Payments

    Network Tokenization

    Tokens issued directly by Visa and Mastercard. More approvals, less fraud and automatic lifecycle management — without changing your integration.

    Network Tokens

    Tokens issued by the network,

    Unlike vault tokens (stored on your server), Network Tokens are issued by the card network (Visa/Mastercard) and travel with a unique cryptogram per transaction.

    Visa
    Mastercard
    PAN ORIGINAL

    4242 **** **** 4242

    Exp 12/28 · CVV 123VISA
    NETWORK TOKEN

    * * * * * * *

    PendingVISA

    Request to Token Service

    PAN sent to Visa Token Service Provider

    Issuer verification

    Issuing bank validates and authorizes tokenization

    Token provisioning

    Token + cryptogram generated by the network

    Token active

    Replaces PAN in all future transactions

    +7%Approval
    AutoLifecycle
    -30%Fraud
    2 redesVisa VTS + MC MDES
    Coverage

    Issuer coverage in LATAM

    Network tokenization requires the issuing bank to support VTS or MDES. Coverage in LATAM grows month by month as more issuers connect to Visa and Mastercard token services. For cards from unconnected issuers, the system applies automatic PAN fallback — without interrupting the payment flow or requiring merchant intervention.

    Colombia

    Colombia

    Main issuers:

    Major market issuers with growing coverage
    Mexico

    Mexico

    Main issuers:

    The largest issuing banks in the country connected
    Brazil

    Brazil

    Main issuers:

    Major issuers including digital and traditional banks
    Peru

    Peru

    Main issuers:

    Leading market issuers in adoption process

    Automatic fallback

    If the issuer doesn't support network tokenization, Akua processes the transaction with the original PAN transparently. The merchant doesn't need to handle this logic — the system resolves it in real time.

    Expanding coverage

    Akua continuously adds new issuers without requiring changes to the merchant's integration. Each new connected issuer automatically increases the tokenization rate across the entire network.

    Performance

    Provisioning time: synchronous and predictable

    Tokenization happens within the payment flow, not as a separate process. First provisioning takes less than 2 seconds. Subsequent transactions reuse the token instantly.

    Initial provisioning

    Cryptogram

    Reuse

    Initial provisioning: < 2 seconds

    The first tokenization of a card resolves in less than 2 seconds. The process is synchronous — the merchant receives the token in the same API response, without callbacks or polling.

    Reuse: instant

    Once provisioned, the token is stored and reused in subsequent transactions without querying the issuer again. Additional latency is zero.

    Cryptogram: generated per transaction

    Each payment generates a unique cryptogram in real time (~50ms). The token is reused, but the cryptogram ensures each transaction is unrepeatable.

    Timeout: PAN fallback

    If the network takes more than 5 seconds to respond (infrequent), the system automatically falls back to the PAN to avoid blocking the buyer's payment flow.

    Use cases

    Network tokens for

    Subscriptions

    Tokens that update automatically when the card expires. Zero involuntary churn from expired cards.

      Card-on-file

      Store tokens instead of PANs. More secure, more approvals, no sensitive data in your database.

        Recurring ecommerce

        Each purchase uses a unique cryptogram. Maximum security without asking for user data again.

          Wallets & super apps

          Integrate network tokens in your wallet for tap payments. The PAN never travels through your infrastructure.

            Features

            Network security, without complexity

            +7% approval rate

            Network tokens are recognized by issuers as more secure, which increases authorization rates.

            -30% fraud

            The token only works in the context where it was issued. A stolen token is useless outside that domain.

            Automatic lifecycle

            When the issuer replaces the card (expiration, theft), the token updates automatically. No friction for the user.

            Cryptogram per transaction

            Each transaction generates a unique cryptogram. Impossible to reuse data from a previous transaction.

            Multi-network supported

            Network tokens from Visa (VTS) and Mastercard (MDES). A single endpoint for both networks.

            Transparent for the merchant

            The merchant doesn't need to change their integration. Akua tokenizes automatically and sends the token to the network.

            Pricing

            No additional cost per token

            Network Tokenization is included in Akua's standard processing fee. There are no additional charges per token issued, per cryptogram generated or per lifecycle update. The merchant pays the same as they would without tokenization — but with better approval rates and less fraud.

            Token provisioning: included in processing fee.

            Cryptogram per transaction: no additional charge.

            Lifecycle updates (expiration, replacement): no charge.

            No volume minimums or usage commitments.

            What's included in the standard fee

            Token provisioning (VTS + MDES)
            Cryptogram per transaction
            Automatic lifecycle management
            PAN fallback when applicable
            Tokenization rate reporting

            El argumento económico es directo: The economic argument is straightforward: network tokenization increases approvals (+7%) and reduces fraud (-30%), generating more net revenue than the processing cost.

            Tokenization + Subscriptions

            The end of involuntary churn

            Involuntary churn — subscribers you lose because their card expired — is the most costly and silent problem of recurring models. Network Tokenization eliminates it at the root: the token updates automatically when the issuer replaces the card.

            Without Network Tokenization

            The subscriber's card expires or the bank replaces it.

            The subscriber's card expires or the bank replaces it.

            The recurring charge fails with a decline code.

            Visa/Mastercard notifies Akua and updates the token automatically.

            The dunning system sends emails asking to update the card.

            The recurring charge is processed with the updated token.

            The subscriber ignores the emails → involuntary churn.

            The subscriber doesn't notice — the service continues without interruptions.

            Network tokens,
            maximum approval

            Activate Network Tokenization and let Visa and Mastercard protect every transaction.