Category: Case studies

Check out how our customers use their prepaid Mastercard and Visa business card solution. B4B Payments provides smart and flexible payment processing solutions, which enable any size organisation to manage expenses, simplify payroll and offer employee rewards and incentives.

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Case studies Travel

B4B International Payments Support Travel Industries

The project, in simple terms

B4B Payments’ position as a leading multi-faceted payments system provider has enabled it to help several travel companies improve their payment systems. These systems have, in turn, had significant positive impacts on the respective business metrics. 

Seamless International Payments

AVEA LA POSTE is a French association offering summer camps for children and teenagers aged 4-17 in France and abroad during all school holidays. 

By adopting B4B’s international payments service, AVEA LA POSTE can 

  • reserve hotels and accommodations faster
  • book activities and other services for the camp stay abroad more efficiently

These are critical benefits for parents/guardians, such as being able to arrange the trip with minimal fuss, as they have other things to worry about. A complex purchasing process can also be a barrier to conversion, leading to a loss of market share and a drop in success metrics. 

Enhancing Efficiency and Cost Savings

B4B integrated a payment service into Avea La Poste’s systems. As a result, AVEA LA POSTE can now send international transfers in a fraction of the time it used to when using their traditional French bank. 

Now, AVEA LA POSTE can avoid the following issues when using their traditional bank, including:

  • The FX rate is the day’s rate, but when the payment is made and accepted, not when they make the request.
  • Also, the minimum is ten days, even longer sometimes, to make the payments.
  • If it’s not accepted, the transfer is sent back to AVEA, and they must restart the process. 
  • Pay commissions on top of the fees.
Conclusion

AVEA LA POSTE has been with B4B since 2018, benefiting from various international payment options, including faster payments, CHAPS, SEPA, SWIFT, and US ACH with 25 currencies. Notably, Faster Payments offer instant transactions, and SWIFT payments are cheaper and take a maximum of 4-5 days. 

‘We can now send our international transfers more easily, quickly and economically than with our French bank,’ says the AVEA LA POSTE accounting team.

Account Director Tim Robson and B4B French account manager Anais Paingris visited AVEA LA POSTE  in Paris last summer to discuss how we have been supporting them.

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Case studies Company News Non Profit

Helping Gilgal’s Mission for Domestic Violence Survivors

As a proud corporate member of the Charity Retail Association, B4B Payments understands charities operate on tight budgets, so every penny counts. This can make handling and reporting on cash a complex process, not to mention a source of stress for finance teams. 

We have helped many charities move to a cashless payment process, allowing them to work more efficiently, stay compliant, and deliver a better experience for volunteers, staff, clients, or beneficiaries. Recently, we were delighted to start supporting Gilgal by providing them with our card payment solution, which streamlines their processes and enhances their financial efficiency by helping them manage their expenses.

About Gilgal

Gilgal provides safe, short-term accommodation for women and children who are fleeing from domestic abuse.

Founded 30 years ago, Gilgal has been a lifeline for many. Offering 24-hour support all year round, not only are Gilgal committed to confidentiality, safety, and security for all its residents, they provide a space for survivors to be seen, heard, and supported, and to begin to rebuild their lives.

The Challenge

Before partnering with B4B Payments, Gilgal relied heavily on cash to manage expenses, which led to a lack of seamless control and oversight over petty cash and inefficient expense tracking and management.

They aimed to eliminate petty cash usage to enhance financial control and accountability. Through improved expense management, it directed more resources to support women and children in need.

Why B4B Payments

After exploring several other expense management solutions, Gilgal’s team chose B4B Payments due to our unique understanding of the sector, experience working with several charities, robust and compliant payments technology solutions and dedicated team support.

Sanja Kalik, the CEO of Gilgal, says, “Finding the right technology solution was important to us and our use case for an expense solution as a non-profit. We were impressed by the easy-to-use platform, dedication, and support the B4B Payments provided.”

