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2023 WINNERS & SHORTLISTED
1. Best Online Payments Solution (Consumer)
The judges will be looking for a secure, flexible and innovative online payments solution for consumers. The winning entry will give evidence of an offering that enables customers to enjoy a fast and convenient online experience, as well as the tangible benefits that it provides to the business accepting payments. The judges will also consider the degree of innovation displayed by the solution, which will offer consumers either a new or improved way to pay online. Enter here
2. Best Online Payments Solution (Merchant)
The judges will be looking for a secure, flexible and innovative online payments solution for merchants, which is helping organisations grow their business online. The winning entry will give evidence of an offering that is providing tangible business benefits by enabling customers to enjoy a fast and convenient online experience, as well as enabling merchants to accept or process a higher volume of online payments in a more timely, reliable or cost-effective way. Enter here
3. Best Mobile Payments Solution
This award acknowledges the fact that mobile is becoming a game-changer in the financial services and retail sectors. The winning entry will come from an organisation which has created an innovative and customer-friendly mobile payments solution. Entries could involve a payments app or a wider mobile payments offering. The judges will be looking for innovation and speed of adoption by users, as well as the benefits that the project delivers to a nominated organisation and its customers. Enter here
4. Best In-store Payments Solution
This award focuses on payments innovation within the retail store environment. It could be an app that allows customers to pay via their phones on the High Street, a new point of sale feature, self-service kiosks or a ‘scan and shop’ service. The winning entry will demonstrate a mixture of innovation, high customer usage and increasing satisfaction rates, as well as any cost savings and other benefits to the retailer. Enter here
5. Contactless Excellence Award
This category is open to companies who have played a significant part in the continued expansion of contactless payments. It could be an evolution of the contactless payments infrastructure, a retailer who has rolled out contactless terminals or a vendor whose technology has played a key role in a project. The judges will be looking for innovation, impressive adoption rates by users, and the benefits that the project delivers to the nominated organisation and its customers. Enter here
6. Embedded Finance Initiative Award (NEW)
This award celebrates the most impactful and innovative embedded finance project that seamlessly integrates financial services into non-financial products or platforms. Entrants should demonstrate how they leverage partnerships, APIs, and technology to embed financial products such as payments, lending, or insurance into various consumer or business applications, ecosystems, or marketplaces. Judges will evaluate the level of integration, scalability, user adoption, business impact, and potential for disruption or transformation within the industry. Enter here
7. Best Prepaid Card Solution
This award will go to a retailer or company which has excelled in the field of prepaid cards, gift cards or vouchers, for use either in-store or online. The popularity of such payment cards is well established, as are the channels through which consumers redeem them. The winning entry should highlight how the prepaid card programme has improved payments in a specific channel or across channels, as well as enhanced the service offered to customers or businesses. The judges will also assess the degree of innovation demonstrated by the prepaid card solution. Enter here
8. Consumer Anti-Fraud Solution of the Year
This award will recognise the best internal or external anti-fraud or security solution implemented by an organisation to protect the customer from fraud tactics such as money muling and payments fraud. The winning entry will demonstrate how anti-fraud technology and processes have protected the end user and helped the business comply with regulations. The judges will examine the application of technology to create business benefits as being of equal importance as the degree of protection and innovation in the IT solution. Enter here
9. Merchant Anti-Fraud Solution of the Year
This award will recognise the best internal or external anti-fraud or security solution implemented by an organisation to protect retail or financial services clients from payments fraud, including chargebacks. The winning entry will demonstrate how anti-fraud technology and processes have protected the end user and helped the business comply with regulations. The judges will regard the application of technology to create business benefits as being of equal importance as the degree of protection and innovation in the IT solution. Enter here
10. Security Innovation of the Year
Recognising the rapid advances in security technology to keep pace with the evolving threat landscape, this category is looking for the most innovative solutions to today’s problems. Whether it be protection from AI-driven threats, malware, phishing, denial of service or man in the middle attacks, the judges want to see how new technology and its application are helping people and businesses keep payments safe. Specific case studies and evidence of harm reduction should be included, alongside explanations of product and service differentiation in this competitive sector. Enter here
11. Payments Compliance Technology of the Year
This category is aimed at recognising those regulatory technology firms helping to make sure financial services firms are up to speed with all the latest payments industry rules. The judges will be looking for evidence of how technology is used to parse new regulations and pass on the key changes to clients, automating what used to be costly and time consuming manual compliance tasks. Enter here
12. Most Disruptive Payments Technology
