Strategic merger combines AI with biometric innovations and advanced payment infrastructure to deliver the next generation of secure, frictionless transactions for businesses and consumers worldwide.
PLANO, Texas, April 1, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Biometrics and AI expert Wink and global payment technology and services provider Phoenix Managed Networks today announced their merger, creating a powerhouse technology provider with the mission to accelerate market adoption of AI and biometrics in omnichannel commerce. The game-changing technology platform created by this business combination offers a unique opportunity for financial institutions, retailers, and fintech companies to benefit from both Wink's advanced AI and biometric-enabled products and Phoenix's payment technology and infrastructure, which has served over 70 customers in the payments industry in the United States and abroad for over 15 years.
Wink's highly differentiated platform, powered by award-winning AI, biometric identity and authentication technologies, is already delivering innovations such as pay by face or palm, AI driven fraud prevention, e-commerce Checkout CoPilot with Paze and connected car commerce with voice biometrics. The Phoenix infrastructure is deeply connected with the major payments players in the USA and UK powering over 10 million monthly transactions and 220,000 merchant connections. The merger will accelerate the adoption of biometrics and AI advancements in the payments space, enabling Wink to secure transactions from check-in to checkout, and from acceptance to authorization. Together, Wink and Phoenix are positioned to reshape the future of AI in payments, unlocking unparalleled growth potential and driving the next generation of seamless, frictionless and fraud free transactions.
"This is not just the merger of two respected companies," said Deepak Jain, CEO of Wink, "this combination is a scale-up designed to bring the best of biometrics and AI with new user experiences delivered together with a suite of technologies that have served as critical infrastructure to the payment industry for the past fifteen years. Together we are creating an open payments platform that is not only revolutionary but also grounded in industry-leading security and compliance standards. The new Wink with Phoenix will empower our collective set of customers and a lot of new ones to deploy state-of-the-art applications for commerce experiences that will delight their consumers by smart use of AI and biometrics while retaining the robustness and security they have come to expect from payments. This is the future of AI-enabled payments—and we're just getting started."
John McDonnell, formerly Chairman of Phoenix, will take on the role of chief strategy officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors for the newly merged Wink. "This merger is a powerful strategic alignment that brings together two highly complementary forces in the payments and biometric industries," said McDonnell. "By combining Phoenix's deep expertise with Wink's innovation and Intellectual Property, we aim to be a leading player in the adoption of biometrics, AI and advanced security protection for the highly demanding payments marketplace."
Phoenix Managed Networks brings a coveted customer list and a track record of best-in-class service to most of the largest card acquirers, financial institutions and many transaction-oriented businesses worldwide. Phoenix's 24x7 Network Operations and PCI level 1 certified communications networks and gateway services will be the backbone for delivering highly secure, optimal performance and unmatched reliability for all Wink services worldwide.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding the potential impact of the merger, the future capabilities of the integrated payment gateway, and the growth opportunities for the combined companies. These statements reflect the current expectations and assumptions of management, but are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. The company undertakes no obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements, except as required by law.
ABOUT WINK
Wink connects commerce with identity as the industry's first multi-factor biometric authentication platform, seamlessly integrating facial recognition, voice recognition, and device identification. Our innovative technology ensures full privacy protection and unparalleled security, empowering businesses to deliver the ultimate omni-channel experience to their consumers. For more information, visit Wink's website.
*Paze and the Paze related marks are wholly owned by Early Warning Services, LLC and are used herein under license.
Media Contact
Stephanie Barrueto, Wink, 1 9724688510, [email protected], www.wink.cloud
SOURCE Wink
Share this article