Benefits Experienced

“B4B’s prepaid card solutions have transformed our expense management. It was simple to get started, and they have been very supportive.” – Sanja Kalik, the CEO of Gilgal.

Since leveraging our expense management solution and B4B prepaid Mastercard card, Gilgal has experienced numerous benefits, including:

  • Ease of funding, issuing expense cards, tracking and monitoring expenses
  • View real-time statements, balances, and transactions for accounting reconciliation

This shift has led to enhanced financial accountability and transparency, reducing the risk of errors and misuse of funds when working with volunteers. Additionally, the new payment system has allowed staff to respond quicker to client needs, utilising the pre-approved amounts on B4B cards instead of requiring sign-off for every petty cash transaction. This has led to more efficient purchases for both in-refuge and marketing activities.

We are glad to support and collaborate with the Gilgal team on shared goals, fostering a strong partnership. At B4B Payments, we look forward to continually enhancing its financial operations and ensuring the sustainability of its crucial services.

“At B4B Payments, we are honoured to support organisations like Gilgal that are making a profound impact on communities. Our payments and prepaid Mastercard solutions streamline financial processes and ensure accountability and compliance, enabling Gilgal to allocate more resources towards their vital mission of supporting women and children in need.” – Tim Robson,  at B4B Payments.

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Case studies Company News Non Profit

Good for the world’s vulnerable and financially excluded

B4B has a long history of supporting charities that align with social and financial inclusion values. These organisations use B4B’s proprietary technology and prepaid Mastercard card solution to manage and distribute funds in challenging circumstances. However, these organisations are more than just clients, and B4B goes beyond standard commercial relationships to support these important causes.

Human Appeal

In 2016, B4B was approached by Human Appeal, a non-profit organisation working globally to strengthen humanity’s fight against poverty, social injustice and natural disasters.

The organisation aims to invest in real, effective solutions by providing immediate relief and establishing self-sustaining development programmes.

One of the main challenges facing Human Appeal was managing the process of buying emergency supplies such as food, blankets, and other urgently needed essentials. These purchases would need to be made by field agents who were face-to-face with victims and their often-desperate circumstances.

The B4B team saw that their expense management solution using prepaid cards was the perfect solution for Human Appeal.

Tracking and control

B4B’s portal allows clients to upload funds and dispatch cards (both plastic and virtual) and load them with funds. The technology works remotely, making it ideal for the needs of Human Appeal and its disparate team of aid workers in the field around the world.

The expense cards provide an alternative to cash when paying for essentials like food, shelter, or medical care. They also give team leaders access to a portal so disbursed funds can be tracked and spending monitored. In emergencies, funds can be topped up remotely, no matter where the cards may be.

As a Sharia-compliant financial organisation, B4B and Human Appeal are growing together, allowing funds from Zakat to be spent compliantly and where most needed. Being Sharia-compliant means the aid dispatched fulfils the principles of the Islamic faith and adheres to Sharia law. 

Ease of use, practicality, and functionality

Human Appeal manages its prepaid card portfolio through an intuitive, easy-to-use platform and app that enables staff to send representatives recurring or one-off payments instantly.

For the representatives in the field, the process is simple and convenient. They receive their B4B card and complete financial visibility through the app, enabling them to monitor and manage their funds in one place. Balances can be checked, and transactions can be reviewed at a glance. Features such as real-time SMS notifications help representatives keep track of their spending and balances.

Growing together

In 2023, the two organisations were able to support each other’s growth into the US market, which is strategically vital for both organisations.

As part of the planning and setting up of its new centre in California, Human Appeal extended its UK relationship to include the services of B4B’s operation in the US in March 2023. This extension of the relationship enabled Human Appeal to issue B4B Visa cards to its US-based team.

The next step in the growth of the partnership is to integrate Human Appeal’s German and Irish entities with B4B’s expense programme. For these entities, B4B has once again offered to adhere to its lower rates offered for humanitarian organisations. 

