G+D: Driving Fintech Innovation Through Instant Issuance

Today, challenger banks and fintechs have established themselves as credible alternatives to traditional financial institutions. 

For companies like Giesecke + Devrient (G+D), a global technology provider specialising in payment and security solutions, this evolution presents significant opportunities.

Andrea Paric, Head of Fintech for North America at G+D, has spent nearly 11 years with the company. 

She now oversees the firm's fintech operations across the continent while supporting global accounts with cross-border fulfilment and enablement from both physical and digital perspectives.

In her role, she sees the fintech sector entering a phase of consolidation and growth. “The outlook for 2026 is very positive,” Andrea says. “The fintechs and challenger banks have really given themselves a platform.”

She notes that consumer adoption has accelerated significantly. “A lot of firms have now adopted fintech solutions and are much more comfortable with them,” Andrea explains. 

“We're going to see a lot more growth and those that have done well are going to do extremely well.”

New regulation has emerged as a critical differentiator in both adoption and comfortability with these new solutions. 

For Andrea, those established players with a sharper focus on regulatory compliance are separating themselves from newer entrants. This shift addresses a key reason why customers previously remained with incumbent banks.

Meeting demands for speed and personalisation

G+D's global presence across 40 locations provides a significant competitive advantage. 

The company can service fintech clients worldwide while responding to their need for immediate action. “All fintechs require immediate action. They want things done quickly,” Andrea reveals.

Speed in innovation is critical for fintech to deliver on their promise of hyper-personalisation. This includes creative card designs, on-the-fly customisation and kiosk-based instant issuance. 

G+D supports these emerging trends, supporting its clients with embedded finance solutions, wallet tokenisation and even electronic SIM cards for travel. “Everything is kept within the wallet. That's been a trend and it's something that G+D has been able to support on a global scale,” Andrea notes.

Instant issuance solutions for branchless banking

In particular, Andrea notes a demand for instant issuance has been a challenge fintechs have turned to G+D to solve. Most operate without physical branches, creating unique distribution challenges. “It's really important to get services to customers immediately,” Andrea observes.

G+D addresses this through various channels, such as kiosks located in airports and other non-traditional locations, which enable instant physical card issuance. In remote areas without bank branches, cards can be issued instantly on-site. Digital personalisation allows cards to be provisioned directly into mobile wallets.

The kiosk model represents an important evolution in customer service. Rather than requiring customers to visit specific locations, fintechs can deploy issuance capabilities wherever customers are. 

“This service allows us to bring services to where the client is instead of making the client go to where you are,” Andrea says.

This approach also provides crucial brand visibility. Fintechs can place their products directly into customers' hands much faster than traditional mailing methods. “We're still in that in-between stage. We still like both the physical and the digital, and the kiosks help support that,” Andrea continues.

Sustainability commitments drive product innovation

Beyond speed and convenience, environmental responsibility has become integral to G+D's product strategy. 

The company has pledged to eliminate virgin plastics from its products by 2030. “We offer more than three different types of sustainable products, and we give the choice to the fintechs,” Andrea explains.

Options include recycled PVC, polylactic acid made without petroleum, and ocean-bound plastic through partnerships with Parley. Each fintech can select materials aligned with their own sustainability story. The company has even created benches and playground equipment from recycled payment cards, demonstrating a circular economy approach.

“It really depends on the customer's journey. We can tailor anything to what their vision is,” Andrea adds.

Enabling global scalability

Elsewhere, Andrea has found cross-border expansion to be a significant challenge for fintechs. Regulatory requirements vary by jurisdiction, and local infrastructure can differ substantially. G+D's global network helps clients navigate these complexities.

“With our network of 44 locations across the globe, we're able to help processors and fintechs issue in different jurisdictions,” Andrea says. 

The company maintains data centres in strategic locations to enable fast issuance whilst meeting local requirements.

G+D can ingest a single input file from processors and distribute it across multiple countries through a hub-and-spoke model. This approach simplifies operations for fintechs expanding internationally.

Anticipating future trends

Digital wallets are expected to drive the next wave of adoption. “As we see the increase in digital wallets, that's where we're going to see everything driven,” Andrea predicts.

However, physical payment methods will remain relevant. The key is responding quickly to market needs. 

“A lot of fintechs think outside of the box, and G+D can support them quickly to pivot and find the solution that is right for them,” Andrea concludes.