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Seyhun Akyürek
Seyhun Akyürek

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Understanding In-App Provisioning and Digital Tokenization with Visa

In-app provisioning and digital tokenization are two crucial concepts in the realm of mobile payments, and Visa, a leading payment technology company has developed innovative solutions to facilitate these processes.

In this explanation, I will dive into the world of in-app provisioning and digital tokenization, exploring their significance, benefits and how Visa's solutions can enhance the mobile payment experience.

In-App Provisioning

In-app provisioning is the process of adding a digital card to a mobile wallet, such as Apple Pay, Google Pay, or Samsung Pay, directly from app. This process enables users to easily add their credit or debit cards to their mobile wallets, allowing them to make contactless payments online or in-store. Visa offers two solutions to facilitate in-app provisioning: Visa Digital Enablement SDK and Visa In-App Provisioning API.

Visa Digital Enablement SDK

The Visa Digital Enablement SDK is a software development kit that enables developers to integrate in-app provisioning capabilities into their mobile apps. This SDK provides a seamless and secure method for cardholders to pass their credentials from the app to the digital wallet, eliminating the need to enter card information separately. The SDK supports both iOS and Android platforms and is designed to reduce the complexity and expense of multiple integration efforts for mobile app providers.

Visa In-App Provisioning API

The Visa In-App Provisioning API is a RESTful API that enables developers to generate an encrypted card data payload that can be passed to Apple Pay, Google Pay, or Samsung Pay for tokenization. This API eliminates the need for backend software development complexity and expensive server infrastructure to store encryption keys. The API provides a secure and efficient way to provision digital cards to mobile wallets, reducing the time and effort required for integration.

Digital Tokenization

Digital tokenization is the process of replacing sensitive card information, such as the primary account number (PAN), with a unique digital identifier, known as a token. This token is used to identify the cardholder and facilitate transactions, ensuring that sensitive information is not exposed. Visa Token Service (VTS) is a tokenization platform that enables the creation, management, and distribution of tokens.

Visa Token Service (VTS)

VTS is a cloud-based tokenization platform that provides a secure and scalable way to manage tokens. The platform enables issuers, acquirers, and merchants to tokenize card information, reducing the risk of fraud and improving the overall payment experience. VTS supports multiple tokenization schemes, including EMVCo, and is compatible with various payment systems, including Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay.

Benefits of In-App Provisioning and Digital Tokenization

The combination of in-app provisioning and digital tokenization offers several benefits, including:

Enhanced security: Tokenization replaces sensitive card information with a unique digital identifier, reducing the risk of fraud and data breaches.
Improved user experience: In-app provisioning enables users to easily add their cards to mobile wallets, streamlining the payment process.
Increased adoption: By simplifying the provisioning process, more users are likely to adopt mobile payments, driving growth and revenue for merchants and financial institutions.
Reduced complexity: Visa's solutions reduce the complexity and expense of multiple integration efforts, making it easier for developers to implement in-app provisioning and digital tokenization.

How Visa Offers Two Ways to Include In-App Provisioning in an App

As we discussed earlier, in-app provisioning is the process of adding a digital card to a mobile wallet, such as Apple Pay, Google Pay, or Samsung Pay, directly from app. Visa, a leading payment technology company, provides two solutions to facilitate in-app provisioning: Visa Digital Enablement SDK and Visa In-App Provisioning API.

How Visa Digital Enablement SDK Works

The Visa Digital Enablement SDK is a software development kit that enables developers to integrate in-app provisioning capabilities into their mobile apps. This SDK provides a secure and seamless method for cardholders to pass their payment credentials from the client's mobile application to the mobile or digital wallet of their choice, eliminating the need to enter their payment credentials separately.

The SDK manages integration with wallet APIs, such as Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay, and performs the required "Pay" Token Eligibility validations. It also encrypts the card using the Visa In-App Provisioning API, removing the need for the mobile app provider to interface directly with the "Pays" to provision a card directly from their app.

Visa In-App Provisioning API

The Visa In-App Provisioning API is a RESTful API that enables developers to generate an encrypted card data payload that can be passed to Apple Pay, Google Pay, or Samsung Pay for tokenization. This API eliminates the need for backend software development complexity and expensive server infrastructure to store encryption keys.

The API provides a secure method for cardholders to provision their cards to mobile wallets, reducing the risk of fraud and improving the overall payment experience. It is the client's responsibility to build and maintain direct integration with multiple wallet APIs to perform eligibility checks and securely pass the encrypted payload to them.

Regional Availability

The Visa In-App Provisioning SDK and API are available in various regions, including North America, Asia-Pacific, Europe, CEMEA, and LAC. The regional availability may vary depending on the specific product and service.

Implementation

To implement in-app provisioning, developers can use the Visa Digital Enablement SDK or Visa In-App Provisioning API. The SDK is designed to be embedded within the mobile application(s) by the team responsible for the mobile app development, which may be the client or a party licensed by the client to provide their mobile solution.

The API, on the other hand, requires the client to build and maintain direct integration with multiple wallet APIs to perform eligibility checks and securely pass the encrypted payload to them.

