Tietoevry Banking & Tapeeze launch customisable tokenised payment cards

By Gloria Methri

Fans can use these cards to show their affinity with a brand, team or product, while banks benefit from a top-of-wallet payment offering and enhanced loyalty via a card linked to the Visa™ or Mastercard™ global acceptance networks.

Ruth Hessner, Head of Card Personalisation at Tietoevry Banking, said, “We see fantastic global potential in this first-of-its-kind partnership, which has given rise to a truly unique offering. For sports clubs with huge fanbases, these cards will enable fans to show their colours every time they pay while generating revenue for their club. At the same time, cardholders’ banks gain new revenue opportunities from their card portfolios and very rapid time to market for these products while giving customers the chance to express their loyalty to brands, sports clubs and more.”

Under the terms of this agreement, non-banks will be able to issue their own branded and personalised cards using Tietoevry Banking’s low-cost, sustainable and fast-to-market production techniques.

Tapeeze uses the same tokenisation technology found in products such as rings, smartwatches, Google Pay and Apple Pay, delivered via a physical card. This is the first time this kind of technology, which includes enhanced security through skim-proof tokenisation and optional biometric factors, has been made available to non-banking entities for card products anywhere in the world.

“At Tapeeze, we are revolutionising the very concept of payment cards—what they can do and how they look. The demand for customisable, tokenised payment cards is growing rapidly as businesses now recognise that payment cards are more than just a transaction tool. To be able to meet increasing demand across multiple countries and industries, partnering with Tietoevry Banking was a natural choice for us. Their extensive banking network, deep industry expertise, and proven infrastructure make them the ideal partner to scale our product across Europe – helping businesses unlock new revenue streams and stronger customer engagement”, said Mikael Kesha, CCO & Co-Founder of Tapeeze.

Compatible with banks globally and trusted by both Visa™ and Mastercard™, Tapeeze turns payment cards into multi-functional, secure accessories. The announcement follows successful implementations of this technology by leading Swedish sports clubs, including AIK, Björklöven, Timrå IK, and Djurgården.

Large corporations are also expected to benefit from this technology since it enables them to issue cards with their branding and design to employees and affiliated groups for purchasing, travel, entertainment and more.