The Fintech Power 50 Annual 2025

BRINGING ISSUERS ALONG THE CURVE Banks and fintechs generally recognise the inevitability of tokenisation, so awareness is not the problem. The real challenge is integrating tokenisation without derailing product roadmaps or adding costly complexity. Supporting Apple Pay, Google Pay, or Click to Pay, for instance, demands a flexible provisioning architecture that can adapt across multiple schemes and standards. At MeaWallet, our role is to make tokenisation practical rather than an added burden. We work with institutions in more than 60 countries, delivering tokenisation infrastructure that enables issuers to launch quickly while retaining the flexibility to evolve with customer needs. Through our EasyLaunch concept – including best-practice config templates, SDKs, APIs, and micro front-ends – institutions can quickly launch digital wallet provisioning, virtual card issuance and configurable controls directly into their apps without having to build or certify every function in-house. Partnerships with Backbase in ANZ and Integrated Finance in Europe have shown how tokenisation can be built directly into banking journeys and fintech platforms. More recently, Central Cooperative Bank rolled out Click to Pay push provisioning, widening consumer access to tokenised online payments. The Mea Card Gateway includes all necessary tokenisation solutions for issuers, handling card data securely and cost-effectively while removing compliance barriers that often slow adoption. WHY MERCHANTS AND CONSUMERS CARE Although issuers sit at the heart of tokenisation, the benefits reach much further. For merchants, the advantages are both immediate and strategic. Tokenisation is the key to unlocking higher authorisation rates and a significant reduction in fraud losses. This translates directly into improved revenue and lower operational costs, a powerful incentive in sectors such as travel, subscription services, and e-commerce, where card-on- file transactions currently dominate.

In some markets, particularly those with subscription-based business models which benefit from the absence of card expiry dates, token-on-file or other tokenised transactions have overtaken transactions with 16-digit card numbers. Beyond the immediate financial gains, tokenisation also enables a more resilient and future-proof payment infrastructure. By decoupling the static card number from the transaction, it insulates merchants from the disruptions caused by card expiry or loss, ensuring business continuity and a seamless customer experience. For consumers, tokens bring both security and convenience. A lost or stolen card no longer means the tedious process of updating details across multiple online services. Instead, a new token can be instantly provisioned in the background, keeping recurring bills, subscriptions and online accounts running without disruption. This “quiet continuity” is one of the capabilities which makes tokenisation so powerful; payments are invisible when they should be and reliable when they matter most. WHAT COMES NEXT In addition to improving the current system, tokenisation is paving the way for an entirely new generation of commerce. As AI-driven commerce becomes a reality, tokens are the only practical choice for managing payments initiated by connected devices or digital assistants. They provide the secure, dynamic, and adaptive credentials required for machine-to-machine transactions – whether it’s a fridge ordering groceries The Mea Card Gateway includes all necessary tokenisation solutions for issuers, handling card data securely and cost- effectively while removing compliance barriers that often slow adoption

Who is MeaWallet: MeaWallet is a leader in tokenisation and digital payment solutions, trusted by 300+ issuers and fintechs in more than 60 countries. Based in Oslo, MEAWALLET COMPANY INFO it provides certified technology that shortens time-to-market and powers secure, digital-first card experiences across wallets, apps and new payment channels. What it does: It delivers tokenisation solutions spanning credential issuance, OEM wallet enablement, virtual card frameworks and lifecycle tools for issuers. Company: MeaWallet Category: Tokenisation technology Founded: 2013 Key personnel: Nuno Sitima, CEO; Thomas Normann, CPO (right) Head office: Oslo, Norway Website: www.meawallet.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/meawallet Another frontier is interoperability. With network tokens, issuers can support the same card across physical, digital, and in-app contexts without having to fragment the customer experience. A card provisioned into Apple Pay can be used in a subscription app, linked to a wearable, or embedded in a car dashboard payment system, all through the same token framework. That flexibility is what makes tokenisation a strategic enabler, cutting account management headaches for digital applications. A NEW FOUNDATION FOR PAYMENTS This shift isn’t about getting rid of plastic cards overnight, it’s about building the next generation of payments infrastructure. Relying on the 16-digit card number was a thing for the plastic era, while tokens are designed for today’s digital economy – and digital user experience. For issuers, tokenisation can’t just be a box to tick for compliance; it needs to be a core part of every product and every channel. The institutions that recognise this strategic imperative now will be the ones shaping the way we all pay in the future.

or a car paying for tolls – making tokenisation a foundational layer for tomorrow’s innovations.