Payments

<img src="https://m2p-website-file.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/m2p-website-file/marketing-cms/m2p-blog/2022/05/banner.webp" alt="M2P Fintech" title="" width="100%" height="253">Have you ever noticed the numbers on your credit/debit/prepaid card? They have a string of numbers out of which the first six digits are called Bank Identification Number (BIN). The BIN number helps the merchant processor identify the card type, network, and the issuing bank for the transaction’s approval/decline. For instance, a Visa card starts with the number “4.” Master card starts with the number “5” and “2”, Diners starts with the number “3” and so on.They also enable merchants to accept different types of payments like digital and mobile payments.Now with the explosion of payment electronification and many becoming savvy financially, there has been a drastic increase in the number of card users. This, in turn, has led to a shortage of BINs; if we take a rather dim view, it can be observed as depletion of BINs.To stop this from happening, the International Standards Organization (ISO) amended the existing standard of (ISO/IEC 7812–1) Part 1: Numbering system from Six-digit to Eight-digit BIN in 2017. So, card networks such as MasterCard, Discover, American Express, Visa and others have started prepping for the change.<img src="https://m2p-website-file.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/m2p-website-file/marketing-cms/m2p-blog/2022/05/Artboard-24-copy.webp" alt="M2P Fintech" title="" id="adfawcve6" width="100%" height="253">Visa has been quite active with this change and regularly issuing updates and ready reference guides for this migration. Visa adopted this standard in 2017 and has urged its partners to migrate to the Eight-digit BIN by the end of April 2022.<h2 class="heading-node" id="69d4" style="text-align: justify">Who will be affected by this migration?</h2><ul class="list-node" id="lbi86ft9q"><li>Acquirers</li><li>Issuers</li><li>Processors</li></ul>MerchantsOn completion of April 2022, the card network’s 100,000 BINs will migrate to 10,000,000 BINs. The first Six-Digits will remain the same in this change, and the following two numbers (00,01,02…) will become part of the Eight-Digit BIN. Also, there will be no need to reissue replacement cards to the customers.Here are the key points that sum up this initiative:<ul class="list-node" id="vxdxnev6w"><li>After April 2022, the existing 6-Digit BINs will continue to function, and requests for new BINs will be assigned in 8-Digits.</li><li>6-Digit BINs will be supported, but they won’t be forced to convert to 8-Digit BINs</li><li>PCI guidance and Visa clearly outline that organizations storing the full 8-digit BINs require additional controls may include expanded scope.</li></ul><h2 class="heading-node" id="f71d" style="text-align: justify">Why the sudden urgency about this migration?</h2>While the standard is out for migrating to Eight-Digit BINs, ISO did say that they are maintaining the other issuing BINs in the six-digit sequence until the deadline of April 2022. The mandate also doesn’t require the removal of Six-Digit BINs. Therefore, the concerned parties must continue supporting both Six and Eight Digit BINs.The time taken for the adoption will significantly vary by the stakeholder. So, even though the deadline is still 10 months away, there is a concern regarding the impact of updating the backend systems. Especially those involved with issuer processing, routing, and other activities need to assess the impact and get ready for the changes.Industry watchers were almost sure that this initiative will call for a longer PAN. Still, Visa has decided to implement the same on the existing 16-digit- PAN structure. It has become quite clear that the decision will affect the PCI compliance of the existing truncation and masking rules. Any organization that stores the full BIN and the last four digits of the card will become non-compliant unless the rules are not modified.The decision did not specify any modification, and it requires organizations to handle 8-digit BIN as cardholder data. But organizations that spent massive efforts over the years to lower their PCI compliance load will face an explosion of responsibilities and remediation efforts. It will probably result in actions, expense, and their own timeline of non-compliance.So, card networks have been encouraging its vendors, agents, partners, and other stakeholders to actively assess the impact they would be experiencing across their systems. This assessment would help them to increase their efficacy and avoid any hurdles when handling transactions.<h2 class="heading-node" id="005c" style="text-align: justify">How does this change impact?</h2>As six-digit BINs are on the decline, it will be challenging to rely on them for authorization, routing, and transaction clearing. The effect might not be immediate but will slowly and surely escalate when Eight-Digit BINs become the norm. Both Merchant and Service providers might face issues in the following scenarios:<ul class="list-node" id="j85h67z8k"><li>Prepaid card’s identity</li><li>Chargeback and Fraud</li><li>Transaction processing</li><li>Merchant services and disputes</li><li>Reporting</li></ul><h2 class="heading-node" id="7198" style="text-align: justify">How to prepare for the change?</h2>Visa has issued directives for both merchants and service providers on how to handle this change. They have explicitly said that the changes are specific and may need to require a timeline extension. So, organizations, service providers, and other stakeholders are encouraged to initiate and pool the resources necessary to prepare for Eight-Digit BINs.<a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/newsletter/">Subscribe</a>&nbsp;to our newsletter and get the latest fintech news, views, and insights, directly to your inbox.Follow us on&nbsp;<a class="link" href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/m2pfintech/mycompany/">LinkedIn</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a class="link" href="https://twitter.com/m2pfintech">Twitter</a>&nbsp;for insightful fintech tales curated for curious minds like you.

