Beyond Plastic: The Way to Fully Digital Card Issuance via Mobile

In today’s fast-paced economy, the speed of decision-making and operations is of the utmost importance. Delays in business processes can be costly — millions or even billions of dollars a year.

Representatives of companies that use branded payment cards are well aware of this. They have to deal with extremely slow and bureaucratic issuance processes that can take weeks to complete. But today, they have a faster and more convenient alternative — mobile apps for card-issuing solutions.

In this article, we’ll look at the case study of a company that has used a high-tech solution for white-label card issuance. From this article, you will learn about the technical process of implementation, software functionality, and the final results of the mobile application implementation.

The ‘Before’ Scenario — Prerequisites for Switching to a New System

At the time of the decision, the company used a traditional card issuance model, which included the following:

1. Ordering through a web platform.
2. Phone calls for confirmation and clarification.
3. The need to go through authentication procedures to clarify data and undergo AML procedures.
4. Limited customisation of limits, security solutions, and centralised management.
5. Activation within a few days or a couple of weeks due to excessive bureaucracy.

It is clear that this model was ineffective, as it led to the following challenges:

• Inability to make payments promptly;
• High operational costs;
• Limited control over payments in real time;
• User dissatisfaction;
• Low productivity in many workflows.

Choosing a Technological Approach and Partner Solution

To solve the problems, the company planned to switch to a fundamentally new solution, which involved the use of a mobile app for card-issuing solutions. At the initial stage, two areas of work were considered:

Developing a custom system from scratch

The main advantage of this option was the maximum degree of customisation. It would allow us to create truly flexible products with delicate but effective control, the ability to fine-tune limits and rules for each user, and a high level of security.

However, the company faced the following challenges when assessing the time and financial resources required to create a mobile app for card-issuing solutions:

• A large amount of investment;
• Long waiting time with possible violations of deadlines;
• The need to obtain licences to issue payment cards.

Integration of a ready-made white-label solution

The advantages of this option were minimal waiting time and a lower investment amount. Moreover, a partnership agreement would avoid the main pain point — the need to obtain licences from financial regulators. Among the disadvantages were less flexibility and security issues.

The chosen direction

After a detailed analysis, the company chose the second option. The official partner was the Wallester – card issuing platform, which combines the advantages of custom development and a ready-made solution — fast implementation, high security, and the ability to flexibly configure the rules for using payment instruments.

Technical Implementation: Integration Process

The implementation of a mobile app for card-issuing solutions included several key stages:

1. Preparation and integration of the API. Setting up the API to connect the mobile application to the platform backend, automating the process of card issuance and activation requests.
2. Development of the mobile interface. Creating an intuitive UI/UX for easy card management. Gaining access to real-time transactions and reporting.
3. Integration of security mechanisms. Automation of KYC/AML procedures for user verification. Implementation of biometric authentication and two-factor verification.
4. Testing and optimisation. Performance testing at different load levels, bug fixing, beta testing in a controlled environment, and performance optimisation.
5. Release and collection of feedback. The company has planned further development of the project. Therefore, it has created a convenient feedback system that enables each user to participate in improving the service.

The Functionality of the Mobile App

The new mobile app for card-issuing solutions, created in partnership with the Wallester White-Label platform, offered the following features:

Instant generation of virtual cards;

Implementation Results: Key Benefits

The integration of a mobile app for card-issuing solutions resulted in the following:

• 30% reduction in the cost of servicing payment instruments;
• Acceleration of workflows by an average of 7% only due to the optimised card issuance process;
• Reduction of the average card waiting time from 7 days to 3 days in the physical version and 15 minutes in the virtual version;
• A 50% decrease in the number of erroneous and fraudulent transactions due to enhanced control;
• Increased initiative and user engagement, which had a positive impact on business performance in general.

Conclusions

The introduction of a mobile application for issuing cards allowed the company to optimise processes and improve user experience. Integrating a ready-made white-label solution proved to be a faster and more efficient way than developing an in-house platform. By choosing a reliable partner, the company could manage its finances flexibly and ensure a high level of security during operations. All of this allowed the company to eliminate the bureaucratic burden of the traditional card issuance process and gain competitive advantages by switching to modern digital solutions.