The times are a changin'. While it’s no longer 1964, times have most certainly changed. We now spend over 24 hours a week in-front of our screens. That’s an entire day every week, and twice as much as 10 years ago. Gone are the dark ages without screens, as technology has sunk its pixelated claws into almost every part of our daily lives.

The Rise of Fintech  👩‍💻

Technological adoption is accelerating, but it’s the Fintech (Financial Technology) industry more specifically which is outpacing the competition, with venture capitalists putting more money behind it than almost any other industry.

But finance and technology didn’t always go hand-in-hand. Technology is disrupting the laggard $8.5 trillion USD financial services industries in the U.S. In 2017 alone, $27.4 billion USD were poured into fintech startups by investors worldwide. This seismic shift may not seem newsworthy, but technology is rapidly changing the way we invest, borrow, save and bring home the bacon.

The New Kid on the Block 😎

Staying on top of the latest Fintech trend is no easy task. One recent Fintech trend adopted by many brand loyalty, cashback and reward programmes is card-linking. It involves linking a customer's payment card to marketing or loyalty programmes. While still early days, card-linking adoption has been fast. In the past year alone, the number of card-linked transactions have doubled and 62% of card-linking organizations saw transaction volume increase by more than 100%.

A Gap in the Card-Linking Ecosystem 🤷‍♂️

One challenge to card-linking is the lack of a centralised platform where publishers and merchants can partner. Think of it as online dating before Tinder. Merchants are looking for publishers, and publishers are searching far and wide for merchants, but no online channel where they can connect. 💔 Without a common link, it’s difficult for businesses in the loyalty and offers industries to find their perfect match.

A Solution on the Horizon 🌅

But never fear, publishers and merchants no longer need to feel lonely. Using Fidel API’s Card-Linked Offers platform, merchants and publishers can connect and work together without any complex integrations. 🤝 Both can decide who they work with, which offers to promote, and access real-time performance data. Merchants can connect with millions of customers through publisher’s marketing channels and drive sales, increase retention and develop brand exposure.

Companies such as Avios and TopCashback use innovative card-linking technology to connect with merchants and create offers. Within their first month of announcing card-linked offers, Avios doubled their number of card-linked members and increased spend by over 600%.

To learn more about card-linking and how it’s helping companies drive long-term customer loyalty, check out our case studies.