“Human Appeal has worked with B4B for many years and have found them an ideal partner to work with to support our charitable work. We have found B4B responsive to our needs and have extended the partnership to our sister organisation in the US. We look forward to working with B4B in the future and growing our collaboration.” – Asif Nazar, Head of Finance, Human Appeal.  

Summary: B4B supporting people in need

The B4B Payments solution is designed to be as straightforward and innovative as possible. For charities, its prepaid cards offer a practical solution, enabling Human Appeal to distribute funds to their aid workers instantly and eliminating the risk that comes with carrying cash.

Humanitarian causes are close to the heart of the B4B team, and they are pleased to be able to offer Human Appeal preferential commercial terms for a service that has become an essential part of its growing global operations.

Photo of Tim Robson & Edwina Wilkins, B4B Payments, with Asif Nazar & Misbah Shikdar (Head of Finance & Finance Manager) at Human Appeal’s Manchester HQ (2023).

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Case studies Company News FinTech

Empowering Choices: Performance Bonus and B4B Payments Revolutionising Rewards

Unlocking Rewards for All

In a world where companies struggle to offer incentives that truly satisfy their employees and traditional benefits often miss the mark, a significant change is happening. Performance Bonus solves the pains of incentive and rewards scheme administration and delivery whilst also increasing companies’ Return On Investment(ROI).

Teaming up with B4B Payments since 2019, Performance Bonus specialises in delivering BONUS rewards through prepaid Visa / Mastercard products. These cards, accepted globally in over 30 million locations, comply with the UK’s taxation requirements.

David Burton, CEO of Performance Bonus Ltd, states, “Partnering with B4B Payments has created exactly the ‘win-win’ result we intended. For Performance Bonus, it has broadened our offering, already winning new clients, and for B4B Payments, it has opened up a ‘turn-key’ solution through us into the incentives and rewards market”.

To date, Performance Bonus has successfully administered over £20 million in rewards through various programs, including Business (B2B) promotions, in-house sales incentives, and staff recognition initiatives.

Physical and Digital Channels and Personalised Gifts

Experts in leveraging accessible digital channels, Performance Bonus ensures effective communication and delivery of incentive programs. This extends to embedding the reward payment solution into clients’ Intranets/Apps or their BONUSme Microsoft Azure Hosted application.

Clients can either outsource their complete programme fulfilment through Performance Bonus or have direct access and control of their brand solutions using their systems and support as required.

Building a Collaborative Culture: click as a team

The Performance Bonus success story includes helping a lead client dominate the motor finance incentive space for over a decade. This was achieved through a bespoke incentive solution that evolved to reward salespeople based on customer satisfaction and NPS score achievement via a branded prepaid card solution.

To achieve Performance Bonus’ potential, they found B4B’s flexibility, capability and approach enabled them to 

  • Create a core ‘non-cash’ compliant, contactless prepaid product in the Mastercard ecosystem. 
  • Future-proof their product for GooglePay/ApplePay (using B4B’s one-click adoption) 
  • Quickly and cost-effectively launch co-branded prepaid cards for their clients, featuring either the clients’ branding or an ‘off the shelf’ BONUS card.
  • Provide their clients with the choice of both eco-friendly plastic cards and/or virtual cards.
  • Use API access to build client-branded cardholder applications and incorporate them into our own Microsoft Azure-hosted Bonus Administrator app.

David Burton continued, “We had experienced a couple of ‘false starts’ with other possible partners, but the ‘can do’ attitude at B4B has made the creation of our joint offering a real pleasure to be involved with”.    

Conclusion: Paving the Future of Rewards

Together, Performance Bonus and B4B Payments have built the strategic asset that Performance Bonus sought by adding compliant prepaid capabilities alongside their performance measurement and rewards administration offerings.

Tim Robson, Account Director at B4B Payments, expresses optimism for the future, stating, “It’s really good to see the incentive and reward products we have created together working so well, and with much of the market turmoil of the last few years hopefully now behind us, we wish Performance Bonus every success in our partnership moving forward”.