This award will go to a company who the judges feel has come up with the most disruptive payments technology during the past 12 months, one that has the potential to disrupt the way the financial services or retail sectors operate, displacing an earlier technology. The aim is to champion technology firms and startups with strong solutions or services that identify a gap in the market or look to improve current ways of working; companies that could well become game-changers by helping to redefine the payments landscape in the coming years. We welcome entries from every area of the payments sector. Enter here
13. Best Use of AI and Data in Payments (NEW)
This award celebrates a financial institution, payments provider or technology company that demonstrates outstanding utilisation of data or artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance payments. Entrants should showcase innovative applications of data analytics or AI algorithms to optimise processes, improve decision-making, mitigate risks, or personalise services for customers. Judges will evaluate the effectiveness, creativity, and impact of the implementation, considering factors such as improved operational efficiency, enhanced customer experiences, and regulatory compliance.Enter here
14. Payments Startup of the Year
This award will recognise a visionary startup (launched three years ago or less) with a payments product or service which is set to, or has recently had, a significant impact on the sector. Companies should detail why they are ones to watch, successes to date and how they are changing the way that that payments are being made. We welcome entries from every area of the payments sector. Enter here
15. Payment Technology Provider of the Year (SME)
This award will recognise a technology vendor who has excelled in its field, implementing innovative cards and payments technology in organisations during the past year. The judges will be looking for evidence of how the deployment of this company’s technology has led to an improvement in the overall efficiency of its clients’ operations. Companies eligible for this award must meet the UK government’s recognised description of an SME – any organisation that has fewer than 250 employees and a turnover of less than €50 million or a balance sheet total less than €43 million. Enter here
16. Payment Technology Provider of the Year (Large enterprise)
This award will recognise a technology vendor who has excelled in its field, implementing innovative cards and payments technology in organisations during the past year. The judges will be looking for evidence of how the deployment of this company’s technology has led to an improvement in the overall efficiency of its clients’ operations such as the demonstrable role of merchant acquirers. Companies entering this award should meet the UK government's recognised description of a large enterprise – companies with more than 250 employees and a turnover of more than €50 million or a balance sheet total more than €43 million. Enter here
17. Best Merchant Acquirer or Processor
This award will recognise a stand-out merchant acquirer or processor in the market. The judges will be looking for evidence of performance over the past year, and how the company has improved its own operations and that of its customers. This may include a new project implementation – where the judges would assess the innovation, speed to market, and any challenges or issues that were successfully overcome – but the entry must detail why this merchant acquirer or processor is currently the best in its field overall. Enter here
18. Best Cross-Border Payments Infrastructure
Reflecting sustained growth in the money transfer market the judges are looking for examples of the payments rails and systems infrastructure that makes sure people all over the world get their money quickly, accurately and securely. The transition to SWIFT’s ISO20022 standard is also driving rapid change in the way cross-border payments are processed, with many companies innovating to support the implementation of the standard ahead of the upcoming deadlines. Entries should include the geographical reach of the infrastructure, how the solution is facilitating cross-border payments innovation and, if applicable, the ways in which recipients in the destination country can access funds. Enter here
19. Best Cross-Border Payments Service
Reflecting sustained growth in the money transfer market and rapidly changing consumer expectations, the judges are looking for digital services that offer quick, reasonably priced and reliable ways for consumers to make international money transfers through mobile or online channels. Entries should include their geographical reach and, if applicable, the ways in which recipients in the destination country can access funds. Enter here
20. International Payments Excellence Award (NEW)
This award recognises excellence in international payments, remittance services, or foreign exchange (FX) solutions. Entrants should demonstrate innovation in facilitating cross-border transactions, delivering competitive exchange rates, reducing friction in remittance processes, or enhancing transparency and efficiency in FX operations. Judges will assess factors such as speed, cost-effectiveness, reliability, coverage, and ease of use, as well as the integration of technology to streamline international payment workflows and improve customer experiences. Enter here
21. Lending Initiative of the Year
This award will recognise a online, crowdfunding or P2P lending platform that offers either consumers or businesses a new and innovative way to access finance. The judges will be looking for evidence of technology innovation, rates of adoption, reach across the consumer or business lending market, plus speed of authentication and approval. Enter here
22. Money Management Platform of the Year
Consumers now have a raft of digital payment and financial service options at their fingertips – which has also created the challenge of managing them. This category will be looking for an innovative way in which consumers can manage all their personal finances, either through a mobile app or online account. We welcome entries from both big enterprises and small companies in this category. The aim of this award is to highlight how technology advances are redefining the B2B payments process. The judging panel will be looking for innovative solutions that solve a real problem and create tangible business benefits. Enter here
