Over the past year, 800,000 Finns made over nine million transactions using MobilePay. In total, the payment application handled funds amounting to 260 million euros, with one-fifth of that going to businesses. The milestone of one million users will be reached very soon.

For a year, MobilePay has offered the ability for recurring mobile payments in addition to individual transfers. However, only two entities in Finland use this feature: Helsingin Sanomat and UNICEF Finland.

"We have long hoped for a digital and rapid yet secure and donor-friendly payment method. MobilePay ticked all the boxes we hoped for," says UNICEF Finland's Head of Fundraising Veera Videnius.

UNICEF is Finland's first organization to offer a recurring mobile payment method. This new donation opportunity opened up in March 2019, after six months of work.

Pioneering Digital Payment Project

UNICEF Finland and Crasman have been partners for thirteen years. This was significant in the groundbreaking project.

"Long-term supplier relationships build proven approaches," Videnius knows from experience.

A model for recurring card payments built together four years ago brought valuable insights into the process and confirmed that Crasman has solid experience in implementing payment methods.

"We always enjoy being part of a transition. Developing completely new digital services and providing user-friendly solutions among the first," explains Crasman's Client Director Markus Sipilä.

In the MobilePay project, Crasman created the necessary agreement interface and payment functionality for making recurring payments. After the donation agreement and the first payment, the transaction and agreement details are communicated to Salesforce, which functions as the backend system. All solutions are tailored to UNICEF Finland's needs.

"There is no ready integrator in Finland, so we designed and implemented the necessary system integrations ourselves," says Sipilä.

Monthly Invoicing Ensures Stable Cash Flow

MobilePay facilitates and accelerates joining as a monthly donor. Recurring payments are the cornerstone of UNICEF Finland's operations.

"Regularity brings continuity and security. Because of it, we can plan our operations in target countries in the long term," Videnius sheds light on the importance of permanent supporters.

At the same time, the use of MobilePay reduces costs associated with money management.

Markus Sipilä is confident that Finns will discover the new donation method. He actively monitors consumer behaviour trends and sees UNICEF Finland's choice as following the development direction indicated by consumers.

"Monthly billing is modern. We pay set amounts for music, gym memberships, and vitamins because it is a convenient way to ensure access to the services and products we need. MobilePay adds the missing element to the equation: the ease of payment."