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Case studies Company News Travel

Transforming Travel Finances: Acacia Africa’s Decade-Long Partnership with B4B Payments

Background

Initially recommended to B4B by a former supplier, Acacia is Africa, is a premier provider of diverse holiday experiences in Africa. They have partnered with B4B Payments and used their financial services for nearly a decade. Offering a range of tours, from professional camping overland adventures to small group safaris, Acacia Africa’s success story demonstrates the innovation of travel finances with Card and Payment Solutions.

Financial Flexibility and Risk Management:

The traditional challenges of tour guides carrying large sums of money were significantly mitigated by adopting B4B’s card and payment platform. This not only reduced operational risks but also enhanced accounting accuracy for Acacia Africa.

The expense cards allow Acacia Africa to quickly distribute funds to tour leaders out on the road. The cards facilitate seamless access to cash through local ATMs, card transactions, and online payments. The B4B platform is particularly helpful in mitigating risk. Cards can both be loaded and unloaded instantaneously, providing certainty and safety to both tour guides and the funds. 

In a recent incident, Acacia Africa withdrew funds from a card due to a tour leader’s unexpected illness. They quickly transferred the budget to the replacement leader.

Real-Time Monitoring and Control:

A pivotal aspect of Acacia Africa’s success with B4B Payments lies in the platform’s real-time monitoring capabilities. The ability to instantly track expenditures provides Acacia Africa with immediate insights into tour leaders’ spending. This newfound control eliminates the need to chase receipts weeks after a trip concludes, offering a more streamlined and accountable financial management process.

“It’s flexible, and it makes things far less risky. And it’s better for accounting because I can see when and where the money is spent, and that’s important,” Vivian McCarthy, the Director of Acacia Africa, says.

B4B’s Dedicated Account Management:

Acacia Africa also highlights the importance of having a dedicated account manager as a key component of successful partnerships with B4B Payments. The need for swift assistance, especially during critical situations. This collaboration aspect has proven crucial in ensuring effective communication and problem resolution. “Having a dedicated account manager who understands both the client and the client’s industry is a key value driver for B4B Payments,” says Tim Robson, B4B’s Director of Accounts.

Conclusion:

Acacia Africa’s case exemplifies the transformative impact of B4B Payments on travel finances. The seamless integration of innovative payment solutions has not only addressed traditional challenges but has also positioned Acacia Africa for sustained success in the dynamic landscape of African tourism. The partnership is a testament to the importance of real-time financial management and dedicated account support in the travel industry.

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Case studies Company News FinTech

Juni Accelerates Global E-commerce Growth Through B4B’s Bin Sponsorship

Background

Swedish startup Juni was listed as 2021’s fastest-growing fintech startup in Europe. With a goal of eliminating common challenges faced by e-commerce businesses, Juni provides a financial platform that gives them complete visibility and control over their cash flow with a unified view of multi-currency business accounts, corporate virtual cards and flexible credit with unparalleled insights and analytics – all in one place. 

Since 2022, Juni has leveraged B4B Payments’ BIN sponsorship service to power its prepaid Mastercard card proposition and make it easy for businesses to keep track of their finances across multiple platforms. By partnering with B4B, they can ensure compliance, strengthen our presence in the UK, and enhance scalability. This collaboration reinforces our commitment to empowering FinTech innovators and established players alike, fostering a more inclusive and efficient financial landscape for SMEs.

B4B: Full digital payment solutions within one provider

B4B Payments stands out by providing a full range of financial services as a regulated Electronic Money Institution (EMI) in the UK and Lithuania. As a Principal Member of Mastercard Europe and a partner of VISA Inc in the USA.

Following Brexit, many pan-European fintechs that operate in the UK have been impacted by the change in regulation. Therefore, teaming up with Banking-as-a-Service(BaaS) providers, like B4B, ensures they can still provide the unwavering compliance, security, and quality service we pride ourselves on.

Strategic partnerships take businesses to the next level.

