String of key wins and visionary projects underscore the maturation of the cryptocurrency payments space, reveal insights for industry innovators everywhere
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – November 18, 2020 – i2c Inc., a leading provider of digital payment and banking technology, today announced a string of wins and product launches for some of the most vaunted innovators in the fast-growing cryptocurrency payments space, among them Apto Payments, Crypto.com, NetCents and Wirex. Notable among the imaginative cases is a consistent pattern of execution that prioritizes unprecedented speed to market, global scalability, and accelerated innovation cycles, signaling what may be in store for the future of payments.
“Decades of working the industry tell me these companies are leading the way forward,” said i2c, president, Jim McCarthy, a key figure in the payments industry, having operated for years at its highest levels. “Beyond being excited for having been chosen a partner by these genuine innovators, we’re astounded by the way they embody the maxims that so many in the industry espouse, and so few actually live up to,” he said referring to each company’s uncompromising commitment to and redefinition of customer-centricity, speed to market, global reach and reliability, among other widely-accepted growth tenets.
Taken together, the companies and their projects represent cryptocurrency’s steady ascent to the mainstream, shed light on why so many large institutional players are entering the game and why these organizations increasingly see themselves as payments companies. According to McCarthy, they are case studies in how tomorrow’s product visionaries should aspire to execute.
“From day one, we wanted to push the envelope. We set out to democratize card issuance and empower any company, of any size, in any industry, to design and launch new kinds of card programs,” said Mike McCarthy, Head of Business Development, Apto Payments which launched the first U.S., bitcoin-backed, debit card.
“We needed a processor with great reliability and uptime and i2c has been that for us. Not only was i2c comfortable helping us bring a crypto-based program to life, but we also knew they would be dependable given their work with many large banks.”
Crypto.com was founded on the belief that it’s a basic human right for everyone to control their money, data and identity. With over five million customers today, Crypto.com’s end-to-end ecosystem allows you to buy, sell and earn cash-back rewards in crypto. The Crypto.com Visa Card is the only crypto card provider offering cards in Asia, 31 markets in EU including the UK, and the United States.
The world’s #1 crypto merchant gateway, publicly-traded NetCents, equips forward-thinking businesses with the technology to seamlessly integrate cryptocurrency payments into their business without taking on the risk or volatility of the crypto market, while giving users access to over 40 million merchants worldwide.
“We’re an innovative payments company, bringing digital currency to a digital world,” said Clayton Moore, Chief Executive Officer of NetCents Technology. “Over the past two years, we’ve brought cryptocurrency payments for merchants mainstream and grown our processing volume to over 5 million per month. Now we are ready to do the same for users and the way for us to remain leaders in our industry is by working with market leaders and innovators like i2c. When looking for a partner who was able to both deliver global scale and a product that was flexible enough for our customized requirements, i2c was the obvious choice when selecting our partner.”
Wirex has transacted more than $4B in cryptocurrency in the six short years since its founding, providing a hybrid personal banking solution that integrates the benefits of blockchain technology into everyday finances.
“Crypto is a global proposition, so we were looking for a processor who had experience with multi-currency programs and global reach,” said Pavel Matveev, co-founder and co-CEO of Wirex. “I2c has everything we need to build a flexible product with the desired reach.
Apto Payments
Apto is a leading-edge card issuance platform. We help companies issue new kinds of cards in new ways. We do it with fewer constraints and more creativity, for a better cardholder experience. Founded in 2014 as Shift Payments, the company worked with Coinbase to launch the first bitcoin debit card. Today, as Apto, we have broadened our mission, finding new ways to connect people to their assets by helping companies successfully launch innovative, customer-centric card programs to market. aptopayments.com
About Crypto.com
Crypto.com was founded in 2016 on a simple belief: it’s a basic human right for everyone to control their money, data and identity. Crypto.com serves over 5 million customers today, providing them with a powerful alternative to traditional financial services through the Crypto.com App, the Crypto.com Visa Card, the Crypto.com Exchange and Crypto.com DeFi Wallet. Crypto.com is built on a solid foundation of security, privacy and compliance and is the first cryptocurrency company in the world to have ISO/IEC 27701:2019, CCSS Level 3, ISO27001:2013 and PCI:DSS 3.2.1, Level 1 compliance, and independently assessed at Tier 4, the highest level for both NIST Cybersecurity and Privacy Frameworks. Crypto.com is headquartered in Hong Kong with a 600+ strong team. Find out more by visiting crypto.com
About NetCents
NetCents Technology Inc, the transactional hub for all cryptocurrency payments, equips forward-thinking businesses with the technology to seamlessly integrate cryptocurrency processing into their payment model without taking on the risk or volatility of the crypto market. NetCents Technology is registered as a Money Services Business (MSB) with FINTRAC. For more information, please visit the corporate website at www.net-cents.com or contact Investor Relations: investor@net-cents.com.
About Wirex
Wirex is a worldwide digital payment platform and regulated institution endeavouring to make cryptocurrencies accessible for everyone. The firm developed the world’s first contactless payment card that gives users the ability to seamlessly spend crypto and traditional currencies in real life in 2015, as well as the first bitcoin reward programme, Cryptoback™. With over three million customers across 130 countries, over $4bn worth of transactions already and rapidly expansion into new territories including the US and Japan planned, Wirex is uniquely placed to support and promote the mass adoption of a cashless society through creative solutions. www.wirexapp.com
About i2c Inc.
i2c is a global provider of highly-configurable banking and payment solutions. Using i2c's proprietary building block technology, clients can easily create and manage a comprehensive set of solutions for credit, debit, prepaid, lending and more, quickly and cost-effectively. i2c delivers unparalleled flexibility, agility, security and reliability from a single, global SaaS platform. Founded in 2001, and headquartered in Silicon Valley, i2c's next-generation technology supports millions of users in more than 200 countries/ territories and across all time zones.
For more information, visit i2cinc.com and follow us at @i2cinc.