Nuvei Adds PINless Debit and Least Cost Routing to Boost Approval Rates in North America
Rhea-AI Summary
Nuvei (NASDAQ:NVEI) has enhanced its Authorization Optimization Suite by adding PINless debit and Least Cost Routing capabilities in North America. The new features can improve authorization rates by up to 3.5 percentage points for applicable transactions, enabling merchants to bypass traditional card rails in favor of lower-cost local debit networks.
The company's smart routing engine leverages AI and machine learning to analyze transactions and determine optimal approval paths. Key features include Intelligent Routing, PINless Debit Routing, Smart Auth Messaging, Network Tokens, and Smart Retry capabilities. The system is particularly relevant as debit transactions now comprise over 53% of online card volumes in North America.
Positive
- Authorization rates improvement of up to 3.5 percentage points for applicable transactions
- Integration of AI and machine learning for optimized payment routing
- Potential cost reduction through lower-cost local debit networks
- Enhanced revenue recovery through Smart Retry capabilities
Negative
- None.
Insights
Nuvei's new routing features offer tangible authorization improvements, potentially boosting both merchant retention and North American market share.
Nuvei's addition of PINless debit and Least Cost Routing to its Authorization Optimization suite represents a significant technical advancement with measurable business impact. The 3.5 percentage point improvement in authorization rates is substantial in the payments industry, where even fractional improvements can translate to millions in recovered revenue for merchants and increased processing volume for Nuvei.
These enhancements address two critical merchant pain points simultaneously: approval rates and processing costs. By enabling transactions to bypass traditional card rails in favor of lower-cost local debit networks, Nuvei is positioning itself competitively in the increasingly important debit card segment, which now comprises over 53% of online card volumes in North America.
The technology stack Nuvei has built demonstrates sophisticated payment orchestration capabilities, particularly through its three-pronged approach: intelligent routing, authorization optimization, and smart retry logic. The AI-powered routing engine that analyzes issuer behavior, network logic, and regional preferences represents next-generation payment processing that can adapt to the complex and constantly changing payments ecosystem.
This release is strategically timed amid regulatory changes enabling multi-network routing in the U.S., allowing Nuvei to capitalize on market shifts while strengthening its North American presence. For merchants, the ability to prioritize either approval rates or cost efficiency provides valuable flexibility in managing payment economics.
The comprehensive suite of features—including network tokens, account updater, and bank failover routing—indicates Nuvei is taking a holistic approach to payment optimization rather than offering piecemeal solutions, potentially increasing merchant stickiness and reducing churn.
Enhancements across its Authorization Optimization Suite improve authorization rates by up to 3.5 percentage points, helping merchants recover lost revenue and accelerate growth
PINless debit and least cost routing are available now in the
"These enhancements give merchants access to debit networks that can deliver both higher approval rates and lower processing costs," said Phil Fayer, Chair and CEO of Nuvei. "Our smart routing engine gives merchants the flexibility to prioritize maximum approvals or cost efficiency based on their business objectives. It's about putting optimization in their hands and helping them turn payments into profit."
These enhancements are a key part of Nuvei's strategy to expand its footprint in
Smarter Routing That Drives Revenue
Nuvei's smart routing engine uses real-time AI and machine learning to analyze every transaction and determine the most effective path to approval based on issuer behavior, network logic, card metadata, and regional preferences. Key routing capabilities include:
- Intelligent Routing – Routes transactions through the best-performing bank or card network
- PINless Debit Routing (
U.S. ) – Routes eligible debit cards through lower-cost networks, with fallback to Visa/Mastercard
With debit transactions now making up over
Intelligent Authorization That Maximizes Conversion
Nuvei's intelligent authorization stack ensures that once a transaction reaches the right place, it has the highest possible chance of being approved. These features work together to reduce friction, resolve soft declines, and adapt in real time to issuer requirements:
- Smart Auth Messaging – Dynamically configures payloads and message formats based on issuer-specific logic
- Network Tokens – Increases issuer trust and compatibility through Visa and Mastercard network tokens
- One-Click Payments – Accelerates repeat transactions with frictionless token-based experiences
Smart Retry That Recovers Revenue Instantly
If a transaction fails, Nuvei's Smart Retry capabilities step in to recover revenue in real time, with no disruption to the customer experience. Built into the Authorization Optimization Suite, Smart Retry uses advanced decisioning logic to analyze failure reasons and automatically reattempt transactions through the most promising alternate paths.
Nuvei's Smart Retry engine includes:
- Account Updater – Automatically refreshes expired or replaced card credentials
- Bank Failover Routing – Routes the transaction to a backup bank or APM if the primary path declines
- Auth Reconfiguration – Modifies message format dynamically based on issuer response codes
Full Visibility and Control with AI-Powered Insights
Nuvei's Control Layer provides merchants with deep visibility into performance, real-time alerts, and actionable analytics. By combining AI-powered tools with expert human support, Nuvei helps businesses not only understand how their payments are performing, but actively improve them.
Key analytics and insights tools include:
- AI-Powered Approval Analysis – Automatically identifies unrealized approval opportunities by issuer, region, or transaction type
- Performance Insights & Trend Monitoring – Tracks improvements in authorization success over time
- Risk & Reporting Dashboards – Visualize fraud, scheme behavior, and exceptions in real time
About Nuvei
Nuvei is accelerating the business of clients around the world. Nuvei's modular, flexible and scalable technology allows leading companies to accept next-gen payments, offer all payout options and benefit from card issuing, banking, risk and fraud management services. Connecting businesses to their customers in more than 200 markets, with local acquiring in 50 markets, 150 currencies and 720 alternative payment methods, Nuvei provides the technology and insights for customers and partners to succeed locally and globally with one integration.
For more information, visit www.nuvei.com
Contact:
Public Relations
alex.hammond@nuvei.com
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SOURCE Nuvei
FAQ
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