Payments orchestrator Br-dge expands coverage with AstroPay
BR-DGE has announced the latest global alternative payment method (APM) supported on its platform, through a strategic partnership with AstroPay, the global digital wallet service.
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AstroPay is now integrated with BR-DGE's platform, making it available as an alternative payment method (APM) for BR-DGE's merchant customers across sectors like ecommerce, travel, gaming, and digital goods. The partnership represents a meaningful step in AstroPay's growth, expanding its reach through BR-DGE's modular infrastructure, broad distribution network, and strong presence in high-demand verticals.
As an independently-owned, vendor-agnostic payment orchestrator, BR-DGE is fast becoming the go-to partner for high-volume enterprise merchants through its modular solutions. A category leader in payment orchestration, BR-DGE enables merchants to scale, enter new markets, introduce innovative features, optimise costs, and effortlessly adapt to the future payment's world.
AstroPay multicurrency wallet users enjoy a range of financial benefits. Individuals and businesses can receive and withdraw international payments from global clients and platforms with ease, eliminating common transaction hurdles. With multi-currency storage and conversion capabilities, travelers and digital nomads can efficiently manage their money while benefiting from competitive exchange rates.
AstroPay also allows users to make cross-border transactions effortlessly while benefiting from best-in-class foreign exchange rates, ensuring they get the most value for their money while spending abroad. Users also experience faster and lower-cost transactions, avoiding the high fees and slow processing times that often accompany traditional banking methods.
Diego Steinberg, COO of AstroPay, commented on the partnership: 'In global, digital world, people expect to be able to send money across borders as easily as they do within their own country. We are delighted that BR-DGE has selected our digital wallet and payment platform to expand its payments offering. BR-DGE is a trusted and industry-leading payment orchestration platform, and through our partnership they can continue to help numerous enterprise merchants to enhance their tech stacks and customer payment processes.'
Bringing together over 400 payment technology solutions in one place, BR-DGE works as an independent, trusted and vendor-agnostic partner for the whole ecosystem, creating value and driving better outcomes for payment providers, their merchants and consumers. Founded in Edinburgh in 2018, BR-DGE now processes millions of transactions monthly on behalf of high-volume customers. With a number of large brands already on the platform, BR-DGE is positioned to become the orchestration partner of choice and distribution outlet for payments connectivity, routing, and data services.
Tom Voaden, VP Commercial at BR-DGE, added: 'BR-DGE is solving the disconnect between ecosystem players by working as an anchor point and single source of payment orchestration. AstroPay is a fast-growing and increasingly important payment method for millions of people around the world and is now available to our merchant and payment providers. We're fully committed to the continued expansion of our payments acceptance network and range of available payment methods, to ensure our customers can stay ahead of consumer demand. Adding AstroPay is the next step in that journey.'
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BBC News
8 hours ago
- BBC News
The self-drive tuk-tuks transforming travel in Sri Lanka
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Now there are one million of them putt-putting along Sri Lanka's highways. Serving as family saloons and taxi cabs to police vehicles and three-wheeled bakeries, these workhorses have proven they're more functional than a Swiss army knife. Holidaymakers fell for the fearless vehicles too, but while they could catch a ride in the hardworking three wheelers, they were only allowed as passengers. Then in 2016, with the launch of Katunayake-based start-up TukTuk Rental, tourists were given the keys to an adventure they would never forget. You can now hire and drive a vehicle, choose your own route through the highlands or along the palm-fringed beaches and stop for a cup of milk tea when the mood takes you. But what makes this experience extra special is that this business, which marries social good with financial goals, leases its tuk-tuks from locals. Since it started, around Rs300,000,000 (US$1m) has gone into the pockets of 1,000 families in Sri Lanka. TukTuk Rental was the brain child of Thomas Cornish, an Australian civil engineer who was working for a non-profit in India. On the second day of a cycling holiday there, Cornish crashed his bike. A local offered up an old tuk-tuk so that he could complete the journey. Cornish found the ride so enjoyable, he wanted other travellers to have the same experience. Since the distances between Indian cities can be challenging, he and his cofounders Richard McKeon and Wietse Sennema looked for another country where tuk-tuks were popular. Finally, they decided to launch TukTuk Rental in Sri Lanka. Sennema, who grew up on the island, was aware that tuk-tuk driving was a second source of income for many people. "They'll have a daytime job, then in the evenings they drive the tuk-tuk," he said. The trio started knocking on doors to see if the tuk-tuk owners would rent their three-wheeler to holidaymakers and earn an income while they stayed at home with their families. Shalitha Sankalpa from Mount Lavinia was one such owner. He worked at a hotel during the day then would drive his tuk-tuk for up to six hours in the evening. "I would earn 200 rupees a day on average," says Sankalpa. He heard about the new startup and, in 2017, decided to offer his family tuk-tuk as one of their initial 10 vehicles. Within