The BIN Migration|Preparing for 8-Digit BINs

<img src="https://m2p-website-file.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/m2p-website-file/marketing-cms/m2p-blog/2022/05/banner1251-13.webp" alt="M2P Fintech" title="" id="hytqs9p1m" width="100%" height="356">We have come a long way in payments starting from the barter system, coins, currencies, paper cheques, and plastic cards to one-click payments, e-wallets, and <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/blockchain-and-fintech-use-cases-and-applications/">cryptocurrencies</a>. Payment space keeps evolving at breakneck speed with new technologies that focus on bringing more convenience than ever before. Wallets and currencies are now out of action and considered obsolete by the millennials. Ever since the emergence of contactless payments, we are entirely freed from carrying traditional currencies everywhere. Technologies keep providing users with a better payment experience and NFC is one of them.Here is a short story that illustrates the brief above.One sunny morning, the grocery store’s aisle was my runway. I was excitedly grabbing all my favorite drinks and snacks for the ‘Netflix weekend’ scheduled with my friends. So, I head to check out with a happy face and a fully loaded cart. Unfortunately, that is when I found out that I forgot my wallet.So, in this scenario, what was the state of action?Scenario 1:&nbsp;I ran back home to get my wallet.Scenario 2: Got a favor from the shopkeeper to pay him back later.Scenario 3:&nbsp;Forgot all the fuss and used my phone to complete the payment.And nowadays, Scenario 3 is the hero everywhere as people have their cards and applications loaded in their smartphones to make payments anywhere anytime. NFC is one of many such technologies that is smoothing the way.<h2 class="heading-node" id="de52">What is NFC?</h2>The abbreviation stands for Near Field Communication. It is a wireless technology that initiates the communication between two nearby electronic devices to provide the most convenient experience to customers globally. NFC makes the transactions and digital content transfer simpler by connecting the electronic devices using electromagnetic fields.<blockquote class="block-node" id="1eqo4mvgr">NFC initiates the connection at a distance of 4cm or less and operates at the frequency of 13.56 MHz to make secure transfers.</blockquote><h2 class="heading-node" id="ed11">What are NFC payments?</h2>NFC payments are popular contactless payments that use NFC technology to initiate the connection between the reader and the NFC-enabled devices. You can pay using smart devices like mobiles, watches, or simply tapping debit/credit cards. It initiates secured, convenient, fast, encrypted, and touchless transactions at the point of sale.<h2 class="heading-node" id="c903">Mechanism and applications of NFC technology</h2><img src="https://m2p-website-file.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/m2p-website-file/marketing-cms/m2p-blog/2022/05/Artboard-1-copy-11-3.webp" alt="M2P Fintech" title="" width="100%" height="284">NFC is a specialized branch out of RFID (Radio-Frequency Identification), a widely used technology for asset tracking, access control, attendee tracking, and much more.NFC creates a short-range communication using electromagnetic radio fields between two devices — one to transit and another to receive a signal, just like how you connect your Bluetooth device.The devices are differentiated into two- Passive and Active. Tags and other small transmitters are considered passive devices since they contain data that other devices can read, whereas active devices can read and transmit data. Such active devices are your smartphone that reads and helps share necessary data with other compatible devices if required.NFC is now introduced in a chip format as well. A beauty salon in Dubai recently introduced ‘chipped nails’ where a tiny chip is embedded in the nails and used to transfer information such as your digital business card or social media handles by just tapping your fingernails on the device. These services can expand to contactless payment systems too.NFC is used in three simple modes:<ul class="list-node" id="wqfacotvm"><li>Peer-to-peer mode:&nbsp;Two active NFC-enabled devices can initiate a connection to read or transmit information between each other. The Android Beam Technology uses this mode to transfer information and enable Bluetooth devices.</li><li>Reader/writer mode:&nbsp;We can read/write information from a passive device (contactless smart card or RFID tags) using an active device(smartphones/smartwatches).</li><li>Card emulation mode:&nbsp;Here, NFC acts as a contactless card, and we can use our smart devices in place of debit or credit cards to make digital payments.</li></ul><h2 class="heading-node" id="9a7f">How do NFC payments work?</h2>Contactless payments are now mushrooming with its wide range of options like EMV chip cards, mobile wallets, QR codes, and digital payment apps for the customers to experience ‘touchless and effortless’ check out and save time during their shopping spree. Moreover, they are a faster and secure mode of payments as there is no need to enter a PIN as it transfers the encrypted data to the NFC device instantaneously.NFC links the payment and reader devices wirelessly when they are closer to each other. Once connected, the payment can be initiated from the payer’s devices like smartphones and smartwatches through the installed payment applications like Google Pay, Samsung Pay, Apple Pay, etc. Then, the payer must just hover the device near the payment terminal, and NFC chips exchange encrypted data for completing the transaction within few seconds.<h2 class="heading-node" id="3528">How do merchants accept NFC payments?</h2><img src="https://m2p-website-file.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/m2p-website-file/marketing-cms/m2p-blog/2022/05/Artboard-1-copy-9-2.webp" alt="M2P Fintech" title="" width="100%" height="284">All a merchant needs is an NFC-enabled reader to accept the payments, and that’s that. The shopper can make NFC payments through smartphones, smartwatches, and NFC-enabled accessories — wristbands, phone cases, or rings. These devices have a small chip that communicates with the merchant’s NFC reader via radio waves.The shoppers have now picked their goodies - CURTAINS UP!Now, the merchant ensures the NFC reader’s connection is good to go. The shoppers bring their NFC-enabled device closer, typically within two inches, or simply tap the cards (with contactless indicator displayed on them) on the reader. The shopper unlocks the app with the PIN/use biometrics and selects the card to complete the payment.<h2 class="heading-node" id="32bd">How are NFC and EMV connected?</h2>EMV and NFC are closely connected in changing the payment landscape to hit the big time with secure and encrypted payments. EMV stands for Europay, MasterCard, and Visa — named after the organizations found. EMV is the payment technology that enables transactions with chip-embedded cards, whereas NFC is the digital version of EMV offering contactless payments.EMV payment is carried through the small computer chip embedded in the debit and credit cards. This chip communicates with the POS when dipped to authenticate the transaction successfully. These highly secured payments can be made using EMV-enabled devices and readers. To avoid any fraudulent activity, for every EMV transaction, a unique transaction ID is created, which cannot be replicated. Additionally, the cardholder must enter a PIN/ sign the receipt to complete the transaction. NFC is the technology that facilitates EMV transactions digitally using smartphones giving the ease of not carrying a physical card.On the flip side, NFC payments are contactless and follow tap-and-go technology. As said, gestures like hover or tap are all you need to complete the transaction.EMV is a bit slower when compared to NFC in processing a transaction. So, most customers still prefer opting for NFC to save time in a big queue as it is also as secure as EMV. So, merchants can opt for readers that accept both NFC and EMV payments to provide customers with a seamless checkout offering the latest and stress-free payment options.<h2 class="heading-node" id="bb30">Benefits of NFC Payments</h2>These wireless innovations give a better user experience and prove anything can happen at our fingertips. NFC has changed how merchants and shoppers look at making payments. It has also made both merchants’ and shoppers’ life simpler.<img src="https://m2p-website-file.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/m2p-website-file/marketing-cms/m2p-blog/2022/05/Artboard-1-copy-10-1-1.webp" alt="M2P Fintech" title="" width="100%" height="284"><h3 class="heading-node" id="6ae9">(i) High-level security</h3>NFC payments are incredibly secure when compared with cash or magnetic-stripe cards. This is because the payment transactions are end-to-end encrypted, and details are highly secured.The customer can pay only at the POS terminal using their devices by providing the PIN/biometrics to unlock the payment screen. Another added security is that NFC payment readers can connect only one device at a time. This can prevent situations like customers paying for the wrong bill.<a class="link au nf" href="https://medium.com/m2p-yap-fintech/how-does-payment-tokenisation-work-d2f47186f718" rel="noopener">Tokenization</a>&nbsp;also plays a major role here. When people use apps like Apple Pay to carry their transactions, their sensitive payment credentials are masked with random strings of characters (tokens) to battle online and digital breaches. This new token is generated whenever you make a new transaction.<h3 class="heading-node" id="ce00">(ii) Comfort and convenience</h3>Shoppers don’t have to carry their wallets everywhere. They can simply use their smart devices for an easy checkout process. Another added functionality is to store multiple debit/credit cards in the payment apps and personalize the transaction according to their needs. Simple gestures like tap, wave, and hover are needed, and the payment is complete.<h3 class="heading-node" id="7719">(iii) Saves time at checkout</h3>Dealing with cash or using magnetic stripe cards consumes more time for both merchants and shoppers. Sometimes, shoppers skip purchasing in a few stores with a long queue in the POS terminal. To avoid such situations, merchants need to upgrade their POS terminal by providing a smooth experience to their customers, which increases their sales. So that, shoppers can save time in the checkout process when they opt for NFC payments. The less time it takes to complete the transaction, the more the customer is satisfied.<h3 class="heading-node" id="86b0">(iv) Touchless &amp; contactless</h3>The corona pandemic triggered the urge for contactless payments. This resulted in a steady increase rate of people opting for contactless payments. As a result, people are slowly opting for contactless payments that guard them against the spread of viruses when dealing with cash or card receipts.<h3 class="heading-node" id="8d5c">(v) Cost-efficient</h3>Since everyone’s best friends is their mobile phones in their everyday lives, NFC payments are cost-efficient for payee and payer sectors. So, the merchants must get an NFC reader and upgrade their payment terminal to seamlessly carry out the NFC payments. This even a small business merchant can afford to uplift their business. NFC reader is the better choice for merchants as it consumes less power too.<h2 class="heading-node" id="z3arn9s6q">NFC payments and its rapid evolution</h2>Contactless payments are omnipresent post the pandemic even though they were already a popular payment method before. Even exchanging money was considered a perilous task during this pandemic, but NFC has come to the rescue with its touchless feature. As a result, most people have upgraded to NFC payments helping businesses to drive their sales and ensure safety at the same time.The stats further strengthen the payment space with all positive predictions.<ul class="list-node" id="qlq2muew4"><li>The global market value of NFC payments is estimated to exceed $10.4 billion by 2026, with more than 14.5% CAGR from 2021 to 2026.</li><li>According to the report by Payments Journal, 30% of the consumers are making their payments contactless after the pandemic. Moreover, 70% who are new to this payment space wanted to continue making their payments contactless even after the pandemic abates.</li><li>The NFC’s market size is flourishing and is expected to touch $30 billion by 2023.</li></ul>The future of NFC payments, as predicted, will remain on the rise and will shape the payment space for the better over the next few years. Fintechs further mold it by offering innovative resources to provide the most convenient payment method for customers.One thing is sure, the NFC payments are here to stay, and the future holds more for payment space.<a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/newsletter/">Subscribe</a>&nbsp;to our newsletter and get the latest fintech news, views, and insights, directly to your inbox. Follow us on&nbsp;<a class="link" href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/m2pfintech/mycompany/">LinkedIn</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a class="link" href="https://twitter.com/m2pfintech">Twitter</a>&nbsp;for insightful fintech tales curated for curious minds like you.

