Revolutionizing Travel: Swyper’s Eco Card Replaces Paper Vouchers

Well joining us this morning from across the Atlantic with the latest FinTech headlines is Polly Jean Harrison of the FinTech Times.

Good morning and happy Friday, Polly.

Well, we've all been there at the airport and we hear about a travel delay and we're given those paper vouchers.

So tell us about how sustainability is involved when it comes to swiper and what this means for payment processes.

Good morning, Remy.

Absolutely.

Like you say, we've all been there at the airport given a food voucher for a delay or things like that, and you know, it's not really sustainable handing out that paper all the time.

So UK-based Travel fintech swiper has actually launched an industry- first fully sustainable ecocard in order to replace that single use paper and plastic welfare compensation method that we're all very familiar with.

So these new swiper Mastercard welfare cards will enable airline ground staff to instantly distribute food and beverage payments when. are delayed, offering instant secure and compliant payouts that have universal retail compatibility.

So with these cards, Swiper are really hoping to eradicate the need for paper vouchers entirely, which are typically very time consuming to process an issue, prone to fraud, and difficult for retailers and passengers to use.

So these cards are made entirely from leftovers from construction timber and other wood products and sourced from a Xero landfill mill.

So this swiper Eco card is fully recyclable, biodegradable, and.

Possible, all with the same rigidity and thickness of regular PVC cards.

So this is a really interesting thing.

I thought it's, you know, one of the great examples of how Finte could really serve a niche kind of issue that we have, and this is a really great example of that.

So, you know, paper vouchers in theory should be a thing of the past considering where we are, you know, it's 2025, you know, climate and environmental concerns have never been more important.

But you know, having those single use paper and plastic products are still out there.

So having this digital eco.

Card is a really easy to use and more sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative to these paper vouchers that can really help streamline the issuing processes for airlines and improving the passenger experience overall with that minimal impact on the planet.

So again, this is a really niche piece of news, but one that I find really exciting and just a really great example about how FinTech is getting out of there in the world and solving these niche problems that ultimately have a great benefit for everyone and in this case a great benefit for the planet too.

Yeah, and Pauly, I do want to zoom in on the UK.

I understand that Mastercard announced a new partnership with FinTech Wales.

So tell us more about this partnership and how it helps shape the future of Welsh Fintech.

Absolutely.

So Wales is a small country to the side of England, part of the UK for anyone that doesn't know.

I am Welsh also, actually, so I'm very passionate about these kind of things, and the global payments giant Mastercard has demonstrated its intent to work with all key stakeholders in the UK's fintech sector, from policymakers and regulators to startups and scale-ups with this new partnership with FinTech Wales, which is an independent membership association and Champions the fintech and financial services industry in Wales.

So with a long standing commitment to fostering innovation, Mastercard is hoping to play a vital role in accelerating fintech growth through partnerships, investment and infrastructure by supporting early stage and scaling Fintech with access to its global network, advancing technology and deep industry expertise.

So, you know, Mastercard is really joining an impressive list of FinTech Wells partners in Including, you know, banks like Barclays, Starling Bank, and insurance provider Admiral, and you know, this extensive experience of that MasterCard has in financial services is going to provide really invaluable insight and collaboration opportunities among FinTech Wales's diverse membership base.

And you know, Mastercard is really good demonstrating its commitment to shaping the future of FinTech in Wales by joining the community that Fintech Wales is fostering and really trying to boost the fintech. and help them grow in the area, all united with a shared ambition to collaborate and drive meaningful change.

So you know, FinTech Wales is all about making Wales a world leader in the global fintech community by bringing together entrepreneurs and businesses of all sizes to really help them grow and boost and having Mastercard on board is only going to help with that.

So yeah, a really exciting day for the Welsh fintech industry and the UK, UK fintech industry overall as well.

OK, Polly, we will have to leave it there but thank you again for joining us on this Friday morning.

Have a great weekend.

See you next time, Remy.