala Technology, bringing together consistently award-winning payment innovation for the benefit of our mutual clients. Both organisations share an ethos that integrations solve for complex payment scenarios, thus improving the consumer journey as a result.” Gala Technology CEO Jason Mace, commented, “We are thrilled to partner with FreedomPay to help provide their merchants with secure and PCI DSS compliant transactions across multiple channels. Our cloud-based technology does not require any additional hardware or integration, or any amends to existing telephony and network infrastructure, which means that deployment can be swift and incredibly cost effective. It’s perfect for remote working environments.”   About Gala Technology Gala Technology are the innovative development team behind the multi-award winning, secure and PCI DSS compliant, payment solution, SOTpay. This cloud-based solution enables merchants of all shapes and sizes, process secure digital payments across numerous channels, including telephony, email, SMS, web chat and Social Media platforms. Visit us at: https://www.galatechnology.co.uk/ Media Contact: Steven Jones, Commercial Director. sjones@galatechnology.com   About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com

World of Hospitality: How Technology Collided With A Pandemic

At the start of 2020 the U.S. hotel sector was healthy and forecasting growth after 10 consecutive years of revenue growth. There was a growing urgency around digital transformation, and prioritizing payment technology. Consumers were empowered with the ability to book and pay online or via mobile, and their loyalty was increasingly becoming reframed in terms of ‘experiences’ rather than transactions. Then came the pandemic which led to the U.S. hotel industry experiencing its worst year on record. With occupancy rates at just 44% unsold rooms nights surpassing 1 billion for the first time in history, triggering a total re-evaluation of their attitudes to the use of data. Our survey findings revealed: Hotels now recognize the importance of fast-tracking data-driven innovation. They are reevaluating new ways to use data to build more targeted experiences and support acquisition downstream. Demand for better ways to capture and use data in real-time has intensified. Hotels now appreciate that commerce investment is crucial to surviving disruption and keeping touch-points future-ready. Click here to view the full World of Hospitality issue. To learn more about the finding uncovered by J.P. Morgan and FreedomPay, download the complete report here.

Conversations with The Customer – Chris Kronenthal, President & CTO at FreedomPay

Chris Kronenthal, President & CTO of FreedomPay sat down with TheCustomer’s Mike Giambattista to catch-up on their business, their learnings through the pandemic and how they have ushered enterprises into genuine digital transformation through it all. Among other things, we discuss FreedomPay’s unique approach to omnichannel and their recently released report, co-produced with JP Morgan, entitled “Preparing for the Return of Demand“.   Click here to view the full interview.

FreedomPay Wins Top Accolade for Best Partnership Program at PayTech Awards

FreedomPay and Mashgin’s Touchless Checkout System voted Best PayTech Partnership Philadelphia, PA – FreedomPay, the leading data-driven commerce platform today announced it has won the Best PayTech Partnership at the annual PayTech Awards. The international award recognizes the power of commerce partnerships: Mashgin’s Touchless Checkout System powered by FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform. “This groundbreaking partnership has created the world’s fastest and more secure retail and food check-out system. Combined brilliant minds in engineering have enabled Mashgin and FreedomPay to devise a way to eradicate time wasted in line and by slow payment systems,” said Jack Hogan, Vice President of Partnerships at Mashgin. “The net result is utterly transformational for both the merchant and the consumer; a ‘paytech’ partnership driving revenue, consumer satisfaction and enhanced loyalty across millions of transactions in North America.” The PayTech Awards presented by Fintech Futures showcases the most talented companies and individuals in the payments and tech industry around the globe. The Best PayTech Partnership award recognizes a successful collaboration between two or more organizations in the payments industry that has achieved measurable success based on innovation, impact, and scalability. “We are proud to be recognized by the PayTech Awards for the Best Partnership award in collaboration with Mashgin,” said Nate Ware, SVP of Sales & Digital Development at FreedomPay. “FreedomPay and our rapidly growing partner network is bringing a Next Level experience to consumers across convenience stores, corporate and hospital cafeterias, airports, hotel lobbies, sports stadiums and arenas.” About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com To join our partner program or to learn more, visit www.freedompay.com/partners. Media Contact: Gug Kyriacou FWD for FreedomPay +44 (0)20 7623 2368 Gug.Kyriacou@FWDconsulting.co.uk   About Mashgin Mashgin is the world’s fastest self-checkout system powered by AI and computer vision. Consumers demand instant gratification. Mashgin’s Touchless Checkout System eliminates consumer frustration while increasing revenue for retailers with checkout that is 4X faster than cashiers and traditional points-of-sale. There’s no need to look for and scan bar codes: customers simply place their items on Mashgin’s tray, pay electronically, and can be on their way in as little as 10 seconds. Mashgin is the most vetted fully frictionless solution with deployments spanning convenience stores, corporate cafeterias, stadiums, hospitals, and airports. Mashgin has processed over 15M transactions and has deployments in nearly 400 locations that span major convenience store chains, Fortune 500 companies and 20+ iconic sports stadiums including the Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs and Madison Square Garden. Learn more at https://www.mashgin.com/. Media Contacts: Angela Bermudo Mercury Global Partners for Mashgin 951-375-7181 mashgin@wearemgp.com

Forget Competitors, It’s Customers Who Hold the Aces

The report showed that in the past 12 months, almost half (44%) of America’s leading retail and hospitality merchants switched their efforts directly to better understanding the customer. Merchants are changing their tech-investment conversation from ‘staying ahead of the dominant competitor’ to ‘staying up to speed with the rapidly shifting needs of customers and staff.’ But according to a new report from J.P. Morgan and FreedomPay, this has left one in five (19%) facing dilemmas about their immediate service priorities. The 2020 pandemic took almost every business in every sector by surprise – both for its ferocity and speed at which the virus spread. For retail and hospitality businesses, it created a backdrop of shattered forecasts, crippling logistics and stymied sales. While ecommerce and curbside services boomed, merchants who rely on physical channels and services struggled to retain customer relationships, as throughput, face-to-face interactions and sales fell. Their focus flipped from staying one step ahead of the competition, playing ‘catch-up’ and ‘me-too’ with innovation, to rebuilding their customer base and accelerating demand. The pandemic is reshaping loyalty Brand allegiance is no longer a given and must evolve in line with new behaviors, attitudes, and ethical considerations. The reduction in customer engagement, sales volume and value during the pandemic is making brands rethink habitual and outdated approaches to loyalty. Retail and hospitality organizations are looking for new ways to bring customer loyalty into every interaction. Not simply asking customers to sign up to a static loyalty or referral program but loading it with more targeted and personalized incentives and doing whatever it takes to ensure both short and long-term customer retention. The use of encryption and tokens to aid compliance is providing them with the tools to recognize and track individual customer journeys and enable loyalty value to be transportable across brands, locations, channels and even between other synergistic retail and hospitality partners. Customer engagement, interaction and transaction must evolve. Customer-centric organizations will have to renew their focus on digitalization, mobilization and greater unification and sharing. At the heart of this will be real-time, data-driven commerce. Not only will this drive faster and more convenient payments, and increasingly compelling loyalty and easier-to-redeem rewards, but it also provides the rich data needed to predict trends, target customers, optimize pricing and customer service to elevate sales revenue and growth. With pent-up demand poised to kick-start growth, it’s clear that those businesses which focus their tech investment on customers will hold the winning hand. Click here to read the original article.

Are you being served?

By Dale S. Laszig, DSL Direct LLC The question, Are you being served? begins with wait staff and ripples across consumer touchpoints, from stores to websites to mobile apps. Service lives at the intersection of commerce, where brand managers, service providers and technology companies collaborate to create a seamless, uninterrupted customer experience. A recent study by FreedomPay and J.P. Morgan, published June 9, 2021, examined how quickly the customer experience is changing and how payments industry professionals are helping merchant partners stay apace with ever-changing shopping habits, technologies and regulations. As researchers noted, digital and touchless commerce trends, already in play, were rapidly deployed during the coronavirus pandemic as alternatives to traditional POS. In Preparing for the Return of Demand: How America’s Retail & Hospitality Tech Elite Tackle Disruption with New Commerce Investment, researchers noted that 2020 consumer spending was up and “life was good for many as transactional volumes grew in retail, hotels, casinos, sports stadiums, restaurants, venues and bars.” Then COVID-19 rocked the world to its core, leading to business lockdowns, travel restrictions and vastly limited retail sectors. Are you here? In the ensuing fog of COVID, being served took on a whole new meaning as a massive spike in digital commerce made it difficult for merchants to discern good customers from fraudsters. With valued relationships at stake and federal and international compliance a constant struggle, advanced, real-time technologies became critical for all merchants, researchers noted. “Across the industry, escalating use of data, connectivity and AI has also increased the influence and scope of regulators and industry bodies,” researchers wrote. “From Know Your Customer (KYC), Anti Money Laundering (AML), PCI and EMV to data protection – on a federal and international level, they are ramping up mandates, requirements and practices designed to safeguard businesses, customers and their personal and payment data.” Fortunately, service providers rallied to help merchants implement advanced technologies to stay connected to customers when traditional methods were blocked. Solutions that formerly took years to develop were deployed in days. Flexible, scalable frameworks made solutions easy to configure, customize and activate, according to Molly Walsh, head of product for merchant services at J.P. Morgan. Democratizing payments “As a vendor, we need to get solutions to our merchants and clients quickly and in a reliable, scalable manner,” Walsh said. “Technology partners like FreedomPay bring together end-to-end, holistic payment solutions that help merchants and clients leverage data and engage customers.” Chris Kronenthal, president at FreedomPay, agreed, stating companies had to execute rapidly during the pandemic. Holistic solutions gave them access to free-moving networks of connectivity, democratizing payments. “Democratization means playing and talking with anyone while protecting your data and using the intelligence that comes out of that data,” Kronenthal said. “Open, connected platforms enrich partnerships and enable merchants to plug into an array of technology providers and merchants are beginning to understand the power of that.” Room for innovation I recently moderated FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce roundtable with executives from FreedomPay, Visa, Sephora, Mad Mobile and Global Payments. Themed Retail Resilience, the recorded discussion was followed by a live Q&A session. Everyone addressed the same fundamental question: Are you being served? For Barry Stearn, vice president, partnerships at FreedomPay, service is enhancing merchants’ choices through connectivity. For Michael Chall, head of business development, global partnerships at Visa, it’s optimizing the payments experience. For Prasad Tendulkar, vice president of engineering at Sephora, it’s personalizing the customer experience across all channels. For Greg Schmitzer, president at Mad Mobile, it’s reinventing the customer experience by enhancing, not replacing legacy systems. For Joe Emig, senior vice president, financial institutions and technology partnerships at Global Payments, it’s about staking out fresh new territories, which he compared to homesteading the American Midwest in the 1800s. “It could be 160 acres or 400 acres; all the person had to do was go there, occupy the space and build a thriving life for themselves,” he said. “In payments today, there are wide open spaces where we can take our solutions and create conveniences that may not have existed before.” Read the original article here.

75% of C-level executives in the U.S. retail, hotel and restaurant sectors* admit to a seismic shift towards digital commerce according to a study revealed by J.P. Morgan and FreedomPay

Groundbreaking data uncovers new attitudes and strategic change brought about by the historic head-on collision between technology and the global pandemic ‘PREPARING FOR THE RETURN OF DEMAND How America’s Retail & Hospitality Tech Elite Tackle Disruption with New Commerce Investment’, an independently conducted analysis of the views of America’s primary sectoral IT decision-makers, commissioned by global payments leader J.P. Morgan and commerce innovator FreedomPay is published today. The new study reveals the deepest concerns and actions taken to manage innovation and tech- investment while uncovering dramatic shifts in strategy brought about by, and offsetting the negative impacts of, the Covid-19 crisis. Over a period of 12 months, researchers interviewed 50 C-suite and Head of Function executives from America’s top-ranking food and beverage, retail, and hotel brands with a combined revenue of more than half a trillion dollars.  The companies included 8 out of the top 15 US Hotel Groups and one of America’s top three retailers. Initiated in December 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the study was successful in capturing key challenges and barriers of senior decision makers when it comes to growth, technology investment and their view of the legacy systems. Two thirds of respondents (63%) were dealing with issues around the direction of tech investment and where best to allocate resources – from POS and e-commerce platforms to data analysis and mobile apps. One in four respondents (25%) also faced major issues such as data lags in legacy platforms and disparate systems with patchwork processes and silos that were holding them back from investing and training staff on new technology. Key findings among senior decision makers surveyed include: There has been a rapid shift in priority of decision makers in tech investment and data commerce, from focus on low-tech investment and legacy systems to touchless commerce and digital capabilities with 78% of C-suite executives saying the ‘Black Swan’ moment has re-shaped their future and emphasized the urgent need to focus on integration of digital platforms during lockdown. 69% of technology-focused head of functions surveyed have placed digitalization and data integration at the heart of their business This shows there has been renewed and accelerated demand for digitalization, mobilization and greater integration of real-time, data driven commerce. There is a recognition that better use of ‘big data’ and real-time insight is vital to maintain operations, respond to rapid change and support More than two- thirds (69%) of senior decision makers surveyed sought to integrate digital channels and data in order to create new operational models and customer touchpoints to sustain their business during office-closures, staff isolation, premises lockdown and diminished physical footfall. 44% of respondents also perceive value of data has become more important. “Initiated pre-pandemic, this study had the unique ability to reflect the impact of one of the greatest global economic crises of the modern era on the Retail & Hospitality sector. It has therefore captured the thinking of the most influential players, gauging their personal ‘front- line’ assessment of the true impact of COVID-19 on commerce, customers, employees, and vendors. “This study uncovered unprecedented insights into how customer purchasing behavior is driving our merchant clients to build more effective payment and data commerce strategies, create new roadmaps and shape vendor relations in 2021 and beyond,” commented Molly Walsh, Head of Product for Merchant Services at J.P. Morgan. “A key takeaway from the study overall, emphasizes that the challenges experienced over the last 12 months are creating new opportunities for tech-investment as retail and hospitality organizations re-evaluate what’s really important, added Chris Kronenthal, President & CTO of FreedomPay. “Underpinning this is the recognition that better use of ‘big data’ – and real-time insight – is now vital to maintain operations, respond to rapid change and support growth.” Click here to download there report. Notes to Editors *Of those interviewed within the Study 50-hour long telephone interviews carried out throughout 2020. 25 completed pre-Pandemic (Dec-Mar 2020) 25 during the Pandemic (Sept-Nov 2020) Interviews undertaken in: Industry sectors: Hotels, Restaurants and Retail Company Size by sales turnover: (32%) US$5bn+, (24%) US$(2bn-5bn), (20% US$(500m-2bn), (24%) US$ (100m-500m) Job Functions (All have responsibility for implementation of new technology) 36% C-Suite executives with technology implementation focused remit, 64% Head of function with technology implementation focused The findings of the full report focus on four principal areas that will shape retail and hospitality data-commerce investment priorities in 2021, namely: Challenges and opportunities Return on investment and value Stakeholder expectation Ethics and compliance About J.P. Morgan’s Corporate & Investment Bank J.P. Morgan’s Corporate & Investment Bank is a global leader across banking, markets and securities services. The world’s most important corporations, governments and institutions entrust us with their business in more than 100 countries. With $31.3 trillion of assets under custody and $705 billion in deposits, the Corporate & Investment Bank provides strategic advice, raises capital, manages risk and extends liquidity in markets around the world.  Further information about J.P. Morgan is available at www.jpmorgan.com J.P. Morgan Wholesale Payments J.P. Morgan’s Wholesale Payments combines our treasury services, trade, commercial card and merchant services capabilities and our vision is to enable clients pay anyone, in any currency, anywhere in the world.  We are at the forefront of payments innovation, developing cutting-edge solutions to help our clients succeed in an era of service and technology transformation. About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com

FreedomPay to Host High-Level Roundtable on the State of Data-Driven Commerce

Speakers from Global Payments, Mad Mobile, Sephora and Visa will discuss how innovation in payments and digital commerce is driving the American economic recovery Philadelphia, PA – June 3, 2021 — FreedomPay, a global leader in payments innovation and the pioneer of Next Level Commerce™ announced today that it will host a virtual roundtable on the state of data-driven commerce and how payment technologies are moving the American economy forward and enabling the country’s digital growth. The event, Next Level Commerce™: Retail Resilience will take place on June 4, 2021 at 2PM ET and will include a panel of speakers from leading retailers and digital payments companies including: Barry Stearn, VP Partnerships, FreedomPay Joe Emig, SVP FI and Tech Partnerships, Multinational Commerce, Global Payments Prasad Tendulkar, VP of Engineering, Sephora Greg Schmitzer, President, Mad Mobile Michael Chall, Global Tech Partnerships, Visa The 90-minute virtual roundtable will be moderated by the highly respected journalist Dale Laszig from the Green Sheet and will be open to attendees free of charge and available via the link. “The events of the last 15 months have propelled digital payments and commerce to the forefront of retailers’ operations and business plans. To keep up with new technologies and rising customer expectations, it is fundamental that businesses upgrade their digital capabilities and focus on delivering better customer experience,” said Barry Stearn, VP Partnerships at FreedomPay. “The changes we have seen in the market are here to stay and data-driven commerce will help retailers secure their growth and success in the months and years ahead.” The virtual roundtable will host a 30-minute live Q&A session following the pre-recorded discussion. For more information about FreedomPay series of thought-provoking webinars and insights from industry leaders, visit the Next Level Commerce page or contact us. -ENDS- Media contact Gug Kyriacou – FWD Consulting freedompay@fwdconsulting.co.uk , +44 (0) 207 623 2368   About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com

FreedomPay and J.P. Morgan Strengthen Collaboration to Support Omni-Channel Solutions across Retailers in the UK and Europe

#1 European web-based transaction Acquirer, J.P. Morgan selects FreedomPay to include card present offerings – enabling in store payment for the first time. Philadelphia and London – FreedomPay, the Next Level Commerce™ platform of choice for thousands of merchants globally, announce they have expanded their commerce offering across the UK, EU, Switzerland, and parts of the Nordics through a collaboration with J.P. Morgan. As consumers return to shopping in-store, FreedomPay and J.P. Morgan have come together to provide an enhanced experience supported by Touchless Commerce solutions including contactless card payment and digital wallet acceptance and PCI-Validated P2PE security. “FreedomPay is excited to expand our relationship with J.P. Morgan to offer greater functionality to millions of shoppers across in-store payments,” said Tony Hammond, SVP of Global Product Delivery at FreedomPay. “Advances in technology and changes in consumer behavior since COVID-19 has led many merchants to rethink their approach to customer experiences and the world of commerce.” FreedomPay’s platform offers many benefits to retail brands, including: The ability to unify commerce across properties, channels, and regions within a single ‘open’, fully agnostic, flexible platform. The opportunity to centralize all data reporting in one smart portal called Business Intelligence that shows payments and reconciliation records. The chance for customers to pay contactless in-store and to create a touchless ecosystem. The power to enhance commerce by market-leading technology, FreedomPay merges security, identity, payments, loyalty, and advertising. “Our work with FreedomPay will support us in offering an in-store payment option to build upon our established eCommerce processing capabilities,” said Basil Bailey, Head of Product for EMEA Merchant Services at J.P. Morgan. “Streamlining merchants’ operations will help save them costs, time and drive growth.” About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com

Foot Locker, Inc., Selects FreedomPay to Deliver the ‘Next Level’ Retail Experience In-Store in the U.S.

Global Athletic Retailer To Leverage FreedomPay Next Level Commerce Payment Solutions In All U.S. Based Stores Philadelphia, Pennsylvania  (April 12, 2021)— Today, Foot Locker, Inc. (NYSE:FL), the New York-based specialty athletic retailer, and FreedomPay  announced the implementation of FreedomPay’s leading edge commerce platform across Foot Locker, Inc.’s 2,000 + US stores. FreedomPay, the Next Level Commerce™ platform of choice for thousands of merchants internationally, will now work with Foot Locker to provide an advanced, safe and secure in-store consumer payments experience for millions of U.S. shoppers. The new touchless capable payment system enables Foot Locker customers to have complete control over their checkout experience, giving consumers the option to pay via contactless payment methods and digital wallets all on their own device, including PayPal/Venmo. “We are always looking for ways to create a more seamless customer experience,” said Frank Bracken, Executive Vice President and CEO of North America, Foot Locker, Inc. “Integrating a safe and secure payment solution within our stores is key to achieving that. By investing in solutions that address the needs of today’s digital world and look towards the future, we are improving the in-store experience while providing our customers greater flexibility.” “In today’s new digital world customers demand a tailored payment experience that is safe and secure whether in-store or in-home and FreedomPay is proud to announce it will provide the in-store commerce solutions for Foot Locker in the U.S.,” said Chris Kronenthal, President and CTO at FreedomPay. “Our platform is world class technology and with our suite of commerce solutions we continue to drive an innovative, safe and seamless consumer experience.”   About Foot Locker Foot Locker, Inc. leads the celebration of sneaker and youth culture around the globe through a portfolio of brands including Foot Locker, Lady Foot Locker, Kids Foot Locker, Champs Sports, Eastbay, Footaction, and Sidestep. With approximately 3,000 retail stores in 28 countries across North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand, as well as websites and mobile apps, the Company’s purpose is to inspire and empower youth culture around the world, by fueling a shared passion for self-expression and creating unrivaled experiences at the heart of the global sneaker community. Foot Locker, Inc. has its corporate headquarters in New York.   About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com During the onset and aftermath of COVID-19, FreedomPay introduces the Touchless Commerce program, ensuring the safety of merchants and customers globally. Whether in a restaurant, airport, convenience store, retail outlet or hotel, enabling touchless commerce makes the checkout experience swift, simple and secure. FreedomPay regularly produces white papers which provide in-depth understanding into the world of payment technology, data, security and commerce solutions for different sectors. Below is a link to the most recent report: The American Payment Revolution: Next Level Commerce™

Payment Experts Discuss ‘New Normal’ Powered by Open Commerce Platforms and Tech Innovation

FreedomPay, the leading commerce platform held an inaugural transatlantic roundtable to understand the future of payments in America and Europe. 12 months ago, the world shut down overnight as people entered lockdown and businesses closed down for the unforeseeable future. Now, as businesses begin to reopen and resume a sense of normalcy, FreedomPay Live: Next Level Commerce roundtable event brought together industry leaders from six trailblazing tech companies who are fueling the global economic recovery. Hosted by Dale Laszig, Senior Staff Writer at the Green Sheet, the discussion highlighted the transformative power of Touchless Commerce and how payment technology has transformed the customer experience. John Mansfield, SVP of Global Business Development at FreedomPay, acknowledged the existing shift for merchants to a next level commerce environment with a focus on payment tech and that this change has been vastly accelerated by the pandemic. The shift, John says, is driven by several factors including the prioritization of digital channels, the importance of data needed to understand consumer behavior, and the implementation of open commerce platforms that can easily adopt these new technologies. The importance of an open and integrated commerce platform, especially from a consumer behavior viewpoint, was reiterated by Dan Rodgers, President and Founder of QikServe. “As the hospitality industry accelerates towards digital, operators acted quickly to plug digital gaps. What that means is “now operators have a lot of disparate systems sitting around. Integrating all of the new tech together is a massive opportunity for the hospitality industry that will exist in 2021 and beyond.” Integrated tech is also key to the consumer experience, as considered by Marilyn May, Head of Product Management, Payments & POS at IHG. The real focus now is to integrate these safety features such as contactless payments to be more about convenience for the demographic who prefer them, but not necessarily something that must be used to have the full hospitality experience. Bhavin Asher, Founder of GRUBBRR, highlights the importance of integrating across an enterprise, whether that be hotels for restaurants, and the importance of tech to benefit the customer. “The customer journey now interacts with the front of house, kitchen prep at the back of house, and, so as a business, how do you complete the journey and feedback to the customer to say thank you?” Knowing your customer is not just important when it comes to experience, but also when it comes to security and fraud. As businesses quickly implemented a new digital customer journey, controls were not put in place to identify a good customer versus a fraudulent one. “There are thousands of touchpoints in this new customer journey where fraudsters can attack and do brand damage and steal value,” explains Rich Stuppy, VP & Chief Customer Experience Leader at Kount, an Equifax Company. “The key to understanding your customer is using and collecting the appropriate signals throughout the customer journey and plugging in the control to react to those signals,” therefore providing a seamless checkout experience. Another key theme was the rapid adoption of digital wallets and contactless payments, a trend that is not expected to slow down soon. Alisa Ellis, VP of Payment Innovation & Emerging Products at Discover Global Network reported the Discover Network contactless volume in the U.S. equates to growth of 225% year over year for in-store transactions. “We are finally moving from the realm of novelty to everyday usage” when it comes to contactless payment acceptance, exclaims Ellis.   Revisit the roundtable discussion here.