The provided Mermaid sequence diagram illustrates the step-by-step process of implementing in-app provisioning using Visa's solutions within a mobile application. This process enables a user to add their payment card to a mobile wallet (such as Apple Pay, Google Pay, or Samsung Pay) directly from their app securely and efficiently. Below is a detailed explanation of each component and interaction in the diagram.

Participants in the Diagram

User: The individual who wishes to add their payment card to a mobile wallet using their app.
Application: The mobile application provided by the user's financial institution.
VisaSDK (Visa SDK/API): Represents Visa's Digital Enablement SDK or In-App Provisioning API used within the app to facilitate secure card provisioning.
MobileWallet: The digital wallet application (Apple Pay, Google Pay, or Samsung Pay) where the user wants to add their card.
VisaVTS (Visa Token Service): Visa's cloud-based tokenization platform that handles the creation and management of payment tokens.

How Apple, Samsung, and Google Wallets Work with Visa Enablement SDK

As we discussed earlier, Visa Enablement SDK is a software development kit that enables developers to integrate in-app provisioning capabilities into their mobile apps. This SDK provides a secure and seamless method for cardholders to pass their payment credentials from the client's mobile application to the mobile or digital wallet of their choice, eliminating the need to enter their payment credentials separately.

Apple Wallet (Apple Pay)

Apple Wallet, also known as Apple Pay, is a mobile payment and digital wallet service by Apple Inc. that allows users to make payments using their iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad, or Mac. To integrate Apple Wallet with Visa Enablement SDK, developers can use the Visa In-App Provisioning API to generate an encrypted card data payload that can be passed to Apple Wallet for tokenization.

The Visa In-App Provisioning API provides a secure method for cardholders to provision their cards to Apple Wallet, reducing the risk of fraud and improving the overall payment experience. The API eliminates the need for backend software development complexity and expensive server infrastructure to store encryption keys.

Samsung Wallet (Samsung Pay)

Samsung Wallet, also known as Samsung Pay, is a mobile payment service by Samsung Electronics that allows users to make payments using their Samsung Galaxy devices. To integrate Samsung Wallet with Visa Enablement SDK, developers can use the Visa In-App Provisioning API to generate an encrypted card data payload that can be passed to Samsung Wallet for tokenization.

The Visa In-App Provisioning API provides a secure method for cardholders to provision their cards to Samsung Wallet, reducing the risk of fraud and improving the overall payment experience. The API eliminates the need for backend software development complexity and expensive server infrastructure to store encryption keys.

Google Wallet (Google Pay)

Google Wallet, also known as Google Pay, is a digital wallet service by Google LLC that allows users to make payments using their Android devices. To integrate Google Wallet with Visa Enablement SDK, developers can use the Visa In-App Provisioning API to generate an encrypted card data payload that can be passed to Google Wallet for tokenization.

The Visa In-App Provisioning API provides a secure method for cardholders to provision their cards to Google Wallet, reducing the risk of fraud and improving the overall payment experience. The API eliminates the need for backend software development complexity and expensive server infrastructure to store encryption keys.

How it Works

The process of integrating Apple Wallet, Samsung Wallet, or Google Wallet with Visa Enablement SDK involves the following steps:

The user initiates the provisioning process from within the mobile app.
The Visa In-App Provisioning API generates an encrypted card data payload that can be passed to the wallet of choice (Apple Wallet, Samsung Wallet, or Google Wallet).
The encrypted payload is passed to the wallet, which then tokenizes the card information.
The tokenized card information is stored securely in the wallet, eliminating the need for the user to enter their payment credentials separately.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Visa offers two ways to include in-app provisioning in an app: the Visa Digital Enablement SDK and the Visa In-App Provisioning API. Both solutions provide a secure and efficient way to facilitate in-app provisioning, reducing the complexity and expense of multiple integration efforts for mobile app providers.

By understanding the benefits and mechanisms of these solutions, developers, financial institutions, and merchants can create a seamless and secure payment experience for users, driving growth and innovation in the mobile payment industry.

Key Takeaways

Visa offers two solutions for in-app provisioning: Visa Digital Enablement SDK and Visa In-App Provisioning API.
The SDK provides a secure method for cardholders to pass their payment credentials to mobile wallets, eliminating the need to enter their payment credentials separately.
The API generates an encrypted card data payload that can be passed to Apple Pay, Google Pay, or Samsung Pay for tokenization.
Both solutions reduce software development complexity, eliminate encryption key management costs, and improve the user experience.
The regional availability of the SDK and API may vary depending on the specific product and service.
In-app provisioning enables users to add their cards to mobile wallets directly from apps.
Digital tokenization replaces sensitive card information with a unique digital identifier, reducing the risk of fraud and data breaches.
Visa's solutions, including the Visa Digital Enablement SDK and Visa In-App Provisioning API, provide a secure and efficient way to facilitate in-app provisioning and digital tokenization.
The combination of in-app provisioning and digital tokenization offers several benefits, including enhanced security, improved user experience, increased adoption, and reduced complexity.

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