Embedded Payments Firms Propose Industry Standards To Ensure Fair Practice

Organisations in the embedded payments ecosystem have joined forces to produce industry standards that protect their payments rights.

The Embedded Payments Bill of Rights, launched at Ignite – the annual conference of embedded payments ecosystem Infinicept in Denver – is aimed at players in the embedded payments ecosystem including independent software vendors, pure play payments companies, banks and merchants.

The Bill calls on all parties involved in the global payments ecosystem to ‘adhere to fundamental and fair practices when working together’. Founded with several charter members, it serves as a roadmap for innovators that ‘leverage embedded payments, and defines their rights in a way that establishes a future where accountability, transparency, customer experience, and innovation are the rule and not the exception’.

Created as an independent resource for all parties, the Embedded Payments Bill of Rights was collaboratively authored and published by several supporting organisations in the embedded payments ecosystem including Aben, Handpoint, SumUp and WorkWave, as well as Infinicept.

Todd Ablowitz, co-founder and co-CEO of embedded payments firm Infinicept, explains: ““No matter how big or small, every company that wants to embed payments into their business deserves transparency, respect, and the freedom to be able to control their own success.

“The industry has evolved and payments providers and processors must evolve too. It is our intention that the Bill of Rights serves as a guidepost for all organisations looking to create their own payments strategy in today’s complex environment.”

Call to action

Matt Doka, CTO of SumUp North America, describes the Bill of Rights as a ‘call to action’.

“As a global fintech with a payments and marketing platform, we know that embedded payments are critical to success, but many software companies struggle to build and retain control over their payments strategy and go to market when processors push for highly restrictive terms and focus on serving their own agendas over their clients,” said Doka. “This Bill of Rights is a call to action, laying out basic, fair, and reasonable practices that the entire industry should follow. The simple fact is that everyone wins in a transparent and open environment.”

Under the Embedded Payments Bill of Rights, all participants in the embedded payments ecosystem have the right to expect the following core principles to be upheld by their payments vendors:

• Transparency – on pricing, fees, terms, incentive calculations
• Quality of care – with tools, documentation, and support
• Equality – in terms of standard of care for all customers
• Flexibility – with product and services without unfair and restrictive practices
• Control – of customer journey, data, flow of funds, and more
• Portability – of relationships and customer data, free from lock-in or barriers
• Ethical Treatment – overall, from partners, suppliers, and other participants
• Freedom – to add payment or embedded finance options or interfaces without limitation or lock-in