PaySim is Change Financial’s new brand for its payments testing solution, launch of its API is expected to generate additional recurring revenues for the company.
Australian global fintech company, Change Financial (ASX:CCA) continues to solidify its position as a top payment solutions provider.
The company has just launched PaySim, its new payments testing solution brand that helps banks and fintechs accelerate their development and product release cycles.
PaySim can simulate over 60,000 transaction variations across multiple systems, enabling banks and fintechs to complete end-to-end testing of their payment platforms and processes from a desktop.
It also has over 42 different modules to provide coverage across multiple payment technologies and schemes.
The platform has been widely used during the pandemic to facilitate testing without the need for access to physical devices such as automatic teller machines (ATM), or point of sale (POS) terminals.
A beta phase for the PaySim API is also underway, and Change has partnered with a Big Four Australian bank to complete this client testing phase.
“We’re very proud of the successful launch of PaySim, our new testing solution brand, the result of a strategic investment of time and resources into our simulation capabilities over the last year,” said Change CEO, Alastair Wilkie.
Key features of PaySim
In the last 12 months, Change has been investing in new products, features and development, culminating in the release of PaySim.
This new platform is expected to generate new recurring revenue streams, as it will help clients gain testing capability to help scale their businesses.
PaySim can also be used to certify payment participants on schemes, switches and local networks.
In Australia for example, companies that want to join the eftpos network must use PaySim to certify their integration before connecting to the local payments network.
PaySim is also being used by over 130 banks and fintechs across more than 30 countries. Five of the top 10 digital payment companies globally use PaySim for their payments testing.
The PaySim API is currently being developed, and on track for full release prior to the end of 2021.
The API enables clients to automate load, stress and regression testing to produce comprehensive results reporting, and is the foundational component of PaySim’s Software as a Service offering.
A successful launch is expected to drive sales for existing and new clients globally, growing Change’s annual recurring revenue stream.
“API capability is the greatest enabler for fintechs and banks to accelerate product development and release timelines,” commented Change CTO, Arnold Lee.
“Our PaySim API enables our clients to simplify their testing functions through automation and integration with their testing and quality assurance toolsets.”
Lee’s development team is currently in the final stages of beta testing with clients prior to its release in Q2 FY22. Part of the testing is to extend its ISO20022 testing capabilities.
The PaySim solution has also been validated for use with schemes such as Visa, Mastercard, UnionPay, Amex, and JCB.
“PaySim will help to solidify our standing as the one of the top payment testing solutions in the world,” CEO Wilkie emphasised.
Today’s development comes after the release of the Vertexon payments platform in October.
Vertexon is Change’s latest Payments as a Service offering, which provides quick-to-market card and payments solutions to banks and fintechs around the world.
The software integrates seamlessly with the clients’ core systems, and is able to deliver both physical and digital card solutions, as well other features such as Buy Now Pay Later.
https://stockhead.com.au/tech/change-financial-to-launch-payments-testing-api/
This article was developed in collaboration with Change Financial, a Stockhead advertiser at the time of publishing.
| ShareCafe hosts Change Financial CEO, Alastair Wilkie. Change is redefining the possibilities of payments and card issuing by providing innovative infrastructure and tools for building customizable payment solutions. |
Experienced Australian based global fintech, Change Financial, welcomes the proactive approach adopted by Senator Andrew Bragg’s Select Committee in its final report on Australia as a Technology and Financial Centre tabled on Wednesday night.
The report’s recommendations for licencing digital currency exchanges and establishing a clear custody or depositary scheme for digital assets in Australia, gives credence to cryptocurrency as a viable currency and payment method. It would also provide cryptocurrency investors with some much-needed consumer protection.
The pandemic has accelerated the digitisation of finance while the global appetite for ease of use and efficiency in payment systems has increased from both the end customer and the provider.
The Bragg report’s recommendation that Treasury should lead a policy review to assess the viability of a retail, central bank-issued, digital currency for Australia would also put the nation on a par with many other countries in the emerging global digital economy.