NFC Payments - Simplifying Payment Space

How to implement the best Prepaid Payment Instrument (PPI) for your business?

Future of Digital Payments: Matched With Industry Needs

<img src="https://m2p-website-file.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/m2p-website-file/marketing-cms/m2p-blog/2022/04/banner1251-6-1.webp" alt="M2P Fintech" title="" id="t5u9jgsxm" width="100%" height="317">The advent of international payments has been long-standing in the financial world, facilitating commerce and trade. Be it sending money back home or international business contracts, today’s rising global commerce can be attributed to the growing volume of international digital <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/future-of-payments-processing-matched-with-industry-needs/">payments</a>.It is a valuable ally for businesses and individuals who wish to enjoy commerce or transactions across borders. The surge in cross-border B2B payments is exponential since the penetration of the internet. With predictions of 30% growth in the next three years, cross-border e-commerce has taken off to exponential heights in these 2 years.Also, the businesses that offer software as a Service (SaaS) heavily depend on cross-border payments as their demographic is spread across the globe. In recent years, these players have played a monumental part in increasing the volume of cross-border transactions.The advancements in Fintech today empower many businesses and individuals to make instant payments. Businesses can experience stress-free invoicing, tax handling, and recurring billing in a few clicks. They also have access to top-notch support portals to handle any issues that arise out of a transaction.Fintech companies experiment with technologies like <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/blockchain-and-fintech-use-cases-and-applications/">Blockchain</a> to bring more transparency and Artificial Intelligence for better regulatory compliance.<h2 class="heading-node" id="2511" style="text-align: justify">What are cross border payments?</h2>Cross border payments happen when the payee and the recipient are in different countries. These transactions can be retail, wholesale or recurring in nature. Decades back, the electronic messaging system served as a crucial mode to enable cross border payments.The cross border payments industry now utilizes many payment modes like <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/credit-card-processing-a-definitive-guide/">credit cards</a>, cross-border <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/what-is-a-payment-gateway-and-payment-switch-understanding-the-basics-of-payments-architecture/">payment gateways</a>, <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/tale-of-money-transfers-from-hawala-to-one-click-remittances/">wire transfers</a>, e-wallet, distributed ledger technology, <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/api-the-power-that-drives-new-age-banking-ecosystems/">APIs,</a> etc., every day to facilitate international payments.<h3 class="heading-node" id="d1xc42b0j" style="text-align: justify">Cross-border payment methods</h3>In fact, we can classify cross-border payment methods as Past, Present, and Near Future, where every advancement is an incremental leap in payment facilitation and user experience.<img src="https://m2p-website-file.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com//m2p-website-file/marekting-cms/m2p-blog/2025/05/1-1.webp" alt="Cross border payment" title="" id="py8ljf39p" width="100%" height="253">The Past<h3 class="heading-node" id="8e54" style="text-align: justify">Wire transfer</h3>It is an electronic transfer of money, where the money is ‘wired’ from one account to another. If you are initiating a domestic transfer, it is called a “Bank wire.” In the case of cross-border payment, wire transfer is interchangeably referred to as “Remittances.” It is the oldest method of initiating a cross-border payment.<h3 class="heading-node" id="c67b" style="text-align: justify">How does it work?</h3>Here the payee visits their designated branch and provides the details of the receiver. Those details include the bank account number, name, recipient country’s currency, SWIFT code, IBAN (International Bank Account Number), bank address, amount to be transferred, etc.The currency rate is fixed before the transaction. The details are directly sent to the recipient branch or via an intermediary bank. That’s not all; the payee also has to pay certain charges like service tax, conversion charges, and other applicable charges. Based on the instructions, the recipient bank credits the amount to the recipient’s account within 5 working days or more at times.<h2 class="heading-node" id="dd8c" style="text-align: justify">Payment Service Providers (PSP)</h2>A popular option for immigrants, Payment Service Providers (PSP), effect transactions either in the form of physical cash or online payments.<h3 class="heading-node" id="b848" style="text-align: justify">How does it work?</h3>The sender visits the agency with the current nation’s currency and proper ID proof for physical cash. The recipient can visit the agency at his location and collect the money after dedicating transfer charges to completing the ID verification process. For online transactions, the sender visits the PSPs apps or websites. Within a few clicks, money flies over the nations and reaches the receiver’s bank account directly.<h2 class="heading-node" id="8db4" style="text-align: justify">The Present</h2><h3 class="heading-node" id="affb" style="text-align: justify">Credit cards</h3>It is a reliable mode of payment while traveling abroad. A <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/credit-card-processing-a-definitive-guide/">credit card</a> eliminates the need to carry cash in hand. They also offer attractive benefits like interest-free loan periods (a month or more), reward points, gift coupons, shopping offers, easy EMI options, travel insurance perks, etc.<h3 class="heading-node" id="0caa" style="text-align: justify">Forex cards</h3>Many banks and financial institutions offer <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/forex-cards-international-travel-made-effortless/">forex cards</a> explicitly designed for globetrotters. They can make money transfers across multiple countries with a single card. It helps the users avoid currency exchange rate fluctuations by locking in the rates while getting the card.<h3 class="heading-node" id="0b4e" style="text-align: justify">Digital wallets, ewallets &amp; mobile wallets</h3><ul class="list-node" id="th56mo1sb"><li>These are virtual wallets that can store money and customer information (credit card/debit card number, date, bank details, etc.).</li><li>eWallets are used like <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/prepaid-cards-101-a-definitive-guide-for-growth-and-profitability/">prepaid cards</a> where we can store our money.</li><li>Digital Wallets are used to store card numbers, account numbers, expiry dates, IFSC codes, etc. This confidential information resides in the cloud.</li><li>Digital wallets can be used on desktops, whereas mobile wallets can be used on mobile devices.</li></ul><h3 class="heading-node" id="f39a" style="text-align: justify">MasterCard Send</h3>Initiated by the global network provider, MasterCard Send allows both businesses/ individuals to make real-time cross-border payments to the recipient’s debit card number. It does not rely on the bank’s ACH system, so there is no need for a routing or account number to send the money across.<h3 class="heading-node" id="a125" style="text-align: justify">Visa Direct</h3>Visa Direct offers push payments to individuals/businesses across the globe. The business/user can tap into Visa’s global network and send payments in real-time or by a maximum time limit of 24 hours.<h3 class="heading-node" id="c742" style="text-align: justify">SWIFT GPI</h3>SWIFT GPI or Global Payment Initiative aims for transparent and faster cross-border payments. It breaks down all the costs involved, and the payee can keep tabs on where the payment is at any given time. While the older methods of cross-border payments are traditionally mysterious, SWIFT GPI unveils the mystery and significantly increases the speed.