2020 in review: A message from the founders of Viva Wallet
2020 has been difficult and overwhelming for everyone. A global pandemic was no longer a figment of our imagination, and large-scale lockdowns became the new norm. This year has presented us with challenge after challenge, pushing us to adapt our lives and our business in order to navigate through it. As we move closer to 2021 (and, hopefully, a resolution to the pandemic), it can feel like there’s a lot of uncertainty that lies ahead. But not so much for Viva Wallet.
During 2020 Viva Wallet successfully completed its €75 million Series C fundraising and grew into a neobank with a majorEuropean footprint, establishing branches in 23 countries, by far the most than any other financial institution in Europe. Viva Wallet has evolved into one of the very few technology-driven payment providers that also own a banking license after officially acquiring Praxia Bank in August 2020 while starting to offer credit products to its business clientele, at a record-time of under 3 months!
During one of the biggest economic shocks in recent times, we kept growing strong supporting our customers with great technological breakthroughs, innovative payment solutions and powerful integrations. Year 2020 found us collaborating with WooCommerce, one of the most popular e-commerce platforms, while at the same time we launched our quick to set-up, easy to implement PSD2 compliant solution for Marketplaces across Europe.
2020 was the year we launched Apple Pay in 17 countries andGoogle Pay in 18 countries for our card issuing services, so that all our clients can benefit from our digital business debit cards.Furthermore, we extended our partnership with JCB and its 140 million card members in both face-to-face and online commerce transactions and this was the year that TfL in London approved our integrated Black Cab solution for taxis. We also successfully setup and launched VivaWallet.Ltd UK, in order to continue serving our UK customers seamlessly after BREXIT.
Throughout the pandemic, Viva Wallet capitalized on its “Digital First” strategy, enabling merchants to create digital cards through its cloud-based issuing API in seconds. Quick Pay was also developed in real-time during the lockdown, solving the need for remote payments without the need for a POS or online store. Moreover, while offering a wide range of easy to use, easy to disinfect Android terminals, making ours the safest solution for contactless payments.
Despite the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak and the pressure it exerted on the GDP of all European countries, Viva Wallet achieved a month-over-month growth that exceeded a rate of 14%. Once again, our “Digital First” approach helped address various needs of businesses during lockdowns and curfews, as well as the diversification of our merchant pool (which already comprises SMEs and Medium/Large Enterprises), resulting in e-commerce processed volume now reaching almost 50% of overall volumes.
Furthermore, during this challenging time, we at Viva Wallet wanted to make sure everyone stayed safe. We activated our Business Continuity plan and in less than a day, we moved all our employees in all 23 countries to “Work from Home” without the slightest interruption of our services. At the same time our personnel headcount increased by 16%, reflecting our continuous growth and investment in human resources, a number that is expected to further increase over 50% in 2021.
Looking forward, it’s hard to hide our excitement for the imminent launch of the Viva Wallet POS app scheduled for Q1 2021. A “Τap on Phone” feature that allows professionals and businesses to use Android smartphones or tablets as card terminals, utilizing NFC technology to accept payments and eliminating the need for card terminal devices. Just one of many major announcements we have already lined up, ready to once more push the boundaries of our industry to new territories.
The pandemic is not over, and the consequences will be long-lasting for all businesses. At Viva Wallet, we are dedicated on doing our best to support our customers as they overcome these difficulties, so they can rebound, regrow their businesses and stand again firmly on their feet, looking optimistically the future that lies ahead. In 2021 we commit our best efforts towards facilitating our customers and business partners in having their best year ever!
Wishing you all a wonderful, safe and relaxing holiday break, and a Happy New Year!