A Finder survey, released on October 17, found a staggering 18% of Australians already own some form of crypto – one of the highest rates in the world.
Of the nearly 1 in 5 adults in Australia who own some form of crypto, Finder found bitcoin is the most popular coin; Ethereum is the second most popular coin while cardano came third. Two other cryptos Australians currently hold are dogecoin and binance coin.
Bragg’s bipartisan recommendations, if adopted, would bring some welcome regulation to this sector where currently there is hardly any enforceable rules and where local banks have largely avoided the sector.
The lack of regulations has constrained mainstream adoption of crypto, however we have seen countries in Latin America, like El Salvador, embrace cryptocurrencies and support growth.
In Australia, Change is currently working with several start-ups to bridge the gap between crypto exchanges and traditional payment infrastructure and networks using our Payments as a Service platform.
The ability to link a physical or digital card to crypto wallets is essential for driving payment growth and innovation in Australia. It will also open up opportunities for the “un” or “underbanked” as well as faster cross-border payments
Just like our current software as a service (SaaS) model that connects existing licensed banks with modern application programming interface (API) driven businesses and allows the end customer to use eftpos, Mastercard, Visa, and AMEX as well as connect to payment networks via Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay.
The ability for businesses to embrace cryptocurrency relies on support for existing payments technology to power seamless transactions.
Change currently manages and processes more than 16 million virtual, credit, debit and prepaid cards worldwide, serving 136 clients in 36 countries.
By Vinnie D’Alessandro, Chief Product Officer of Change Financial
The launch of payments platform Vertexton is a critical milestone as Change Financial looks to grow not only in Oceania, but also in crucial markets like the US.
Global fintech, Change Financial (ASX:CCA), is set to further accelerate its recurring revenue base after launching its payments platform, Vertexon.
Vertexon is Change’s new Payments as a Service (PaaS) offering, which provides quick-to-market card and payments solutions to banks and fintechs around the world.
The software integrates seamlessly with the clients’ core systems, and is able to deliver both physical and digital card solutions, as well other features such as Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL).
The Vertexon SaaS platform is today being launched on Amazon Web Services (AWS) in Sydney, to service banks and fintechs across the Oceania region.
In addition to SaaS, Vertexon offers full support for digital and physical card issuing, and is currently supporting over 16 million cards across the US, Latin America, Southeast Asia and Oceania.
“This market leading technology simplifies the payments experience, helping to lower the barriers of entry for new payment products,” commented Change CEO, Alastair Wilkie.
“It delivers a fast-to-market solution that gets digital and physical cards into consumers’ hands.
“Vertexon will be a key driver as we grow our annual recurring revenue.”
Vertexon SaaS offering
Vertexon is accelerating growth and scalability for banks and fintech clients around the world by providing card and payments solutions.
Through the unifying of cards, payments and processing technologies, the platform effectively delivers a modern digital solution for prepaid, debit and credit cards.
It supports transactions processing by major card schemes including Mastercard and VISA, CB, UnionPay and AMEX.
It also supports core banking interfaces and loyalty programmes, integrated by APIs.
With the launch of Vertexon, Phase 2 of the platform project has now been delivered on schedule and within budget.
BDO Unibank, the largest bank in the Philippines, recently upgraded its card platform to the latest version of Vertexon, which includes new BNPL features.
The BDO’s Credit Card Systems team said the new version added expanded features and carried over bespoke business functions that could potentially give the bank market leadership.
The multi-tenancy design of the platform is indeed highly scalable, with future growth expected in multiple geographic markets.
The platform’s seamless integration also enables it to be easily implemented in any location worldwide in just a matter of days.
Change chief product officer, Vinnie D’Alessandro, said: “We started the build phase of our SaaS platform in April this year, and to have launched our customer ready platform on schedule and within budget has been a huge achievement for our business and clients.”