What’s next for next-level commerce?

By Dale S. Laszig, The Green Sheet The payments industry went full-throttle when COVID-19 pushed individuals and businesses to digital channels. I’ve been covering this story for a year through myriad twists and turns. Along the way, I’ve met trailblazers who had to move fast and occasionally break things in their haste to move forward. Their innovations sparked a payments revolution, taking commerce to new levels. FreedomPay launched a roundtable series in October 2020 to explore what the company dubbed “next-level commerce” and its role in economic recovery. As moderator, I’ve interviewed leaders about their early deployments and post-COVID outlook. Following are highlights from our March 2021 discussion. Read more here.

How Restaurants Use New Payment Technology to Save Time and Money

A leading report published by GRUBBRR and FreedomPay reveals major revenue and customer service gains driven by technology in restaurants March 23rd, 2021 – GRUBBRR, a trailblazing technology company that delivers ordering and fulfillment solutions, and FreedomPay, a global leader in Next Level Commerce™, today announce the publication of a new report titled Restaurant Technology Revolutionized: The American Pandemic Transformation. The White Paper takes an in-depth look at how emerging payment solutions and new technology is helping restaurant owners save time and money by offering faster service and speedier, safer-touchless payments. The insights suggest that with new adoptive technology restaurants can drive a greater customer experience while improving their cash flow. Merchants have prioritized investing in Next Level tech to factiliate a swift and secure customer experience. Similarly, customer preferences have shifted towards using kiosks and other self-ordering technologies such as QR codes rather than cash, chip & pin, or swiping their credit card. Historically, restaurants have experienced deep inefficiencies in payment acceptance and checkout experience, set back by cash transaction and swipe cards. Yet in the midst of COVID, restaurants have been prompted to innovate and provide Touchless Commerce solutions including contactless payment acceptance, digital wallets including Apple Pay and Google Pay, and BYOD (bring your own device). “As a commerce leader across many key verticals including F&B, FreedomPay is excited to partner with GRUBBRR on the Restaurant Technology Revolutionzed  White Paper to highlight the importance of innovation and technology across payment acceptance and the checkout experience,” said Chris Kronenthal, President & CTO at FreedomPay. “Restaurants who have implemented Touchless Commerce solutions such as GRUBBRR and contactless payment acceptance are creating an optimized customer experience while simultaneously driving revenue.” “The effects of the pandemic have revolutionized every aspect of the restaurant industry,” said GRUBBRR CEO Sam Zietz. “Shifting circumstances and health guidelines have permanently changed how consumers interact with their payment methods and businesses must respond by changing the ways they receive and manage payments. Our collaboration with FreedomPay puts a spotlight on how restaurants can best implement contactless payment solutions to meet shifting consumer demands and achieve unprecedented success. We’re proud to serve as a guide for restaurants looking to increase customer satisfaction and streamline operations in the rapidly-evolving landscape of this industry.”   About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com   About GRUBBRR Headquartered in Boca Raton, FL, GRUBBRR is a technology company that delivers self-ordering solutions for companies large and small, across verticals including but not limited to QSR Restaurants, Cafes, Bakeries, Stadiums, Theaters, Casinos, and Micro Markets. GRUBBRR offers self-service kiosks, contactless ordering, point-of-sale systems, mobile ordering, tableside ordering, food lockers, and other services that materially increase business efficiency. To learn more about GRUBBRR and the company’s mission, please visit: www.grubbrr.com

Contactless Technology Provider, Kontactless™ Partners With FreedomPay

Partnership offers customers flexible, secure and streamlined payment service options Los Angeles, CA – March 18, 2020 – Kontactless™, the QR-code enabled hospitality tech solution that enables customers to order, pay, and leave feedback on their smartphone has announced a new partnership with leading payment service provider FreedomPay. The partnership will allow Kontactless customers to connect to all major credit card processors in North America through one secure and reliable payment platform. The partnership will enable Kontactless to support its customers with their payment provider of choice, without the costly need to change their current payment processors or payment devices. The FreedomPay integration will also offer Kontactless customers world-class security with its Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE), which tokenizes credit card data, eliminating the storage of credit card numbers within the PrismSuite system. Gabriel Weisz, CEO of Kontactless commented: “Our partnership with FreedomPay will give our hospitality customers a simple, cost-effective and streamlined payment experience. No need to spend time or money setting up another payment processor – customers can simply plug in their existing processor and carry on with their business. As mobile payments continue to skyrocket, this partnership will deliver an easy-to-use, secure mobile payment process for our wide range of hospitality customers.” “FreedomPay’s Touchless Commerce program has changed how customers approach ordering and payment,” said Chris Kronenthal, President & CTO of FreedomPay. “By partnering with Kontactless we’re able to bring to life the shared vision of a seamless, secure and completely integrated checkout experience to the world of hospitality.” Kontactless is currently being used by hospitality venues across 15 states as well as Canada. Customers include a range of hotel brands at select Marriott and Hilton locations across North America, including McNeill Hotel Company, Newcrest Image, BPR Hotels, as well as a variety of entertainment and leisure companies. To date, nearly a quarter of a million transactions have already been conducted on the platform. For further information about Kontactless or to sign up for a demo, visit www.kontactless.io or email info@kontactless.io.   About Kontactless™ Kontactless is a provider of dynamic QR code technology that enables customers to place orders, make payments, and leave feedback all from their mobile device. Based in Los Angeles, the company was launched by hospitality tech entrepreneur, Gabriel Weisz, who previously co-founded Kallpod, LLC in 2014. Kallpod’s proprietary and customizable platform improves labor costs and increases sales through streamlined, real-time communication between guests, service staff and internal teams. Since launch, the company has partnered with many of the hospitality industry’s leading names including Marriott, Live Nation, the San Francisco 49ers, Colonnade Group, and Aramark, among many others. About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com Media Contact Ryan J. Walker (Kontactless™) R. J. Walker & Co. 860 930 3611 ryan@rjwalkerco.com Gug Kyriacou (FreedomPay) FWD Consulting +44 (0) 20 7623 2368 gug.kyriacou@fwdconsulting.co.uk  

Exploring the Pros and Cons of Online Check-in for Hoteliers

By Chris Kronenthal, President & CTO of FreedomPay, and Phelim Pekaar, founder and CEO of P3 Hotel Software The pandemic has significantly transformed the way most businesses operate, and hotels are no exception. In hospitality, so many things have changed in such a short span of time that many tech solutions became not just popular but vital for hotel businesses all around the world. Hotel check-in has changed, in many ways, for good. There is a surge in hoteliers seeking out solutions to enable contactless check-in, which has been the buzzword in the last few months due to Covid-19 measures and social-distancing rules. P3 and FreedomPay reported an average of 35% adoption rate of all guests who are due to check-in, with take-up as high as 72% in some hotels. But is this new technology really what the consumer wants? Hospitality is such a personal business so it has been challenging to engage with guests and keep them loyal to you while keeping communications contact-free. Therefore, we need to look at the benefits and drawbacks that contactless check-in brings to the guest and to the hotel. Pros Online check-in for hotels has gained popularity in recent years due to its efficiency for guests and hotels, but its adoption got an extra boost since the Covid-19 pandemic. Since Covid-19, P3 has seen an increase of 280% of their hotel clients adopting the contactless check-in technology. Let’s highlight some of the main advantages that any hotel can expect to leverage: Enhanced customer experience Being able to cater to the needs of modern guests is more crucial today than ever and it will help determine whether a customer chooses to return to your property in the future instead of looking elsewhere. Therefore, the ability to offer customers frictionless check-in experience and the highest level of payment security is pivotal. With online check-in, guests can skip the queues in hotel lobbies and have greater control over their booking – for example, they can add late checkout, extras to their stay and request to be notified as to when their room is available and given direct access using mobileKey technology. Adopting online check-in systems clearly demonstrates that your hotel is well aware of the latest technological trends. Customers are likely to view their experiences in favourable light, which is helping to drive and boost loyalty as well as guest rewards. Increased efficiencies for hotels Efficiency in hotel operations, especially during the ongoing pandemic and health and safety protocols in place, is more poignant than ever. It is only when a hotel adopts a single, unified commerce platform that they are able to deliver efficiencies and best result. It might sound impersonal, but this year due to Covid-19 is all about self-service and self-check-in so any chance to avoid touch or physical contact in any transaction is a win. Online check-in helps hotel reduce peak check-in/check-out times at reception desk. Management of ancillary revenue can be done easily by providing a way for guests to manage their own booking. Payment Integration Payment integration allows for a complete frictionless payment process for the guest, which is critical to enabling a fluid contactless check-in and check-out experience. Payments can be handled more efficiently and better data can be captured and used to understand customers and take advantage of marketing opportunities. Cons Online check-in offers convenience but sometimes customers may face certain difficulties with the system. Here are some drawbacks or losses of checking-in online. Contactless technology was introduced to minimize contact and significantly reduce the number of surfaces you need to touch in the lobby and in the hotel room. These changes result in less face time for guests and hotel staff, which means less personal interaction in what we all know is such a personal business as hospitality. It can be irritating for the customers because they like to talk to someone and they do not get any personal attention from the self-check-in machine or the online platform. It can also be frustrating for hoteliers because they like to see who is coming into their hotel. The lack of interaction also means flexibility for both guests and hotelier is removed. It can get even harder to resolve complex issues for the guests and it’s not possible for the hotel staff to monitor all guests arriving and departing from their hotel. Not all age profiles/cultures are comfortable with digitization of the hotel check-in. The online check-in technology is easy to use for them who have the technical knowledge but it will be difficult for those who don’t have any idea about this technology, especially when they require help or the website or mobile app is not working properly or not showing the information they need. Challenges Although the adoption of online check-in technology is constantly increasing, hotels still need to face some changes in traditional processes in order to make the most of this technology. These are some of the main challenges that the industry face for the adopting of the online check-in: While giving guests the freedom to control their booking, the role of the front desk agent is changing from data clerks to lobby ambassadors. Many reception desk staff are not trained in the role of customer engagement and don’t know how to interact on a more personal level with guests. For flexible bookings, the cancellation policy can be up to 2pm on day of arrival. When asking a guest to check-in online before their arrival, they are also being asked to pay upfront. This may cause an additional challenge if the guest needs to cancel their booking and get a refund after they have checked in but still within the cancellation period. Many older hotels don’t have mobile room key technology and a huge investment is required to upgrade each door lock. Many hotels don’t have the budget to do this right now. What would be the ideal scenario? We see that online check-in services are set to become the mainstay of the entire hotel sector. This is why it is important to adopt technology that not only replaces the friction points in online check-in/checkout but leaves flexibility for the personal connection between a guest and their host. The technology needs to adapt to the hotel sector and target audience. The ideal scenario in a resort hotel, for instance, would be the guest arriving and being greeted by a lobby ambassador inviting them to sit down. The guest would have pre-checked in online and handled all credit card payments or pre-authorisation. The lobby ambassador role would be to personally engage with the guest, understand their needs, hand over their room key, present the hotel facilities and arrange any on-property needs. Another scenario would be in a business hotel, for example, where the guest arrives late at night after a long journey. After checking in online prior to arrival, the guest would be notified when their room is ready by SMS or email with instructions on how to access the room. The benefit for the guest in this case is the convenience of handling the check-in process only with their mobile phones and going directly to their rooms. The hotel staff would be available to help them with any additional needs.   Read the original article on Hotel Technology News here.

The Rise of Touchless Commerce and What’s Next for Privacy Shield Protocols

By: Bernard Clary, Associate Director of Compliance at FreedomPay The privacy protocols that have been integral to the international adoption of touchless commerce are now in flux as payment practices evolve at a differing pace and with differing agendas across varying geographies and market sectors. Everyone is fully cognizant of the effect that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on all our purchasing habits and decisions. Among many other concerns, initially everyone grew to fear catching the virus from touching infected surfaces. This included the point-of-sale terminals where cards were used and buttons pressed. Quickly the cleanliness of the entire sales and purchase chain became one of trust in the sanitary precautions taken by the vendor to protect the customer. However, the rise in contactless commerce has moved beyond a purely sanitary issue as people have grown to appreciate the benefits of touchless transactions in terms of speed, security and ease of use. People have learned to forget, or at least there is a conscious decision to move away from the old-fashioned “swipe and dip.” How then are merchants adapting to this change in consumer mindset and expectation? Are they capable and ready to evolve? The answer to that is that some sectors have been quicker than others to embrace the new “normal.” For example, restaurants and food outlets have moved quickly and contactless transactions have become the preferred way to pay. Retailers, on the other hand, remain busy looking at a variety of potentially optimal payment and collection solutions. Is protocol overload coming? The whole digital transformation journey has not been smooth sailing. The seemingly “new normal” brings many issues around data recognition, data storage and the consequential dilemmas surrounding security, privacy and the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). All of these become business requirements, and solution providers need to create solutions that satisfy the needs of the merchants and the very natural concerns of the customer in all walks of life and the e-commerce ecosystem. The privacy shield protocols that have been integral to the international adoption of touchless commerce are also in flux. As payment practices evolve at a differing pace and with differing agendas across varying geographies and market sectors, the tightening of rules and standards becomes an increasingly complex set of issues. Improvements to the collection and use of personal data is of clear concern. With the disengagement of the privacy shield agreement last summer, there now appears to be a push from the European Union to add a standardized set of clauses to existing merchant contracts regarding data transfers to ensure the protection of data at least on a case-by-case basis. This is likely to be further complicated by the withdrawal of the U.K. from the EU, and will Brexit require new rules to be established between Great Britain and the EU? Focal point: personal data protection The legal debate is expected to continue for months, and regardless of what the agreement is, the impact has been felt by businesses of all sizes across multiple sectors and geographies. One thing for sure is that everybody accepts that personal data needs to be protected — and that this issue is indeed a fundamental human right. Most consumers have no idea what level of protection they have been afforded when they carry out any manner of transactions, or indeed what will or could happen to such data when gathered. Merchants may have a moral obligation to offer agreed levels of protection and confidentiality, but at the same time it is the responsibility of the consumer to be much more careful of what they “share” with the worldwide marketplace. This will certainly help shape the future of e-commerce as people become more aware of the way things are evolving — and should lead to interesting, and to a certain extent, unpredictable times ahead. Watch that space!   Read the original article on Kiosk Marketplace here.

FreedomPay partners with Autocanteen, AI-powered self-checkout solution

The disruptive self-checkout solution, powered by computer vision needs no barcodes and only takes 10 seconds on average for a complete purchase cycle. The start-up company is set to deliver thousands of terminals with ground-breaking technology to the hospitality sector in the next couple of years. London, United Kingdom, January 26, 2021 – FreedomPay, the world’s leading consumer-centric commerce platform, has announced a strategic partnership with Autocanteen. The computer vision self-checkout solution has received a tremendous amount of interest from the biggest contract catering companies and has been successfully tested by Aramark and one of the nationwide Danish operator. The partnership will allow providing cutting edge experience to mutual clients in hospitality, travel and retail sectors. Retailers and caterers introducing Autocanteen solution will see improvements in revenue as queues will get shorter and their operations optimised with optimised assistance required for checkout. Staff safety is another considerable benefit during the pandemic of COVID-19 as there’s no need to interact with hundreds of clients during a day. Sergii Khomenko, Co-Founder & CEO at Autocanteen added: “Customers are very impressed, once they realise there’s no need to fiddle with menu categories any longer on a traditional self-checkout POS system and they just need to place their items and tap a card, their emotions are rewarding to watch.” Click here to see Autocanteen in action. About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com About Autocanteen Autocanteen uses computer vision and deep learning algorithms for identification of products rather than relying on barcodes. The blazing-fast neural network, that doesn’t have to be educated for days, will grasp and identify hot meals, drinks or snacks in fraction of a second. All terminals act as one organism sharing learnt product knowledge in the cloud. The company has been found by Rosty Kerei and Sergii Khomenko and is based in Gerrards Cross, United Kingdom. For additional information visit www.autocanteen.com

FreedomPay Awarded Supplier of the Year in U.S.

Leading food & beverage merchant gives kudos to a key partner in 2020 amid a once-in-lifetime pandemic. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – January 20, 2021 – FreedomPay, a global leader in Next Level Commerce™, has been recognized by Checkers Drive-In Restaurants, Inc. as the 2020 Supplier of the Year. The award was presented at the Checkers & Rally’s National Convention, which virtually hosted 500 attendees including Checkers & Rally’s operators, franchise owners, corporate employees, and suppliers. FreedomPay enables 200+ Checkers & Rally’s locations across the U.S. FreedomPay’s PCI-Validated P2PE solution provides the highest level of security to the customer, while offering a frictionless checkout experience through a suite of Touchless Commerce solutions including contactless card payment, digital wallet acceptance, Apple Pay and Google Pay. “FreedomPay constantly strives to provide innovation and an enhanced end-user experience for our partners,” said Christopher Kronenthal, President & CTO at FreedomPay. “The recognition by Checkers as Supplier of the Year is a testament to our hard-working team, and we look forward to a continuing our work with Checkers to provide innovative payment solutions to their customers.” “FreedomPay has been a key partner to Checkers & Rally’s as we look to innovate our payment landscape and enhance the experience of our customers,” said Minh Le, Chief Information Officer at Checkers. “We were pleased to recognize FreedomPay as a Supplier of the Year, and we look forward to building on our continued success with FreedomPay as we enter 2021.”   About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com   FreedomPay published a White Paper The American Payment Revolution: Next Level Commerce which is designed to help merchants of all sizes understand the need for technological advancement at the point of sale and why businesses should respond to the catalyst of change caused by COVID-19 to enable America’s economic recovery. Click here to download the report. About Checkers Drive-In Restaurants, Inc. Based in Tampa, Fla., Checkers Drive-In Restaurants, Inc., an iconic and innovative drive-thru restaurant chain known for its bold, craveable food, famous fries, exceptional value, and people-first attitude, operates and franchises both Checkers® and Rally’s® restaurants. With 836 restaurants and room to grow, Checkers & Rally’s is a proven brand with flexible building formats that is aggressively expanding across the country. Checkers & Rally’s is dedicated to being a place where franchisees and employees who work hard can create opportunities for themselves, their families, and their communities. In recent years, the brand has earned several of the industry’s most prestigious awards including: “#1 Most Craveable Fries” by Restaurant Business; Best Franchise Deal and “Best Drive-Thru in America” by QSR Magazine; Top Food and Beverage Franchise by Franchise Business Review; the “Hot! Again” award from Nation’s Restaurant News and has consistently been ranked on Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500.

