Blackhawk Network Buys Stake in Singapore’s Wogi

Branded payments provider Blackhawk Network has purchased a minority stake in Wogi, a rewards and incentives company based in Singapore.

“The collaboration will accelerate the growth of rewards and incentives throughout Southeast Asia and provide solutions to the APAC businesses that are revisiting their rewards strategies as a result of the pandemic,” Blackhawk said in a news release Sunday (Jan. 30).

The company says its investment will give Wogi a more “robust corporate framework” and allow it to offer a wider selection of gift card rewards, while giving Blackhawk greater access to digital-first rewards, incentives and gift card content in countries such as Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia.

Learn more: Blackhawk Network: 2021 Was the Year of the Consumer

“Digital rewards are highly popular in the APAC region, and there are numerous applications for organizations to leverage these rewards,” said Mark Singer, managing director of Asia Pacific, Blackhawk Network. “For instance, businesses can leverage smart rewards and incentives to help boost topline revenue and streamline business processes by building engagement and boosting employee, partner and customer satisfaction.”

Wogi works with more than 700 gift card content and payment providers to power rewards for 300-plus B2B and B2C companies. Working with Blackhawk will give its clients access to an even greater share of rewards, including cards personalized for individual recipients.

“With Blackhawk’s backing, we will have the opportunity to expand our offerings and seek out growth opportunities for our business and our clients’ businesses,” said Pavlina Atanasov, Wogi founder and senior vice president. “Robust, modern reward programs can create significant competitive differentiation for organizations jockeying for valuable market share, and by expanding our capabilities, we will help our partners — and our company — tap into the latest and greatest reward options.”

Read more: Carrefour Taps Blackhawk Network for Branded Gift Cards

Earlier this month, Blackhawk formed a partnership with grocery retailer Carrefour Group to manage its third-party gift card program several countries in Latin America and Europe.

The collaboration allows Carrefour to offer gift cards from international and local brands, including retailers and gaming and entertainment platforms.