In 2026, the global payment landscape has moved past the era of static security. For global enterprises, the focus has shifted from mere data protection to payment orchestration and the strategic maximisation of transaction success. As major card networks accelerate their transition towards a ‘Token-First’ architecture, businesses must retire clear-text Primary Account Numbers (PANs) in favour of sophisticated network tokens.
This foundational shift is a prerequisite for navigating the complexities of agentic commerce and real-time cross-border settlements. Tokenisation effectively replaces sensitive 16-digit card numbers with unique, non-reversible alphanumeric strings, ensuring that even if data is intercepted, it remains worthless to unauthorised parties.
Beyond security: tokenisation as a revenue engine
For a long time, the industry viewed card tokenisation through a purely defensive lens. It was a method to secure cardholder data. However, in the current real-time era, tokenisation has evolved into a significant driver of top-line revenue.
The primary differentiator lies in the transition from merchant-specific tokens to global network tokens. Unlike legacy merchant tokens, which are siloed within a single provider, network tokens are issued by the card schemes themselves (Visa, Mastercard, Amex) and are interoperable across the entire payment ecosystem.
The business impact of this interoperability is profound. Network tokens incorporate built-in lifecycle management, meaning they automatically refresh when a physical card is reissued or expires. This eliminates the ‘involuntary churn’ that plagues subscription-based models and recurring billing cycles.
Data indicates that businesses utilising network tokens experience an average authorisation rate uplift of 2.1%, directly converting failed transactions into successful sales without requiring customer intervention. Many global networks now offer interchange incentives, such as lower transaction fees (up to 10 basis points), for businesses that process fully tokenised requests.
Navigating PCI DSS 4.0.1
The introduction of PCI DSS 4.0.1 in 2024 has redefined how global BPM operations handle security. The standard has moved away from annual “snapshot” audits toward a mandate for continuous compliance and a ‘customised approach’ to security controls. For organisations managing vast volumes of sensitive data, tokenisation serves as the ultimate tool for de-scoping. By ensuring that clear-text PANs never enter or reside within the BPM environment, firms can remove entire delivery centres and servers from the Cardholder Data Environment (CDE).
Effective secure card payments in this environment require a ‘vaultless’ or ‘remote-vault’ architecture. In this model, the sensitive data is stored in a highly secure, centralised token vault, while the BPM processes only the tokens. This strategy reduces the technical audit burden by up to 40%, allowing compliance teams to focus on high-level risk management rather than granular server-level controls.
Requirement 3 of PCI DSS 4.0.1 emphasises that Sensitive Authentication Data (SAD) must never be stored after authorisation. Tokenisation resolves this conflict by allowing for ‘Card-on-File’ convenience through the use of one-time cryptograms, maintaining compliance while preserving a frictionless user experience.
The real-time era: agentic commerce and automated trust
As we move deeper into 2026, the rise of agentic commerce, where AI agents execute transactions on behalf of consumers, has created a new frontier for BPM card payment tokenisation. These autonomous systems require a level of trust that traditional PAN-based processing cannot provide. AI agents rely on device-bound tokens and dynamic, per-transaction cryptograms to verify intent and authorisation. This ensures that even if an agent’s environment is compromised, the specific payment token cannot be misused for other transactions.
Legacy systems that rely on manual updates or account updater services cannot keep pace with the millisecond latency requirements of modern commerce. Tokenisation provides the necessary infrastructure for:
- Frictionless one-click checkout: Enabling card-on-file experiences that drive higher conversion rates.
- Omni-channel fluidity: Linking a customer’s online identity with their in-store biometric markers through a unified token.
- Cross-border resilience: Simplifying the management of disparate regional regulations by centralising sensitive data and decentralising tokens.
Strategic orchestration: best practices for global decision makers
To maintain a robust security posture and operational efficiency, global enterprises should adopt the following evidence-based practices:
- Implement network-level lifecycle management: Prioritise network tokens that automatically sync with card networks. This ensures that when an issuer replaces a card, the token remains valid, preventing transaction failures without requiring the customer to update their details.
- Minimise the Cardholder Data Environment (CDE): Use tokenisation at the point of capture to ensure sensitive data is replaced by a surrogate before it enters internal systems. This significantly reduces the technical and administrative burden of PCI-DSS compliance.
- Adopt Format-Preserving Encryption (FPE): Utilise tokens that retain the last four digits of the original card. This allows internal teams to perform essential business functions, such as customer identification and transaction reconciliation, without accessing the actual PAN.
- Distinguish between merchant and network tokens: Understand that while merchant tokens secure the local environment, network tokens provide the interoperability needed for a seamless global payment experience.
By embracing network tokens and aligning with the rigorous standards of PCI DSS 4.0.1, businesses can achieve a rare trifecta: enhanced security, reduced operational costs, and significant revenue growth through optimised authorisation rates.
How can Infosys BPM help with card payment tokenisation?
Infosys BPM provides end-to-end financial services that harmonise global payment operations. Leveraging an AI-first approach and decades of domain expertise, we help organisations navigate PCI DSS compliance, optimise card payments tokenisation, and integrate network tokens into complex supply chains. Infosys BPM drives higher authorisation rates and reduces fraud, ensuring that your payment infrastructure is a robust engine for growth in the real-time era.
Frequently asked questions
Network tokens issued by schemes like Visa and Mastercard offer ecosystem-wide interoperability and automatic lifecycle management when cards expire or reissue, unlike siloed merchant tokens. This eliminates involuntary churn in subscriptions and recurring billing while boosting authorisation rates by 2.1% on average.
Tokenisation de-scopes BPM environments from Cardholder Data Environment (CDE) by replacing PANs with surrogates at capture, eliminating storage of clear-text card data and SAD post-authorisation. Vaultless architectures reduce audit burden by up to 40% through continuous compliance rather than snapshot validation.
AI agents executing autonomous transactions require device-bound tokens with per-transaction cryptograms for millisecond verification without exposing full credentials. Network tokens enable frictionless one-click checkout, omnichannel continuity, and cross-border resilience beyond legacy account updater services.
Tokenised flows deliver 2.1% higher authorisation rates, converting previously declined transactions into revenue, plus interchange incentives like 10 basis point fee reductions from networks. Automatic lifecycle management prevents subscription failures that erode recurring revenue streams.
Implement network-level lifecycle sync, point-of-capture tokenisation to minimise CDE, Format-Preserving Encryption retaining last-four digits for reconciliation, and vaultless/remote-vault architectures. These balance PCI compliance, operational efficiency, and seamless customer experience across regions.