a month, his earnings had doubled. "When I told my friends, they said, 'It's a risk. Don't give your tuk-tuk to foreigners.' Now they are asking me, 'How can I rent my tuk-tuk?'," he said. Sankalpa was living with his wife, son and in-laws in a small, rented house, but with the steady income he was able to buy a car and build his own home. The social business has continued to give him dream moments, including when South African cricketer Jonty Rhodes hired Sankalpa's tuk-tuk to drive along the coast to Ahangama. "It was a super special day for me," says Sankalpa. Letting tourists loose on the roads was fraught with potential problems, but with the help of the Automobile Association of Ceylon, TukTuk Rental was able to make sure that holidaymakers were legally covered by providing them with a Sri Lankan driving licence. The team also hired driving instructors to give each tourist a lesson before they took to the road, and employed mechanics to maintain the vehicles. Within two years, a fleet of up to 100 tuk-tuks was being driven by holidaymakers on their adventures around the island. However, the next few years would prove to be anything but a smooth road. On 21 April 2019, the Easter Sunday bombings led to lockdowns across the island, then a year later the pandemic hit. Even when Sri Lanka's airports reopened, tourism recovery was slow. In the first four months of 2021, the country saw just 9,629 arrivals compared to 507,311 for the same period the previous year. Slowly the tourists started to return. TukTuk Rental now works with 750 families across the island who rent their tuk-tuks to holidaymakers. More like this:• The 300km route shining a spotlight on Sri Lanka's tea history• A 210km drive through 'the most beautiful place on Earth'• An epic road trip over and under the Atlantic Ocean Charith Rajindra first supplied TukTuk Rental with a three-wheeler in 2022. Before the pandemic, Rajindra worked at a garment factory worker during the day and then as a baggage handler at the airport in the evening. During Covid, his hours at the factory were cut and the airport was closed for 10 months. He then heard about the start-up that was renting locals tuk-tuks to tourists. After watching their progress, Rajindra took a gamble, leased a tuk-tuk and gave the $4,500 vehicle to the start-up. Within two years he was able to pay off the lease and open a home stay. He then bought a second tuk-tuk in 2024, which he also rents out through the start-up. Rajindra says he's delighted visitors get to experience a different side of Sri Lanka. "I'm very happy that the foreigner wants to drive a tuk-tuk. [It's a] normal person's vehicle. It's not a high-end vehicle," he says. Rajindra says he can also see the impact the start-up has made: "It brings income for the locals, for the country, and everyone involved." Diana Hiptmair, a content creator from Toronto, Canada, decided to hire a tuk-tuk in April 2025 after seeing a post on Instagram. "We're always looking for opportunities to step out of our comfort zone, and renting a tuk-tuk felt like the perfect way to travel at a slower pace, connect with locals and immerse ourselves in Sri Lankan culture," she says. She and her husband rented a convertible cabriolet tuk-tuk for 26 days and travelled from Negombo to the beach town of Mirissa. "Supporting a company that gives back was important to us," says Hiptmair. "And traveling by tuk-tuk allowed us to visit small restaurants and local businesses that many tourists might otherwise miss." One of her favourite memories was a spontaneous pitstop for lunch: "The owner invited Daniel into the kitchen to help make kottu roti," says Hiptmair. Kate Dicks from Hampshire in the UK was also a huge fan of the experience. She rented a self-drive tuk-tuk with her boyfriend for a 10-day road trip in January 2025. They wanted to visit the highlands and national parks. As taxis were few and far between in these rural areas and the bus connections didn't fit their schedule, a tuk-tuk provided the perfect solution. The tuk-tuk also helped give them the David Attenborough moment they wanted. "The most memorable part of our trip was when we saw wild elephants along the road we were driving on," says Dicks. "To see an elephant that close in its natural habitat was just amazing." While the numbers of holidaymakers hiring tuk-tuks are rapidly increasing, the social business limits the amount of tuk-tuks that each owner can give them so as many people as possible can participate in the programme. Supplier manager Isuru Fernando says they don't want to support another company, they want to support the individuals. After I finished my journey and handed over the keys, I watched the tuk-tuk reassuringly wobble off along the road to begin its return journey to the highlands. I had no doubt it would get there. This plucky vehicle seemed representative of a country that even when faced with the toughest of journeys still remains strong. -- For more Travel stories from the BBC, follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram.


Telegraph
14 hours ago
- Telegraph
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Finextra
16 hours ago
- Finextra
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This leadership transition caps a remarkable evolution: from a basement startup to a publicly traded, multi-billion dollar fintech with international ambitions. Disclaimer: Fintech Wrap Up aggregates publicly available information for informational purposes only. Portions of the content may be reproduced verbatim from the original source, and full credit is provided with a "Source: [Name]" attribution. All copyrights and trademarks remain the property of their respective owners. Fintech Wrap Up does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the aggregated content; these are the responsibility of the original source providers. Links to the original sources may not always be included. For questions or concerns, please contact us at