Nium Launches Global Payments Solution for Maritime Companies

Nium, a leading global payments platform, today announced the launch of its maritime payments solution, aimed at digitising the payments experience for shipping companies, their management, seafarers, and their families. The Nium maritime payment solution leverages the company’s global licence network and integrated technology stack to enable real-time payroll disbursements, vendor payments, eWallet services, and remittances.

“Technology development in the shipping industry is accelerating as shipping companies and their seafarers seek modern ways of moving money,” said Gitesh Athavale, Head of Sales, South East Asia and Hong Kong. “Our maritime payments solution provides an efficient and cost-saving way for shipping company management to digitalise payments, including disbursing payroll and making vendor payments. Their seafarers benefit from a convenient and modern way to send and receive money simply or spend it onboard – all through the convenience of one simple app.”

Integrated maritime services leader, Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM) is the first to use Nium’s maritime payments solution for their Spend Management Process. The solution includes the launch of BSM-branded multi-currency Visa debit cards and eWallet services for its entire seafarer population. A supplementary Visa card will also be available for the seafarers’ families.

BSM Finance Manager, Dennis Moehlmann, said, “It is important to us that our crew and their families are well taken care of, especially during these uncertain times when our crews are not allowed to go ashore and cannot physically remit funds back home. Now with this new digital payment solution from Nium, no matter which part of the world our crews are at in that moment, funds can be transferred in an instant and their families will receive the transferred money immediately on their supplementary card or their home account. This is the peace of mind we want to give to our crew.”

Shipping companies will be able to disburse salary pay outs directly to seafarers’ Virtual Visa card accounts that can be accessible via the Nium Pay app. Using the Nium Pay app, and combined with Visa’s virtual card technology, crew members can immediately access their wages from anywhere in the world while onboard or on land; send money overseas; and process card-to-card transfers, shop online, and use their Nium Virtual Cards with mobile wallets onboard.

Nium has come up with a comprehensive solution to help maritime companies combat the multitude of traditional payments issues. Nium’s unique solution combines its “Pay In” and “Pay Out” capabilities, allowing shipping companies to:

• Reduce or even eliminate the use of cash on ships through QR payments;
• Launch branded e-wallets with Card Payments, Remittance, Multi Currency functionality and Travel Insurance[1] services;
• Apply exclusive rates for inter and intra company cross-border payments (fund transfers can be done regardless of Internet connectivity[2]);
• Comply with payroll and delivery and international banking regulations, including Philippines’ Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) ruling regarding seafarer payments;
• Easily track remittance payments; and
• Send payments in real-time[3]

Nium currently offers Pay-Outs to more than 100 countries, 65+ in real-time. Pay-Outs are available to bank accounts, Visa/UnionPay cards, and AliPay wallets.