<h2 class="heading-node" id="80ee" style="text-align: justify">The Near Future</h2><h3 class="heading-node" id="05b1" style="text-align: justify">Open Banking APIs</h3>Open Banking<a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/api-the-power-that-drives-new-age-banking-ecosystems/"> Application Programming Interface (APIs)</a> aims to simplify the complicated procedures of cross-border payments. As it democratizes access to customer and their data, it becomes easier for fintechs and other financial institutions to build products that address their target demographic version of cross-border payment app.<h3 class="heading-node" id="f3c8" style="text-align: justify">Decentralized Ledger Technology (DLT)</h3>A term made popular by Blockchain tech, DLT can be applied to cross-border payments’ three most challenging aspects. They are backend processes, compliance, and as a means of payment. DLT can speed up the backend process while offering transparency at every step of the transaction. It can also reduce compliance-related costs and can introduce an entirely new method of payment.<img src="https://m2p-website-file.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/m2p-website-file/marketing-cms/m2p-blog/2021/05/2-1.webp" alt="M2P Fintech" title="" width="100%" height="253"><h3 class="heading-node" id="yj7z6hw5g" style="text-align: justify">How do cross-border payments work?</h3>Cross-border payment is a complex mechanism that involves many players. It carries many fees right from currency conversion to the respective country’s tax and other service charges. Both domestic and overseas entities work together to accomplish the transfer.For example, when a software purchase transaction is initiated, the “correspondent bank” requests the money from the “respondent bank.” Here both the correspondent and the respondent bank will have their colleague bank across the globe. So, the funds will leave the buyer’s bank and reach that bank’s counterpart present in the merchant country, ready for remittance. Then the remittance is transferred to the merchant’s bank for settlement. So, in short, banks work with other players like payment service providers; to transfer the money while navigating currency conversions, different tax regimes, transaction fees, etc. Further, slowing down the process.One of the most popular banks for forex settlements is the CLS bank. Founded in 2002, explicitly for mitigating risk and settlement of Forex transactions, CLS works with 18 currencies in cross-border payments. Even though it has been instrumental in making forex payments easier, it does have some drawbacks. With new emerging currencies gaining global transaction volume, CLS is limited by 18 currencies and is yet to catch up with technological advancements of member countries’ payment infrastructure.To create a seamless flow for the cross-border payments, some changes must be incorporated quickly to ensure better penetration across the value chains:<ul class="list-node" id="cp59ifqob"><li>Applications of Real-Time Payments will offer much-needed transparency. The parties involved can track the transaction status anytime. For example, this is what SWIFT GPI is trying to achieve. It has the potential to be replicated in other payment methods.</li><li>The time factor taken to complete a cross-border payment should be brought to days from weeks. Small and Medium Businesses (SMBs) should have better access to these payments as cash flow is the backbone of their operations. Unpredictable delays and complex transactions will hamper its growth.</li><li>Today’s customers, both retail and corporate, are looking forward to solutions that adapt to their evolving needs. They also favor the platforms where the solutions are embedded for all access.</li><li>Customers today prefer a choice of methods and security when initiating transactions. A flexible ecosystem where transaction history, audit, and reconciliation can give valuable insight and a seamless experience.</li><li>Integrations are a much-needed factor to bring about global interoperability and linking fragmented value chains. No matter the transaction origin, the experience of the transaction must be seamless for the merchant.</li><li>Typically, the stakeholders in this transaction flow more often follow the same regulations. They can be bifurcated into ‘front end’ and ‘back end’ stakeholders. The Front-end players are the Tech companies who look at the ‘data’ aspect of the transaction and can have lighter compliance standards. The onus should lie in compliance with balance-sheet exposure, counterparty exposure, and liquidity for the backend players.</li></ul><h2 class="heading-node" id="3198" style="text-align: justify">How is fintech disrupting cross-border payments?</h2>With Blockchain taking the lead in the fintech space, digital currencies can be used in cross-border payments instead of national currencies limited by geography. As digital currencies are built with technology, it provides a bread crumb trail for the transaction trace and reduces the need for intermediaries. Also, the DLT applications of Blockchain can provide transparency and security at the core. Along with these innovations, Fintech also offers the following benefits:<img src="https://m2p-website-file.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/m2p-website-file/marketing-cms/m2p-blog/2021/05/3-1-1.webp" alt="M2P Fintech" title="" width="100%" height="253"><ul class="list-node" id="4nv0g5ncq"><li>Constant enhancement: Fintech giants are leveraging the latest technologies like Blockchain to make cross-border payments completely transparent and tamper-proof. They concentrate more on the user experience and focus on making complex processes swift and convenient.</li><li>Ease of use: Virtual wallets allow the users to stay free from making a note of all the passwords, account numbers and worry about their confidentiality. You can feed all your confidential information with a single tap and complete your purchase.</li><li>Convenient:&nbsp;Forex cards are travel allies. It makes our wallets light when we are traveling to different countries handling different currencies. We can simply swipe on the retail outlets or wave it with a contactless card. Like an ATM card, it allows us to withdraw the local cash in any country (fed while receiving). The best part is few banks are waiving the ATM withdrawal fees, cross-currency charges, etc.</li><li>User experience:&nbsp;Cross-border payment gateways help businesses to sell across borders. As they comply with PCI data security standards, customers feel secure while buying from a foreign website. Consumers can purchase by simply typing their email ids and enjoy rapid check-out.</li><li>Marketing mate:&nbsp;Businesses can use the buying patterns of the consumers collected through their wallets and retarget them with attractive offers. Wallets offer rewards to buyers in the name of cashback. This money can be utilized only in their portal and increase the sales of the online platform.</li></ul>Over the past decade, cross-border payments industry innovations are drastic and soaring high, with creative Fintech minds entering the space each day. Cross-border payments are no longer a daunting task consuming more time and effort. And we can expect many more innovations that make cross-border payments a secure and transparent exercise.To know more about cross-border payments, write to us at business@m2pfintech.com<a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/newsletter/">Subscribe</a>&nbsp;to our newsletter and get the latest fintech news, views, and insights, directly to your inbox.Follow us on&nbsp;<a class="link" href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/m2pfintech/mycompany/">LinkedIn</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a class="link" href="https://twitter.com/m2pfintech">Twitter</a>&nbsp;for insightful fintech tales curated for curious minds like you.