D’Alessandro added that the cloud architecture can be deployed into new regions in days, showcasing Change’s extensive payments and technical expertise.
The company is now working with existing and new Vertexon clients to establish their PaaS solutions, as Change grows its sales pipeline further into FY22.
CCA is a global fintech company with a technology that provides the critical infrastructure that connects existing licensed banks with modern API-driven brands, such as other fintechs.
Its platform currently manages and processes more than 16 million virtual, credit, debit and prepaid cards worldwide, serving 136 clients in 36 countries.
This article was developed in collaboration with Change Financial, a Stockhead advertiser at the time of publishing.
Change Financial has announced new board appointments* as the Australian-based business continues to grow and intensify its focus on providing tailored payment solutions, card issuing and testing to global banks and fintechs.
Change currently manages and processes more than 16 million virtual, credit, debit and prepaid cards worldwide, serving 136 clients in 36 countries.
Edward (Eddie) Grobler has been appointed an independent Non-Executive Director. He is a highly experienced card and payments specialist and worked at Mastercard for more than 20 years. During that time, he held several senior roles including Senior Vice President Africa, Executive Vice President /Australasia Division and more recently, he was the UK-based Executive Vice President: Realtime Payments. In this role he was responsible for the development and execution of Mastercard’s real time payments strategy.
Grobler holds a Master in Business Leadership and a Master in Psychology, and is a Graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Alastair Wilkie, Change CEO, said, “I have had the pleasure of working with Eddie over a number of years while he was at Mastercard. We’re delighted to have someone of his calibre join the Change Board as an Independent Director. His experience growing and transforming payments businesses worldwide will be vital to our future growth.”
Tom Russell joins the board as an alternate director to Ben Harrison, Change Chairman. Tom has more than 10 years’ experience as an investor and corporate advisor working across a range of industries with a focus on growth companies in the technology, finance, industrial, energy and resource sectors.
As an Investment Director at Altor Capital, a boutique alternative investment manager, Russell provides corporate advisory services for listed and unlisted emerging companies. Tom previously held both operational and corporate advisory roles in the United States and Australia, and was instrumental in raising capital, advising on corporate structure and business strategy, managing operations and development, as well as launching technology platforms.
Russell holds both a Bachelor of Commerce (Finance) and a Bachelor of Economics (Quantitative Methods).
“Tom has been instrumental in the success of Change, to date, both strategically and operationally. His in-depth knowledge of our business has been paramount to our current success, and he brings a great complementary skill set to our team,” Wilkie concluded.
*Subject to shareholder approval at the Company’s AGM on 25 November 2021.
The partnership agreement with US-based Axiom Bank establishes a solid foundation for future growth and upcoming programs for Change Financial in the region.
Global fintech Change Financial (ASX:CCA) has announced a partnership with Axiom, one of the fastest growing community banks in the US.
The three-year partnership is a key step towards expanding Change’s reach in the US, and will be a key relationship when onboarding fintechs in the region.
Change aims to onboard potential clients with Axiom as the issuing bank, leveraging Change’s Mastercard registered processor and payments platform, Vertexon.
CCA’s platform currently manages and processes more than 16 million virtual, credit, debit and prepaid cards worldwide, serving 136 clients in 36 countries.
“Unlocking growth in the US is a key focus of our FY22 strategy, we’re thrilled to announce a strong partnership with Axiom Bank so early in the financial year,” says CCA CEO, Alastair Wilkie.
Partnership underpins Change’s global growth strategy
Headquartered in Florida, Axiom Bank provides a wide range of financial products and services.
These services include retail banking, money market and CD accounts, as well as commercial banking, treasury management services and commercial loans for both real estate and business purposes.
CCA’s payments technology provides the critical infrastructure that connects existing licensed banks with modern API-driven brands, such as fintech platforms.
Under the partnership agreement, Change’s payments platform, Vertexon, will allow onboarded clients to access feature rich products and functionality such as physical and virtual cards, access to ATM networks and Buy Now Pay Later payment options.