The partnership between Juni and B4B Payments is a significant step towards achieving our mission of empowering businesses with practical and secure financial management solutions. By leveraging B4B Payments’ licensed capabilities in the UK, they can navigate the complexities of the post-Brexit regulatory environment while maintaining the highest security and compliance standards for their valued customers.

Samir El-Sabini, Co-founder and CEO of Juni, highlighted the benefits of partnering with B4B. 

“We have a long-standing partnership with B4B, primarily in the UK, that has enabled us to scale Juni and continue our fast-paced growth while, most importantly, giving our customers more value when using our platform. Through B4B, we’ve launched both new currencies and cards, and we’re looking forward to building out our offering in 2024.”

Paul Swinton, CEO of B4B Payments, also shared, 

“We’re delighted that we supported bringing the Juni prepaid Mastercard to market at its early stage and to see our payment solutions leveraged innovatively to empower e-commerce and digital marketing entrepreneurs. As an established fintech firm ourselves, we’re excited to be part of Juni’s continued success, and we look forward to working closely with them to achieve their ambitious roadmap.”   

Future: Power any idea to the global market:

Utilising BaaS, companies can seamlessly embed financial services from B4B’s Banking Stack and License, fostering innovation. This streamlined approach reduces operational costs, enhances the customer experience, and accelerates the development of the fragmented B2B FinTech Market. Startups can scale rapidly, delivering exceptional customer value and addressing underserved markets more effectively.

The partnership with Juni exemplifies B4B’s Bin Sponsorship, facilitating global growth post-Brexit, accelerating the development of the B2B FinTech market, and removing barriers and costs for unserved markets, allowing SMEs to grow quickly and at a low cost without compromising quality.

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Case studies Company News

Innovating Employee Benefits: the postcode restriction payout card

Beyond Payment Solutions

ICP Transaction Solutions GmbH, a prominent player in electronic transaction solutions in Europe, specialising in the prepaid, lifestyle, and loyalty sectors, has evolved into an internationally recognised company since its founding in 2000. With a transaction volume exceeding €1 billion, ICP serves various industries and is a founding member of the German Prepaid Association. ICP is a company of Digital Reload Holding GmbH and operates under the umbrella brand Digital Reload. 

Partnering with B4B to support Tax-Free Benefits for employees

In 2019, recognising the potential of offering regional benefit cards/employee cards, ICP sought the expertise of B4B Payments. Lacking financial institution licenses, ICP collaborated with B4B to introduce personalised and geographically limited payout cards. B4B Payments guided ICP through compliance checks, set up accounts and clients in the portal, and managed the card ordering and shipping process. The partnership extended to top-notch customer service and effective partner management, allowing ICP to offer tax-free non-cash benefits to employees through branded payout cards.

The Innovation: Quick Response to Client Requests:

B4B’s diverse card types with customised designs cater to ICP’s clients’ needs. For example, one of ICP’s clients wanted the card to be eligible for a specific region in Germany to boost the local market. The B4B team developed bespoke postcode restrictions to fulfil this client’s particular request. ICP also successfully implemented a German portal via API mirroring B4B’s, further enhancing their value proposition and branding capabilities with clients. 

Future Goals and Collaboration:

B4B successfully onboarded a new client in Bavaria with 3000 employee cards this year. Building on this,  ICP plans to diversify its card offering, attract more clients, and use B4B’s expertise in different sectors to expand the partnership in Germany.

Alexandra Ruth, the Key Account Manager from ICP, says, “ICP highly recommends B4B Payments and acknowledges their professionalism, reliability, and product flexibility while maintaining high-security standards. We’re very happy with B4B’s account management support in helping us build the partnership, especially Tim and Zvez.”

In Summary:

The collaboration between ICP and B4B Payments has not only addressed a critical business need but has also paved the way for innovative employee benefit solutions, offering tax-free non-cash benefits seamlessly. This partnership proves to be a cornerstone for ICP’s growth and success in the electronic transaction landscape, highlighting the transformative impact of B4B’s payment solutions.