FreedomPay Announces Kount as Strategic Partner for Fraud Prevention and Data Protection Globally

The fully integrated Identity Trust solution will include payments fraud and chargeback prevention, 3DS2 authentication, and access to Data on Demand New York and Boise, Idaho, December 17, 2020 – FreedomPay, a global leader in Next Level Commerce™ today announced a new strategic partnership with Kount, the leader in fraud prevention and identity trust, to offer a fully integrated Identity Trust solution built into FreedomPay’s data-driven commerce platform. Together, the two companies offer businesses of varying sizes, geographies, and verticals a purpose-built fraud prevention solution that adapts to the constantly evolving digital environment. FreedomPay and Kount’s portfolio solution fully integrates Kount’s leading, AI-driven payments fraud prevention solution, Kount Command. Powered by the Identity Trust Global Network, Kount’s solution enables businesses to accept more orders while reducing false positives, reducing manual review rates and slashing chargebacks, ultimately delivering a genuinely superior customer experience. As a leader in connected commerce, FreedomPay is rapidly expanding on a global scale across key verticals such as Retail, eCommerce, Hospitality and Food & Beverage. With this partnership with Kount, FreedomPay customers globally will enjoy an integrated, complete solution to enable international expansion with fraud-free payments and frictionless customer journeys, all while achieving PSD2 compliance and 3DS2 authentication. In addition, the FreedomPay and Kount partnership goes beyond payments fraud prevention and will also provide businesses access to Data on Demand, Kount’s private data warehouse. This enables businesses to have actionable customer insights and analytics in order to inform proactive initiatives and drive revenue. Customers will also have access to a variety of other unique Kount products and solutions, such as Near Real-Time Chargeback Prevention and Professional and Managed Services. “Especially around this holiday season, fraud prevention is a primary concern for businesses across all industries, ” said John Mansfield, SVP, Global Business Development at FreedomPay. “Our partnership with Kount will assure all merchants on FreedomPay’s Commerce Platform that purchases are fraud-free, which will also provide a fast and frictionless experience for the end-user.” “At Kount, we are excited about the advanced and differentiated value proposition our joint solutions will bring to the market globally,” said Tom War, Chief Sales Officer at Kount. “With this new partnership, Kount and Freedom Pay customers can leverage best-in-class fraud prevention via one integration, empowering them to improve authorization rates, improve the customer experience, and comply with industry regulations. Further, customers take advantage of industry-leading products and solutions including Kount’s Data on Demand and Near-Real Time Chargeback Prevention.” About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com. FreedomPay published a White Paper The American Payment Revolution: Next Level Commerce which is designed to help merchants of all sizes understand the need for technological advancement at the point of sale and why businesses should respond to the catalyst of change caused by COVID-19 to enable America’s economic recovery. Click here to download the report. Media contact: FWD Consulting freedompay@fwdconsulting.co.uk – +44 (0) 207 623 2368 About Kount Kount’s Identity Trust Global Network delivers real-time fraud prevention and account protection and enables personalized customer experiences for more than 9,000 leading brands and payment providers. Linked by Kount’s award-winning AI, the Identity Trust Global Network analyzes signals from 32 billion annual interactions to personalize user experiences across the spectrum of trust — from frictionless experiences to blocking fraud. Quick and accurate identity trust decisions deliver safe payment, account creation and login events while reducing digital fraud, chargebacks, false positives and manual reviews. Kount.com Contact: Lacey Briggs, public relations manager, news@kount.com; lacey.briggs@kount.com, 208-489-3334

FreedomPay and Sightline Payments Partner to Create World’s First Cashless Ecosystem for Casinos, Resorts and Gaming Operators

Partnership transforms end-to-end user experience and shifts multiple industries from cash and legacy tech to cutting-edge, fully integrated digital platform Solution creates single player identity capable of delivering a connected and immersive guest experience Platform merges business intelligence and behavioral data to enrich the persona and more fully understand the patron and their behavior to drive long-term value and patron loyalty Play+ brand offers safe, secure and co-branded digital payments experience enabling financial transactions in a responsible way, whether on or off the gaming floor LAS VEGAS, Nev. — December 16, 2020 – FreedomPay and Sightline Payments; two powerhouse FinTech solution providers serving the gaming, lottery, sports betting, entertainment, retail, and hospitality ecosystems, today announced they have formed a strategic partnership to jointly develop, market and deliver a breakthrough new cashless digital payments and patron loyalty platform. The system will offer the broad industry reach and unprecedented features for which both companies are widely regarded and promises to transform the burgeoning gaming and entertainment industries. Today’s announcement is a first of its kind, taking the integrated resort customer experience to the next level by integrating state-of-the-art cashless digital payment solutions with robust customer loyalty programs for in-house gaming properties, digital and mobile gaming, food service, retail channels, and more. The platform merges proprietary business intelligence and behavioral data from both organizations to create a robust patron persona. Now, resort operators are empowered to deliver a personalized and immersive experience both on and off the gaming floor. “The events of 2020 have dramatically and permanently changed many attitudes, behaviors and even industries around the world, and chief among them is an incredible urgency to move our society away from cash to innovative new cashless payment technologies, said Joe Pappano, Chief Executive Officer of Sightline Payments. “This strategic partnership between two leading FinTech payments providers not only promises to deliver a digital payment solution to the gaming industry, but it opens up entire new industries like retail, sports, and entertainment, creating incredible new opportunities for partnerships in a much bigger and broader gaming and hospitality ecosystem.” “The partnership with Sightline Payments is a first for the sector and brings a new and elevated customer experience that transforms the world of gaming and hospitality,” said Christopher Kronenthal, President & CTO at FreedomPay. “A completely digital experience not only gives customers more flexibility but also allows integrated resorts to drive relevant discount and incentives to guests through secured data.  This has never been achieved in the industry before and we believe this will be a true game changer for the sector.” FreedomPay and Sightline Payments serve many of the premier gaming and entertainment operators in the United States including the top 10 sports betting and gaming operators. Additionally, Play+, Sightline’s flagship solution for seamless and secure pay-and-play with nearly 1.5 million enrolled accounts, is the leading cashless mechanism for users to safely and easily store money and fund their entertainment on gaming apps, on the gaming floor, and on sports platforms with instant access to their money, anytime, anywhere – all from a smartphone. Background The American Gaming Association (AGA) released Payments Modernization Principles in June 2020 to provide a framework for regulatory flexibility allowing digital payments on the casino floor. The principles, developed by AGA members, outline seven priority areas for regulators to consider including responsible gaming, public health, and flexible regulatory guidelines. AGA research shows consumers desire for digital payment options given pandemic-related health concerns: 59 percent of past-year casino visitors are less likely to use cash in their everyday lives because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 57 percent of past-year casino visitors report the option for digital or contactless payments on the casino floor is important to them because of the COVID-19 pandemic   About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com About Sightline Payments Sightline was founded in 2010 and awarded Deloitte’s prestigious Technology Fast 500TM in 2019. The company is leading the way in gaming to build the first truly cashless ecosystem with its flagship solution, Play+. Named “Most Innovative Gaming Technology Product of the Year”, Play+ allows consumers a cashless and seamless mobile commerce experience for hospitality and gaming, including online, mobile, on-premise slots, table games, and sports. The Play+ digital platform is embraced by integrated casino resorts, sports betting and lottery platforms, including the largest and most well-recognized casino resort and sports betting brands in the world. Sightline is based in Las Vegas, Nevada.  Learn more at https://sightlinepayments.com/.

PrismRBS Announces FreedomPay Partnership

Partnership offers customers best-in-class PCI-validated payment commerce options Lincoln, Neb. (December 02, 2020) – PrismRBS, a leading provider of higher education retail technology, announces its new partnership with FreedomPay, a leading consumer-centric commerce platform. FreedomPay’s Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE) offers world-class security by tokenizing credit card data, eliminating the storage of credit card numbers within the PrismSuite system. “We are pleased to be able to offer our customers a world-class, secure commerce platform   option through our FreedomPay certification,” says PrismRBS President Jeremy White. “This partnership benefits users of our Prism suite of products by offering a new choice in who they partner with to provide secure, reliable and innovative payment  solutions.” “FreedomPay is delighted to partner with PrismRBS to  provide best-in-class, safer, and swifter payment solutions across the education sector,” said Chris Kronenthal, President and CTO at FreedomPay. “With our highly advanced platform, together FreedomPay and PrismRBS will help to take clients and consumers from legacy to leading edge technology.” About PrismRBS PrismRBS has more than 40 years of higher education retail technology experience and is committed to serving the independent campus store. As a system provider for more than 400 stores in the United States and Canada, PrsimRBS provides campus-wide solutions that empower retail stores with state-of-the-art eCommerce tools, real-time analytics and intuitive back-office software. Learn more at prismrbs.com. About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com FreedomPay published a White Paper The American Payment Revolution: Next Level Commerce which is designed to help merchants of all sizes understand the need for technological advancement at the point of sale and why businesses should respond to the catalyst of change caused by COVID-19 to enable America’s economic recovery. Click here to download the report.

Qnips Partners with FreedomPay to Tap the Full Potential of Mobile Payment

A network of reliable international partners is essential to successfully differentiate yourself from the competition in a constantly evolving global market. At the beginning of November 2020, qnips added FreedomPay, a leader in Next Level Commerce™ to its multitude of other global partners.  “In times of a global pandemic, we are seeing rapid growth in the market for mobile payment”, says Christian Brützel, managing director at qnips. “The demand for pre-order and pre-pay is constantly increasing, especially in the company catering sector. Therefore, caterers are looking for a simple solution to enable employees to pre-order food from the company restaurant and at the same time ensure that payment by app is simple to process.” Ordering and payment are like butter & bread. That’s why we are extending the simple menu display with features such as mobile ordering and payment. The qnips platform offers numerous options for pre-orders and reservations and allows an easy-to-use payment process for both pick-up and delivery options. The qnips payment feature qnips’ mobile payment option in the system allows guests to pay quickly and securely without cash. Various payment options allow the customer to pay e.g., with credit card or Google Pay and Apple Pay if he/she does not wish to provide bank details. A cash register interface for payroll accounting or the company’s own credit card can also be connected to qnips’ mobile apps. qnips acts as a marketplace for various payment services and supports our customer with their payment provider of choice. The system now offers additional payment possibilities with the integration of FreedomPay as payment service provider. For more information about our qnips features go to www.qnips.io. About FreedomPay The FreedomPay Commerce Platform offers a solution for merchants to simplify complex payment environments. Since their launch in 2000, FreedomPay has been a provider of Next Level Commerce™, including cashless solutions and mobile payments, as well as virtual and remote terminals and payment processing. With offices in Philadelphia, Las Vegas and London, FreedomPay continues to make payments faster, simpler, safer and smarter. For more information, go to www.freedompay.com. Through FreedomPay, qnips offers yet another option for mobile payments in their portfolio of mobile and web app solutions. FreedomPay offers secure payments by Apple Pay, Google Pay and widely available credit or debit cards. “Sharing our experience and expanding mutual knowledge with our partners takes our business to the next level. For us as well as our clients. Therefore, we are always looking for opportunities to expand borders and together with FreedomPay, we do just that. We are looking forward to a good and very successful partnership!”

PAR Technology Adds FreedomPay As a Payment Gateway Option

PAR’s latest software release expands its industry-leading integration ecosystem to give customers more payment gateway options. New Hartford, NY – November 30, 2020 – ParTech, Inc. (ParTech), a leading global provider of point of sale (POS) software and integrated technical solutions to the restaurant industry, announced today that it has added FreedomPay, a global leader in Next Level Commerce™, as a payment gateway option for Brink POS customers. By adding support for FreedomPay, PAR continues to expand its industry-leading integration ecosystem to help brands quickly innovate so they can adapt to sudden changes in their business as we saw this year. Holding true to its open platform approach, Brink POS customers can be confident knowing they have a payment gateway that works well with other PAR solutions. “The FreedomPay Commerce Platform™ is the perfect complement for Brink POS customers,” said Jerry Lake, Vice President, Product Management at FreedomPay. “Our robust feature set along with global reach will significantly enhance the customer experience.” With the latest version of Brink POS, restaurants using FreedomPay can keep what they have—including payment devices—to avoid unnecessary expenses associated with making a change. “FreedomPay gives Brink POS customers yet another choice in payment gateways to use with our cloud-based restaurant software,” said Hieu Bui, Vice President, Product Management at ParTech, Inc. “By integrating with FreedomPay, Brink POS gives restaurants a choice based upon their business needs and has the potential to save them money – and with today’s conditions, that’s important.” About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.corporate.freedompay.com FreedomPay published a White Paper The American Payment Revolution: Next Level Commerce which is designed to help merchants of all sizes understand the need for technological advancement at the point of sale and why businesses should respond to the catalyst of change caused by COVID-19 to enable America’s economic recovery. Click here to download the report. About PAR Technology Corporation  PAR Technology Corporation through its wholly owned subsidiary ParTech, Inc., is a customer success-driven, global restaurant and retail technology company with over 100,000 restaurants in more than 110 countries using its point of sale hardware and software. ParTech’s Brink POS integration ecosystem enables quick service, fast casual, table service, and cloud restaurants to improve their operational efficiency by combining its cloud-based POS software with the world’s leading restaurant technology platforms.  PAR Technology Corporation’s stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol PAR. For more information, visit www.partech.com or connect with PAR on Facebook or Twitter.

The Green Sheet: America’s Payment Revolution

By Dale S. Laszig Like an autumn wind that strips trees of their last remaining leaves, COVID-19 has altered the commerce landscape. But unlike leaves that return in spring, many old ways will never grow back. While shifting from physical to virtual commerce, companies that had slouched toward digital transformation were pressed into service as touchless commerce trends took hold. Businesses of all sizes pivoted to new technologies as millions of consumers transacted at virtual kiosks, mobile apps and the internet, many for the first time. The payments industry rose to the occasion in numerous ways, helping business owners stay solvent and connected to customers during harsh economic conditions. The Green Sheet celebrated these examples in news stories and feature articles. As the world conformed to quarantines and social distancing, payments professionals were inspired by these stories. People outside the industry began to talk about QR codes and NFC. Digital wallet adoption soared. Apps that had run invisibly in the background were thrust into the spotlight. Liesl Smith, senior vice president, marketing and communications at FreedomPay, described digital commerce as one of the most exciting landscapes in the world. Noting the pandemic’s catalyzing impact on the payments ecosystem, she suggested that beyond helping people safely connect and transact, digital commerce solutions are powering the American economy and GDP. Chris Kronenthal, CTO and President of FreedomPay, also observed the pandemic’s lasting impact on human behavior. “Businesses must now focus on the technology to create a frictionless journey for the consumer,” he said. “And there is no doubt that consumer driven commerce technology is critical to growth and success in the months and years ahead.” Payments revolution FreedomPay recently published The American Payment Revolution: Next Level Commerce. The white paper found contactless payments are scaling faster than legacy chip and PIN systems in the United States. Consumers expect a variety of mobile and digital options at the POS as well as security, data privacy and touchless commerce, FreedomPay researchers noted. “Now that we have established contactless and digital payments as the growing preference for consumers across the U.S., it’s important to note it’s not just payments that are being revolutionized, but also technology that drives the consumer experience itself,” the researchers wrote. “Leading technology companies are re-imagining the process of ordering and check-out through the lens of a completely touchless experience.” For a closer look at the lasting impact of digital payment technologies, FreedomPay gathered partners around a virtual roundtable to explore technology’s role in the marketplace. The Oct. 29 event, which I moderated, brought together fintech leaders from Delaware North, Forter, FreedomPay, Grab, HMSHost, Mashgin, Mastercard and Ready. How can our industry balance consumer privacy and data collection? How can we help first-time consumers and merchants realize the full potential of mobile and digital commerce? In addition to addressing these questions, we polled the audience throughout the session and obtained the following results: Question 1: Will America’s economy bounce back stronger in 2021? 82 percent said yes. Question 2: Has COVID-19 impacted you or your family/friends? 87 percent said yes. Optimistic outlook The spirit of optimism shared by FreedomPay researchers, partners and audience members reaches deep into our past and far into our future. As we replace the stifling uniformity of old POS options with agile, responsive digital commerce, we trade up from friction to an ever-expanding universe of connected touchpoints. Our belief that we are stronger together leads us out of a locked down, proprietary trap and into an interactive era of seamless digital commerce. As fintech leaders discussed the payments journey at the virtual roundtable, it became clear that vibrant partnerships comprise the very core of modern payment technology. As they debated approaches to data sharing and consumer privacy, I marveled at our industry’s progress from uniform proprietary systems to open source interoperability. These days, instead of popping tiles and running cable, we’re meeting in the cloud and digital channels, making payments invisible. Looking back at a trail littered with end-of-life equipment and physical hardware swaps, I recall a simpler time when people used the POS to perform a few basic functions. These legacy systems are still with us but share an increasingly crowded stage with new technologies. There was a time when embedding a PIN pad inside a countertop terminal was considered revolutionary. Today’s revolution, according to FreedomPay, is not about unified hardware, but unified customer experience.   Read the original announcement on The Green Sheet.

FreedomPay to Participate in Citi’s 2020 Financial Technology Conference

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – November 18, 2020 – FreedomPay, a global leader in Next Level Commerce™, today announced that Chris Kronenthal, President and CTO, will be participating on a virtual panel at Citi’s 2020 Financial Technology Conference. The panel discussion, Tech Enabled and Verticalized Payments, will take place Wednesday, November 18 at 1:30PM ET. “FreedomPay is a proud partner of Citi and we look forward to participating in their virtual Financial Technology Conference,” said Neal Halbe, CFO at FreedomPay. “FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform is the technology of choice for leading brands across retail, hospitality, food and beverage and we look forward to discussing how the convergence of security, technology, data and loyalty and driving payments today.” About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com FreedomPay published a White Paper The American Payment Revolution: Next Level Commerce which is designed to help merchants of all sizes understand the need for technological advancement at the point of sale and why businesses should respond to the catalyst of change caused by COVID-19 to enable America’s economic recovery. Click here to download the report.

Retail Customer Experience: A look at the American retail payment revolution

Chris Kronenthal, president and CTO of FreedomPay, explains why digitization is here and here to stay when it comes to consumer payment and why it will continue to lead the drive to the future in the retail payments marketplace. Nov. 6, 2020 | by Chris Kronenthal There is an ever increasing shift by all retailers, in the U.S. and internationally, both pre- and post-Covid to focus on technology to get ahead in a highly competitive and rapidly evolving marketplace. Out-dated legacy systems hinder any international retailer’s attempts to get ahead through undesirable friction in the system, a hampering of innovation and growth and, not so good, old-fashioned fraud. The payments space is now dominated by a “race to digitization,” to address two driving factors in particular. Firstly, today’s retail customer is obsessed, and rightly so, with their entitlement and expectation around the flexibility and options available within their purchase experience. Secondly, the rapid increase in “card not present” transactions has unfortunately seen an explosion in fraudulent activity. Both online and digital transactions are suffering from the fall-out associated with fraud and the biggest single countermove to reduce, if not eliminate this, is the adoption of the latest and most secure technology within the retail payment chain. Retail consumer behavior has undoubtedly changed and become much more digitized, not simply as a reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic keeping people off the high street, as evidenced by the massive adoption of such leading pre-COVID market disruptors as Uber, Amazon and Airbnb. While there is no substitute for well-built payment tools, they also need to come with differentiators and brand identifiers. The retail customer’s experience will drive the consumer’s decision making. Every payment provider, and their product/service should of course be competent and fit for purpose, but those that deliver a “value added” experience will win out in the end. The rapid adoption of open banking, in Europe in particular, and the growth in pre-paid, or ‘buy now pay later’ options unlocks even further the value of loyalty programs . Consumer recognition, such as QR codes, will also continue to grow exponentially in the world of retail. The question is how to optimize these trends and make tangible benefits from them. Pre-paying and “personally recognized” customers are generally much more loyal to the retailer in question and this is the key to longer-term success. So, technology is definitely driving buying and payment trends as much as the other way round. Ultimately, whatever system being used needs to work seamlessly, safely and with as much value-add as possible to differentiate it from its rivals. In the post-Covid world this will certainly include such personal consumer (and staff) safety components as being ‘table safe’, germ-free, non-contact etc. Digitization is here and here to stay; it will continue to lead the drive to the future in the retail payments marketplace. Early adoption and a willingness to adapt as quickly as the space evolves will be critical to any retailer’s long term strategic success. Chris Kronenthal is president and CTO of FreedomPay. Read the full article on Retail Customer Experience here.   FreedomPay published a White Paper The American Payment Revolution: Next Level Commerce  which is designed to help merchants of all sizes understand the need for technological advancement at the point of sale and why businesses should respond to the catalyst of change caused by COVID-19 to enable America’s economic recovery. Click here to download the report.

The Power of Digital Commerce Technologies and Fintech Collaboration Are Driving the American Economic Recovery

FreedomPay live poll suggests 82% of respondents feel optimistic about the future and believe America will be economically stronger in 2021 despite COVID-19. PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 30, 2020 – Leaders from eight trailblazing companies in digital commerce, including Delaware North, Forter, FreedomPay, Grab, HMSHost, Mashgin, Mastercard and Ready, agreed that removing friction and driving customer experience are at the center of technology solutions and the primary focus of recovery strategies for every merchant. The virtual roundtable discussion “Payments and the Pandemics: Enabling America’s Recovery” was hosted by FreedomPay on October 29, 2020 and attended by 300 guests from various players in the payments ecosystem and the media. Together, the panelists explored the dynamics of the steps U.S. merchants are taking to capitalize on the digital technology acceleration as consumers move further towards cashless and contactless payment options due to fears of the Covid-19 infection. Courtney Kelly Peters, Director of Business Development at FreedomPay acknowledged that restoring consumer confidence has become the focus for both merchants and technology providers. “Whether you’re going to a restaurant, to the airport or to checkout some items, everywhere you turn there is a touchpoint, and that touchpoint is commerce. Introducing a way to make it a touchless checkout amidst the pandemic has never been more important.” she said. Key topics included the expected change in consumer behavior driven by technology. Srini Raju, Senior Director of Application Development at HMSHost said: “The trend of customer expectation for clean, zero-contact safe travel and purchases is here to stay and permanent. When the pandemic happened, instead of being a push for technology, it became a pull from the customer side – they were eager to try, they want it, and they want it now.” During the Covid-19 pandemic, there has been a dramatic shift in the role of technology in people’s lives and spending behavior, presenting a substantial opportunity for companies to increase capabilities through digital transformation. Stephane Wyper, Senior Vice President Retail Innovation at Mastercard outlined three key trends in digital transformation that have been happening and continue to accelerate as a result of Covid-19. These include the contextualization of retail experiences, unified customer experiences and frictionless commerce. “Frictionless is not a new technology but we have seen a remarkable increase particularly in the US in terms of contactless adoption and there is a continued drive as NFC-enabled payments continue to expand,” Wyper said. During the Q&A session, panelists also addressed the audience’s questions on obstacles for the grab-and-go technical deployment, the importance of merchants being nimble and staying resilient through challenging times, and how merchants should think about their digital transformation strategies now in order to win recovery and secure long-term objectives. Visit our blog to read a full recap of the virtual event. FreedomPay published a White Paper The American Payment Revolution: Next Level Commerce  which is designed to help merchants of all sizes understand the need for technological advancement at the point of sale and why businesses should respond to the catalyst of change caused by COVID-19 to enable America’s economic recovery. Click here to download the report.   Survey Methodology Circa 300 participants participated in the live poll: QUESTION 1: Will America’s economy bounce back stronger in 2021? 82% said yes. QUESTION 2: Has COVID-19 impacted you or your family/ friends? 87% said yes.  

