The AirPlus Global

New partnership to help European businesses regain control of their indirect purchasing

Written by Airplus Newsroom | May 28, 2026

AirPlus International and Kresus Technologies, today announce a new partnership, in collaboration with Mastercard, to help European businesses better manage everyday indirect spending.

 
Press release

 

AirPlus International and Kresus Technologies help European businesses regain control of their indirect purchasing, in collaboration with Mastercard 

Frankfurt, 28 May 2026 - AirPlus International and Kresus Technologies, today announce a new partnership, in collaboration with Mastercard, to help European businesses better manage everyday indirect spending.

By combining AirPlus virtual cards, Kresus Technologies payment platform, and Mastercard’s global acceptance network, businesses gain enhanced control and visibility over transactions through a single, streamlined payment and approval platform.

The new solution addresses a persistent challenge for finance and procurement teams: managing indirect spend which refers to low-value, non-strategic purchases such as online subscriptions, one-off suppliers, licence renewals or urgent repairs, which often fall outside standard procurement processes but can account for 20–30% of total expenditure[1].

The solution brings together three key capabilities across the indirect spend lifecycle:

     - Acceptance: Businesses can pay any supplier - including those who do not accept card payments - without the need to onboard occasional vendors.

     - Approval: Each transaction follows configurable approval workflows aligned with internal policies, strengthening control without adding complexity for employees.

     - Integration: Payments are automatically reconciled within existing ERP and finance systems, ensuring seamless alignment between spending and accounting.

This enables organisations to pay a broad range of suppliers, including those not traditionally enabled for card payments, while improving cash flow and reducing the risk of late supplier payments.

It also strengthens control, visibility and consistency across tail spend for businesses across Europe, supporting compliant purchasing and payment processes.

David Baker, Head of Global Bank & Distribution, B2B Partners and Solution Sales, AirPlus International: “For over thirty years, AirPlus has supported businesses in digitalizing their corporate payments. By combining our virtual card expertise with Kresus’ technology platform and the Mastercard network, we offer procurement and finance departments an operational solution for non-strategic purchases, immediately deployable across Europe.”

César Vial, CEO of Kresus Technologies“Kresus brings the technical infrastructure that makes this kind of partnership possible — the orchestration layer that turns corporate card programs into intelligent, scalable payment experiences. Combining that with AirPlus's unmatched distribution reach among European corporates and Mastercard's global network creates a uniquely powerful approach that the European market has never seen before.”

Tulsi Narayan, Executive Vice President, Commercial & New Payment Flows, Europe, Mastercard: “Businesses throughout Europe are seeking smarter and more efficient approaches to managing tail spend and B2B payments. Through our collaboration with Kresus and AirPlus, we’re combining intelligent payment orchestration with Mastercard’s global acceptance network to deliver stronger control, improved security, better cash flow, and more streamlined processes — enabling businesses to scale with greater efficiency and confidence.”

 

About Kresus Technologies

 Kresus Technologies is a European fintech specialised in B2B payment solutions. The company has built a payment infrastructure to centralise all corporate card use cases — from working capital to procurement — into a single hub. Kresus powers card issuers and ERP platforms with the technologies they need to deliver smarter and faster payment solutions to their corporate clients across Europe. 

More info: kresus.tech

 

About AirPlus International

 AirPlus is a leading provider of payment solutions for businesses. 58,000 corporate clients trust AirPlus to manage and analyse their business travel expenses and other corporate purchases. Since 2024, AirPlus has been part of SEB and issues payment solutions on the UATP and Mastercard networks. 

More info: airplus.com

Contact : Lidwine Bernardin, Responsable Marketing France | lbernardin@airplus.com

 

About Mastercard

Mastercard powers economies and empowers people in 200+ countries and territories worldwide. Together with our customers, we’re building a sustainable economy where everyone can prosper. We support a wide range of digital payments choices, making transactions secure, simple, smart and accessible. Our technology and innovation, partnerships and networks combine to deliver a unique set of products and services that help people, businesses and governments realize their greatest potential.

More info: www.mastercard.com