“I’m excited to be working with ICP,” says Tim Robson, B4B Account Director. “Their growth plans mirror our own; we both want to grow in the German market, and I look forward to expanding this collaboration across different sectors.”

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Case studies Company News insurance

Transforming Insurance Operations: IMG’s Partnership with B4B

In the fast-paced realm of insurance, quick solutions are essential for sustained success. IMG (International Medical Group), a leading provider of global travel and health safety solutions, is famous for its commitment to superior customer service and continuous improvement. By leveraging B4B’s payment services, it sheds light on how prepaid cards have redefined both customer experience and operational efficiency.

Evolution and Innovation:

IMG is a global insurance benefits and assistance services company that has served millions of members worldwide since its founding in 1990. IMG, renowned for its service and responsiveness to policyholders, offers a wide range of insurance programs, including international private medical insurance and travel medical insurance. IMG also provides enterprise services, including insurance administrative services and 24/7 emergency medical, security, and travel assistance. 

The Partnership with B4B:

Starting in 2022, B4B and IMG joined together in a partnership to provide cards to employees to assist policyholders in trouble, primarily in motor and health insurance. IMG uses B4B’s award-winning portal, a tool that empowers them to offer assistance in three currencies, catering to the diverse locations of their employees, clients and policyholders.

Example Case:

In emergencies, the prepaid card provided by B4B becomes a lifeline, allowing IMG employees to make urgent payments for repairs or medical fees promptly. The card ensures swift assistance during critical moments. 

Furthermore, the seamless integration of B4B’s services allows IMG to effortlessly track all incident-related expenses, providing transparency that streamlines financial oversight and ensures compliance—a critical aspect in the insurance industry.

Efficiency and Instantaneous Solutions:

One of the key highlights of the partnership is the seamless integration of B4B’s services into IMG’s operations. Ben Halbert, Head of Business Solutions and Operational Support at IMG, emphasises the value of B4B’s services in facilitating instant and targeted financial assistance. 

“Our partnership with B4B has allowed us to offer new services to our clients and means that we can pay providers promptly, ensure that policyholders are not unnecessarily out of pocket and provide a superior customer journey,” says Ben Halbert, the Head of Business Solutions and Operational Support at IMG.

B4B’s Role in the Insurance Industry:

Beyond meeting IMG’s immediate needs, B4B is pivotal in supporting the broader insurance industry. By providing cards for instant payouts to service providers, B4B contributes to a more streamlined and customer-centric insurance ecosystem.

Conclusion:

“The IMG and B4B partnership is a growing collaboration which shows how we can jointly help the insurance sector with payments,” says B4B Account Director Tim Robson. By leveraging B4B’s prepaid card, IMG has not only enhanced its operational efficiency but has also elevated the overall customer experience.

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Case studies Company News

B4B & OneMoneyWay support SMEs, offering affordable banking solutions

The Danish SME Payments Specialists.

OneMoneyWay is a Danish FinTech Startup that has partnered with B4B to offer SME’s payment services. They aim to simplify corporate payments for small businesses, eliminating the lengthy processes and high costs typically associated with opening a corporate bank account in Denmark.

Partnering with B4B Payments to Navigate Regulatory Challenges.

As a FinTech company operating in a highly regulated environment, OneMoneyWay faced numerous challenges to become a fully licensed entity. However, by partnering with B4B, they have found a speedy route to market. They have navigated the complexities of regulations and payment technologies, while ensuring compliance and ethical conduct.

Oliver Bentzen, CEO of OneMoneyWay, highlights the benefits with B4B. 

“Now that B4B has become part of the Banking Circle Group, they’re able to offer an even wider array of financial services. Unlike other providers focus on payments only, FX only, cards only, B4B can provide everything for the new generation of FinTechs.

B4B Payments are especially skilled in the field of compliance where they truly outpace their competition, for us that means our clients get onboarded much faster than our competitors and that makes us an attractive solution to end customers. “

OneMoneyWay streamlined onboarding and affordable banking solutions.

