Awards

Best Direct Account to Account Solution is designed to capture the new non scheme form of payments that have proliferated. Account is defined as a balance holding ledger provided by a Bank, EMI, PI or equivalent local regulatory status or through a mobile money platform with appropriate local regulation. The award is to recognize the new methods of payment whether PISP, Faster Payment, SEPA Direct Debit, Mobile Money etc. that enable funds to be paid from one account to another without going through an international or national payment scheme. The solution may be a platform e.g. mobile money, faster payments enabling a market or market segment or it may be a particular use case/programme. The judges are looking for solutions that enable cost effective movement of funds with other benefits for all participants.

Most Innovative Mobile or Financial Services Payments Solution is open to all Mobile Payment Solutions. It is also open to any innovative Financial Services Payment solution. The solution though must enable payment for goods or services that is the sending of value from one party to another and the receipt by another of value back. Solutions may be B2C or B2B. These can be scheme and non-scheme programmes. The technology used could include proximity solutions e.g.: QR codes, Low Energy Blue Tooth, RFID, Acoustic or other aspects such as Facial Recognition and fingerprints. Many ‘alternative payments’ and non-Fiat/crypto currency solutions may be relevant to enter this category. Payment solutions must be live and out of test phase at the time of submission. Pilot solutions will be accepted, but must clearly be described as such and the judges will be looking for evidence of success in the pilot. Payment solutions may be running in any country.

Leading Financial Services or Payments Start-Up is open to any organisation operating in the emerging payments sector. The category normally covers new organisations or new divisions of existing organisations that have launched in the thirty-six months prior to March 2020 i.e. started after 1st September 2018. Any organisation that can demonstrate a significant pivot of their business within the last 36 months will also be considered as an exception. The product/service/technology must be live and out of test phase at the time of submission. Pilots of the technology will be accepted, but must clearly be described as such and the judges will be looking for evidence of success in the pilot. The organisation might be described as ‘one to watch’ in 2020/21.