Forter and FreedomPay Partner to Connect Merchants and Banks Across a Global Network to Fight Fraud and Reduce False Declines

Power of network helps merchants and banks block fraud instantaneously and ensure legitimate online shoppers aren’t declined by mistake New York – October 28, 2020 – Forter, the leader in e-commerce fraud prevention, today announced a partnership with FreedomPay, a global leader in Next Level Commerce™, establishing the first joint network for online merchants and banks to instantaneously block fraud and enable legitimate consumers to operate freely. This addresses a major issue where multiple players (the online merchant, the credit card issuer and the bank) touch each online transaction – often using different fraud solutions. This inefficiency, combined with the influx of new online shoppers, increases the possibility of false declines for no apparent reason creating a negative customer experience and the potential for lost revenue. With online transaction volumes for new users increasing by more than 2X since the start of COVID, building repeat business and lifetime value represents a real opportunity for retailers. However, the challenge is that these new users are 5-7X more likely to be declined due to lack of data with legacy fraud prevention systems. Through Forter and FreedomPay’s global network, merchants can confidently accept users they have never seen before. “Our coalition of merchants, payment providers and banks fighting fraud together is a huge step forward in global fraud prevention. With over $200 billion in online transactions and over 800 million trusted users, we enable our coalition members to be way more effective in fighting fraud and growing the business with confidence,” said Liron Damri, Co-founder and President of Forter. “Partnering with an industry leading payment organization, like FreedomPay, allows us to provide its merchants with the most optimal user experience and with a trusted environment that allows them to grow with confidence.” “Fraud prevention continues to be a pain point for merchants, and together FreedomPay and Forter provide a world-class solution,” said Chris Kronenthal, President and CTO at FreedomPay. “Forter’s fraud prevention capabilities protect merchants on FreedomPay’s Commerce Platform and ensure that only legitimate transactions are approved — this not only increases the volume of transactions we are able to process, but also helps to build brand loyalty by providing an optimal consumer experience.” In addition to its fraud prevention capabilities, Forter’s partnership with FreedomPay provides merchants with a global solution that meets regional and country specific compliance requirements, including 3-D Secure (3DS) and other SCA methods for PSD2. —– About Forter Forter is the leader in e-commerce fraud prevention, processing over $200 billion in online commerce transactions and protecting over 800 million consumers globally from credit card fraud, account takeover, identity theft, and more. The company’s identity-based fraud prevention solution detects fraudulent activity in real-time, throughout all online consumer experiences. Forter’s integrated fraud prevention platform is powered by its rapidly growing Global Merchant Network, underpinned by predictive fraud research and modelling, and the ability for customers to tailor the platform for their specific needs. As a result, Forter is trusted by Fortune 500 companies to deliver exceptional accuracy, a smoother user experience, and elevated sales at a much lower cost. Forter was recently named the Leader in e-Commerce Fraud Prevention by Frost & Sullivan. Forter is backed by $100M of capital from top-tier VCs including Sequoia, Scale, and Salesforce. About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com

Leading Fintech Companies Predict Phenomenal Growth in Contactless Cards and Touchless Commerce across America in 2021

Join some of the nation’s top innovative tech leaders October 29th 3pm ET as we discuss the future of payments in America and how to enable the nation’s economic recovery. October 27, 2020 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – With brick and mortar retail, hospitality, sports and entertainment at a standstill, many business leaders, owners, operators, and entrepreneurs are exploring all means to keep their businesses up and running. Merchants are looking to industry leaders for guidance on best practices when it comes to new technologies and the consumer experience. FreedomPay, a global leader in Next Level Commerce™, will be hosting a virtual roundtable discussion Payments and the Pandemic: Enabling America’s Recovery. The event will bring together eight pioneering companies whose combined reach spans across multiple countries and services millions of consumers. This dynamic group of leaders in the payments industry are disrupting the ecosystem through touchless commerce solutions and innovative technologies. “We are excited to bring together leaders in payment innovation to discuss how technology is driving consumer satisfaction and helping consumer confidence,” said Tom Durovsik, Founder and CEO at FreedomPay. “The virtual discussion will give merchants a broader understanding of the payments ecosystem during COVID-19 and how fintech is enabling America’s economic recovery.” The virtual event, moderated by Dale Laszig, Senior Writer at Green Sheet, includes leaders from Delaware North, Forter, FreedomPay, Grab, HMSHost, Mashgin, Mastercard and Ready. Topics will include online fraud prevention management, digital payments and enabling touchless commerce. Register here to join the conversation on Thursday, October 29 at 3PM ET. Ahead of the event, listen to our podcasts with event contributors including Ready on contactless dining, Mashgin on elevating contactless payments with AI, and Forter on managing fraud risk.   About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com

FreedomPay and Grab Enhance Partnership with Touchless Commerce

The FreedomPay and Grab partnership gives more choice, safety and security to consumers at points of payment acceptance. September 29, 2020 – FreedomPay, a global leader in Next Level Commerce™ has expanded on an existing partnership with Grab in the U.S. and Europe to deliver touchless commerce solutions across Grab kiosks and BYOD offering. With a full integration across multiple Point of Sale systems, Grab’s BYOD platform proves ease of implementation across a variety of hospitality markets in airports, casinos, table service restaurants and more. As contactless and touchless payment methods become increasingly popular by both merchants and consumers to protect personal heath and payment safety, FreedomPay and Grab now enhance the consumer experience through FreedomPay’s Touchless Commerce program. Guests can now order and pay with their own devices (BYOD) using NFC and QR technology and mobile wallets including Apple Pay and Google Pay. Guests will no longer need to handle a physical menu, checks, or payment devices. “As touchless payments become a priority for merchants, the FreedomPay and Grab partnership provides access to contactless payment methods with a swift and simple integration,” said Chris Kronenthal, President & CTO at FreedomPay. “Grab’s enablement of FreedomPay’s Touchless Commerce program will allow more merchants across hospitality to offer safe and secure ways for their guests to order and pay.” “With a big shift expected from card present to card not present transactions, Grab’s partnership with FreedomPay enables merchants to offer a contactless way to order and pay keeping guest’s health and safety at the forefront,” said Jeff Livney, CXO at Grab. “We are excited to provide this new payment option to our hospitality partners across the US and Europe.”   About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com About Grab Grab provides the hospitality industry innovative contactless order and payment omnichannel technology including mobile marketplace, self-service kiosks and order at table.  Founded in 2014, the company launched the mobile marketplace at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in 2015 and has since become the largest e-commerce platform in airports worldwide.  www.getgrab.com

The Green Sheet Newswire: Top 25 Women Leaders in Fintech 2020 Recognized

NEW YORK (PRWEB) SEPTEMBER 22, 2020 The Financial Technology Report is pleased to announce The Top 25 Women Leaders in Financial Technology of 2020. In uncertain economic times and as the demand for financial technology increases, these women have stepped up to the plate to aid the companies they serve in producing innovative, secure, and user-friendly solutions for businesses and individuals alike. They were nominated by their colleagues and peers for their notable company and industry contributions and were selected for their demonstrated successes within their roles. This year’s awardees span executive leadership, marketing, HR, compliance, and security positions, among others, and all have adeptly and passionately fulfilled their unique leadership roles. The fintech industry is rapidly evolving, and to meet complex standards is no easy task. Each of the women represented have demonstrated an expert ability to adapt to changing markets, strengthen company procedures, and pilot new initiatives. The exemplary leadership they demonstrate has made a significant impact on the success of their companies and will continue to drive innovation and growth now more than ever. Please join us in recognizing The Top 25 Women Leaders in Financial Technology for 2020. Vidya Peters (Marqeta), Amnah Ajmal (Mastercard), Emily Larkin (Abrigo), Porter Gale (Personal Capital), Ana Sirbu (BlueVine), Josephine Scesney (Cadre), Jan Chong (Tally), Rebeca Minguela (Clarity), Shyama Rose (Amount), Jeanniey Walden (DailyPay), Catherine Kraus (Fundation), Angela Loeffler (Plastiq), Elena Ionenko (TurnKey Lender), Laurel Hesch (Arcesium), Lynn Cherry (Brightwell Payments), Luan Cox (FinMkt), Sheila Monroe (TrueAccord), Doreen Hoffman (Credibly), Caecilia Chu (YouTrip), Megan Staton (Amount), Andrea Collins (Hippo Insurance), Lisa Hennessey (Happy Money), Julia Markiewicz (Silent Eight), Courtney Kelly Peters (FreedomPay), Jen McPhillips (Coalition). The complete article can be viewed at www.thefinancialtechnologyreport.com About The Financial Technology Report The Financial Technology Report is a comprehensive source for market research and insights, business news, investment activity and corporate actions related to the financial technology sector. Based in New York City, the firm is run by a seasoned team of editors, writers and media professionals highly knowledgeable on financial technology and the various companies, executives and investors that make up the sector. www.thefinancialtechnologyreport.com. The Green Sheet Inc. is now a proud affiliate of Bankcard Life, a premier community that provides industry-leading training and resources for payment professionals. Click here for more information: bankcardlife.com?orid=33533&opid=1

FreedomPay’s Courtney Kelly Peters Named Among Top Women Leaders in Financial Technology

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – September 22, 2020 – Courtney Kelly Peters, Director of Business Development at FreedomPay, has been recognized by The Financial Technology Report in their Top 25 Women Leaders in Financial Technology in 2020. Peters’ contribution to the fintech space has earned her the notable nomination. “It is an honor to be recognized by The Financial Technology Report as one of the Top 25 Women Leaders in Financial Technology,” said Peters. “I am proud to support FreedomPay as we continue to drive innovation globally.” Joining the FreedomPay team in 2017, Courtney has substantially impacted FreedomPay’s sales and business development teams through the cultivation of net new business, partnerships, opportunities, and strategy. With a key focus on expanding international partnerships, Courtney continues to build strategic partnerships with top innovative software vendors across FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform. “Courtney has been a driving force in the success of key partnerships and our international expansion and has proven to be a strong leader within the organization,” said Chris Kronenthal, President & CTO at FreedomPay. “The recognition by The Financial Technology Report is well deserved and I look forward to witnessing Courtney’s continued success in the fintech space.” The Top 25 Women Leaders in Financial Technology list recognizes the exceptional women who are playing leading roles at the companies shaping the financial technology sector. Awardees were reviewed based on several factors including professional background and career accomplishments.   Click here to view the official announcement. ___ About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com   During the onset and aftermath of COVID-19, FreedomPay introduces the Touchless Commerce program, ensuring the safety of merchants and customers globally. Whether in a restaurant, airport, convenience store, retail outlet or hotel, enabling touchless commerce makes the checkout experience swift, simple and secure.

The Green Sheet: Reinventing Leading-Edge Merchant Solutions

Launched in 2000, FreedomPay prides itself on being a pioneer in Next Level Commerce focused on solutions in the mobile, cashless, virtual and remote commerce arenas. In addition, the company offers intelligent analysis, promotions routing, incentives and customer relationship management services. With offices in Philadelphia, Las Vegas and London, FreedomPay believes it is “the industry’s first TransAtlantic payments solution with integrations across top point-of-sale, device manufacturers and payment processors, supported by rapid application programming interface adoption.” FreedomPay also said it strives to make payments “faster, simpler, safer and smarter” with an expanded vision of “driving the future of commerce and customer interaction.” Christopher Kronenthal, FreedomPay president and chief technology officer, concurred, adding, “FreedomPay was founded with the original vision of making mobile payments smarter,” he said. “Since then, we have evolved into a cashless company and are now a broadly adapted global commerce platform.” Next Level performance FreedomPay offers a data-driven commerce platform that “delivers next-level performance for companies all around the world,” the company’s leadership team said, adding that it doesn’t “rip and replace” legacy merchant systems, but instead it “transforms a company’s existing systems from legacy to leading edge by surrounding and expanding the current technology footprint.” According to Kronenthal, FreedomPay also boasts a 100 percent client retention rate, which he noted is attributed to “some key milestones, including the introduction of the first alternative payments network in 2004 and being the first fully functional point-to-point encryption (P2PE) solution in North America in 2014” — a fact demonstrated over the past 10 years by the company’s unprecedented zero attrition rate, he added. Validated by the PCI Security Standards Council for P2PE, along with EMV, tokenization, contactless and dynamic currency conversion, FreedomPay noted it delivers secure commerce solutions and advanced value-added services to a variety of merchant sectors, including retail, hospitality, gaming, education, healthcare and financial services. FreedomPay also said its platform supports over 450 POS and payment management system integrations and offers “more than 99.9 percent system availability around the clock” and processes payments “in less than one second.” In addition, the platform recognizes and tracks nearly 10 million line-item stock keeping unit codes for clients in over 50 countries around the world. Additionally, FreedomPay’s integrations are said to be seamless, with projects completed by the company’s development team in as little as four to six weeks. The platform also supports hot swappable devices, meaning no credentials live in the device; thus, supporting the need to change processors is as easy as a simple back-end update. Always ready for market change According to Kronenthal, FreedomPay’s Touchless Commerce program was the first contact-free program to get into the market to protect the safety of merchants and customers during the COVID-19 crisis, and the company continues to focus on expanding its cross-platform offerings. “FreedomPay continues to expand globally and at a rapid pace, and with headquarters in Philadelphia and London, the needs of our clients are opening doors into Asia-Pacific and other regions of the world,” Kronenthal said. The company also intends to better meet demands of the changing merchant marketplace by continually diversifying its products and pair functions that make it easier and more efficient to do business. Kronenthal mentioned the company recently launched its Business Intelligence solution, which allows businesses to track and segment consumers and drive targeted incentives based on purchasing data. “We see a symbiotic relationship between data and payments that we plan to explore further throughout the year to best enhance the commerce operations of our clients,” he said. He further believes many merchants are serviced by providers that don’t have the capability to meet their business goals and enhance the consumer experience. “FreedomPay does just that by combining engagement methodology and the delivery model to unite disparate systems into one unified platform,” he said. Read the original article on The Green Sheet.

Ready Partners with FreedomPay to Bolster Touchless Commerce Offering

Partnership combines Ready’s contactless dining technology with established payment processor to enhance safety in consumer payment space Vancouver, BC, August 25, 2020 – Ready, a financial technology company that offers seamless self-pay and food ordering solutions to hospitality venues across North America, announced today its partnership with FreedomPay,a global leader in Next Level Commerce™. The partnership combines Ready’s connected dining platform with FreedomPay’s consumer-centric commerce solution to provide a robust, safe, and secure payment option that enhances the consumer experience and adds significant value to the hospitality industry. “FreedomPay is a leader in global payment processing, so it’s great to welcome them to the Ready partnership ecosystem,” said Laurent May, Head of Ready. “We have a shared vision to bring a highly secure, integrated and seamless experience to the hospitality industry and working together enables that even more. We look forward to the exciting road ahead and offering our solution to all existing FreedomPay customers.” With this partnership, guests will be able to use their own mobile device to order and pay for their meal without physically exchanging cards, cash or touching a payment terminal. It is a fully integrated, app-free solution that removes all the unnecessary touchpoints that traditional service, ordering kiosks, payment or tableside POS terminals have. The result is an enhanced customer experience and improved service times, all with world-class payment security. Being completely consumer driven and 100% touchless, the solution seamlessly facilitates safe dining practices both on and off-premise and, most importantly, provides a choice for guests at a time when it matters most. “Short term, our combined solutions allow for hospitality operators to resume next-to-normal operations, allowing a completely safe and touchless end-to-end purchasing experience,” said Chris Kronenthal, President & CTO of FreedomPay. “And in the long term, our partnership will provide merchants and consumers with an unrivalled, intuitive experience that will improve service times dramatically and streamline ordering and payment.”

FreedomPay Rolls Out Touchless Commerce In Las Vegas & Boston

Wynn Resorts offers contactless and touchless ways for guests to pay safely Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – August 11, 2020 – As businesses across the US resume operations and safely welcome back customers, FreedomPay, a global leader in Next Level Commerce™, has installed contactless and touchless payment solutions at over 100 venues at both Wynn Las Vegas and Encore Boston Harbor resorts. On the forefront of customer safety, Wynn’s resorts in North America will now allow guests to pay swiftly and securely through FreedomPay’s Touchless Commerce solutions. Guests at Wynn Las Vegas and Encore Boston Harbor can pay with a range of contactless methods at all fine and casual dining, poolside, nightclub, golf, room service, and retail venues. “FreedomPay is excited to support the reopening of Wynn Las Vegas and Encore Boston Harbor through our suite of touchless and contactless capabilities,” said Chris Kronenthal, President & CTO at FreedomPay. “Guests at Wynn Resorts will now be able to enjoy all amenities knowing they are paying in the safest possible way.” Through FreedomPay’s extensive partner network, the Touchless Commerce program will enable Wynn Resorts to solve for touchless checkout in multiple ways: • Contactless Payments – Contactless Card Tap, Apple Pay, Google Pay • Integrated Digital Wallet – in-App payments for mobile ordering & touchless point-of-sale purchases • eCommerce Offering – online payments for your consumer website • Contactless Pay at Table in restaurant locations • BYOD – Bring your own device for in-store payments without touching a payment terminal About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com FreedomPay regularly produces white papers which provide in-depth understanding into the world of payment technology, data, security, and commerce solutions for different sectors. Below are the links to the most recent reports: Reimagining Business Intelligence How to Boost Revenue Through Data-Driven Commerce

Revel Enterprise Point of Sale to Deploy Across More Than 700 Moe’s Southwest Grill® Restaurants

Revel Builds Momentum as More Leading Brands Implement Its Flexible, Innovative, and Cost-Effective Solutions Designed to Help Restaurants Succeed in Today’s Climate ATLANTA (PRWEB) JULY 21, 2020 Revel Systems, a cloud-based point of sale (POS) and complete business management platform, today announced a new contract with fast casual restaurant brand, Moe’s Southwest Grill®. Moe’s is rolling out the Revel Enterprise® solution across the entire restaurant portfolio of more than 700 restaurants by the end of 2020. In the current climate, where digital restaurant orders increased 63 percent¹ in March, restaurant technology that enables innovative ways for customers to order and pick up food is more important than ever. Revel Systems delivers the digital tools and technology necessary to help Moe’s deliver a better customer experience, including a variety of online ordering options, as well as a smooth and efficient order pickup experience. “As we work through the challenging restaurant landscape, we understand the increasing importance of making everything easier for our customers and in-restaurant crew members,” said Erik Hess, President, Moe’s Southwest Grill. “Ensuring Moe’s has best-in-class technology in place that is scalable, flexible and includes advanced digital consumer capabilities is imperative to our success and ability to innovate. Revel’s platform has demonstrated that this is the best technology solution to roll out to our entire franchise system.” This new contract marks the fourth engagement in which Revel has partnered with Focus Brands®. The previous three engagements were with Auntie Anne’s®, Cinnabon® and Carvel®. “Revel has become the leading choice for large chains who want to move from legacy solutions to a cloud-based POS and we are very proud to partner with Moe’s Southwest Grill to fuel the success of their business,” said Greg Dukat, CEO, Revel Systems. “Even during these very demanding times, major brands realize the need to move away from solutions that hamper their ability to meet rapidly changing consumer needs. We are working hand-in-hand with Moe’s to deploy our flexible solutions to help improve the customer experience, increase efficiency and drive down costs.” Moe’s will leverage Revel’s open API to easily integrate with key Revel partners including Decision Logic for restaurant cost management. HonorBuilt, a trusted partner providing nationwide technology implementation services and 24/7 U.S. based support for quick service and fast casual restaurants, will deploy the Revel solution at all Moe’s locations. Moe’s is leveraging Revel’s FreedomPay commerce platform integration to support secure omni-payment transactions including P2PE and EMV contactless payments. Revel Enterprise is curated for the needs of larger chains with more complex business and organizational needs, providing rapid integration and deployment across stations and locations at the push of a button. Easy-to-use, key tasks are simple to implement, including the setup of groups of locations, central control of menus, generation of brand-level reports in real-time, and analysis and management of ingredient inventory, as well as other critical operational tasks. About Revel Systems Revel’s point of sale and business solutions provide a native cloud technology platform that is at the heart of our clients’ businesses. The Revel platform helps restaurants and retailers deliver a better customer experience, diversify revenue streams, and scale their businesses with ease. The Revel Essentials™ solution, which has been deployed at thousands of customer locations, is designed for the needs of small chains. The Revel Enterprise® solution is tailored for large chains and leads the industry with a broad footprint of national, big brand customer implementations. Revel is committed to client success and strives to be a people-first business, leading with integrity and transparency. For more information, please visit http://revelsystems.com or call (415) 744-1433. About Moe’s Southwest Grill® Welcome to Moe’s!® Founded in 2000 and based in Atlanta, GA, Moe’s Southwest Grill® is a fast-casual restaurant franchise that serves high quality and fresh food. Moe’s has a variety of menu items including the Homewrecker burrito, quesadillas, stacks and of course the famous queso. Free chips and salsa always come with every order. Check us out online at https://www.moes.com or download the Moe Rewards App to find a store near you, and then connect with us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. About FreedomPay, Inc. The FreedomPay Next Level Commerce Platform is the best way for merchants to simplify complex payment environments. Validated by the PCI Security Standards Council for Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE) along with EMV, Tokenization, Contactless and DCC capabilities, global leaders in retail, hospitality, gaming, education, healthcare and financial services trust FreedomPay to deliver unmatched security and advanced value-added services. With broad integrations across top point-of-sale, payment device manufacturers and payment processors, supported by rapid API adoption, FreedomPay, the industry’s first TransAtlantic payments solution, is driving the future of commerce and customer interaction. For more information, go to www.freedompay.com. To read more, click here.