Together, OneMoneyWay has shortened the onboarding time from 3-6 months to 2-6 weeks with a much lower monthly fee. OneMoneyWay has leveraged B4B Payments’ comprehensive range of financial services, including payments, FX, and the possibility of card issuing capabilities. Therefore, now they can offer a full-fledged banking experience to small and midsize businesses. 

OneMoneyWay tailored Financial Services with B4B’s technology.

Using B4B’s Embedded Finance Services and API integration, OneMoneyWay can tailor its offerings to suit the clients’ needs. They provide SMEs with a simplified and user-friendly financial platform with DKK, SEK, EUR, USD and GBP accounts. Through these accounts, B4B has payment services in both local rails and to 25+ currencies through SWIFT & NACHA.

By incorporating B4B’s Embedded Finance Services into its product and service offerings OneMoneyWay enhances their ultimate client value proposition. 

“B4B Payments’ robust and secure API has a perfect use case here. OneMoneyWay integrates with B4B’s platform and select the specific banking provisions that suit their needs,” says B4B Director of Accounts Tim Robson. This flexibility allows them to work with regulatory demands and provide their clients with a simplified and user-friendly financial platform.

Scaling Success: OneMoneyWay Achieve Remarkable Outcomes. 

One Money Way, in just six months, has onboarded many clients with B4B. In addition, They have received 4.7 out of 5 excellent reviews for its fast onboarding and currency options on Trustpilot.  

“My future expectations are that OneMoneyWay and B4B Payments will grow together across Europe with the ambition of reaching the first 10,000 clients within 18 months,” says Oliver Bentzen, CEO of OneMoneyWay.

In summary, B4B is thrilled to solve SME pain points together with OneMoneyWay and so create a unique offering.

B4B Account Manager, Adam Bradford who looks after the relationship with OneMoneyWay added, “The partnership highlights how we can provide a fast-to-market solution for a new entrant to the fintech space. It allows them to build an effective platform connected to payments and card rails.”

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Case studies Company News

B4B Payments in France

B4B has a long history of providing payment services to the French market.

About

Back in 2016, when the B4B product was just over a year old, we joined forces with a French partner. They knew the market and our product and how it could help companies save time with their expense processes and manage the risk of funding employees on the road.

The situation

Over the following years, B4B grew a French portfolio which was heavily skewed towards the travel sector (though also transportation and charities).

Our cards are a perfect fit for the travel industry and, with competitive and transparent FX rates, help manage costs and risks associated with tour directors on the road around the globe.

In 2018 the partner decided to move on, and so B4B now manages its French portfolio directly. It has been an interesting few years! Firstly, the complexities of Brexit meant B4B had to re-sign all EU clients to our new EU entity in Lithuania – and then COVID disrupted most business but especially travel

The solution

Luckily, we have a robust EU infrastructure, and travel is back, hitting 2019 levels again. Also, at the end of 2022, B4B officially joined the Banking Circle ecosystem, meaning we can now offer our French clients direct payments to bank accounts

B4B’s products do resonate in France. Our French clients are looking for a card management system that is simple but comprehensive and pricing that is both fair and transparent. One of the advantages that B4B possesses is that we own the technology that powers our system in-house. This gives us maximum flexibility to enhance our product so that it can support our customers with their payments needs and also geographically.

For example, our portal is translated into French. The cardholder journey is in French. We have French-speaking account management and customer services. Together with Banking Circle, we are growing our on-the-ground infrastructure in France.

The benefits

Importantly, we have many years of experience onboarding French clients and understand some market peculiarities. Recently, B4B has signed some interesting and well-known French accounts (more info on this to come later!) and is looking to grow our presence in the coming years further.

Account Director Tim Robson and French Account Manager Anais Paingris went to Paris in April to meet with many old and new clients to understand the strengths of the product in France and how we can further enhance it moving forward. It was an informative visit and will help with the strategic growth of B4B in France.

B4B has a long history in France, and we’re excited to open a new chapter and grow the business in this significant market.

Tim Robson
Account Director, B4B Payments