The two companies are now working together to onboard potential clients in the US, with the first client expected in the December 2021 quarter.
Axiom Bank’s executive vice president of Banking-as-a-Service, Ron Strand-Sorrell, said: “We are thrilled to be partnering with Change Financial, and are excited about the opportunities that leveraging their innovative payment solutions bring.”
CCA expects that clients in the US will contribute to driving growth in its recurring revenue.
The partnership also highlights CCA’s ability to deliver on its FY22 growth strategy, by engaging with banks and fintechs to drive future growth.
“We’re committed to strengthening and growing the core business and believe the partnership with Axiom effectively highlights how Change delivers tailored and innovative payment solutions to banks and fintechs around the world,” said Wilkie.
Change is currently undergoing a rapid growth trajectory, with top line revenue surging from US$300,000 in FY20 to US$8.4 million ($11.3 million) in FY21 – in a year described by management as being “transformational”.
In FY22, Change expects its sales pipeline to grow as it focuses on global business development strategies.
One of the strategies includes the rollout of its Phase 2 Customer Ready Platform, which will allow it to offer a next-generation integrated payment processing and card management solutions platform.
https://stockhead.com.au/tech/change-financial-partners-with-us-based-axiom-bank/
The appointment of Tony Sheehan as CFO is a crucial step in Change Financial’s goal to become the leading global payments and platform provider.
Global fintech Change Financial (ASX:CCA) has welcomed a new Chief Financial Officer (CFO) to bolster its executive leadership team.
The company has named Tony Sheehan as its new CFO, who will officially start his duties on 19 July.
Sheehan is a highly experienced, strategic and influential finance executive with over 18 years’ international experience in the world of banking and finance.
This includes previous senior roles in Australia, New Zealand and the UK across investment banking, private equity, corporate finance, operations, and sales and marketing.
His extensive experience will help the company execute an aggressive growth roadmap as it embarks on a global expansion that includes pipelines in the US, South America, Thailand, Cambodia, as well as in Australia/New Zealand (ANZ).
240 years of experience
Prior to accepting the role at Change, Sheehan held senior roles at Global Payments Australia/New Zealand, which is part of the NYSE-listed Global Payments Inc.
Global Payments is a leading worldwide provider of payments and commerce technology, as well software solutions delivering innovative software services globally.
Sheehan held the dual roles of Chief Operating Officer (COO) and CFO during his tenure at Global Payments’s Australia/New Zealand operations.
In his role as CFO, Sheehan led and managed all aspects of accounting, financial performance and reporting, compliance, legal, operations, sales and marketing.
The addition of Sheehan to Change’s executive roster will strengthen what is already a highly experienced team with 240 years of combined experience in the fintech and payments industries.
The team is currently led by CEO Alastair Wilkie, and non-executive chairman Ben Harrison.
“Tony’s extensive experience in finance and operations, specifically within the fintech and payments landscape, will be invaluable to Change as we focus on delivering on our strategic objective of becoming a leading global payments and platform, providing innovative solutions to business and financial institutions,” Wilkie said.
Huge addressable market
Change is looking to execute on a major market opportunity, with global non-cash transactions projected to grow from US$684 billion in 2019 to US$1.5 trillion in 2025.
The company has developed innovative and scalable payments technology offering Banking as a Service (Baas) solutions to businesses and financial institutions.
This platform effectively provides the critical infrastructure that connects existing licensed banks with modern API- driven brands, such as fintech platforms.
Change manages and processes more than 16 million credit, debit and prepaid cards worldwide, serving more than 125 customers in 36 countries.
Part of CCA’s growth strategy is to upgrade the existing platform with new features such as debit and credit cards, which the company expects will increase its addressable market by 10 times.
The appointments will bolster its payment solutions in the key markets of Australia, New Zealand, and the US.
Global fintech Change Financial (ASX:CCA) has announced a number of key appointments to its payments solutions teams, as it looks to further bolster its Australian, New Zealand and American businesses.