QDOBA Implements Contactless Payment for Enhanced Safety and Security

Fast Casual Mexican Restaurant Selects FreedomPay for Next Level Commerce Solutions SAN DIEGO (July 21, 2020)—With the safety and convenience of its guests top of mind, QDOBA Mexican Eats, a Mexican fast-casual restaurant, is implementing FreedomPay contactless payment across its more than 730 locations in the United States and Canada. QDOBA will provide a safe and secure next-level consumer experience when dining in restaurant for enhanced convenience with FreedomPay, a leading consumer-centric contactless platform. The new touchless payment system enables QDOBA customers to have complete control over their checkout experience, giving guests the option to pay via contactless payment methods and digital wallets all on their own device, including Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay. “Throughout these difficult and uncertain times, the care and safety of our guests has been our number one priority,” notes Keith Guilbault, CEO of QDOBA. “The contactless payment program enables us to provide a seamless and safe ordering experience, so regardless of whether you’re dining in or carrying out, you feel comfortable at QDOBA.” Voted as the nation’s best fast-casual restaurant in 2019 and 2020 by USA Today 10Best, QDOBA is known for its flavorful, freshly prepared burritos, bowls, nachos and salads. QDOBA offers an expansive menu with high-quality ingredients, such as hand-chopped veggies, in-house pickled jalapeños and flame-grilled steak and adobo chicken. Guests are able to customize their order, or enjoy one of QDOBA’s Signature Menu items, curated by in-house executive chef, Katy Velazquez. “FreedomPay is excited to work with QDOBA and provide a world class experience to guests across North America,” said Chris Kronenthal, President and CTO at FreedomPay. “With our suite of touchless commerce solutions, together FreedomPay and QDOBA will drive an innovative, seamless consumer experience.” For more information on QDOBA, visit QDOBA.com. Guests can also download the QDOBA app, available on the iTunes App Store or Google Play, to order online for pickup or delivery. About QDOBA Mexican Eats QDOBA is a modern fast-casual Mexican kitchen with more than 730 locations in the U.S. and Canada. Committed to delivering flavor to people’s lives, QDOBA uses ingredients prepared in-house, by hand, and fresh all throughout the day, to create delicious menu options. Guests are encouraged to experience QDOBA’s delicious flavors by enjoying one of its signature menu options that are chef-crafted for convenience and ease or by customizing their burritos, tacos, burrito bowls, salads, quesadillas, and nachos to fit their personal tastes. For two years running, QDOBA has been voted the “Best Fast Casual Restaurant” as part of the USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards. Discover more at www.QDOBA.com or on the QDOBA app. Fans can also connect with QDOBA on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.   About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com During the onset and aftermath of COVID-19, FreedomPay introduces the Touchless Commerce program, ensuring the safety of merchants and customers globally. Whether in a restaurant, airport, convenience store, retail outlet or hotel, enabling touchless commerce makes the checkout experience swift, simple and secure. FreedomPay regularly produces white papers which provide in-depth understanding into the world of payment technology, data, security and commerce solutions for different sectors. Below are the links to the most recent reports: Emerging Trends at The Point of Sale, research in partnership with Ingenico Group Hospitality 2020+ The Reasons Why We Talk About Data-Driven Commerce

Barclaycard Becomes New Acquiring Partner of FreedomPay

Barclaycard, a leading global payment business, is partnering with FreedomPay in the UK and Europe – a leader in commerce solutions. The collaboration will provide a seamless end-to-end payment experience to Barclaycard customers across a broad array of sectors. The FreedomPay Commerce Platform supports merchants and enterprises worldwide, merging security, identity, payments, loyalty, and advertising with proprietary data-driven solutions. Its fully integrated, patented technology offers unparalleled flexibility for enterprises operating across borders, industries, point of sale, and merchant service providers. The new partnership will see these capabilities now available to Barclaycard customers. FreedomPay’s wider collaborations will also enhance the existing Barclaycard offer, giving access to even more payment methods and technologies. For example, FreedomPay supports both offline and online PIN authorisation – covering the different approaches used in the UK and mainland Europe. For hospitality and leisure companies there is particular added value, through integrations with specialist services such as Oracle OPERA – a world-class guest service system for hotel management – and Pay at Table functionality, allowing diners to pay digitally from their seat. More broadly, FreedomPay’s association with Ingenico’s TETRA platform means businesses can use the entire range of wireless and Bluetooth-powered PIN entry devices (PEDs). FreedomPay also supports mobile wallets such as Apple Pay and Google Pay, with plans to add AliPay, WeChat Pay and China Union Pay in the near future. Nicole Olbe, Managing Director of Partnerships at Barclaycard, said: “This exciting new partnership shows our ambition to offer customers best-in-class payment solutions that help them grow. The FreedomPay platform complements and enhances our own, and gives benefits to merchants – particularly in the hospitality and leisure sector – to help them offer the best payment experience possible to their customers.” Chris Kronenthal, President and CTO of FreedomPay, said: “We have ambitious expansion plans across Europe and Barclaycard is a critical acquiring partner of scale, with a reputation for trust and security, to help us with that journey. FreedomPay’s global reach is unique in the world of commerce and working with Barclaycard we will strengthen our capabilities across all continents. We are very excited to see the partnership prosper.” Source: Finextra | Read more here.

Barclaycard Partners with FreedomPay to Enhance Customer Offer

Barclaycard is a new acquiring partner of FreedomPay within the UK and Europe – a leading, global consumer-focused commerce platform Barclaycard customers will gain access to transatlantic opportunities and capabilities that ensure a seamless, multi-channel commerce experience for enterprises operating across borders The partnership enhances Barclaycard’s existing offer, with a focus on hospitality and leisure businesses Barclaycard, a leading global payment business, is partnering with FreedomPay in the UK and Europe – a leader in commerce solutions. The collaboration will provide a seamless end-to-end payment experience to Barclaycard customers across a broad array of sectors. The FreedomPay Commerce Platform supports merchants and enterprises worldwide, merging security, identity, payments, loyalty, and advertising with proprietary data-driven solutions. Its fully integrated, patented technology offers unparalleled flexibility for enterprises operating across borders, industries, point of sale, and merchant service providers. The new partnership will see these capabilities now available to Barclaycard customers. FreedomPay’s wider collaborations will also enhance the existing Barclaycard offer, giving access to even more payment methods and technologies. For example, FreedomPay supports both offline and online PIN authorisation – covering the different approaches used in the UK and mainland Europe. For hospitality and leisure companies there is particular added value, through integrations with specialist services such as Oracle OPERA – a world-class guest service system for hotel management – and Pay at Table functionality, allowing diners to pay digitally from their seat. More broadly, FreedomPay’s association with Ingenico’s TETRA platform means businesses can use the entire range of wireless and Bluetooth-powered PIN entry devices (PEDs). FreedomPay also supports mobile wallets such as Apple Pay and Google Pay, with plans to add AliPay, WeChat Pay and China Union Pay in the near future. Nicole Olbe, Managing Director of Partnerships at Barclaycard, said: “This exciting new partnership shows our ambition to offer customers best-in-class payment solutions that help them grow. The FreedomPay platform complements and enhances our own, and gives benefits to merchants – particularly in the hospitality and leisure sector – to help them offer the best payment experience possible to their customers.” Chris Kronenthal, President and CTO of FreedomPay, said: “We have ambitious expansion plans across Europe and Barclaycard is a critical acquiring partner of scale, with a reputation for trust and security, to help us with that journey. FreedomPay’s global reach is unique in the world of commerce and working with Barclaycard we will strengthen our capabilities across all continents. We are very excited to see the partnership prosper.”   About Barclaycard Barclaycard, part of Barclays Bank PLC, is a leading global payment business that helps consumers, retailers and businesses to make and take payments flexibly, and to access short-term credit. In the UK we process nearly £1 in every £3 spent using credit and debit cards, and in 2019 we processed over £272bn in transactions globally. We also partner with a wide range of organisations across the globe to offer their customers or members payment options and credit. home.barclaycard Follow us on Twitter @BarclaycardNews About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com

FreedomPay’s Touchless Commerce Program to Power Mobile Digital Payments at Cedar Fair Properties

Touchless technology to enhance point-of-sale safety and efficiency for entertainment leader’s guests and associates in hospitality, retail and dining venues Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (July 13, 2020) — FreedomPay, the world’s leading consumer-centric commerce platform, announced it has finalized an agreement to implement its Touchless Commerce program throughout Cedar Fair Entertainment Company’s amusement parks, water parks, resorts and other entertainment properties. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Offering touchless payment technologies aim to further improve the overall guest experience by minimizing physical touchpoints and accelerating throughput times that enhance service quality at retail, dining and other hospitality venues. FreedomPay provides guests the flexibility to choose among popular mobile digital payment applications such as Apple Pay, Google Pay and contactless card tap. Touchless Commerce capabilities will be available at select Cedar Fair parks in 2020 and are expected to be integrated systemwide in 2021. Cedar Fair will also leverage FreedomPay’s fast growing advertising platform DecisionPoint Network™, allowing its guests access to direct, contactless messaging at the point of purchase to improve the payment experience at checkout. “By emphasizing mobile digital payments through FreedomPay’s Touchless Commerce platform, Cedar Fair is providing enhanced safety and convenience for our guests and associates,” said Todd Sasala, vice president of Information Technology at Cedar Fair.  “Not only will our guests spend less time standing in line and more time enjoying the park, but our associates and managers will also enjoy new efficiencies as we reduce cash transactions, card readers and other touchpoints.” “As an early adopter of DecisionPoint Network™, Cedar Fair will now be able to leverage the network to inform park visitors of their touchless payment options including contactless cards and digital wallets,” said Chris Kronenthal, president and CTO at FreedomPay. “Through FreedomPay’s Touchless Commerce program, Cedar Fair parks will not only provide a memorable experience but a safer one as well.” About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com

FreedomPay Unifies Commerce Data Into Actionable Business Intelligence

Merchants now have access to consumer centric digital insights to drive profit and growth in a world of commerce without borders   Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – July 9, 2020 FreedomPay, the global leader in Next Level Commerce™, introduces an industry-leading business intelligence solution that transforms digital strategy and consumer experience for merchants globally. Through BI, merchants can leverage commerce data to analyze sales performance across all selling systems, and contextualize purchase patterns all within unique, customized consumer segments. By converging data accessibility and proactive intelligence, merchants will be equipped with the information to drive smarter, more effective strategic decisions – lower overall cost of payment acceptance, steer consumer behavior and target specific products. FreedomPay’s insights and analytics solution will leverage transactional data from merchant payment ecosystems to generate deeper business understanding. The insights engine further empowers merchants to affect consumer behavior and drive organizations toward a competitive analytical mindset. “FreedomPay’s Business Intelligence solution will provide a unified view of enterprise commerce and put the power of insights truly into the hands of merchants,” said Chris Kronenthal, President and CTO of FreedomPay. “Utilizing analytical methods, merchants will have the opportunity to understand their business using data driven intelligence. Seamlessly and turn-key access forecasting, consumer segmentation and market analysis, allowing merchants to dig into transactional data.  Best of all – it’s all out of the box; no expensive infrastructure or management costs necessary.” FreedomPay’s BI solution will deliver value to multiple sectors within its enterprise clients including Sales, Operations, Finance and Marketing. Merchants will now be able to integrate competitive intelligence in their strategic decision-making by relying on insights developed from curated enterprise data.   About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com During the onset and aftermath of COVID-19, FreedomPay introduces the Touchless Commerce program, ensuring the safety of merchants and customers globally. Whether in a restaurant, airport, convenience store, retail outlet or hotel, enabling touchless commerce makes the checkout experience swift, simple and secure. FreedomPay regularly produces white papers which provide in-depth understanding into the world of payment technology, data, security and commerce solutions for different sectors. Below are the links to the most recent reports: Emerging Trends at The Point of Sale, research in partnership with Ingenico Group Hospitality 2020+ The Reasons Why We Talk About Data-Driven Commerce

FreedomPay Launches New Leading-Edge Brand Worldwide

Global leader in commerce solutions reveals Next Level Commerce™ Philadelphia, PA – July 7, 2020 – FreedomPay today launches a dynamic new image and repositioning, in a rebranding exercise that is geared to the changing nature of payments and the industry’s reliance on Next Level Commerce™ technologies. The FreedomPay Commerce Platform is the technology choice for  many of the world’s leading brands across retail, hospitality, contract food services, gaming, eCommerce, higher education and unattended solutions that are using technology as a primary differentiator to grow and innovate in an increasingly complex environment. Since its founding in 2000, FreedomPay has grown from a pioneer in payments technology to becoming the innovation partner of choice.  In 2014, FreedomPay earned PCI-Validation for the first fully functional P2PE solution in North America and continues to lead the industry globally with an innovative approach to loyalty, business intelligence, and consumer experience. FreedomPay technologies are integral to delivering Next Level Commerce solutions across the globe and powers the most notable banks, card brands, processors, acquirers, mobile wallets, ISV’s and device manufacturers in delivering solutions to their end customers. “FreedomPay has experienced tremendous success over the last 20 years and Next Level Commerce™ is so much more than a rebranding exercise”, said Tom Durovsik, Founder & CEO of FreedomPay. “It is the embodiment of our singular focus on building unmatched commerce technologies that today are powering an entire industry.” “We helped FreedomPay build their brand image in 2014, so it only seemed natural to partner on their next chapter,” said Greg Ricciardi Founder & CEO of 20nine. “The FreedomPay team and positioning is truly Next Level and the new brand speaks to the global influence and impact they have in the payments space.” Visit www.freedompay.com to learn more about Next Level Commerce™.   About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com During the onset and aftermath of COVID-19, FreedomPay introduces the Touchless Commerce program, ensuring the safety of merchants and customers globally. Whether in a restaurant, airport, convenience store, retail outlet or hotel, enabling touchless commerce makes the checkout experience swift, simple and secure. FreedomPay regularly produces white papers which provide in-depth understanding into the world of payment technology, data, security and commerce solutions for different sectors. Below are the links to the most recent reports: Emerging Trends at The Point of Sale, research in partnership with Ingenico Group Hospitality 2020+ The Reasons Why We Talk About Data-Driven Commerce      

Delaware North Transforms Legacy Payments to Leading Edge with FreedomPay’s Touchless Commerce Program

Touchless and contactless payments help protect consumers and merchants during the onset and aftermath of COVID-19 Buffalo, New York – June 1, 2020 – Delaware North continues to work tirelessly to ensure the safety of merchants and consumers across North America by working with commerce partner FreedomPay. Whether in a restaurant, airport, sports stadium or hotel, FreedomPay, a world leading consumer-centric commerce platform, is enabling touchless payments at hundreds of Delaware North locations to make the checkout experience swift, simple and secure. Delaware North, a global leader in hospitality, is implementing FreedomPay’s touchless commerce solutions across many locations in its environment, including sports and entertainment venues, restaurants, airports, gaming facilities, hotels and national parks. At the forefront of innovation and customer success, Delaware North is providing a fast, safe and secure experience for its customers at checkout. “The world of payments is changing rapidly and Delaware North is responding quickly to the needs of our clients and our customers,” said Zac Campbell, Senior Merchant Processing Analyst at Delaware North. “We’re working with FreedomPay to introduce Touchless Commerce solutions and cashless payment capabilities across many of our business units that reduce physical touchpoints and also to provide reassurance to our consumers during and post COVID-19.” “Delaware North has been a long-time partner of FreedomPay, and we are excited to support their cutting-edge vision of a completely touchless checkout experience,” said Matt Donnelly, SVP of Client Solutions and Global Compliance at FreedomPay. “FreedomPay now enables Delaware North customers to pay by multiple contactless methods, providing a safe and secure environment.” Through FreedomPay’s extensive partner network, the Touchless Commerce program will enable Delaware North to solve for touchless checkout in multiple ways: Contactless Payments – Contactless Card Tap, Apple Pay, Google Pay Integrated Digital Wallet – in-App payments for mobile ordering & touchless point-of-sale purchases eCommerce Offering – online payments for your consumer website Contactless Pay at Table in restaurant locations BYOD – Bring your own device for in-store payments without touching a payment terminal About Delaware North Delaware North is a global hospitality and entertainment company founded in 1915 and owned by the Jacobs family for more than 100 years. Delaware North operates at high-profile places such as sports and entertainment venues, national and state parks, cultural landmarks, destination resorts and restaurants, airports, and regional casinos. Our associates are dedicated to delighting guests by creating the world’s best experiences. Delaware North serves millions of guests each year in the sports, travel hospitality, restaurant and catering, lodging, gaming, and specialty retail industries. Learn more about Delaware North at www.DelawareNorth.com. About FreedomPay FreedomPay’s Next Level commerce platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com During the onset and aftermath of COVID-19, FreedomPay introduces the Touchless Commerce program, ensuring the safety of merchants and customers globally. Whether in a restaurant, airport, convenience store, retail outlet or hotel, enabling touchless commerce makes the checkout experience swift, simple and secure. FreedomPay regularly produces white papers which provide in-depth understanding into the world of payment technology, data, security and commerce solutions for different sectors. Below are the links to the most recent reports: Emerging Trends at The Point of Sale, research in partnership with Ingenico Group Hospitality 2020+ The Reasons Why We Talk About Data-Driven Commerce

FreedomPay Integrates with Google Pay to Support Next Level eCommerce Payments

New integration enables FreedomPay to offer Google Pay across all its eCommerce solutions, providing seamless payments in a merchant’s app, website, and in-store PHILADELPHIA, April 17, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — FreedomPay, a leading consumer-centric commerce platform has integrated support for Google Pay, the fast, simple and secure way to pay on sites, and in apps, using the cards saved to your Google Account, to provide seamless payments across its full range of eCommerce solutions, in both Android applications and in browsers via FreedomPay’s Hosted Payment Controls (HPC). The FreedomPay Commerce Platform will now enable eCommerce transactions for Android users who are making purchases in applications using cards stored within their Google Pay account. This can be done on the merchant website regardless of browser or operating system or within an Android app, with FreedomPay securely integrating to the Google Payments API on the merchant’s behalf. Google Pay users will also have the option to make in-store purchases by enabling contactless payments at the point of sale by accessing their mobile wallet. “With the use of mobile and online payments continuing to rise, consumers shopping on the thousands of merchants operating on FreedomPay’s global commerce platform will now be able to purchase seamlessly by using Google Pay,” said Steve Klebe, Business Development at Google. “Together, Google Pay and FreedomPay will raise the bar for merchants and customers with even greater variety, flexibility and functionality.” Chris Kronenthal, President & CTO of FreedomPay added: “With FreedomPay’s globally recognized eComm solution, our customers can quickly and easily pay any number of ways online, or in-store. Teaming up with Google Pay is truly about bringing seamless, secure payments to our joint customer’s apps and websites.” Merchants looking to offer Google Pay through FreedomPay’s consumer-centric commerce platform can learn more at www.freedompay.com. About FreedomPay The FreedomPay Commerce Platform is the technology of choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services.  FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver a consistent, repeatable experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com FreedomPay regularly produces white papers which provide in-depth understanding into the world of payment technology, data, security and commerce solutions for different sectors. Below are the links to the most recent reports: Emerging Trends at The Point of Sale, research in partnership with Ingenico Group Hospitality 2020+ The Reasons Why We Talk About Data-Driven Commerce View original content :http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/freedompay-integrates-with-google-pay-to-support-next-level-ecommerce-payments-301042534.html

FreedomPay Powers the Fastest, Touchless Self-Checkout Solution Mashgin

Plans to roll out leading-edge touchless technology across healthcare, stadiums, corporate dining, and convenience stores Philadelphia, Pennsylvania May 28, 2020 – FreedomPay, the world’s leading consumer-centric commerce platform, has announced a strategic partnership with Mashgin, the industry leader in AI-powered, touchless self-checkout which will allow both technologies to work co-operatively to assist customers in resuming commercial activity safely and securely. Mashgin is redefining the self-checkout experience by leveraging AI technologies like computer vision and machine learning to deliver dramatically faster and safer consumer transactions. Rather than depend on barcode technology, Mashgin uses cameras to visually recognize all of a customer’s items simultaneously, in less than one second, eliminating the need to scan each product individually. Once items are identified, payment can be completed using all forms contactless payments, ensuring the safety of every customer. Mashgin’s self-checkout solution is deployed in over 200 installations across multiple sectors and venues in the United States, ranging from healthcare facilities, corporate dining, and high-profile sports stadiums. The collaboration further demonstrates both companies’ commitment to being at the forefront of Consumer Centric Commerce technologies, delivering best-in-class solutions across sports, stadiums and entertainment, business dining, education, and healthcare. The FreedomPay Commerce Platform provides award winning capabilities and support for EMV, NFC, DCC, and importantly, unmatched point-to-point encryption (P2PE) security solutions for credit card readers. Christopher Kronenthal, President and CTO of FreedomPay said: “Our partners choose FreedomPay because we are experienced in providing a robust, secure and seamless payment processing solution. We can offer even more convenient consumer experiences with new digital technology that adds significant value to the sectors we operate in, and we are excited to see more of Mashgin’s devices powered by FreedomPay in the field. “By collaborating with a technology provider that is already having a tremendous impact on the customer checkout experience, our partners can look forward to accessing the smartest, safest and most secure business solutions on the market.” Abhinai Srivastava, Founder & CEO at Mashgin added: “Our partnership with FreedomPay has been extremely helpful in accelerating the growth of our company. The large majority of our clients request that we use FreedomPay specifically so partnering with them makes it very easy for our clients to deploy our solution immediately with full confidence in the high security and guaranteed PCI compliance that FreedomPay provides.” About FreedomPay The FreedomPay Commerce Platform is the technology of choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services.  FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver a consistent, repeatable experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com During the onset and aftermath of COVID-19, FreedomPay introduces the Touchless Commerce program, ensuring the safety of merchants and customers globally. Whether in a restaurant, airport, convenience store, retail outlet or hotel, enabling touchless commerce makes the checkout experience swift, simple and secure. FreedomPay regularly produces white papers which provide in-depth understanding into the world of payment technology, data, security and commerce solutions for different sectors. Below are the links to the most recent reports: Emerging Trends at The Point of Sale, research in partnership with Ingenico Group Hospitality 2020+ The Reasons Why We Talk About Data-Driven Commerce About Mashgin Mashgin is helping redefine the self-checkout experience for food service operators looking to drive results through innovation. Through the use of cutting edge technology powered by AI and a fully touchless user experience that results in 4x faster service than traditional POS and 20% revenue lift across locations, Mashgin allows customers to quickly and safely scan, pay, and be on their way. Mashgin, based in Palo Alto, CA and a graduate of Y Combinator, serves customers daily in hundreds of locations across Sports, Business Dining, Healthcare, Higher Education, and Retail clients. For additional information, visit: www.mashgin.com.

