Brightwell Launches Navigator
New payments platform simplifies global payroll distribution of cross-border payments for ship managers & owners
ATLANTA, GA (March 23, 2015) — Brightwell Payments today introduced its newest product, Brightwell Navigator, during the Connecticut Maritime Association Shipping 2015 Conference — the largest commercial shipping association and conference in the US.
The Brightwell Navigator is a payments platform that simplifies global payroll distribution for ship owners and ship managers while providing crew members greater control over their wage distributions. The Brightwell Navigator product provides a more cost-effective and efficient solution for mass cross-border payments.
“We’ve experienced a tremendous amount of success within the cruise industry with our OceanPay® Visa® Prepaid Card program, but we quickly learned that a paycard solution alone falls short of the needs of the commercial shipping industry,” said Hal Ramakers, EVP of Product & Marketing at Brightwell Payments.
“We met with key players in the commercial shipping industry to better understand their process inefficiencies regarding global payroll distribution. Based on their guidance, we’ve built a technology platform that removes those inefficiencies in a way that dramatically increases crew satisfaction and welfare,” added Ramakers.
The Brightwell Navigator eliminates the burden of managing and distributing thousands of individual payments to crew around the globe. With Brightwell Navigator, those same crossborder payroll disbursements can be made through a batch-funding process with just one to two wires a pay period. The platform ties easily to ship manager’s existing payroll software and removes their need to manage large volumes of remittances.
Brightwell Navigator’s online portal and electronic data wallet provides crew members the freedom and flexibility to manage their finances 24/7. Crew members can select where they wish to distribute their wages (direct to bank account and/or their OceanPay Card), the amounts distributed to each account, and the transfer currency. Beneficiary bank account details and distribution amounts are managed directly by the crew member and can be changed at any time. The Brightwell Navigator provides crew a welcome level of control over their finances and positively impacts crew welfare.
Brightwell Payments’ existing maritime paycard product, the OceanPay Card, integrates seamlessly with the Brightwell Navigator. With the OceanPay Card, shipping companies can offer their crew members an additional method of receiving wages. The OceanPay Card allows shipping companies to reduce cash onboard while providing crew members with a financial tool that can be used to make purchases online and in-port, and perform one-off transfers to a bank account or for cash pick up at a retail location.
“The product was initially planned as a tool for the commercial shipping industry. However, as the product design and build progressed, we quickly saw that the Brightwell Navigator could be used as a cross-border payments solution by companies in a broad range of industries who manage geographically dispersed employee populations,” said Kenneth M. Goins, Jr., CEO of Brightwell Payments. “We will continue to market the product and partner with service providers to make this product available to companies outside of the maritime industry.”
Brightwell Payments is currently planning the implementation of the product with two companies for product launch in early Q2.
About Brightwell
Driven by a passion for financial inclusion and empowerment, Atlanta-based financial technology company Brightwell is living out its mission to create products that help people and businesses send money securely across the globe. Brightwell’s suite of cross-border payment products is simple to use, easy to integrate with and help our customers achieve measurable results. Processing and securing billions of dollars each year, Brightwell’s products are trusted by businesses of all sizes – from startups to Fortune 500. For more information, visit brightwell.com.
Press Inquiries:
Nardos Yosef | Alloy on behalf of Brightwell
