With digital solutions representing 86% of business volume, Edenred is today a digital leader for specific-purpose payments. This status has not only allowed the Group to continue operating throughout the health crisis, but also to provide an increasingly relevant and efficient response to the needs of its ecosystem, for the benefit of society at large.
Edenred is known as the leading provider of earmarked funds. But what exactly does that mean? In a nutshell, the concept covers any financial transaction that is contingent on a certain number of criteria, such as the user, location, amount and point in time.
Cash transactions are difficult to trace. It is impossible to know where, when or by whom a payment was made – or even be sure it was made at all.
Through its digital specific-purpose payment solutions, Edenred can guarantee that a predefined sum allocated to a user (by their employer or the public authorities) will be spent exactly as intended within the specified time frame. For instance, funds could be used to order food on a meal delivery platform at lunchtime, have a company car inspected at an approved repair shop, buy books from a bookstore, purchase agricultural seeds in Africa, or make any of the other countless types of reliable, secure transactions guaranteed by Edenred in 46 countries.
Put simply, by realigning money with its original purpose – to provide a means of exchange – Edenred technologies reimbue it with meaning.
In 2020, the Group’s digitalization played a decisive role in securing business continuity. As a result of remote working, Edenred teams were able to serve clients and ensure the availability of Group solutions, primarily through cloud-based access.
The user experience was also maintained at the same high level, and even improved. Digital meal voucher beneficiaries were able to have their accounts instantly credited, wherever they happened to find themselves. This ensured they could enjoy a pleasant lunch break by ordering on meal delivery platforms.
Lastly, Edenred’s contactless solutions – payment by card or smartphone – proved to be valuable protective measures in times of social distancing.
Edenred’s solutions have a positive impact on its ecosystem by increasing revenues for partner merchants, improving purchasing power for users and enhancing efficiency for corporate clients. This impact has been further amplified by greater use of electronic processes among stakeholders and the Group’s growing number of digital partnerships.
Employee benefits, for example, offer a way to promote healthier eating, more responsible purchasing habits and a better work-life balance for users, even during lockdowns. Fleet and mobility solutions (fully digital) provide people at work with greater control over their carbon footprint, most notably by encouraging them to offset emissions. And the Group’s complementary solutions can be earmarked to combat fraud, increase the effectiveness of public social programs and support vulnerable segments of the population by reintegrating them into the formal economy.
To maintain this virtuous circle, Edenred continued to invest in its technology assets in 2020, primarily in the areas of cybersecurity and compliance.
2020 showcased the power and efficiency of earmarked funds as a means of kick-starting consumption in areas of the economy that were particularly hard hit by the crisis. In response, local authorities and public institutions called on Edenred to help manage and distribute social assistance and thereby increase the effectiveness of their policies, particularly through improved traceability of allocated funds.
The flexibility provided by Edenred’s technology platform also made it possible to roll out specific new programs in record time, like in the United Kingdom for the underprivileged families of 1.3 million children deprived of free canteens while schools had to remain closed. Find out more
The Group’s digital firepower was also on display in Brazil, where Edenred partnered with the Gerando Falçaoes NGO to produce 27,000 Ticket Alimentação cards to help struggling families purchase groceries. And in Belgium, the new Chèque Consommation solution made it possible to allocate users €300 to spend in sectors that were severely impacted by the crisis, including food service, and cultural and athletic activities. Edenred also developed a vacation voucher solution in Greece for use in travel agencies, hotels and restaurants.