FreedomPay & Mastel Hospitality Announce Strategic Partnership

Mastel Hospitality partners with leading innovator in card payments Philadelphia / Madrid— 05/27/2020- FreedomPay, the world’s leading consumer-centric commerce platform, joins a strategic partnership with Mastel Hospitality, an international technology service provider and business intelligence developer focusing on the Hospitality, Retail and Gaming market. The partnership is a step in the rapid expansion of FreedomPay in the European credit card payment industry. With the increase in demand of touchless payments but also a single integration point for companies utilising multiple software systems for Hospitality and Retail, FreedomPay offers a complete and unique software solution that combines payments with analytics, customer experience and software integration. FreedomPay offers massive advantages to Hospitality businesses and multi-property chain operators in the F&B and Room’s Division. The integration with e-commerce, loyalty and business intelligence gives a unique competitive advantage to modern day Hotel and Retail management to increase ROI, analyse spending trends and create loyalty plans that are more accessible to todays demanding consumer. FreedomPay, Founder and CEO Tom Durovsik said: “FreedomPay is looking forward to a great partnership with Mastel Hospitality, as a high level and high-quality IT service provider in the Hospitality Market, Mastel is the perfect match for the FreedomPay’s payment solutions. Their team of certified Oracle Hospitality Consultants have all the skills and knowledge required for a successful rollout in the EMEA region” The partnership came as a natural conclusion as Mastel Hospitality is one of the leading service providers in the Hospitality Market with a strong focus on Oracle Hospitality related products. Their team of certified Opera 5, Opera Cloud, Simphony, Simphony Cloud and IT Consultants provide services to Individual Hotels, Resorts and Hotel Chains as well as Casinos and Retail operations on a global scale. Rafael Godoy, CEO and Director of Mastel Hospitality said “The Hospitality & Retail market needs a payment partner that takes away the difficulties of dealing with technology, security and integration, while giving the customer an unprecedented experience, we strongly believe that FreedomPay is that solution and look forward to a strong and long partnership” Mastel Hospitality has been trained and certified in the sales and support of FreedomPay’s software and payment solutions and providers an EMEA wide sales and support point for FreedomPay.

FreedomPay Introduces Touchless Commerce Program to Take Payments to the Safer Next Level

Enabling touchless commerce protects the safety of merchants and customers during the onset and aftermath of COVID-19. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – May 7, 2020 – FreedomPay, the world’s leading consumer-centric commerce platform announces its Touchless Commerce program, ensuring the safety of merchants and customers globally. Whether in a restaurant, airport, convenience store, retail outlet or hotel, enabling touchless commerce makes the checkout experience swift, simple and secure. Through FreedomPay’s extensive partner network, the Touchless Commerce program can solve for a checkout in multiple ways with no additional hardware required. Contactless Payment Method – Contactless Card Tap, Apple Pay, Google Pay Integrated Digital Wallet – in-App payments for your consumer application eCommerce Offering – online payments for your consumer website Touchless Drive-Through – fully-integrated, touchless drive-through support BYOD – Bring your own device for in-store payments without touching a payment terminal “Merchants are looking to protect their customers during COVID-19 and implementing touchless commerce does just that,” said Chris Kronenthal, President & CTO of FreedomPay. “Touchless methods give customers complete control of their checkout experience as well as their payment data. With touchless commerce being fast, safe and easy, we will continue to see merchants transition to fully online and mobile solutions.” Merchants looking to enable Touchless Commerce through FreedomPay’s consumer-centric commerce platform can learn more at www.corporate.freedompay.com. About FreedomPay The FreedomPay Commerce Platform is the technology of choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services.  FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver a consistent, repeatable experience on a global scale. www.corporate.freedompay.com FreedomPay regularly produces white papers which provide in-depth understanding into the world of payment technology, data, security and commerce solutions for different sectors. Below are the links to the most recent reports: Emerging Trends at The Point of Sale, research in partnership with Ingenico Group Hospitality 2020+ The Reasons Why We Talk About Data-Driven Commerce

meldCX Achieves FreedomPay Certification to Offer Secure Digital Ordering for Kiosks

Direct To FreeWay certification ensures safe and secure transactions Austin, TX – May 5, 2020 –Melbourne-based meldCX, which has a U.S. headquarters in Austin, Texas, has achieved Direct To FreeWay Certification with FreedomPay. meldCX provides customers with solutions that transform the process of building and deploying apps. FreedomPay is a leading, global, consumer-centric commerce payments platform. “This is a significant step forward for meldCX, and we are proud to partner with FreedomPay,” Edward Doan, general manager for meldCX, said. “FreedomPay will provide meldCX-powered kiosks with a certified level of security for credit card transactions. Customers that use meldCX-powered kiosks will now experience the intuitive meldCX platform while having even more peace of mind that their transactions are secure,” he concluded. meldCX is primarily using this solution in the hospitality industry, allowing guests to handle self-service transactions with a kiosk in a secure fashion. meldCX brings together multiple technology partners like Google and Intel to build easy-to-use, easy-to-manage, and secure customer self-service kiosk solutions. With this FreedomPay certification, credit card payment capabilities that are central to the meldCX and Chrome OS-powered kiosk, are now certified to operate in an industry-certified secure manner. FreedomPay provides meldCX clients a secure environment to store customer credit card data and process payments safely through FreedomPay’s PCI-validated payment platform for Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE), along with trending technologies such as secure, smart-payment EMV and contactless. About meldCX meldCX is an affiliated company within the Acer and AOPEN groups. Its flagship product, meldCX, is a leading comprehensive cross OS enterprise platform for development of digital transformation (DT), making it simple and cost-effective for organizations to develop, deploy and manage commercial applications for IoT devices and DT initiatives For more information, please visit:. www.meldcx.com. About FreedomPay FreedomPay, the industry’s first TransAtlantic payments solution platform, is driving the future of commerce and customer interaction. The FreedomPay Commerce Platform is the best way for merchants to simplify complex payment environments. FreedomPay is validated by the PCI Security Standards Council for Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE), along with EMV, Tokenization, Contactless and DCC capabilities. Global leaders in retail, hospitality, gaming, education, healthcare and financial services trust FreedomPay to deliver unmatched security and advanced value-added services. FreedomPay provides broad integration across merchant point-of-sale sites, payment device manufacturers and payment processors, supported by rapid API adoption. For more information, please visit: www.freedompay.com.

FreedomPay Integrates with Google Pay to Support Next Level eCommerce Payments

New integration enables FreedomPay to offer Google Pay across all its eCommerce solutions, providing seamless payments in a merchant’s app, website, and in-store Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – April 17, 2020 – FreedomPay, a leading consumer-centric commerce platform has integrated support for Google Pay, the fast, simple and secure way to pay on sites, and in apps, using the cards saved to your Google Account, to provide seamless payments across its full range of eCommerce solutions, in both Android applications and in browsers via FreedomPay’s Hosted Payment Controls (HPC). The FreedomPay Commerce Platform will now enable eCommerce transactions for Android users who are making purchases in applications using cards stored within their Google Pay account. This can be done on the merchant website regardless of browser or operating system or within an Android app, with FreedomPay securely integrating to the Google Payments API on the merchant’s behalf. Google Pay users will also have the option to make in-store purchases by enabling contactless payments at the point of sale by accessing their mobile wallet. “With the use of mobile and online payments continuing to rise, consumers shopping on the  thousands of merchants operating on FreedomPay’s global commerce platform will now be able to purchase seamlessly by using Google Pay,” said Steve Klebe, Business Development at Google. “Together, Google Pay and FreedomPay will raise the bar for merchants and customers with even greater variety, flexibility and functionality.” Chris Kronenthal, President & CTO of FreedomPay added: “With FreedomPay’s globally recognized eComm solution,our customers can quickly and easily pay any number of ways online, or in-store. Teaming up with Google Pay is truly about bringing seamless, secure payments to our joint customer’s apps and websites.” Merchants looking to offer Google Pay through FreedomPay’s consumer-centric commerce platform can learn more at www.corporate.freedompay.com. About FreedomPay The FreedomPay Commerce Platform is the technology of choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services.  FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver a consistent, repeatable experience on a global scale. www.corporate.freedompay.com FreedomPay regularly produces white papers which provide in-depth understanding into the world of payment technology, data, security and commerce solutions for different sectors. Below are the links to the most recent reports: Emerging Trends at The Point of Sale, research in partnership with Ingenico Group Hospitality 2020+ The Reasons Why We Talk About Data-Driven Commerce

Transition to a Fully Online or Mobile Solution with FreedomPay

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – April 9, 2020 – FreedomPay, the world’s leading consumer-centric commerce platform, is urging consumers to adopt mobile, online and contactless payments during this time of social distancing and self-isolation. As the effects of COVID-19 have restricted travel, disrupted and stopped in-restaurant dining experiences and in-store shopping, FreedomPay’s vast array of payment support methods, from hardware to mobile and eCommerce solutions, equip merchants with Next Level functionality to continue to operate as seamlessly and safely as possible. Customers, who are looking to assume some sense of normalcy during this time, can order from their favorite restaurants or shop at their preferred retailers safely and securely. Fine dining and quick service restaurants in America have turned to online ordering and delivery to avoid shutting down operations completely. With FreedomPay’s integration to mobile devices included Ingenico’s Move 5000 portable payment terminal, restaurants can meet their customers curbside to complete the transaction. Better yet, customers can pay with contactless solutions, whether through digital wallet platforms such as Apple Pay and Google Pay, or by the tap of your contactless card. “During this global pandemic, FreedomPay continues to support our clients 100% and with that comes our robust solutions platform providing in-store and online capabilities for our merchants,” said Nate Ware, SVP, Sales & Digital Development at FreedomPay. “Our industry-leading platform allows for merchants to pivot their daily operations to adapt to the changing ecosystem and meet the demands of their customers.” About FreedomPay: The FreedomPay Commerce Platform is the technology of choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services. FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver a consistent, repeatable experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com

How FreedomPay Became a 20-Year Overnight Success

A conversation with Chris Kronenthal, President and Chief Technology Officer at FreedomPay Editor’s Note: I met Chris Kronenthal several months ago at a function here in New York City so we already had something of a basis for this conversation. In the course of my work here at TheCustomer I have occasion to talk with a lot of senior people in various sectors that serve and are served by customer engagement technologies. What’s interesting, and what struck me about my earlier conversation with Chris, is that FreedomPay is both of those. And that, it seems to me, is largely a function of the personalities at the top of that organization. On a personal note, it is always refreshing to talk with someone who operates at that level – without the jargon, without the pretense. As you’ll see, Chris is that kind of a person. Honest. Real. Forthcoming. TheCustomer When we met several months ago, you talked a lot about what you called “the groundwork”. At that point, FreedomPay had just won several major accounts and you attributed those wins, in large part, to the groundwork. More recently, FreedomPay won Marriott’s global business – no small thing. Tell me, what do you mean by the term “groundwork” and did that play into your conversations with Marriott Chis Kronenthal You know, it’s funny, everybody starts out with a vision of what they think success looks like. And then reality just kind of happens. So, I think from that perspective, in order to get to what FreedomPay is today, you really have to go back 20 years. The original vision of the company was mobile payments. And if you think about mobile payments in 2000 – 2001 none of the infrastructure was there. You’re talking about Nokia clamshell phones, you’re talking about basically a non-existent cellular network, certainly minimal in regards to data and all the foundational technology you need. So, the company decided to turn it into a ground war. They basically said, let’s take a Nokia phone and an RFID sticker (we literally they called them sticky backs) and put it on the phone so that you turn the phone into an NFC capable device. And then you put a proprietary reader at the cash register. All the things you take for granted today like having a strong cellular network, about having a strong internet, about having e-commerce – none of that was really there. So, they created a company gestalt around field services. So, for us, payments and field services were a tightly coupled concept. TheCustomer Tell us what you mean by “field services”. That could mean different things depending on your industry and point of view. Chis Kronenthal Banks created payments as a function of underwriting so I could walk into a store, I could give you my payment method, and as I walked out, you knew you were going to get paid. But banking really never focused on what it took to make that happen. It’s a financial process and you’re injecting it into technology. Field Services means you’ve literally got to work with a merchant customer and say, what’s your network? How do you connect your point of sale? Do you have enough power at the lane to run this device? Do you have a manager in the store that can plug in devices? Do I need to send a third party to go out and do that for you? Are you part of a corporate or franchise network where they mandate what that needs to look like? Does your does your point of sale partner have the right type of operating system – that’s what field service is. TheCustomer How do you do that on a massive scale? How do you scale that for FreedomPay that has hundreds of thousands of implementations? Chris Kronenthal You know, there was this point when payments was just a stand-beside reader and then all of a sudden e commerce happened. Fast forward 20 years later and 85% of transactions still happen in a physical world and nobody had perfected the ground game. That’s the genesis of the ground game – everybody wants the richness, the complexity of a fully integrated ecosystem that they can get online but they want it offline where the payment action actually stayed. TheCustomer How did that evolve? Because right now FreedomPay operates at a scale which is preventative for a lot of other people to enter into. You don’t just don’t show up with a checkbook and suddenly you’re able to operate with this kind of complexity and this kind of scale. Chris Kronenthal You can imagine as a startup, you talk about all the different paths you take to get somewhere. It was a very complex process to transition FreedomPay from an early innovator in mobile payments, to a cashless company, to a broadly-adopted global commerce platform. FreedomPay managed to grow into what it is through a lot of hard work from a lot of people. They a developed ground game which integrated a cashless system into vending machines, into kiosks, into point of sale registers, and somehow getting all that to work reliably on an internet that wasn’t that sound. We realized very early that the only way they were going to get into market was to learn how to wrap around everybody else’s issues and to solve those issues and still provide a really slick experience. The best thing that cashless ever did for us was: 1) it created a DNA in our company to embrace the ground war, don’t shy away from it, don’t try to work around it and just deal with the fact that it’s ugly. And you’ve got to have processes, people and product that solves for those nuances. And 2) it gave us a runway because a traditional approach would mean having to go raise a lot of money. They’d have to burn through a bunch of cash. The cashless system for us gave us enough of the customer base and enough of a recurring revenue stream to pivot the company hard. TheCustomer How did you do it? What was that process of scaling up your groundwork like? How do you account for every possible use case? Chris Kronenthal It’s really a testament to some of the folks FreedomPay. You have to assume you’ve no idea what you’re going into and build your software for that. Because, to your point, it’s impossible to guess what every use case looks like. The fundamentals of our current system focus extensively on what does offline look like? How do we make our middleware available to third parties assuming that they’re not going to help us get integrated? Our platform was built on the assumption that our back end connections would fail or that our internet would be unreliable. Our entire system was built very defensively, expecting it to just go wrong. TheCustomer Let’s talk a little bit about Marriott. I think that’s a big deal that any payment company would love to have. But FreedomPay won the Marriott contract on a global basis, correct? That’s a big deal. Chris Kronenthal Yes, it’s a global contract. We’re focusing on North America and Europe as the first two regions but ultimately, we are building out and executing on a global roadmap. And a big part of that was their confidence in the groundwork. Because when you think about deploying across 127 countries, in all the languages, all the currencies that go into that all the different partners that you would need, we were in a position to give them the confidence that they were looking for. We’re the one company that focused on what it means to build the ground game. So as we work across the globe with them, we have a repeatable, trackable, executable process to engage the third parties that we’re going to use in that region. Here’s how we evaluate them. Here’s how we expect their pricing to come in. Here’s how we meet local requirements, jurisdictional things, etc. A big part of being able to deliver for them confidently, was knowing that we have a real strong sense of how to execute that ground game. TheCustomer That, folks, is how it’s done – the hard way. I feel like we could have titled this conversation “How FreedomPay took over a corner of the payments world – one square foot at a time.” And that’s actually quite a feat. Chris, it’s always a lot of fun chatting with you. Thanks for your time and best of luck with Marriott. To read the original article, click here.

VenueNext Partners with FreedomPay to Transform its Payment Experience

Companies launch new partnership for payment processing technology for the newly installed kiosks at The University of Alabama SANTA CLARA, California – March 11, 2020 – VenueNext, a leader in mobile commerce technology for venues around the world, announced today that it has partnered with FreedomPay, an innovative leader in commerce technologies. The partnership entails integration of FreedomPay’s TETRA line smart terminals solutions with VenueNext technology and products for the newly installed kiosks at The University of Alabama. This partnership gives VenueNext customers access to fast and reliable payment processing that can be used seamlessly with its products. With FreedomPay’s TETRA platform, customers will also have the ability to pay with QuickChip and contactless EMV for faster transactions. The University of Alabama launch follows the recent success of VenueNext and FreedomPay’s partnership at implementing Point of Sale infrastructure and kiosks at The University of Florida Gators, six months ago. The collaboration saw Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, home of the Florida Gators, having their highest grossing concessions sales after implementing VenueNext POS with FreedomPay payment processing technology. “We are excited to offer our customers a new seamless option for fast and reliable payment processing,” said Anthony Perez, VenueNext CEO. “FreedomPay’s integration with our self-service kiosks and point of sale terminals allow transactions to process faster and provide customers with a more enjoyable experience.” “The venue industry is extremely competitive when it comes to the customer experience, particularly around payments and check-out,” said Tom Durovsik, Founder & CEO of FreedomPay. “Selecting FreedomPay’s Commerce Platform is a step change for the team at VenueNext, allowing us to simplify payments and enhance the customer’s payment experience. We’re excited to continue working with VenueNext to create an industry-leading experience.”

FreedomPay Integrates to Lloyds Bank Cardnet platform

London, March 9, 2020 – FreedomPay, the world’s leading consumer-centric commerce platform has integrated to the Lloyd’s Cardnet payments platform. The integration will enable Cardnet to provide advanced payment processing capabilities to Lloyds business banking customers in the UK across payments, security, identity, value added services and data analytics. “The world of payments is evolving at an incredible pace. FreedomPay’s consumer-centric platform will allow Lloyds Cardnet customers to access the world’s leading technology platform for end-to-end commerce, providing a seamless payment experience to their customers”.  Said Tom Durovsik, FreedomPay CEO.     “The UK market is strategically very important to FreedomPay’s global expansion plans and by integrating to Cardnet we believe we can empower UK businesses to thrive while gaining access to cross-border and trans-continental solutions.” FreedomPay World Europe is headquartered in Canary Wharf, London and is driving digital transformation and business growth for leading merchants across the world.        

POStech Ltd and FreedomPay to serve up hospitality payments in Ireland & UK

Dublin, Ireland – 5 March 2020 – POStech Ltd, Oracle Micros Gold Partner for Ireland, today announced the signing of a reseller agreement across the U.K. and other parts of Europe with FreedomPay, an innovative leader in commerce technologies. Together, the companies offer a tightly integrated payment solution for hospitality operators, combining POStech’s pedigree across installation, configuration and service of high-quality point-of-sale with the FreedomPay’s Commerce Platform As A Service. The reseller agreement supports market expansion for both companies across Ireland and the UK. Hotels, restaurants and venues already utilise POStech’s range of Oracle Micros POS offering best in class functionality and durability, while the FreedomPay Commerce Platform offers unparalleled payment flexibility and optionality for enterprises. The two companies are broadening their relationship having already worked successfully together on several projects, and with a strong mutual pipeline in 2020. “I am delighted to have agreed this partnership with POStech,” said Barry Stearn, Director of Partnerships at FreedomPay. “Both companies can leverage 20 years experience servicing the hospitality industry and it made sense to combine our best in breed ethos for the benefit of our customers. POStech is synonymous with customer centricity and this shared value came to the fore early in our discussions.” A key feature of the FreedomPay platform is its analytical tokenisation technology, which enables data from an individual’s sales journey to be tracked invisibly, with no friction, and without compromising sensitive cardholder details. This means customer interactions can be seamlessly collected from instore and digital sales channels to build a detailed view of the customer, which is ideal for delivering effective loyalty programs and personalization initiatives. “POStech is very excited to partner with FreedomPay; this cements our commitment to technology innovation while providing our customers with the right solution.” Philip Murphy, Sales Manager at POStech added. “Through working in partnership with FreedomPay, we are able to take that next step in the FinTech sector. We’re impressed by the progress made by Barry and his team in a short space of time and with our shared values, this partnership will help all involved grow and prosper.”  