The company has appointed Nick Beach as Senior Vice President of Payment Solutions.
David McAleese and Brian Hodgdon meanwhile, have also both been appointed Vice Presidents of Business Development and Client Relations.
Beach will be based in Brisbane, and will be responsible for payments and card solutions globally, while working closely with business development and project delivery teams.
Beach’s previous role was at EML Payments (ASX:EML), where he worked for nine years holding several senior roles, and was most recently Head of Product and Solutions.
His other prior experiences included stints at SPARQ Solutions and JPMorgan Chase.
McAleese and Hodgdon will join as part of Beach’s Payments Solutions team.
Both will work with Change’s Latin American team to drive future growth, with McAleese based in Brisbane and Hodgdon in New Jersey, US.
McAleese has previously worked at leading organisations such as First Data, Citibank, ANZ, Westpac.
In those roles, he had built good relationships and partnered closely with key clients such as BOQ, Suncorp, Auswide, IMB, MyState and RACQ to deliver B2B customer solutions.
Prior to joining Change, Hodgdon held senior roles at Intermex and Payomatic where he led numerous new sales initiatives for payments and mobile card services growth in the banking and fintech market across the US and Latin America.
“All three bring extensive industry experience, and position us well for continued growth in the payments space,” says Change CEO, Alastair Wilkie.
“These appointments will be pivotal to our success of delivering user-centric solutions to our clients as we build the next generation of payments solutions and services for the global market.”
Change’s record quarter
The appointments coincide with Change’s record Q4 revenue, as the company pushes forward with the strategy of capitalising on global opportunities.
Change says it’s expecting rapid pipeline growth in these new markets and the new executives will work together to spearhead the rollout of Change’s Phase 2 Customer Ready Platform, which will allow it to offer a next generation integrated payment processing and card management solutions platform.
Prior to today’s appointments, Change also appointed a new CFO, Tony Sheehan – an experienced and strategic finance executive with over 18 years’ international experience in the world of banking and finance.
It’s expected that the extensive experience brought by these appointments will help Change execute an aggressive growth roadmap as it embarks on a global expansion that includes pipelines in the US, South America, SE Asia, as well as in Australia/New Zealand.
Change’s platform currently manages and processes more than 16 million virtual, credit, debit and prepaid cards worldwide, serving more than 125 customers in 36 countries.
The company has successfully executed on Phase One of its growth strategy.
ASX fintech Change Financial (ASX:CCA) is laying the framework for long-term growth in the multi trillion dollar global payments market.
The company provided a market update for investors this morning, confirming it’s completed Phase One – product integration – of a three-phase strategy set out by CEO Alistair Wilkie and the CCA executive team.
The company will now focus on Phase Two — building out the Customer Ready Platform for its combined product offering, scheduled for delivery later this year.
While CCA’s short-term operations and revenue channels won’t be affected by the updated rollout, the moves are part of a broader strategy to accelerate growth and capture more of what is now a global market opportunity.
Phase One
The initial phase of the strategy was focused on CCA’s technology suite, which required the integration of tech products following last year’s acquisition of Wirecard’s Australian and New Zealand assets.
In its technology update this morning, Change said it has established a cloud network and installed the new payments management platform.
The system has been developed with an API gateway that provides automated links between the payments management platform with CCA’s certified processing platform and mobile apps – all of which operates with encrypted software and advanced security settings.
The completion of Phase One “gives Change a platform to demonstrate its new capability to customers, and accelerates the sales and business development cycle”, CCA said.
In addition, the company “is already in discussions with a number of banks about bringing their technology into the cloud and onto Change’s BaaS Platform”.
BNPL disruptor
A feature of CCA’s advanced technology suite is that it’s now positioned to offer a BNPL service that’s materially differentiated from other players in the market.
Traditional BNPL providers still require direct connections to the POS (point of sale) systems operated by merchants.