Cross- Border Payments: A Swift Money Flow Across Borders

<img src="https://m2p-website-file.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/m2p-website-file/marketing-cms/m2p-blog/2022/04/banner1251-5-1.webp" alt="M2P Fintech" title="" id="l0awqi5yp" width="100%" height="356">Swiping a credit card for purchases has been a standard practice for decades. All we need to do is swipe the card, and the transaction is complete. If it is an E-commerce transaction, entering the card details and other requisite information does the trick. And the time taken to complete this happening is mere seconds. But there are many steps between the card swipe and receipt of the swipe. All those actions are an intricate part of how credit card processing happens on the inside.<blockquote class="block-node" id="6mo1864fw">Simplifying Wikipedia’s terms: The Credit card is a payment card used by consumers to pay the merchant in exchange for goods or services. It is a promise between the card issuer and the cardholder to abide by a few drafted financial terms &amp; conditions — the cost of the goods + interest rates or late fees.</blockquote>It is a calculative risk taken by many parties involved in the transaction.From transferring the funds securely to collecting the payment from the user later, it revolves under a virtual promise. So that the importance of understanding credit card processing is to avoid any mishaps.<h2 class="heading-node" id="b7b9">What is credit card processing?</h2>Credit Card Processing is the funnel through which the data related to the Consumer Credit Card and purchase are transmitted from their Credit Accounts to Merchant Account. As consumer uses their credit card to buy a product, a virtual process happens swiftly between many financial participants to allow or decline the purchase.The credit card processing framework is a blueprint that serves as a guide for payments to go in the right direction during the transaction, and when they take a toll, it acts as an investigator.<h2 class="heading-node" id="bab3">Stakeholders in credit card processing</h2>The credit card processing network actively processes millions of transactions with the help of rigid network infrastructure and various stakeholders behind each network architecture.Each task is a mini approval request raised and approved in a circular motion by the financial entities involved in the process.Card Holder:&nbsp;The consumer is the credit cardholder.Merchant:&nbsp;The owner of the online selling platform or the offline store where the goods or services are placed for the consumers to buy.Example: Amazon (online store) Costco HyperMarket (offline store)Payment Processor: These are the companies that communicate and relay information from Consumer’s credit card to both Issuing and Acquiring Bank. All this occurs at lightning speed. Payment processors collect, receive, and accept the payment using a combination of hardware and software advancements. They ensure the security and fraud protection measures in the transactions.Card Network: Visa, MasterCard are the dominant examples of the card network, followed by American Express and Discover. They are virtual payment infrastructure facilitating the communication between merchant and issuer bank. Along with these international players, we have an India-borne network RuPay, launched by NPCI (National Payment Corporation of India).American Express and Discover are also issuers in the credit card industry. Discover also owns and operates Discover Bank. In India, Discover-branded credit cards are seen in collaboration with HDFC Bank and Diners Club International.Issuing Bank:&nbsp;An Issuing Bank (or “Issuer”) is an entity that provides Credit/Debit Cards to customers (VISA, Master, American Express, etc.). It authenticates a customer’s purchase at a store/online site. When a payment is made at a store, funds are transferred from the issuing bank (which authenticates the transaction) to the acquiring bank.Acquiring Bank:&nbsp;An Acquiring Bank (or “acquirer” or “merchant’s bank”) is an entity that maintains the merchant’s bank account. With the help of the acquiring bank, the merchant can process debit and credit card payments, access payment gateways, and receive payments from transacting customers.Any eCommerce entity or a brick-and-mortar store can collect online payments only after signing a contract with an acquiring bank. Once the contract is signed, the merchant can receive online payments, and the acquirer takes care of it on behalf of the merchant.In short, acquirers accept payments while issuers make payments. Also, the Acquirers provide their services to businesses, whereas Issuers offer their services to individuals. Acquirers and Issuers are like two sides of the same coin; though there are subtle differences in how they work, one cannot exist without the other.<h2 class="heading-node" id="92d9">How does credit card processing work?</h2>Credit card processing, which happens in a fraction of seconds, is a complex process in the background. We have tried demystifying the process in 7 simple steps:<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/1400/1*K9bp4Kbg_HWik1wOxQw9jw.jpeg" alt="Credit Card Processing Flow" title="" width="100%" height="284"><h3 class="heading-node" id="46f4">Consumer confirms purchase</h3>The consumer, who is also the cardholder, confirms the purchase at the POS (Point of Sale) terminal or the checkout webpage of the e-commerce website.<h3 class="heading-node" id="7fec">Consumer submits transaction details</h3>To complete the purchase, the consumer swipes the credit card or submits his card details to begin the payment. The transaction here will follow two flows; if it is a POS transaction, the POS device will read the card information. In the case of e-commerce websites, the consumer enters card details in the payment gateway.<h3 class="heading-node" id="1675">Secured data transmission</h3>There are multiple levels involved in the card data transmission and the purchase amount.<ol class="list-node" id="z0vfnyiw9"><li>Encrypted details sent to Payment Processor-&nbsp;The card reader or the payment gateway passes the transaction information in an encrypted format to the payment processor.</li><li>Payment Processor to Card Network-&nbsp;The payment processor collects and transmits information to the Credit Card Network.</li><li>Card Network to Issuer Bank-&nbsp;The Consumer’s Bank or the Issuing Bank which has issued the Credit Card, receives the information.</li></ol><h3 class="heading-node" id="1ae6">Payment verification by issuing bank</h3>The Consumer’s Bank verifies the availability of sufficient funds for the purchase. It also checks the legitimacy of the purchase. Once all these checks are done, it sends an approved or declined message to the Credit Card Network.<h3 class="heading-node" id="834e">Payment authorization</h3>Authorization response from the Card Network is sent to the Payment Gateway or the Card reader, displaying the response at the Purchase window. Once the authorization is approved, the merchant can deliver goods to Consumer.<h3 class="heading-node" id="665c">Payment processing by acquiring bank</h3>Merchant’s Bank or the Acquiring Bank receives the approved authorizations and credit card payments in a batch from Merchant for settlement. The payments are processed by the Bank on behalf of merchants.<h3 class="heading-node" id="e50a">Payment settlement flow</h3>The merchant bank further raises the Credit Card issuing bank request for batch settlement. The issuing bank, in turn, makes a settlement payment to the merchant bank the following day. Once funds are received by the Merchant Bank; certain amount towards interchange fees, acquirer fee, etc. are deducted before depositing the remaining to the merchant’s account. The settlement process typically takes 2–3 Business days.<h2 class="heading-node" id="ec35">What happens if the card transaction fails to go through?</h2>In case of refunds, payment disputes, or fraud reports, the process begins at the issuer end and then flows to the acquirer. In these cases, too, the issuer will authorize, and the acquirer authenticates. Though the minor details may differ from case to case, the overall process is the same. This activity is also known as the&nbsp;Chargeback process.&nbsp;Here the issuing bank will reverse the transaction in question by withdrawing money from the acquirer and returning it to the cardholder.The merchant can dispute the chargeback through&nbsp;Representment, where the acquirer must gather evidence on the merchant’s behalf to prove the original transaction validity. The issuer will examine the collected facts and offer an outcome supporting either the merchant or the cardholder.<h2 class="heading-node" id="280d">What are credit card processing services?</h2>A credit card processing service handles the data transfer that happens between the card machine and the bank. It processes all kinds of credit card transactions, both offline and online. Also known as&nbsp;Merchant Service&nbsp;Providers, these companies are authorized by card networks such Visa, MasterCard, etc. They help businesses open merchant accounts and manage their daily card transactions for a fee.<h2 class="heading-node" id="3ad2">Credit card processing fees</h2>The whole operation of credit card settlement and processing is notoriously confusing and complex. Still, it’s made easy for a price, and that is your credit card processing fees. This amount is charged to the merchant based on the payment processor he is using.Payment processors like the fintech providers who provide the payment infrastructure in the selling platform are the ones that collect this fee. It is then split among the other active players in the credit card processing framework.Credit card processing fees are broken into<ol class="list-node" id="5i5ncnxcm"><li>Interchange:&nbsp;The commission fee that goes to the issuer bank, non-negotiable.</li><li>Assessments:&nbsp;The commission fee that goes to the card network brand, non-negotiable.</li><li>Markup:&nbsp;The commission fee that goes to the payment processor, negotiable.</li></ol><h2 class="heading-node" id="f95c">Payment processing technologies</h2><img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/1400/1*jEPc3qSRo-kXAHW_35lr0w.jpeg" alt="Payment Processing Technologies" title="" width="100%" height="284">Payments are sensitive everywhere. Lose a tooth nobody cares but lose a penny in the transaction everybody loses their temperance.It is essential to place your business into the next generation of the digital world that demands trust, fast, easy, and scalable fintech solutions. Only when your chosen payment processing technology can act as more than an enhancement can one survive the competition.To process a credit card, settle the credit card funds, and secure the payment process, the fintech industry caters to the technology accordingly. Irrespective of online or offline stores, payment processing, needs to happen few seconds to place an active bet in the competition. And here are some of the technologies<ul class="list-node" id="gt7lqlsep"><li>Mobile POS terminal (mPOS)- It is a device used at stores for retail card transactions</li><li>Payment Gateway- It is the key component of the payment processing system, and it sends the customer information to the acquirer</li><li>Real-Time Payments (RTP)- As the name suggests, RTP payments are initiated and settled almost instantly. Ideally, this technology is available 24*7*365</li><li>Mobile Wallets- It is a virtual wallet that stores an individual’s card details on a mobile device. They are used to make payments without the need for a physical card.</li><li>Blockchain in Payments- It is a promising tech for payment processing. Many companies worldwide are exploring its potential in the same.</li><li>NFC/Contactless Cards- NFC is available in smartphone payment gateways. It allows users to store multiple card data on their mobile, thereby reducing the need to carry cash.</li></ul><h2 class="heading-node" id="3bfc">Conclusion</h2>I know this is a lot to take in. We wish for an easy backend process, too, with fewer complications involved.However, that’s a job for us to worry about while you think only of choosing the right credit card processing system. The only thought you should have is about bringing in a suitable payment processor to make your credit card transactions occur in a fraction of seconds for a lower fee.Want to know more on this? Write to us at business@m2pfintech.com.<a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/newsletter/">Subscribe</a>&nbsp;to our newsletter and get the latest fintech news, views, and insights, directly to your inbox. Follow us on&nbsp;<a class="link" href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/m2pfintech/mycompany/">LinkedIn</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a class="link" href="https://twitter.com/m2pfintech">Twitter</a>&nbsp;for insightful fintech tales curated for curious minds like you.

