Ethoca has partnered with French payment system Cartes Bancaires to develop the CB Alerts portal that helps online merchants collaborate with card-issuing banks to lower chargebacks and reduce fraud. The solution, which works in near-real-time, gives merchants an early warning of cardholder-confirmed fraudulent transactions, enabling merchants to block an illegitimate sale, and/or prevent the shipment of goods, as well as the provision of services.

“Ethoca is honored to have been chosen to work with CB to help e-merchants and French banks reduce fraud and eliminate the need to raise chargebacks,” Ethoca EVP of Business Development Trevor Clarke said. “Merchants are now able to take immediate action in cases of confirmed fraud and are free [to grow] their businesses and [offer] their customers exceptional experiences.”

Merchant subscribers to CB Alerts get notification of fraudulent transaction activity as soon as piracy, loss, or theft of a payment card is reported to the bank by the cardholder. The solution can automate the notification process for larger merchants with higher volumes.

“We launched CB Alerts as part of our desire to enrich the services provided to merchants and banks,” Philippe Laulanie, CEO at Groupement des Cartes Bancaires CB, said. “Security is in the DNA of CB, along with the implementation of the PSD2, RTS, and strong authentication, this portal will help to fight e-commerce fraud.”

Cartes Bancaires is the leading payment system in France. Last year, the firm boasted 68+ million cards in circulation and nearly 12 billion transactions totaling more than $640 billion (€564 billion). Cartes Bancaires was founded in 1984 to provide the country with interoperable universal card payment and cash withdrawal systems. As of 2017, CB has more than 100 banks and payment institution members globally.

Ethoca demonstrated its Ethoca Alerts solution at FinovateEurope 2016. This fall, the company announced a partnership with American Express, leveraging its Ethoca Eliminator solution to help AMEX card holders access the detailed transaction information they need to resolve customer service calls faster. This spring, the company launched its integrated solution suite, which features Ethoca Eliminator, Ethoca Alerts, as well as Enhanced Representments. This latter feature helps merchants better understand chargeback processing and evidence rules to make it easier for them to determine how and when to challenge transaction disputes.

With $45 million in funding courtesy of investors such as Spectrum Equity, Pivot Investment Partners, and Difference Capital, Ethoca is based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and was founded in 2005. More than 5,400 merchants in 40+ countries benefit from Ethoca’s services and solutions. The company’s customers include eight of the top 10 North American e-commerce brands, 14 of the top 20 North American card issuers, and six of the top ten U.K. card issuers.