Within that agreement the existing debit cards are switched over to the new product. The contract has been signed for an initial period until 2025.

Through flexible adjustments to equensWorldline’s front and back-office systems, the service provides a cutting-edge customer experience and highest efficiency. It delivers an optimum solution meeting banks’ need to be able to react more rapidly and more effectively to market demand. The primary goal is to be able to offer cardholders an array of value-added services. The first comdirect customers can already take advantage of these.

With the progressive card switchover for existing and new customers and the introduction of additional services like a travel insurance package or Bargeld Plus (a cash service providing maximum flexibility worldwide) comdirect is building a new convenient and versatile debit card portfolio, laying further foundations for profitable growth.

Multi-stage switchover

In several stages, comdirect is switching over all existing and new customers to the new Visa debit cards processed by equensWorldline. Once they receive their new card, customers can independently and seamlessly choose their own PIN.

From February 2021, all the bank’s existing customers are switched over to the new equensWorldline platform and receive their new card. The objective is that comdirect debit cards will be processed on the equensWorldline platform by April 2021.

Efficient real-time and digitalized card processing

Unlike most conventional batch-based systems, WL Extended Issuing processes transactions in real time, which brings decisive advantages in terms of user-friendliness. comdirect’s customers can apply for new cards directly on the website. Once the card has been issued by comdirect, customers get all the details about their new card, including the card number, in real time. As soon as customers receive their physical card, they can immediately and independently change the PIN to a number of their choice. In general, WL Extended Issuing can process pure virtual / tokenized cards, enabling a native digitalized user experience. In any case it will be possible to print the physical card a second time.

Michael Steinbach, Managing Director Financial Services at Worldline, commented: “We are delighted that comdirect is the first bank in Germany to have chosen our new services within WL Extended Issuing to process its new Visa debit card portfolio. Serving already a big number of banks in the Issuing back-office processing with our state-of the art and future proof WL IBO application across Europe, WL Extended Issuing is offering innovative white-label solutions on the bank to customer interface side, covering highly user-friendly and real-time services for the cardholders.”

Thore Ludwig, Managing Director Banking at comdirect added: "For an outstanding customer experience, the purely digital and thus fast and user-friendly issuing and processing of our card products by equensWordline is an important building block. For example, customers will be able to use the digital version of their Visa debit card for mobile payment right after opening their current account. Additional services can be added flexibly for immediate use. Together with equensWordline, comdirect has succeeded in significantly increasing the user-friendliness of our mobile current account once again."