Credit Card Processing - A Definitive Guide

<img src="https://m2p-website-file.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/m2p-website-file/marketing-cms/m2p-blog/2022/04/banner1251-7.webp" alt="M2P Fintech" title="" id="47w9r0aue" width="100%" height="447">Over the past few years, we have been witnessing ongoing digital advancements, ranging from communication to the way we transact. Out of these advancements, cashless transactions are reigning supreme and are further fueled by this raging pandemic. They have taken over traditional payments and banking practices.Also, there is a multitude of payment options available today. Major players such as Google Pay, Apple Pay, PayPal have access to sensitive user data stored across international servers. These actions led to many raising their voice about user data security and privacy.Being a global concern, RBI brought forth the concept of Data Localization to protect user data from potential threats.<h2 class="heading-node" id="909f" style="text-align: justify">What is data localization?</h2>Data protection created a buzz way back in 1993 when Public Records Act ensures the data transfer is restricted outside India for security purposes from surveillance of other countries.<blockquote class="block-node" id="gvz0ve27e">Data localization is the act of storing citizens’ data within the country’s geographical boundaries to avoid any foreign accessibility.</blockquote>It also plays a crucial part in the government’s cloud computing policy.<h2 class="heading-node" id="a1d6" style="text-align: justify">RBI guidelines on the data localization Policy</h2>Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued a circular dated April 6, 2018, stating that all authorized Payment System Operators (PSOs) in India to ensure that the data related to payment systems such as customer data, payment sensitive data, payment credentials, and transaction data should be mandatorily stored within India itself under the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007.A deadline of six months was tagged along with the data localization policy. Since the payment ecosystem has ballooned in the last few years, RBI was pushed to undertake this crucial step in protecting consumers’ data.All payment firms, including American Express, Master Card/Visa, PayPal, Google Pay, WhatsApp Pay, Paytm, and Phone Pe, should adhere to the RBI’s data localization rule. Subsequently, RBI insisted system providers for unfettered access to all data on complete end-to-end transaction details/information collected/carried/processed as part of the message/payment instruction by submitting Audit Report (SAR) conducted by CERT-IN.<h2 class="heading-node" id="b109" style="text-align: justify">As per RBI’s data localization policy...</h2><ol class="list-node" id="2v2w7zt70"><li>There is no bar on payment processing outside the country, but post-processing, the data should be deleted from the foreign systems and brought back to India not later than the one business day or 24 hours from payment processing, whichever is earlier. The same should be stored only in India.</li><li>However, any subsequent activity such as settlement processing after payment processing, if done outside India, shall also be undertaken/performed on a near real-time basis by storing it only in India.</li><li>In case of any other related processing activity, such as chargeback, etc., the data can be accessed, at any time, from India, where it is stored.</li><li>RBI’s prior approval is necessary for sharing the payment system data with overseas regulators.</li><li>The banks operating in India must strictly adhere to the storage norms.</li><li>Exceptionally, a foreign leg of a transaction is permitted to store their banking data abroad. However, the domestic payment transactions should be stored only in India along with the details which include end-to-end transaction, payment, and settlement transactions — customer name, mobile number, e-mail address, Aadhar card number or PAN, beneficiary details, and payment credentials like One Time Password (OTP), PIN and passwords.</li><li>For cross-border transactions that include data with a foreign and domestic component, a copy of the domestic component may be stored abroad, if required.</li><li>System providers were given six months to ensure the directive’s compliance and report the same to RBI.</li></ol><img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/700/1*UWIdZTi2f31G70qkfQJqLw.png" alt="An image representing the RBI Data Localisation Policy" title="" width="100%" height="349">The RBI guidelines on storing payments data provoked a noteworthy impact on Payment System Operators. Indian payment firms, viz. Paytm, PhonePe, and MobiKwik backed the RBI regulations on data localization policy in protecting citizens’ data and restricting any foreign accessibility.But the representatives of top leading companies such as Amazon, Flipkart, Google, Microsoft, Facebook, and American Express met with government and RBI officials to raise concerns regarding the stringent nature of this policy (2019).Later the Indian government took the responsibility to determine the category of data to be stored locally. This categorization ensured that the data is not misused by various companies, which involves transferring it to third-party providers.<h2 class="heading-node" id="f733" style="text-align: justify">Personal data protection bill</h2>The Personal Data Protection Bill (PDP Bill) applies to the processing of personal data by the companies registered in India, foreign companies dealing with personal data of individuals in India, and the Indian Government. The PDP bill categorizes the collected data into three categories:<ul class="list-node" id="0gtvgf1gh"><li>Personal data,</li><li>Sensitive personal data and</li><li>Critical personal data.</li></ul>The PDP bill is not applicable for the processing of anonymous data.The PDP bill proposed to store sensitive personal data and critical personal data in India. However, it permits the processing of sensitive personal data by transferring it to outside of India in certain cases provided that at least a copy of that data continues to be stored in India and explicit consent is needed for the same. Whereas critical personal data can only be stored and processed within India.<h2 class="heading-node" id="e7e0" style="text-align: justify">The impact on payment industries</h2>Multinational payment systems located in India faced a major impact after the RBI’s intervention on Data Localization. Popular foreign credit card companies such as Visa and Mastercard missed the strict six-month deadline set by the RBI (2019). Usually, International payment companies store their data on global servers, but this rule made them store data locally with an additional investment.India is the fastest-growing market for mobile apps and digital banking. The Indian start-up companies in the FinTech sector often go through the toughest challenge of outsourcing technical support and shifting from cloud services to cheaper and cost-effective services.Data Localization Policy will prohibit these start-ups from opting for cost-effective cloud service providers globally and choose localized alternatives, which ends in high operational costs. But this will be a fruitful drift that leads to shielding of payments data from identity fraud and other digital breaches associated with it.<h2 class="heading-node" id="3200" style="text-align: justify">The current scenario</h2>RBI reiterated its stand on data privacy by issuing a circular stating that from April 1, 2021, all Payment system operators to submit a compliance certificate duly signed by their CEOs or Managing Directors on a half-yearly basis adhering to the RBI’s regulations on securing payments data.This again triggered an active interest in RBI’s continuous intervention on securing and continuously monitoring the data to avoid any future risks to the country. With the advancements in the digital economy, financial data security is a must for the country’s economic growth and development.Want to know more about data localization? Write to us at business@m2pfintech.com<a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/newsletter/">Subscribe</a>&nbsp;to our newsletter and get the latest fintech news, views, and insights, directly to your inbox. Follow us on&nbsp;<a class="link" href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/m2pfintech/mycompany/">LinkedIn</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a class="link" href="https://twitter.com/m2pfintech">Twitter</a>&nbsp;for insightful fintech tales curated for curious minds like you.