However, CCA’s InstallPay platform capability allows payments to be split directly to customer debit, prepaid and credit cards.
The key advantage of the platform is that banks and FinTechs can offer BNPL services, as opposed to partnering with a third-party providers and keep their customer relationships.
“It allows them to offer BNPL under their own brand, putting them back in power of the customer relationship therefore increasing engagement with their end customers,” CCA said.
The company said its unique tech advantage in the marketplace has the capacity to be “hugely disruptive to incumbent BNPL players”.
It lowers barriers to entry and provides market access to any bank or fintech that offers prepaid, debit or credit cards.
Effectively, InstallPay gives merchant clients a customisable interface around fees charged and the number of instalments.
“The functionality is live in all markets globally, and Change has a number of large clients in Latin America and Asia using the product, including one of south-east Asia’s largest banks,” CCA said.
Looking ahead
With its multi-phase growth strategy on track and a disruptive BNPL platform live in the market, Change has also engaged a global payments advisory team to assist in identifying key opportunities in the rapidly growing global payments market.
The company has conducted an initial market assessment and “concluded the global need for its Platform solution”.
Research from McKinsey shows payments services generated revenue of almost $US2 trillion last year.
In that context, Change is now moving towards Phase 2 and 3 of its strategy to drive growth across its global client base, where it already serves 125 customers in 36 countries.
Phase 2 — the Customer Ready Platform – is due for completion in the second half of this year Phase 3 – Advanced Platform Features – scheduled for delivery by 2022.
“Combining the two platforms (certified processing platform and payments management platform) together and leveraging both the company’s existing technology and the recently acquired will accelerate Change’s product development by approximately 24 months,” CCA said.
https://stockhead.com.au/tech/change-financial-accelerates-strategic-growth-pathway-with-hugely-disruptive-bnpl-platform/
Fintech payments company Change Financial (ASX:CCA) announced this morning that it’s finalised the strategic acquisition of Wirecard’s Australian and New Zealand assets.
The company confirmed the completion of the sale conditions, which will see it take control of Wirecard’s Australia and New Zealand operations.
The acquisition follows Change’s initial announcement earlier this month, when the company jumped at the opportunity to acquire the Wirecard assets at attractive multiples.
And with CEO Alistair Wilkie – the former chief operating officer at $1bn payments platform EML Payments (ASX:EML) at the helm, Change is well placed to convert its strategic acquisition into a material profit generator in the years ahead.
Game-changer
Change said the deal gave it control over a strong global payments business that generated recurring revenues of $9.3m in the 2020 financial year, and total income of more than $15m.
Wirecard’s Australian and New Zealand business specialises in card management and payment platform solutions, for “banks and financial institutions as well as digital brands and fintechs”, Change said.
The business currently serves more than 120 customers across 35 countries, including the ‘Big Four’ Australian banks and major supermarket operators.
Importantly, all key personnel at Wirecard have stayed with the business post-sale – a direct indicator of senior management’s view about the platform’s growth prospects.
Prior to the acquisition by Change Financial, Wirecard’s regional leadership group also explored the potential for a management buy-out (MBO) for the assets, to capitalise on the global opportunity.
As of today (October 1), all required staff of Wirecard Australia & NZ are now employed by Change Financial.
Customer transfer
In confirming the deal, Change advised that it has now started receiving signed assignment deeds for Wirecard customers.
In conversations with administrator McGrath Nicol, which selected Change’s offer in a competitive bidding process, the company expects to complete more assignment deeds in the months ahead.
In addition, existing Wirecard customers have continued to use the company’s services and pay their bills throughout the administration process.
With the sale now completed, Change is focused on accelerating the integration process and expanding market share in the months ahead.
The company flagged a “10-fold” increased of its addressable market via the introduction of new card services.
It also plans to onboard more than 10 companies from its existing client base in the US to the expanded product offering.
https://stockhead.com.au/tech/change-financial-seals-the-deal-on-game-changing-acquisition/