Numeral and BNP Paribas selected by Alma to automate billion euros of payments per year

PARIS, 10th of May 2023 — Numeral, the leading payment operations platform for fintech companies, has been selected by Alma, a leading European buy now, pay later provider, to automate millions of payments per year to merchants in collaboration with BNP Paribas. The collaboration arrives as merchants adopt new payment options for buyers who increasingly expect more flexible payment options in their shopping experience.

“As part of our goal to create the most fluid and seamless experience for both merchants and customers, paying our 11,000 and growing merchants reliably and efficiently is critical. Numeral enables us to scale with confidence and focus on our core business,” says Guillaume Desloges, co-founder and COO at Alma.

Streamlining Alma’s payment operations

With Numeral, Alma can automatically send daily payouts from its BNP Paribas’ accounts to its merchants. While fully automated, the process is secure for Alma and its merchants, as each payment is validated via Alma’s systems, and Alma’s teams keep complete visibility of each payout.

“Thanks to Numeral, we can focus on the most critical incidents and rapidly solve merchant’s issues. Numeral’s complete integration into our and BNP Paribas’ systems, audit trails, and approval rules enable us to further automate the process of managing thousands of daily payments at scale and securely,” says Simon Shohet, Finance and Strategy Senior Manager at Alma.

Payments as a strategic advantage

With Numeral, Alma directly connects to BNP Paribas to manage merchants’ payouts, giving it increased control and lower costs on these payments.

“As part of our 2025 strategic plan, our goal is to develop our cooperation with European payment fintechs, including payment service providers, in order to enrich our service offering for all our customers. By accessing our services, our clients benefit from an infrastructure with a proven track-record and the full support of a trusted banking partner coupled with the agility and quick time-to-market of an innovative startup,” says Marc Espagnon, Head of Cash Management at BNP Paribas.

In a second phase, Alma will leverage the Numeral platform to become a SEPA participant through BNP Paribas, enabling strategic advantages such as issuing IBANs in its own name.

“Numeral is helping Alma to serve its merchants better today and to integrate more of the payment value chain tomorrow, leading to additional cost efficiency and strategic benefits. We are thrilled to support a French and European leader in their growth, alongside a first-tier international banking group such as BNP Paribas,” says Édouard Mandon, co-founder and CEO at Numeral.

About Numeral

Numeral is the bank orchestration platform designed for fintechs and financial institutions building advanced payment flows on top of their banking partners.

Through a single API and central dashboard, our platform empowers product and finance teams with seamless bank integrations, faster payments, real-time data visibility on accounts and payments as well as efficient workflows.

Numeral provides the payment infrastructure for European fintech trailblazers like Swile, Spendesk, and Alma and has a growing European client base. Numeral also partners with Europe’s leading banks, including Barclays, HSBC, Groupe BPCE, BNP Paribas and ABN Amro. Launched in 2021, Numeral has raised €13m from world-class investors like Balderton and eFounders.

About BNP Paribas

BNP Paribas is the European Union’s leading bank and key player in international banking. It operates in 65 countries and has nearly 185,000 employees, including more than 145,000 in Europe. The Group has key positions in its three main fields of activity: Commercial, Personal Banking & Services for the Group’s commercial & personal banking and several specialised businesses including BNP Paribas Personal Finance and Arval; Investment & Protection Services for savings, investment and protection solutions; and Corporate & Institutional Banking, focused on corporate and institutional clients.

Based on its strong diversified and integrated model, the Group helps all its clients (individuals, community associations, entrepreneurs, SMEs, corporates and institutional clients) to realise their projects through solutions spanning financing, investment, savings and protection insurance.

In Europe, BNP Paribas has four domestic markets: Belgium, France, Italy and Luxembourg. The Group is rolling out its integrated commercial & personal banking model across several Mediterranean countries, Turkey, and Eastern Europe. As a key player in international banking, the Group has leading platforms and business lines in Europe, a strong presence in the Americas as well as a solid and fast-growing business in Asia-Pacific. BNP Paribas has implemented a Corporate Social Responsibility approach in all its activities, enabling it to contribute to the construction of a sustainable future, while ensuring the Group's performance and stability.

About Alma

Alma is a retail tech founded in 2018 and is already the BNPL market leader in France and one of the biggest players in the EU. Our role is to provide merchants and their clients with the best offers possible, delivering a wide portfolio of BNPL solutions with: split payment from P2X to P12X, pay later, credit and so many other features. Our mission is to simplify commerce by enabling merchants to sell better (smarter, faster, high-end solutions with higher conversion) and consumers to buy better (responsible brands, shopping choices, and payment offers).  

Contacts

Numeral, Matthieu Blandineau, press@numeral.io.