Decrypting RBI Data Localization Policy for Payment Companies

<img src="https://m2p-website-file.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/m2p-website-file/marketing-cms/m2p-blog/2022/05/Artboard-1-copy-7-4.webp" alt="M2P Fintech" title="" id="z6xoivwf2" width="100%" height="356">The fintech industry is a big ocean where one gets easily lost if unaware of the operational standpoint of digital solutions. It has so many entities built with innovative ideas, frameworks, and processes that offer high scope to elevate the business to different levels.Among the pool of technology offered by the fintech world, payment solution is the essential competitive niche with robust ideologies already in action.The statement&nbsp;Payments are happening in the air&nbsp;is surreal because of the customized payment solutions popping out from every nook. These customized payment solutions are powered by two little, but mighty players called the Payment Gateway and Payment Switch. Though invisible to the human eyes, this duo is at the center of every scalable payment method that today’s banks and businesses are trying to deploy for a niche customer experience.<h2 class="heading-node" id="5533">What is a Payment Gateway?</h2>A payment gateway is a tool that potentially takes care of the transaction process end-to-end, covering security to settlement. Payment gateway, also known as the facilitator of the payment, is an online digital cashier who charges, verifies, collects cash, and hands over the deliverables.Payment Gateway is developed and launched by fintech’s to allow the merchants (businesses) to accept the payments in their selling platform, online or offline.They are third-party software sitting between businesses (merchant selling platform) and issuing bank account. This software creates a pathway in which the user (customer) can submit his/her sensitive information (card details, passwords, PINs) to the merchant in exchange for the promised goods.The payment gateway validates the submitted information, checks for the fund availability, deducts the fund. When the products are shipped or handed over, the fund is moved to the merchant account in 1–2 business days.<img src="https://m2p-website-file.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/m2p-website-file/marketing-cms/m2p-blog/2022/05/Artboard-1-copy-10-3.webp" alt="M2P Fintech" title="" id="ueyc1wyvd" width="100%" height="284">The powerful coding lines in the payment gateway enable the user to request a payment transaction within the seller platform. It assists the transaction process by executing the following steps,<ul class="list-node" id="qof5gk3a6"><li>Accepts the payment request</li><li>Verifies the user card details or submitted account details</li><li>Check for the fund availability</li><li>Processes the transaction</li><li>Transfers the fund to the acquirer bank account (merchant bank account)</li></ul>In simple terms, the software allows the smooth transaction between the issuing bank account and the acquirer’s bank account.<h2 class="heading-node" id="29e9">Benefits of a Payment Gateway</h2><ol class="list-node" id="bcxfx2siy"><li>Allows millions of users to perform a transaction with the merchants</li><li>Reduces the fraudulent services in online payments with various authentication steps like OTP, CVV, or CCV</li><li>Allows multiple payment options like a credit card, net banking, mobile wallet, or digital transactions.</li><li>Easy report generation, reconciliation, and settlement for accounting frameworks.</li></ol><h2 class="heading-node" id="5679">What is a Payment Switch?</h2>Payment switch is also a technology but embedded into the payment gateways. It is an independent entity that conveniently sits inside the payment gateways to assist the <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/future-of-payments-processing-matched-with-industry-needs/">payment processing</a>.Being an OLTP (online transaction process tasks) a payment switch takes care of all the nuances inside a transaction. Suppose the payment gateway is a founder who oversees the transaction. In that case, the switch is the executive who does the actual payment processing tasks.In a payment gateway, there are multiple merchant accounts boarded with their bank (acquirer bank). So, when a payment request comes from a merchant selling platform, switch dynamically identifies the acquirer bank (associated with that merchant) and the issuing bank of that specific request through <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/the-bin-migrationpreparing-for-8-digit-bins/">BIN</a> allotment and then permits the transaction to happen securely.BIN allotment is one among many ways for the payment switch to route the transaction. It also supports routing by amount, routing by the time of the day. Once it receives the message from the issuing bank, it formats and sends back the response to the acquirer.The payment switch is a flexible entity accepting the payment request from the payment gateway and beginning the transaction steps.<ul class="list-node" id="5zkz91mvg"><li>Accepts the validated payment request from the PG</li><li>Reads the merchant rules for the transaction process</li><li>Identifies the PSP for that particular payment request</li><li>Routes (switches) the transaction based on a BIN allotment for a specific PSP associated with that payment request</li><li>Processes the transaction based on failure or success</li></ul><img src="https://m2p-website-file.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/m2p-website-file/marketing-cms/m2p-blog/2022/05/Artboard-1-copy-9-1.webp" alt="M2P Fintech" title="" width="100%" height="284"><h2 class="heading-node" id="h40nrxm4e">Benefits of a Payment Switch</h2><ol class="list-node" id="ccsypcdsi"><li>Highly Scalable</li><li>Dynamic Routing</li><li>Fewer outages’ issues</li><li>No more connectivity time out</li><li>Secure and eliminates the fraud risks because of the encrypted BIN allotment</li><li>Allows extension of payment networks</li></ol><h2 class="heading-node" id="eeqyxyhej">Payment Gateway vs. Payment Switch</h2>In the whole payment ecosystem, payment gateway and payment switch are the two variables that have become the atom to all the online and offline businesses appending banks. The two entities are not different but not the same too. They are embedded onto each other to reduce downtime and outages.It is easy to confuse both and interpret them as one, but it is not. Although on a bird’s view, the operations of both are alike, the underlying subtlety in the payment processing tasks differentiates payment gateway from payment switch.<h2 class="heading-node" id="2280">How do they work together in sync?</h2>Payment gateway and Payment switch work together in a fashionable way enabling faster, safer, and dynamic transactions. At a fraction of a second, the payment gateway can process more than a million transactions because of the flexible switch. You can imagine a payment gateway as the train track, and the payment switch is the railroad switch to change train routes. Just like the railroad switch guides the train to their proper destinations, the payment switch guides the transaction process to the right acquirer’s place.<blockquote class="block-node" id="u3fmyga0u">One platform, multiples payment requests, no mishaps, no outages, and no time outs — all possible because of payment switch.</blockquote><h2 class="heading-node" id="q8g6rg92k">What is the future of both?</h2>Payment switches will not go away because banks face intense competition to bring the topmost secure and faster payment methods. Payment initiatives will take the revolution road only till the switch exists.However, the future remains unpredictable (after what 2020 has taught). So, maybe the end might eliminate the switch and bring in a more robust payment gateway technology.In retrospect…The switch will be the payment gateway and grow as a monopoly in the payment ecosystem.Since owning a switch needs BIN allotment, the regulations charges are heavy; also, the technology requires a fast server with 24*7 hours access.But the real question for our thought here is, what if AI intelligence operations are allowed into payment technology. Then the game changes — switches will get a complete upgrade. But the future is yet to be witnessed.<a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/newsletter/">Subscribe</a>&nbsp;to our newsletter and get the latest fintech news, views, and insights, directly to your inbox. Follow us on&nbsp;<a class="link" href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/m2pfintech/mycompany/">LinkedIn</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a class="link" href="https://twitter.com/m2pfintech">Twitter</a>&nbsp;for insightful fintech tales curated for curious minds like you.

What is a Payment Gateway and Payment Switch?