23. Best Alternative Payments Solution
The payments industry is undergoing significant change, with a growing number of new entrants threatening the status quo as they look to capitalise on the changing landscape and meet rapidly growing consumer appetite for Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) and contactless or cardless options. This category looks to recognise those payments providers which offer alternatives to the traditional routes of cash and cards; for example, electronic wallets, mobile and online payments, deferred payment or BNPL options and biometrics-based payments. The judges will be looking for entries which demonstrate innovation, strong user feedback, plus the number of transactions or accounts. Enter here
24. Payments Marketing Campaign of the Year
Open to any company in the payments sector who has run a marketing campaign in the past year including agencies. Entries should detail the overall marketing strategy and how it incorporated innovative and effective techniques to promote new products or services, to get a particular message across and to drive customer engagement and adoption. Judges will also be looking for measurable metrics of success. Enter here
25. Biometric Authentication Innovation of the Year
This award will recognise a technology, which utilises biometric information such as fingerprints, iris recognition or voice recognition, with special focus on how the technology mitigates for the use of artificial intelligence for payments fraud. Examples include point-of-sale terminals, mobile banking apps and other money management solutions which lean utilise biometrics. Judges will examine how the solution streamlines and secures transactions for both parties, with a special focus on user data protection Enter here
26. Digital Currency Integration Award
This award honours the organisation that demonstrates the most innovative and impactful use of digital currencies or assets within financial services. Whether through blockchain technology, stablecoins, central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), or decentralised finance (DeFi) platforms, entrants should showcase how they leverage digital currencies/assets to drive financial inclusion, improve efficiency, reduce costs, or create new opportunities for customers. Judges will evaluate the degree of innovation, scalability, security, and regulatory compliance of the initiative, as well as its potential for widespread adoption and positive impact on the industry.
Enter here
27. Open Banking Initiative of the Year
This award will recognise those companies still working to push the boundaries of open banking technology, and innovations around the second Payment Service Directive (PSD2) and Open Banking. Enter here
28. Payments Infrastructure Award
This category will consider entries involving payments systems and infrastructures that have been created or have evolved to increase the reach, speed or efficiency of high-volume transactions. This may also include widening access for smaller industry players, boosting reliability of the payments infrastructure or upping volumes that can be accurately processed through means such as embedded finance and API banking. Enter here
29. Payments Innovation of the Year
This award looks to showcase technology and service innovation in the payments space. Entries are encouraged from banks, acquirers, card schemes, technology firms and retailers – in fact any company that can lay claim to being a genuine payments innovator. The judges will be looking for evidence of how a company’s technology could be considered a first in the industry and how it has the potential to positively impact upon the payments ecosystem. Enter here
30. Sustainable Payments Award
Environmental and Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) are becoming increasingly important to financial institutions. This category recognises businesses who have a clear and well-developed ESG strategy and have successfully embedded payments within the process or payments businesses who can demonstrate how their strategy is making a positive impact in any of the E,S,G pillars, particularly when supported by technology. Judges are looking for evidence of how progress is being made against specific objectives such as net-zero, carbon offsetting, UN Sustainable Development Goals, social purpose, supply chain transparency goals and more. Entries should include a case study of a live initiative or programme as well as supporting data/evidence of its impact. Enter here
31. Social Inclusion Project of the Year
This category seeks to recognise payments technology designed for social good – from contactless payment tools for buskers to corporate responsibility projects in the office. The judges will be looking for evidence of how the project succeeded in its goals, what practical changes were made, and who exactly it helped. Enter here
32. Customer Experience Innovation Award (NEW)
This award recognises an organisation that delivers exceptional customer experiences across all touchpoints. From user-friendly interfaces to seamless interactions, entrants should demonstrate a deep understanding of customer needs and preferences, coupled with innovative approaches to delivering personalised, accessible, and frictionless services. Judges will assess factors such as usability, accessibility, responsiveness, and customer satisfaction metrics, as well as the integration of technology to enhance the overall experience.Enter here
33. Payments Pioneer Award
This award will recognise the contribution of an individual to the cards and payments industry, looking at his or her role in the successful implementation of projects and strategies over recent years, as well as his or her contribution to the overall advancement of the cards and payments landscape. Applicants can be from any part of the sector and they may highlight work from more than one position and company. Enter here
