In a move upending the hottest part of the fintech market, two of the world’s leading issuer processors – Paymentology (www.Paymentology.com) and Tutuka – are merging to create a new payments and card processing powerhouse.

Operating under the Paymentology name, the merger creates a new force in payment solutions; giving banks and fintechs the technology, team and experience to issue and process Mastercard, Visa and UnionPay cards, across 49 countries.

The move brings together the ultra-advanced, multi-cloud platform of Paymentology, with the global reach and experience of Tutuka. The merger creates a powerhouse of over 270 payments and technology experts, working across both developed and emerging markets, serving customers in 49 countries, across 14 time zones – and a platform that is already processing USD 10 billion in transactions each year.

Previously, banks and fintechs had to work with a multitude of card processors to reach a global market. Now, through Paymentology, they can integrate into a single API, go live and issue cards almost anywhere in the world. They can then rapidly scale beyond that, as Paymentology can process client cards on the company’s shared platform, and upgrade clients to a dedicated platform just for that client, or in particular countries – a feature not available through any other processor.

Rowan Brewer, CEO at Paymentology, said: “Banks and fintechs are racing to provide customers with digital and data-driven features. They are highly receptive to working with a single issuer-processor that can provide that, across the globe.

“People want to be able to pay with a virtual card – sometimes online, sometimes tapping their phone – but everything digitally. Banks, digital banks and fintechs need support and expertise to help them issue cards and process payments.”