The Future Of Payments: 2020 And Beyond

Chris Kronenthal, FreedomPay: Businesses that have implemented a strategic plan to solve the payment data and digital infrastructure challenges will be the most successful in 2020 and beyond Customers are pushing the boundaries of technology. Demand for more innovative, easier and faster ways to pay for goods and services is a daily challenge, which means that the biggest issue over the next decade is how businesses upgrade and sync complex legacy payment tech systems to stay relevant and ahead of the competition. In other words, merchants must futureproof their payment technology to enable growth. Sleek apps and digitally-enabled tools are standard for any business that wants to get ahead, but most of them are focused on front-of-house services. If the legacy systems that companies are using behind these glossy facades are not up to scratch, then too often the customer experience is poor and frustrating. The danger is that legacy systems – which may have been acquired and developed over a number of years, especially for older businesses that have been through mergers and have a large number of disparate systems as a result – are not up to the job of delivering the payment services now needed. The patchwork of tech created as a result can mean glitches that prevent the smooth service every tech-savvy business and customer wants and needs. Added to that, some departments within the business may have an affinity for a certain system, which can make it difficult to get everyone on board with the need to make necessary changes. But without addressing these differences, it is impossible to create a fully integrated payment ecosystem that provides for the needs of both the customer and the business. Cost is also a major factor, as upgrading and even replacing legacy systems can be a step too far. But if merchants want to compete in 2020 and beyond, something has to be done. Customers simply won’t accept second best and, as data becomes ever more valuable and integral to the way customers pay, there is no time to waste on systems that are not fully integrated to collect and use this data. This is where a strong payments platform that can integrate a variety of legacy systems can solve the problem. Data collection is now essential For many years, data collection was not the intention when customers interacted with a business. Moreover, the technology to undertake the data collection simply didn’t exist. But things have changed and now data collection cannot be ignored. Not only it is now possible to collect and collate this data from customers with the right partner, merchants can also integrate a wide variety of legacy systems so they will work in harmony to assist both merchants and their customers to get the best service. This includes detailed, granular analysis of data collected to enable merchants to provide offers, loyalty bonuses and discounts to their best customers, and to understand what stock is moving well and at what time. All these make any business more efficient, more enticing to customers, and more profitable. Focus on the customer However, while the technology is there to help companies make these changes to their business, a company-wide approach needs to be adopted to maximise the benefit of upgrades and integration with the best payment platforms. The key is to focus on the outcome you want to achieve – happy customers – rather than the process to integrate the various tech. This will dictate how successful the outcome is. There is no place for fragmentation when it comes to the way your payment services work, and while we are not talking about ripping and replacing digital infrastructure as the cost would be monumental, if not entirely impossible, but surround and expanding legacy systems to stay competitive. Thus, to be most effective, everyone from the chief executive to the most junior members of the team should understand and appreciate what the new payment platform will do for customers, as they should be the focus at all levels. Effective communication between staff is essential to ensure everyone understands what is being done and why. All issues must be properly dealt with. Patching various systems together rather than understating how they work or the benefits they offer is not a sensible approach. Moreover, rivalries between different departments within the same business need to be addressed so demarcation between different business sections is eradicated. A holistic approach to payments Customer service has to be put front and center for a fully holistic approach to be achieved across the business no matter how a customer interacts – on your property, online or by phone. Even those departments who do not have a customer-facing role, such as IT, must understand that all activities are aimed at improving the customer experience. That it is their responsibility as much as it is the front-of-house staff who interact directly with your customers. Take it step-by-step Merchants that want to provide the best services to customers need to do a number of things: Find out what services are available – see which is the most effective payment system that can work with all your various legacy systems. What may not have been possible when you were looking to update your systems a few years ago may be relatively simple to achieve today. Understand what your customers want and how your competitors are attracting them – you want to offer as many payment options as possible – Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, contactless, using wearable tech and so on. Work with a provider that handles all the latest security requirements – as security considerations ramp up, merchants don’t want to be taking a chance that they are at risk of paying out for fraudulent transactions. Make sure your platform provider is futureproof – new payment methods come into play all the time. You need to be sure you will always be at the cutting edge, so your customers see you as highly engaged and professional. Choose a service that provides excellent data analysis and capture – data will be key in the next five to ten years, and if your provider can’t help you use this in the most effective way within GDPR legislation, you are likely to lose out. You need to use advanced technology, a fully integrated cultural approach to payment services for customers across the business and identify the primary ways your customers want to interact with you. Those businesses that have implemented a solid and consistent plan to solve the data and digital infrastructure challenges will be the ones to see success in 2020 and beyond. For more information about FreedomPay, read the whitepaper ‘Hospitality 2020+ – The Reasons Why We Talk About Data Driven Commerce’.

FreedomPay Announces An Agreement With Marriott International For Commerce Technology Innovation

The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform™ has been widely recognized for driving innovation, transformation and growth across a wide range of industries PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — FreedomPay, an innovative leader in commerce technologies, today announced an agreement with Marriott International to adopt FreedomPay’s award winning commerce platform to be used across Marriott’s lodging portfolio beginning in the United States and Canada and expanding into other global regions. The agreement couples a technology powerhouse that is recognized as the technology engine for many of the world’s leading brands across diverse industries with the leading hospitality company that manages and franchises more than 7,000 properties in 132 countries and territories. “FreedomPay’s global reach is unique in the world of commerce and provides leading enterprises with a highly available and scalable single, unified platform across all continents versus managing a patchwork of disparate providers,” said FreedomPay CEO and Founder, Tom Durovsik. The FreedomPay Commerce Platform supports merchants and enterprises worldwide merging security, identity, payments, loyalty, and advertising with proprietary data driven solutions. Its fully integrated, patented technology offers unparalleled flexibility and optionality for enterprises operating across borders, across industries and across point of sale and merchant service providers. As corporations begin to consolidate commerce delivery across the globe, a single, unified platform is required to deliver a true omni-channel solution. “Marriott is committed to technology that facilitates unmatched customer service across the globe,” said Val Bauduin, Controller and Chief Accounting Officer at Marriott. “We are excited to work with FreedomPay to drive innovation, speed to market, and scale toward our goal of a seamless customer experience.” “The FreedomPay Commerce Platform is transformational for enterprises dealing with a rapidly changing payments landscape and focused on delivering best-in-class capabilities today and in the future,” Tom Durovsik, FreedomPay CEO and Founder added. “Our combined drive for innovation and commitment to technological advancement represents the future of hospitality and lodging.” About FreedomPay The FreedomPay Commerce Platform is the technology of choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services. FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver a consistent, repeatable experience on a global scale. Find out more, please visit: www.freedompay.com . Website: https://corporate.freedompay.com/ Contact: For FreedomPay, Gug Kyriacou – FWD Consulting, freedompay@fwdconsulting.co.uk +44 (0) 20 7623 2368

Top 10 Payment and Card Solution Providers – 2019

With the changed consumer behavior to browse and purchase ‘all the time and everywhere’, it has become a real challenge for the merchants to adopt an open service model. Due to this increasing customer demands, payments industry players have broken new ground in the last few years, with many improvements regard the way people pay in different regions, verticals, environments, and circumstances. The industry has quickly transformed from an infrastructure of cards and terminals to such a sector which is currently dominated by phones and fobs with the next stage being phone-to-phone dominance. To revamp the payments industry in an ambitious bid to cope with the dynamic nature of customer needs, Banking CIO Outlook presents top 10 Payment and Card solution providers to help the organizations in revolutionizing the way toward sculpting the new age of payment and card industry. Featuring our Cover Story is PayAll Payment Systems, which offers a single shared multi-currency platform that enables more accessible, faster, secure, and compliant global B2B and B2C payments for enterprises. Alongside, we have many such companies that are the perfect partners for legacy financial services organizations, who need to become more responsive to the digital consumers. Also the aforementioned companies are positioned to create novel consumer-focused digital solutions that may help them to keeping pace with the ever evolving market trends. We present to you Banking CIO Outlook’s “Top 10 Payment and Card Solution Providers – 2019.” Advances in technology are now an unstoppable force in the world of commerce and have changed consumer spending behaviors, and the way businesses operate to meet customers’ demands on a global scale. Currently, the industry is struggling to integrate legacy technologies with new emerging Fintech services outside mainstream commerce. Many organizations don’t want to re-engineer every process for integrations. Maximizing sales channels for a multi-tiered enterprise-to-consumer organization can be tricky, this is where FreedomPay steps in with its system integration abilities that can empower retailers. The company acts as a bridge that links the client’s entire existing infrastructure, enabling them to innovate and accelerate product adoption. FreedomPay’s platform acts on detailed data collected across all POS and ERP systems and uses one gateway to streamline every transaction. “Our distinct capability lies in delivering integration without requiring the merchant to disrupt their existing technological footprint,” says Chris Kronenthal, President and CTO of FreedomPay. In the realm of payment technology integration, Kronenthal believes that it is vital that businesses understand why they are innovating and how to fully maximize these solutions. Far too many companies in this sector are focused on selling and not solving problems, and ultimately, it is the merchants who suffer from this approach. FreedomPay, on the other hand, can provide the required value to merchants, the right toolkit, the engagement methodology, and the delivery process to pull those issues together. “We have brought together innovation and education for our clients, partners, and merchants to demonstrate why they need to use a commerce platform that can really deliver. The proposition is simple: protect their brand, leverage data and provide an integrated payments solution that enables them to grow their business and increase revenue,” he says.The company provides the tools necessary to not only compete but to thrive in an industry that is highly populated and competitive. Unlike other payment solutions, FreedomPay does not follow a ‘one size fits’ all approach as each merchant has unique requirements. Based on each merchant’s requirements, the company provides tools and payment platform. At the same time, FreedomPay’s commerce platform is customer-centric with a mission to help merchants provide unique experiences for their customers that is centralized around the payment process. “Our platform allows merchants to easily understand the distinct pieces of the payments process; from backend acquiring, rates used and which payments methods merchants accept,” adds Kronenthal. The company then integrates all of these aspects and provides an enablement hub that acts as the glue between the merchant and the bank, ensuring that a connected, fully integrated ecosystem is in place. Owing to its stellar abilities, FreedomPay was selected to deploy its industry-leading commerce platform at most MGM Resorts International Properties. As a world leader in the hospitality sector, MGM’s reputation depends on providing the best possible experience for its guests, across all aspects of its business, while ensuring that payment data remains completely secure. No other payment solution could provide an EMV commerce platform capable of securing payments throughout MGM Resorts’ broad array of lodging-hospitality focused systems while maintaining PCI compliance scope. FreedomPay’s platform added a robust offline transaction, solved for EMV, NFC, and digital signature capture challenges, while seamlessly integrating with back-office ERP and accounting systems with real-time data feeds. By using FreedomPay’s scalable commerce platform, MGM Resorts was able to implement payment security throughout their restaurants, cabanas, retail shops, valet parking, and e-commerce sites. Looking at the future, FreedomPay will employ a continual reinvestment strategy in technology to enhanceits solutions and continue to make great strides in the U.S. market. With a recent expansion to the European market, the company is also penetrating into the Asian market. BC

End of life for certain POS terminals and the looming risk to retailers

Retailers are used to having to change or update their payment systems over time, but a major change is coming up which means many of the current point-of-sale (POS) systems they are using will not just become obsolete, but could leave them at risk of liability for fraudulent transactions. PCI compliant terminals are an important part of a retailer’s business and once the new V4 terminals come in to use in April next year, the V3 ones that are currently used by retailers will no longer be supported. It is a process the industry calls ‘sunsetting’, and retailers need to start looking at the alternative payment systems they can use now so their transition from one system to another can be seamless. Doing nothing is a very dangerous option, as continuing to use an unsupported POS systems – i.e. without software updates to ensure compliance with legislation and the latest security protocols – they would end up footing the bill for any fraudulent transactions made through their terminals. So, now is a very good time to look at the wide variety of payment system alternatives that are currently in the market. There are around 900 different payment terminals globally, and the one that was right for your business previously may no longer be appropriate. It really depends on how your business works. Most retailers now have an online presence, which is essential to garner market share for their business as the buying habits of consumers change. Worldwide, 2.8 billion people are buying online, up 3.1% from last year according to data from We Are Social and the trend is set to continue. Failing to access this market effectively means putting your company’s future at risk. There are many retailers that have failed because they didn’t follow the move online quickly enough —ToysRUs, Blockbuster, Eastman Kodak and the U.S. bookstore chain Borders to name but a few. So, it is vital for retailers to consider their online presence, and also look at the various ways that people are able to pay for goods and services both online and offline. Customers are using everything from credit cards, debit cards and mobile wallets such as Apple Pay and are always keen to adopt new, easier and faster – but still ultra-secure – ways to pay. While it may be tempting to think of upgrading your new POS system in isolation, you should also consider how your customers are interacting with you. Is your online presence strong enough, or could be made stronger? Also, would a more integrated payment system for both online and offline payments make more sense for your business? Even in store, the number of ways customers look to pay is proliferating. For example, contactless seemed like an amazing innovation when it arrived back in 2007 and while it took some time for people to feel comfortable with it, contactless payments finally outstripped chip and PIN payments in the U.K. in June last year. But that is the tip of the iceberg. People are now using their smartphones, watches and facial recognition to pay for good and services, and these advances in technology show no sign of abating. If retailers want to keep their customers happy, and coming back, they need to consider these options going forward. They need to use a system that is future proof because it develops as the technology develops.

EFI entrusts Freedompay to deliver self-service P2PE Payment Solution

FreedomPay, a provider of secure commerce technology for restaurants, hotels and other hospitality merchants, has been selected by EFI as a secure credit card payment gateway provider for the EFI Self-Serve M600 station, a system that lets customers copy, scan or print from a variety of sources and securely pay in a completely self-serve environment. FreedomPay’s Commerce Platform will make the M600 station a self-serve printing device to support Point to Point Encryption (P2PE), bringing the latest in payment technology and security to users. The partnership with FreedomPay’s PCI validated P2PE Commerce Platform enables EFI to provide customers with robust credit card payment and data security, including EMV with chip authorization. The FreedomPay Commerce Platform is a way for merchants to simplify complex payment environments. Validated by the PCI Security Standards Council for Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE) along with EMV, Tokenization, Contactless and DCC capabilities, hospitality companies and others trust FreedomPay to deliver security and advanced value-added services. To read the original press release, click here.

Freedompay Receives Elavon UK Certification As It Expands Its Award Winning Commerce Platform Across Europe

PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 10, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — FreedomPay, the global leader in secure commerce technology for lodging, gaming, retail, restaurants, stadiums and other hospitality merchants, has announced the receipt of the Elavon UK certification for their Commerce Connect eCommerce and PCI-validated point-to-point encryption (P2PE) compliant ePayments solution for the European market. This certification enables FreedomPay to securely process both ecommerce and card present transactions within the European market in partnership with Elavon, meeting the needs of retail, food and beverage and hotel merchants across Europe. The certification also extends to merchants who have U.S. and European locations, offering one consolidated gateway to securely process Trans Atlantic payments. “In a time of considerable growth and innovation in the ePayments market, this partnership allows FreedomPay solve for a merchants’ entire ecosystem by taking a best in class combination of eCommerce, card present and acquiring to multiple countries across Europe,” said Tony Hammond, Managing Director, Europe, at FreedomPay. “We’re thrilled to continue working with Elavon to make payments secure and simplified while always having the merchants and their consumers at the forefront of our mission.” This certification brings three main features to the European market; PCI-Validated P2PE, enabling contactless payments, and our multi-channel solution including Hosted Payment Page, Payment Information Proxy and Virtual Terminal. Having EMV and a PCI-Validated P2PE solution dramatically reduces the cost of compliance and provides greater business protection in the event of a data breach, along with enabling contactless payments allowing for high speed transactions, less time in line and an improved consumer experience. Beyond faster, more secure payments, FreedomPay offers a multi-channel solution that manages merchant point of sale, web and phone payments, all in one. For ecommerce transactions, our Hosted Payment Page is a white-labeled responsive design solution for accepting user payment information, authorizing transactions, and returning a tokenized authorization. With FreedomPay’s Payment Information Proxy, transactions and cardholder data from third party sites, like Online Travel Agencies, are captured and tokenized prior to entering a point-of-sale or property management system enabling merchants to maintain PCI compliance. FreedomPay’s Virtual Terminal solution with PCI-validated P2PE secures card-not-present transactions for inbound phone and back-office transactions by removing sensitive cardholder data from network environments. “There are no payment providers in the European marketplace delivering the level of security, functionality and service at the level of FreedomPay,” said Tom Durovsik, FreedomPay Founder and CEO. “We currently support the industry leaders across hospitality, lodging, retail, stadiums and other verticals and look forward to advancing the state of commerce for European merchants.” To read the original article, click here.

Mobile Payments The Next Generation

Rumors of stagnation in mobile payments appear to be exaggerated. While some hotel and restaurant operators have resisted moving into mobile payments — often because they believe mass consumer adoption of technology, such as mobile wallets, is still several years away — many others have begun to move forward. Mobile payments play a pivotal role in removing friction from the payment equation and create a better customer experience, says Lori Breitzke, president of payment consultancy E&S Consulting LLC (www.eandsconsultingllc.com). The end result: vendors are devising a second generation of mobile payment solutions, and operators are considering them more seriously. By investing in mobile platforms that accept all types of payment, restaurant and hotel operators can “future-proof” themselves against disintermediation and remain on a highly competitive plain, according to vendors like TableSafe (www.tablesafe.com) and SumUp (https://sumup.com). The former’s RAIL mobile payment platform, implemented at such establishments as 71Above (www.71above.com), allows for mobile payments at the table using a credit card, Samsung Pay, Apple Pay, PayPal and other payment vehicles. SumUp has integrated Apple Pay and Google Pay functionality into its SumUp Air mobile POS devices, which also accept credit cards. The vendor encourages operators to look beyond traditional applications of omnichannel devices, such as tip acceptance by hotel personnel. In-app mobile payments are gaining ground, in large part because of the convenience they offer to customers whether payments are made on-premise or remotely. Some players are deploying native apps and chat apps and/or technology that enable payments to be made via social media. Others make in-app mobile payment possible through platforms like ChowNow (https://get.chownow.com). Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts (www.shangri-la.com) has added in-app payment functionality to its Shangri-La mobile app through a partnership with Ingenico (www.ingenico.com). The Ingenico Connect solution allows guests to settle their tabs without being redirected to other payment pages, and to avail themselves of single-click payments for recurring use. The solution is fully integrated with the chain’s MICROS (www.oracle.com/industries/hospitality) PMS and central reservation systems. “The app plays an important role in enhancing experience and creates a seamless online-to-offline journey,” which is the key to success with mobile payments, states Oliver Bonke, president and chief operating officer, Shangri-La International Hotel Management Ltd. Some operators not only accept mainstream mobile wallet offerings like Apple Pay, Google Pay and Chase Pay, but also payments made via China’s Alipay and WeChat Pay. This is in part to accommodate the burgeoning number of visitors from China. The Alipay and WeChat Pay platforms are used by a collective one billion Chinese consumers and dominate the Chinese mobile payment market. Under terms of a partnership with First Data (www.firstdata.com), Alipay is being integrated at the POS across four million U.S. merchant locations, among them independent restaurants and regional coffee chains as well as food trucks and large stadiums. The partnership also extends to Alipay transaction acceptance at several Millennium Hotels and Resorts (www.millenniumhotels.com) properties in the United States, including the Millennium Broadway New York Times Square and The Premier Times Square by Millennium in New York City; The Bostonian Boston in Boston; and the Millennium Biltmore Los Angeles in Los Angeles. Howard Wu, president, North America and chief technology officer of Millennium Hotels and Resorts, said in a statement earlier this year that the operator’s aim in accepting Alipay is to create a seamless experience for travelers. Similarly, guests of Luxe Hotels (www.luxehotels.com) in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills can pay for their stay with either Alipay or WeChat Pay. Adam Sydenham, Luxe Hotels’ regional general manager, says the option to utilize these mobile wallets positions the two properties as “preferred destinations” for the “throngs” of Chinese travelers who visit Los Angeles and Beverly Hills annually. Its deployment appears to be a wise move: Research by the U.S. Travel Association (www.ustravel.org) indicates that visitors from China stay in the U.S. longer than other tourists from abroad and spend the most per visit, averaging $7,200. To read the original press release, click here.

Chinese Travelers to the USA Now Have Seamless Payment Options

With nearly three million Chinese travelers coming to the USA each year, a seamless payment solution is a natural evolution for a market that has matured using mobile technology from the inception of online payments. Alipay, the world leader in digital payment platforms, has struck a partnership with Freedom Pay, a global leader in protected commerce technology. Alipay has more than 625 million users on their platform. Freedom Pay connects thousands of merchants in the USA, including financial services, retail, banking, higher education, hospitality, manufacturing, food services, and fleet sales. The partnership will provide Alipay with new customers focusing on the travel and hospitality sector. Freedom Pay also has a strong presence in airports and travel plaza’s across the USA. Payments made on mobile platforms including smartphones and tablets rose 55% last year which represented nearly 20% of all transactions worldwide. Applications with a store mode or payment module engage consumers at a rate five times above those retail shops without it. Through the partnership, Freedom Pay’s customers will be able to market to the Chinese tourist market before they arrive in the USA, during their visit, and even after they have left. The partnership will take into consideration merchants that cater to Chinese travelers and prominently feature those retailers. Fintech has become part of the business lexicon. Big companies serving both the domestic and international markets are all vying for consumer mindshare. Whether we are talking about Samsung Pay, Apple Pay, or even the Starbucks application, mobile wallets are all the rage. There has never been a better time to be involved in the mobile payment arena. Whether you’re a young startup, an established mature business, or somewhere in between, the need for insightful, qualified information around Fintech is paramount to your ability to compete in today’s interconnected financial payment world. The Mobile Payment Conference held in Chicago this August is the go-to conference to hear from those working in the trenches and the analysts with their fingers on the pulse of the industry. Follow this link to find out how to get invited to the one mobile payment conference you cannot afford to miss this year. www.mobilepaymentconference.com To read the original press release, click here.

Alipay Hits Shoptalk Show With Big Mobile Payments News

For those not familiar with Shoptalk, it’s a trade show focused on the retail market, and one that tends to bring its share of news in the sector along with it. Alipay—the rapidly-growing Chinese mobile payments service—hit the show recently and dropped word our way about what was revealed therein. Not surprisingly, the news is expansion-based, and Alipay now counts several more North American businesses to its credit. First, Alipay dropped word that it was stepping up its earlier-established partnership with First Data, a move that would add fully 35,000 merchants to the Alipay roster. First Data is regarded as a “premier partner” for Alipay by no less than Alipay Americas president Souheil Badran, who said as much following the announcement. One of the First Data partners involved, Millennium Hotels and Resorts, noted that using Alipay had proven quite successful throughout Asian operations, so bringing it into play in the Boston, Los Angeles  and New York Millennium locations was a natural extension from there. Second, Alipay stepped into an agreement with FreedomPay, which is another major operation in the secure commerce technology market. Thus, businesses that use FreedomPay technology—which range from airports to resorts and beyond—will be able to accept Alipay as part of their operations. FreedomPay has been working for two decades in this market space, which means it’s had a lot of opportunity to expand. The common cause of these expansions, as noted by Badran in separate remarks, is to open up the field and get Alipay in more places where the growing Chinese tourist class is likely to hit. Part of that is almost certainly for the sake of more profit to Alipay, but part of that is also likely geared toward keeping market share from jumping ship to WeChat Pay. Since WeChat Pay has made its own inroads—though on a much, much lower scale than Alipay—in the worldwide market, it’s a safe bet that Alipay is actively considering its own user base numbers in the rapid expansion. It doesn’t hurt that Alipay is the weapon of choice when it comes to high-dollar mobile payments, and travel is a high-dollar operation by any definition of the term. Alipay’s worldwide expansion likely won’t stop here, and as more firms get added, its versatility—and value—are only likely to increase. To read the original article, click here

The Future of Payment is ‘Touch and Go’

Matthew Donnelly, VP of Solutions and Finance at FreedomPay, discusses the rise of contactless transactions like Apple Pay and Samsung Pay and how his company is streamlining that process. / Cheddar TV To read the original article, click here.