<img src="https://m2p-website-file.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/m2p-website-file/marketing-cms/m2p-blog/2022/05/banner-1-1.webp" alt="M2P Fintech" title="" width="100%" height="358">Payment Tokenization — One technology to make all the stakeholders of digital transactions happy!<blockquote class="block-node" id="pcv6p2tv7">“Tokenization market worth is estimated to be $4.8 Billion by 2025.”-&nbsp;Markets and Markets</blockquote>Simply put, the word “Tokenize” means substituting, and it is an ingenious concept introduced in 2005 by Shift4payments to protect cardholder data. It factored in data security at its core and is now a popular term due to the surge in online transactions.In fact, a token is a concept that has been long around; for example, the coins that we buy in the gaming arcade or a casino have no value outside the premises. But inside the building, you get to buy your stakes or favorite superhero toy. Likewise, tokens replace or mask the sensitive data in the online transaction by replacing it with random alphanumeric characters.By enabling payment tokenization, the merchants and networks can move data without the hovering threat of payments fraud or identity theft. Tokenization helps in finding a perfect balance between “data security” and “user experience.”<h2 class="heading-node" id="5806" style="text-align: justify">What is ‘Tokenization’ in payments?</h2>In the world of payments, the card account number is masked by a single-use randomized alphanumeric character of the same length. This camouflage is called tokenization in payments. Meaning, each account number is now a ‘Token’ representing the original confidential information. In contrast, the actual data is stored safely in a digital token vault.It is also referred to as ‘Credit Card tokenization’&nbsp;interchangeably. It helps in removing the credit card information from the internal network or database. The concept is more popular with <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/credit-card-processing-a-definitive-guide/">credit cards</a> as it involves a higher magnitude of the fraud.<h2 class="heading-node" id="8f6f" style="text-align: justify">Why do we need Payment tokenization?</h2>Pandemic fostered digital transactions at a faster pace than ever before indeed. As there is an increase in digital commerce, businesses came up with enhanced solutions that facilitated online transactions to confront consumer preferences.Improved digital transactions put security under question. While the consumers are worried about their sensitive data being visible to many online platforms, the merchants fret about losing loyal customers.‘Tokens — the trustworthy representatives,’ alleviates these roadblocks effectively as the original data (ex: credit card number) never reaches the merchant’s server. The merchants enjoy retaining the customers without compromising the reputation while staying <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/pci-dss-the-payments-armour/">PCI-DSS</a> (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) compliant.<img src="https://m2p-website-file.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/m2p-website-file/marketing-cms/m2p-blog/2022/05/int.webp" alt="M2P Fintech" title="" id="92tjhlk3p" width="100%" height="358"><h2 class="heading-node" id="aa74" style="text-align: justify">How does Payment Tokenization/Credit Card tokenization work in action?</h2>Tokenization is not a costlier technology as it sounds. Any organization can adopt it irrespective of the structure and size. It is ideal for organizations that cannot afford to spend more on sophisticated encryption algorithms or infrastructure to secure the data.Let’s see an example,<ul class="list-node" id="a9ehiej48"><li>Sara orders a pair of sports shoes on Amazon. After choosing all her preferences, she reaches the payment section.</li><li>She enters the sensitive data on the portal (credit card number, cardholder name, etc.)</li><li>This goes straight to the tokenization server without storing any data in the amazon application’s server</li><li>There are many tokenization providers in the market like Fiserv, Mastercard, American Express, TokenEx, 3D Delta Systems, Meawallet, etc.</li><li>Then it reaches the token vault, where the original data is secure. It, in turn, returns a&nbsp;token&nbsp;of randomized alphanumeric representation of the same length.</li><li>This has no relation to the original data, like in the typical&nbsp;‘data encryption&nbsp;process. The actual data is contained within the ciphered text. Tokens are, in general, generated by mathematical algorithms.</li><li>This token is now passed to the merchant’s acquirer bank, and this bank passes the token to the credit card network.</li><li>Then the card network processes the token and maps it to the customer’s account number, authorizes and passes it to the issuing bank.</li><li>The issuer bank now authorizes or denies the transaction based on the fund balance.</li><li>After the successful transaction, a unique token returns to the merchant.</li><li>Amazon now has no record of Sara’s sensitive original information but her tokens. In this way, Amazon can enable Sara to make one-click payments the next time she shops.</li></ul>It is evident that&nbsp;tokenization checks all the mandates of refined digital transactions. Sara is now happy with her brand-new sports shoes while securing her data in the vault. Getting the data from the vault is not an easy piece of cake. It requires multiple authentication levels, service charges, etc., to verify if a trusted party raised it.<h2 class="heading-node" id="4357" style="text-align: justify">Then it also brings forth the question is Tokenization and Encryption one and the same?</h2>The answer is definitely no.The tokenized data cannot be reversed to reveal the original card number. In contrast, encryption takes a card number, transforms it into ciphertext by running it through an algorithm. To unlock the ciphertext, it has to be decrypted using an encryption key.On the other hand, tokenization uses no algorithm or requires a key to unlock the original data.<h2 class="heading-node" id="b70f" style="text-align: justify">Does Credit Card Tokenization impact a change in the payment process?</h2>No.The end-user will not find any difference in their transactions even after the implementation of tokenization. The entire process happens at the backend without intervening in the user experience. Tokens are generated online and eliminate the need to wait.<h2 class="heading-node" id="744e" style="text-align: justify">Why is Payment Tokenization a ‘Fintech Asset’?</h2>The boom of technology in the Financial services domain has been rapid in the past decade. Card-less transactions, <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/remittance-with-upi-a-giant-leap-for-cross-border-payments/">UPI payments</a>, <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/what-is-a-payment-gateway-and-payment-switch-understanding-the-basics-of-payments-architecture/">Payment Gateways</a>, etc., increases online consumers each day. As we enjoy the perks of digital banking with one-click transactions, we cannot deny the fact that our data is vulnerable to “Social Engineering.”Social Engineering is everywhere. We may fall into the trap of hackers and leave a lot of confidential information during digital transactions. There are multiple intrusion points for the hackers to lure in when the transactions float over the network and wipe away our savings.Given this scenario, tokenization is indeed an asset to Fintech. Because even if a hacker tries to sneak into the network, all he can find is randomized alphanumeric and characters with no relation to the original data (PAN number, credit card number, etc.)It is expensive for merchants to become <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/pci-dss-a-quick-guide-to-its-levels/">PCI DSS</a> compliant and qualify themselves as a trustworthy eCommerce merchant for the consumers. They have to undergo a lengthy auditing process, and it is an ongoing process. With the help of&nbsp;‘Tokenization,’&nbsp;merchants can save a hefty amount of money as the scope of <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/pci-dss-the-payments-armour/">PCI DSS</a> compliance is reduced in storing the user’s confidential information.Apart from banking,&nbsp;‘credit card tokenization’&nbsp;builds confidence among the investors as it secures the money with ease. We could see the boom of Blockchain technology-based fintech solutions gaining momentum across the nations.&nbsp;“Tokenization”&nbsp;is also seen as the key to drive blockchain implementation in the future by accompanying cryptocurrency transactions.Finally, it also offers substantial benefits to all stakeholders involved in the transaction:<ul class="list-node" id="nexhxh9e5"><li>Issuers witness a notable decrease in payment fraud in both channels of online and mobile transactions.</li><li>Acquirers, merchants, and processors experience a lower risk of accessible, sensitive cardholder data if compromised by cyber attacks.</li><li>Merchants will wield a powerful mechanism that lets them innovate better retail experiences minus the responsibility of storing and handling sensitive data.</li><li>Customers need not enter their details every time they make an online purchase from smartphones, tablets, or PCs.</li></ul>Payments tokenization makes all the parties — consumers; merchants; payment gateway providers, banking institutions, regulatory bodies feel safe, secure, and happy with their buying and selling processes.Tokenizing confidential data makes way for turbulence-free secure digital transactions!<a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/newsletter/">Subscribe</a>&nbsp;to our newsletter and get the latest fintech news, views, and insights, directly to your inbox. 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