Payoneer Teams With ANNA For Global SMB, Freelancer Payments

To help streamline global payments with artificial intelligence (AI), digital payment platform Payoneer has unveiled a partnership with banking and admin app ANNA. The tie-up lets ANNA’s freelancer and small and medium-sized business (SMB) clients receive global payments through EUR or USD currency into their ANNA accounts for the first time, according to an announcement.

Andy Roberts, ANNA’s head of channel partnerships, said in the announcement, “Joining forces with Payoneer is a truly significant addition to ANNA’s services. Business is global and many of our customers work internationally. We can now enable them to reach across country borders for the first time – and at a critical time for these small businesses and freelancers who are working hard to maintain their livelihoods.”

Users can leverage the AI chat-based interface to get notification of a loaded payment, share account details with clients, receive the exchange rate, see balances and start withdraws. Payment settlements then occur in real time. ANNA offers a 24/7 service team to assist through the chat interface for any issues that can’t be resolved through AI.

James Allum, regional head for Payoneer Europe, said in the announcement, “We’re teaming up with ANNA to bring artificial intelligence to the world of international payments and to our customers. We are experts in providing secure and simple cross-border payment solutions – and now, we are also empowering banks and e-wallets with innovative APIs for cross-border capabilities.”

In separate news, Payoneer debuted a cross-border service that includes functionality for SMBs, per an announcement in October. The company said in a press release at the time that its cross-border payment services, which first launched with a focus on large, global conglomerates, were now available to SMBs, letting U.S. firms of all sizes send payments to contractors and vendors through borders.

Payoneer also forged a partnership with commercial card startup Brex to help facilitate international business payments to contactors.