Breakthrough Infrastructure – Why Next-Gen Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Will Transform Your IT And Business

Infrastructure as a service (IaaS) got its start more than 10 years ago, as service providers made extra computing, storage, and network capacity available to customers on a subscription basis. These remote-technology offerings gave organizations an alternative to provisioning, installing, and maintaining their own IT infrastructure and paved the way for individuals, companies, and governments to tap into unlimited data center assets. Those first-generation cloud offerings have become extremely popular—but today’s customers want more. More power. More versatility. More control. Oracle has responded with next-generation IaaS offerings that combine the elasticity and utility of the public cloud with the granular control, security, and predictability of on-premises infrastructure. “One of the key ideas of Oracle Cloud Infrastructure—initially introduced as Oracle Bare Metal Cloud Services—is to meet customers where they are,” says Marc Levy, an architect and vice president of software development at Oracle. “If they want to move their applications as they are, they can do that. And they can do that because Oracle Cloud Infrastructure supports a wide variety of compute—from virtual machines to bare metal servers to engineered systems such as Oracle Exadata—all in the same cloud infrastructure. So customers can use the familiar infrastructure patterns they use on premises—for example, a very high-performance engineered system—and they can also adopt cloud-native patterns.” Building on Raw Power This type of flexibility and power is perfect for companies such as Zenotech, an Oracle partner that supplies cloud-based solutions for computational fluid dynamics. Zenotech helps engineers at aerospace companies, automotive companies, and civil engineering firms simulate airflow over airplane wings, airflow around buildings, and similar types of complex engineering challenges. Its software platform and cloud brokerage service, known as Elastic Private Interactive Cloud (EPIC), enables customers to initiate and scale these complex jobs within a high-performance computing environment. Today, many of those jobs run on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure services. “We invested in Oracle Cloud Infrastructure because it includes some of the latest hardware available anywhere in the world,” says David Standingford, director and cofounder at Zenotech. “By linking directly with Oracle infrastructure, our EPIC platform, which is designed to match elements in complex, heterogeneous workflows with the optimal hardware, will have unmatched performance.” To read the original article, click here.

PHOTOS: Inside FreedomPay’s New FMC Tower Headquarters

It’s official: Financial technology company FreedomPay is all settled into its new FMC Tower headquarters and the relocation tells two important stories for the company and for Philadelphia. For one, FreedomPay uprooted its Radnor-based office and moved 150 employees to the new University City 25,000 square foot space. The company made the decision to go where its employers are as more and more workers were commuting from Philadelphia to the suburban town. Founder and CEO Thomas Durovsik told Philadelphia magazine that the company should’ve relocated sooner. At the company’s ribbon-cutting ceremony, Mayor Jim Kenney told attendees that FreedomPay is one example of local business development that’s supported by the state’s Keystone Opportunity Zone. And, “There are many more factors than tax incentives that go into a company’s decision to open up in any city and here in Philadelphia,” Kenney said. “Public safety, quality of life, and affordability are part of the equation. Philly has a lot to offer in each.” Plus, Kenney added that FreedomPay will have no problem fitting into the city. That’s because the company recently launched the Philadelphia Artist Series, an initiative to connect Philly’s art and tech communities. With the help of local art consultants, FreedomPay commissioned area artists — Nate Harris, Meredith Sellers, and the True Hand Society — to create pieces already being displayed at the new headquarters. Read more here

Cool Offices: Kenney Welcomes FMC Tower Tenant

FreedomPay settled into its 25,000 square-feet at the FMC Tower this past summer, but the cloud-based commerce platform’s CEO says they are already looking to expand. The company moved from its original location in Radnor to its new downtown space this past summer. During a Thursday ribbon cutting ceremony that included Mayor Jim Kenney, CEO Tom Durovsik told the Business Journal the company is looking for another 5,000-10,000 square feet of office space to expand in the city by the end of the year. “It’s great to be here welcoming another innovative company to join Philadelphia’s business community. I’d like to recognize Founder and CEO Tom Durovsik and the other FreedomPay employees who are here with us today. I believe that you guys are really going to love it here,” said Mayor Kenney. “FreedomPay’s decision to open offices in Philadelphia could not have been possible without the Keystone Opportunity Zone, this initiative spearheaded by Gov. Wolf and his team in Harrisburg has greatly increased the amount of business development taking place in Philadelphia.” To read the original article, click here.

Springer-Miller and FreedomPay Delivering World-Class Commerce Solutions and Transforming Customer Experience

Springer-Miller Offering Hotel Customers PCI-Validated Payment Security and Value-Added Services Through SMS|Host PMS and FreedomPay Commerce Platform Integration STOWE, VT — APRIL 6, 2017 — Springer-Miller Systems (SMS), the leading provider of guest-centric hospitality management systems, today announces the integration of its SMS|Host Hospitality Management System with the FreedomPay Commerce Platform. The SMS|Host integration enables Springer-Miller to offer customers end-to-end protection for credit card payments made through FreedomPay’s cloud-based global payments platform supported by Microsoft Azure™. The FreedomPay Commerce Platform is the first PCI-validated point-to-point encryption (P2PE) solution with EMV, NFC, Dynamic Currency Conversion and real-time data capabilities that delivers on a global scale. FreedomPay’s platform simplifies payment security by providing complete card data security for all transacations by ensuring that sensitive cardholder data is encrypted at the point of interaction and replaced with surrogate values in the customers’ POS and network environments. FreedomPay’s PCI-valdated P2PE solution, enables Springer-Miller customers to realize cost savings by reducing annual PCI DSS audit and compliance scope while also minimizing the impact of a data breach. Read full article here.

FreedomPay Expands Secure Commerce Platform with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Integration

FreedomPay Commerce Platform drives innovation across the Microsoft ecosystem; payments, value-added services, security, Azure cloud platform and business intelligence RADNOR, PA – January 12, 2017 – FreedomPay today announced the integration of Microsoft Dynamics 365 with its PCI-validated commerce platform.  The Dynamics 365 integration marks a significant milestone in a multi-year strategy to deploy an industry leading commerce platform that delivers world-class security, seamless connectivity to the point-of-sale and real-time data availability with the global scale and accessibility of the Azure cloud platform. Microsoft and FreedomPay’s collaboration has resulted in the first Azure hosted commerce platform that seamlessly connects online, mobile and in-store point-of-sale networks with a PCI-validated payment gateway which provides point-to-point encryption with EMV, NFC and tokenization support. The platform delivers end-to-end protection for all credit card transactions and is certified for EMV with the major payment processors enabling merchants to bypass their own EMV certification processes and benefit from reduced Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) scope. Further, the Azure hosted solution allows for rapid deployment and scalability based on merchants’ payment volumes and global commerce footprint. With FreedomPay’s platform integration, which also supports legacy versions, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Dynamics AX and Dynamics Retail Management System 2.0 users can choose from a broad selection of PCI-certified P2PE payment devices from Ingenico or Verifone to solve for the most challenging card present and not-present payment use cases including multi-lane checkout, pay-at-table, customer service department refunding, back-office and call center order fulfillment, and ecommerce shopping. Read full release here.

FreedomPay Deploys Commerce Platform at MGM Resorts International Properties

The FreedomPay Commerce Platform gives MGM Resorts an edge in payments innovation LAS VEGAS, NV – January 11, 2017 – FreedomPay, the leader in secure commerce technology for lodging, gaming, retail, restaurants, stadiums and other hospitality merchants, announced today the deployment of its industry leading commerce platform at most MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) properties in North America. In selecting the FreedomPay Commerce Platform, MGM Resorts has deployed the first EMV commerce platform capable of securing payments throughout MGM Resorts’ hotel management system. FreedomPay’s platform enables MGM to seamlessly deliver unparalleled card data security for all their guests’ payment transactions. “Our goal is to deliver exceptional guest experiences and world-class payment security. Credit card data is critically important to us,” said Sy Esfahani, MGM Resorts chief information officer. “The FreedomPay Commerce Platform provides an EMV solution across all our point-of-sale channels.” MGM Resorts deployed FreedomPay’s PCI-validated point-to-point encryption (P2PE) solution on Ingenico Group’s iSC, iPP and iSMPc smart terminals with its existing Oracle Hospitality OPERA property management system.  The FreedomPay validated P2PE solution is securing payments at front desks, concierge services and back-office operations by encrypting credit card data at the point-of-sale. FreedomPay’s scalable commerce platform has enabled MGM Resorts to deploy FreedomPay payment security throughout their restaurants, cabanas, valet parking and ecommerce sites by leveraging an extensive library of POS system integrations and secure online capabilities. Read full release here.

Brandywine Realty Trust Announces 24,799 Square Feet Lease with FreedomPay, Inc. for FMC Tower at Cira Centre South

FreedomPay’s growth spurs move to downtown Philadelphia RADNOR, Pa., Dec. 15, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — Brandywine Realty Trust (NYSE: BDN) announced today that it has signed a long term lease with FreedomPay, Inc., a global leader in payment and commerce technologies, to lease 24,799 square feet at Brandywine’s newly developed FMC Tower at Cira Centre South, in the University City section of downtown Philadelphia.  FMC Tower is a progressively-designed, 725′ Vertical Neighborhood, comprised of office, residential, hotel, restaurant, amenity, and elevated outdoor space. With the explosion of new commerce technologies around the world like EMV, mobile wallets and bank card security, FreedomPay has experienced rapid growth and plans to move nearly 150 employees into its new Philadelphia corporate headquarters at FMC Tower.  The company supports billions of transactions across disparate industries and has built its reputation on the ability to multiplex instore, online and on-mobile transactions seamlessly for both small business operators and the largest global enterprises. The move enables FreedomPay to tap into the region’s growing high tech presence with the potential for co-ops and work study programs with area universities, and reinforces FreedomPay’s commitment to delivering the most innovative technology solutions for today’s complex global commerce market. “We have been a client of Brandywine for many years and have been tracking the FMC Tower project.  Our decision to move into Philadelphia is a vote of confidence for the city itself and our desire to become an integral part of Philadelphia’s emerging tech presence,” said Tom Durovsik, Founder and Chief Executive Officer at FreedomPay. Read full press release here.

FreedomPay Announces Oracle Payment Interface (OPI) Support for OPERA and MICROS Products

First validated P2PE solution including support for EMV, NFC, Pay-at-Table and more RADNOR, PA – October 13, 2016 – FreedomPay, the leader in secure payment technology for stadiums, food service, restaurants, gaming, lodging and retail merchants, announces the immediate availability of EMV integration for the OPERA property management system. The FreedomPay Commerce Platform solution for OPERA allows rapid deployment of EMV-enabled payment terminals with the highest standard of payment security delivered through PCI-validated point-to-point encryption (P2PE).  The solution currently secures one of the world’s largest lodging companies, and has been approved for general availability, in conjunction with FreedomPay’s existing support for MICROS’ food and beverage suite of products. FreedomPay’s Commerce Platform is certified for EMV with all the major payment processors, providing Oracle Hospitality customers a turn-key solution for reducing the risk of card present fraudulent purchases. The FreedomPay EMV solution for OPERA is coupled with digital signature capture, and PCI-validated P2PE plus tokenization to deliver the strongest payment security available in the industry by ensuring that sensitive cardholder data is completely encrypted and replaced with surrogate values. By integrating with FreedomPay’s Commerce Platform, Oracle Hospitality customers no longer need to manage their own EMV certifications, while gaining additional cost savings from reduced PCI DSS compliance requirements and documentation. “FreedomPay’s team has worked closely with Oracle Hospitality over the past several months to deliver a payment security solution that truly meets the needs of Oracle hotel and resort merchants and we are excited to launch our EMV solution for OPERA,” said Christopher Kronenthal, the chief technology officer at FreedomPay. “Our Commerce Platform will immediately help reduce fraud and chargebacks for merchants, and delivers a broad array of commerce solutions designed to solve the most complicated payment use cases.” The FreedomPay Commerce Platform represents the simplest and most cost effective way for Oracle Hospitality customers to deploy a certified EMV solution with the added benefits of PCI-validated P2PE, NFC capabilities, Dynamic Currency Conversion, advertising management, card blacklisting and secure integration with online travel agents (OTAs). Complementing our comprehensive OPERA solution set, is North America’s first EMV-enabled Pay-at-Table solution with validated P2PE for food and beverage POS systems. FreedomPay offers a single platform that secures omni-channel payment environments and transforms the customer experience. In addition to the OPERA property management system EMV solution, FreedomPay offers seamless integration with all the major Oracle Hospitality POS systems including 3700, 9700, Simphony 1.x and Simphony 2.x and Xstore providing global merchants the most advanced commerce solutions while delivering unparalleled payment security. FreedomPay is an active member of the Oracle Partner Network and a Gold Sponsor at this year’s annual Oracle Hospitality Sales Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. Read full release here.

HotelKey Chooses FreedomPay to Deliver Comprehensive Secure Payment Solution for Hotel Operators

DALLAS, TX – August 05, 2016 – HotelKey, a leader in mobile solutions designed to simplify hotel management, has selected the FreedomPay Commerce Platform to deliver PCI-validated point-to-point encryption (P2PE) with EMV and NFC support. FreedomPay, an industry leader in payment technology for hospitality, stadiums, restaurants, gaming, lodging and retail merchants, specializes in delivering commerce solutions that seamlessly integrate with existing property management and point-of-sale systems. Through its partnership with FreedomPay, HotelKey successfully launched the first fully integrated iPad based property management system with EMV and validated P2PE with their first customer on Thursday, August 4, 2016. The PCI-validated solution is designed to provide hotel guests with complete card data security for all transactions by ensuring that sensitive cardholder data is encrypted at the point of interaction and replaced with surrogate values in the hotel’s network environments. FreedomPay’s platform is fully integrated with HotelKey’s Frontdesk iPad app and EMV certified with major card processors enabling hotel operators to rapidly deploy validated EMV-capable payment terminals and benefit from lower counterfeit fraud and card issuer charge-backs. The platform is also capable of processing mobile wallet transactions from Apple, Samsung, and Android Pay allowing guests to use their preferred payment method while delivering the peace of mind that their card data is safe. “FreedomPay is focused on helping our hospitality partners deliver the most sophisticated payment solutions available on the market,” said Christoper Kronenthal, the chief technology officer at FreedomPay. “Our partnership with HotelKey is enabling us to deliver the highest standard of payment protection to their hotel clients and their guests.” “We’re very proud of our work with FreedomPay to create a first-of-a-kind lodging industry solution that combines our state-of-the-art iPad-based property management system with a P2PE-validated solution from FreedomPay supporting EMV Credit, Apple Pay, Android Pay, Debit Card and offline transactions,” said Fareed Ahmad, the chief executive officer and co-founder at HotelKey. HotelKey is a cloud based mobile property management solution built using cutting edge technology and industry best practices. A light weight service oriented architecture helps HotelKey provide their customers with a rich suite of products delivered as a  “plug and play” mode. The company can adapt to market trends and seamlessly integrate with various products to provide a simple and robust solution to their clients. Frontdesk agents, owners and management staff have their own apps built for various devices all connected into a central database. “HotelKey aims to be the future of hospitality technology. The solution with FreedomPay is easy to use and set up, which the market has demanded for many years. This integration keeps the merchant’s network out of PCI scope while running a Hotel on a Wi-Fi network to keep things simple, secure and cost effective,” said Aditya Thyagarajan, President and co-founder at HotelKey. The FreedomPay Commerce platform allows HotelKey to offer independent hotels and large enterprise customers a solution designed to secure cardholder payment data, while also delivering the benefits of reduced PCI DSS audit scope and lower card present fraud. About FreedomPay The FreedomPay Commerce Platform is the best way for merchants to simplify complex payment environments. Validated by the PCI Security Standards Council for Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE) along with EMV, NFC and DCC capabilities, global leaders in retail, hospitality, gaming, education, healthcare and financial services trust FreedomPay to deliver unmatched security and advanced value added services. With broad integrations across top point-of-sale, device manufacturers and payment processors, supported by rapid API adoption, FreedomPay is driving the future of commerce and customer interaction. The FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on the Windows Platform and is fully supported by the security and scalability of the Microsoft Azure cloud. For more information, go to corporate.freedompay.com. About HotelKey HotelKey is a Cloud Based Hotel Management System built to manage hotels and motels. A state of the art Frontdesk iPad app provides core property management functions, real time reporting and useful analytics. Owner and Manager Apps on smartphones provide access to occupancy, revenue and other key performance indicators. The Housekeeping and Maintenance apps allow staff to manage daily maintenance, repair, and service functions. HotelKey mobile booking application, self check-in and drive to room are innovations which will revolutionize the hotel industry. A suite of products such as Business Intelligence, Food & Beverage POS systems and a self check in kiosk are some of the innovations the company is launching in the next few months. HotelKey is hosted on Amazon Web Services (AWS) which is a world leader in cloud computing solutions. For more information, go to www.hotelkeyapp.com.

CBORD® Partners with FreedomPay to Deliver PCI-Validated Point-to-Point Encryption Payment Security

ITHACA, NY – July 12, 2016 – CBORD, the leading provider of identification card systems, clinical nutrition software, and food service solutions has partnered with FreedomPay to provide the industry’s highest standard for payment data security. By offering the FreedomPay Commerce Platform, CBORD is enabling customers to deploy a PCI-validated point-to-point encryption (P2PE) solution with EMV, NFC, Pay-at-Table, dynamic currency conversion and card data tokenization capabilities.

FreedomPay Certifies for EMV on Elavon for All Card Brands

RADNOR, PA – May 13, 2016 – FreedomPay, the leader in secure payment technology for stadiums, hospitality, restaurants, gaming, lodging and retail merchants, announced the certification of its secure payment gateway for EMV on Elavon, a leading global payments provider and subsidiary of U.S. Bancorp. As merchants continue to adopt the EMV standard to combat fraudulent credit card transactions at the point of sale, FreedomPay’s PCI-validated point-to-point encryption (P2PE) with tokenization provides an extra layer of data protection by eliminating clear text card data from entering the merchant’s network environment. The combination of EMV and PCI-validated P2PE provides merchants the highest level of card data protection available. Merchants are required to accept EMV cards or risk potential increases in charge backs resulting from fraudulent purchases. In order to maintain compliance with the EMV standard, merchants must install EMV-ready payment terminals that are certified by their payment processor.  With FreedomPay’s Commerce Platform, merchants using Elavon’s payment processing can quickly deploy PCI-validated P2PE payment terminals certified for EMV allowing merchants to bypass their own certification process. In addition, the FreedomPay platform is integrated with a vast array of point-of-sale solutions, enabling merchants to easily install the PCI-validated P2PE payment devices and begin processing EMV payments through their existing network infrastructure. FreedomPay’s innovative commerce technologies are transforming today’s omni-channel shopping experience for global merchants and delivering unparalleled protection for all payment transactions.

Ingenico Group and FreedomPay Team up as Exclusive Payment Solution Providers for the Big Game

Ingenico Group, the global leader in seamless payment, announced today that it has partnered with FreedomPay, the leader in secure payment technology for stadiums, hospitality, restaurant, gaming, lodging and retail merchants, to be the exclusive payment solution providers at the pro football championship game, taking place February 7, 2016 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. The two companies have deployed nearly 550 Ingenico Group smart terminals running the FreedomPay Commerce Platform with PCI-validated point-to-point-encryption (P2PE) throughout the stadium in preparation for the big game, which is expected to draw 75,000 fans. Read full article here…

The first PCI-Certified P2PE and EMV payment solution in North America

Ingenico Group , global leader in seamless payment, has joined with FreedomPay(R), a state-of-the-art commerce platform and payment processor, and ScanSource, Inc. the leading international value-added distributor of specialty technology products, to release the first Payment Card Industry (PCI)-certified, fully-functional, point-to-point encryption (P2PE) payment solution in North America. Read the full article here…

Revel Systems leverages FreedomPay’s P2PE encryption

The FreedomPay Commerce Platform, validated by the PCI Security Council for Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE), enabled with EMV and NFC and endorsed by Microsoft Corp. as its commerce partner,   helps retailers give their customers more personalized experiences and incentives based on their basket contents, past purchases, preferences and demographics. Read the full article here…

HP Unveils Retail Technologies to Enhance Security, Customer Experience and Enable Operational Efficiencies

HP today expanded its broad technology portfolio to address the unique needs of retailers with mobility solutions, dedicated retail products and security technology. Read the full article here…

PaymentsSource: Point-to-Point Encryption: EMV’s Partner in Crime Fighting

Christopher Kronenthal, chief technology officer at FreedomPay discusses the need to pair EMV with point-to-point encryption (P2PE) technology to ensure the highest levels of data security for every payment platform. Read the full article here…

Microsoft: Can Big Data and Payments Drive Loyalty in Consumer Banking?

With less than 3 weeks left to Sibos I am eagerly awaiting the start of the conference. One of my favorite events within the event is Innotribe- a forum for forward thinking debate, discussion on innovative technologies, learning about new solutions, and collaboration through exchange of ideas. This year I am intrigued by the intersection of big data (and large amounts of little data) with the payments business, and will follow the conversation at Innotribe. Specifically, my interest is this: can the payments business become the foundation for growth across the bank – to both retail and business segments? In this blog post I’ll address the retail banking customer segment, and address the business segment in a subsequent post… Read the full Blog Post by Colin Kerr, Worldwide Financial Services, Industry Solutions Director

Microsoft: Sibos 2013 – Countdown to Dubai

Geographically and culturally it is difficult to imagine two more different locations between the last Sibos in Osaka Japan, to this year in Dubai. One constant however is that regardless of location, Sibos remains the top global banking conference. With just four weeks to go, I am excited that the Microsoft team is finalizing preparations for our Sibos presence. I thought I would take this opportunity to share a brief preview of our key focus areas for the event… Read the full Blog Post by Colin Kerr, Worldwide Financial Services, Industry Solutions Director