French social start-up Welcome Place and Finnish fintech Enfuce pilot the distribution of Visa prepaid cards to refugees arriving in France. Welcome Place launches pilot project for "first aid" cards for refugees arriving in France.

Paris, December 29, 2022: Enfuce, the Finnish pioneer of card issuing and cloud banking, has announced the launch of a pilot project with social enterprise Welcome Place, and global digital payments leader Visa, to distribute prepaid payment cards to refugees arriving in France.

The pilot project will initially focus on refugees, mainly from Ukraine, who have arrived in France since the start of the war in Ukraine in February 2022. Since then, an estimated 8 million people have fled Ukraine, according to the United Nations, and around 120,000 people arriving in France are now registered under official national care programs.

As part of Welcome Place's "welcome kit", which is distributed to new arrivals in France, refugees and immigrants will receive a pre-paid and pre-loaded Visa card to facilitate the purchase of various items and services during their first weeks in the country.

An ambitious project in full compliance with regulations

In full compliance with local regulations and payment industry mandates, including PCI-DSS, Enfuce and its partner Epassi will facilitate card issuance and physical distribution. Thanks to Enfuce's cloud platform, Welcome Place can also remotely and instantly define complete spending control for each card, including where and how it can be used, with full tracking of how the money is spent. What's more, cards can be instantly blocked in certain merchant category codes ( betting and gaming, etc.) and spending limits can be adjusted in real time to allow purchases in authorized locations.

Once the pilot project has been finalized, it is planned that a larger contract will be signed at a later date, in 2023, to extend the scope of the card program to a greater number of refugees, and to bring in other NGO and corporate partners to broaden the impact.

A neobank with a social mission

Welcome Place is a neobank, founded in 2022, offering all newcomers to Europe simple and inclusive banking services, based on a solidarity approach between community members.
It is co-founded by Rooh Savar, President of SINGA, one of the leading NGOs dedicated to the empowerment of new arrivals in Europe, and Caroline Span, former Director of La MedNum, the leading player in digital inclusion in France.

Rooh Savar, co-founder and CEO of Welcome. Place, explains:

"In 2009, when I arrived in France as a refugee, I didn't have a bank account even though I had a few sources of income. But when I ran out of cash, I wasn't able to buy anything... After a few months, I was finally able to open a bank account, but without a bank card that would allow me to withdraw money from ATMs or pay in stores or online. This situation lasted over a year and had a negative impact on my personal and professional life. We created Welcome Place to ensure that every newcomer can access banking solutions tailored to their situation." 

Welcome Place's aim is to facilitate and promote the social and economic inclusion of newcomers to Europe with a community-based approach to create a stronger and more sustainable commitment.

Caroline Span, co-founder of Welcome.Place, adds:

"Welcome Place's aim is to facilitate and promote the social and economic inclusion of newcomers to Europe, who have had to leave their belongings behind. Initially, our aim is to provide a service that will help 50,000 Ukrainian and other new arrivals by the end of 2023. This new card can transform the lives of immigrants arriving in Europe, giving them the dignity to buy what they need with a card that looks like any other bank card. Usually, the economic and social inclusion of new arrivals and refugees takes up to five years. With the help of Enfuce and Visa, we can reduce this inclusion period to just one year. We're excited and proud to have created this pilot in collaboration with one of the world's leading NGOs, and can't wait to see the impact it will have."

Visa's social commitment

According to Katherine Brown, Visa's Vice President and Head of Inclusive Impact and Sustainability, " This pilot represents an incredibly important step in advancing the financial and social inclusion of displaced people in Europe. Accelerating access to the mainstream money system improves the prospects of rebuilding a life in a new environment, which is why Visa is proud to be working with Enfuce to enable Welcome Place to reach out to people facing forced displacement."

The world's first fully cloud-based card issuer

Led by co-founders and co-CEOs Monika Liikamaa and Denise Johansson, Enfuce offers a fast alternative to existing issuer processing platforms, with the agility to quickly add modules and services as needed. Enfuce is the first company in the world to have moved card issuing entirely to the cloud, and thanks to its turnkey Card as a Service (CaaS) model, BIN sponsorship and support for regulatory compliance, Enfuce is a one-stop shop for organizations wishing to issue cards for their users. 

Denise Johansson, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Enfuce, comments:

"Together with our partners Epassi and Visa, we are committed to ensuring that refugee people have access to the funds they need through a prepaid card that looks and works just like a conventional bank card. Enfuce's special card has been designed to help social and humanitarian organizations distribute funds to those in need, immediately, securely and in full compliance with regulatory requirements. Not only does the card program give Welcome Place total control over how donated funds are distributed and spent, but more importantly it gives refugee people the means to rebuild their lives and integrate financially."

Monika Liikamaa, co-founder and co-CEO of Enfuce, adds:

"Whether in the context of conflict or climatic emergencies, millions of people depend on humanitarian aid that can be delivered quickly and safely. Refugees may fear appearing vulnerable, or be ashamed to stand in line to receive money. At a time when they have already suffered so much, it is vital to give aid recipients dignity and privacy. Enfuce's First Aid card is an example of how modern, integrated payment solutions can transform the delivery of humanitarian aid, improve the speed and security of operations, and promote financial inclusion."

About Enfuce  

Enfuce is a one-stop shop for modern card issuing and payment processing. Founded in 2016, Enfuce has become one of Europe's leading payment processors providing state-of-the-art debit, prepaid and credit card solutions across Europe and globally, with offices in Finland, Germany, Latvia, Sweden and the UK. With Enfuce card solutions, traditional banks as well as neobanks and fintechs like Welcome Place can create top-notch payment experiences for their end-users, now and in the future.
Enfuce has raised a total of €62 million in several rounds of funding and has received accolades such as the Visa Fintech Fast Track program, the Mastercard Lighthouse Development program and the 2019 PayTech award for the best payment solution for cloud payment systems.

For further information, please visit www.enfuce.com