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Kashing CEO Karen Rossouw will be at EAG (Stand E72) on a mission to engage with high-quality partners whose operational standards, technical capability and long-term outlook align. EAG, she asserts, is an opportunity to listen to operators’ real-world challenges around cost-pressures, connectivity and compliance whilst demonstrating how technology can simplify those issues and not complicate them.

This year is another EAG which has innovation at its core - what are you hoping to get from the show?

EAG continues to be an important focal point for the industry, particularly as operators, manufacturers and technology providers reassess how they balance innovation with commercial reality. We see this year’s show as an opportunity to have more meaningful, forward-thinking conversations rather than just showcasing incremental updates. For Kashing, EAG is about engagement which means listening to operators’ real-world challenges around cost pressures, connectivity, compliance and consumer behaviour, whilst demonstrating how technology can simplify rather than complicate those issues. We’re also keen to strengthen relationships with international partners, as the pace of adoption for alternative and phone-based payment methods is accelerating in many overseas markets.

What innovations have you planned?

We will be introducing a new payment product built around a low-cost Bluetooth hardware model that fundamentally rethinks how phone-based payments interact with machines. Unlike earlier generations of similar products from the wider market, our solution does not rely on a reverse Bluetooth connection, removing many of the legacy complexities and user-experience issues that caused those products to struggle or fail.
The result is a highly competitive contactless-style solution that does not depend on a traditional physical card reader. This makes it a viable option for machines in locations where transaction volumes do not justify the cost of full contactless hardware, while still meeting modern consumer expectations as payment behaviour increasingly shifts toward phone and app-based transactions. The hardware is available in two models: a Wi-Fi-based IoT payment device and a mobile-enabled variant. The Wi-Fi IoT option is so cost-effective that it effectively removes hardware acquisition as a barrier to entry, while the mobile version offers flexibility where connectivity is more challenging. This approach has already enabled us to expand into areas such as pull-tab ticket dispensers and traditional vending, opening up segments that were previously underserved by digital payments.

What kind of conversations are you looking to have at EAG?

Our focus at EAG is very much on how payment technology can evolve responsibly while remaining commercially sustainable, and a key part of that involves building the right partnerships as we expand into new markets. We’re not simply looking for scale for its own sake; we’re actively seeking high-quality partners whose operational standards, technical capability and long-term outlook align with our own. Having built a strong foundation and proven deployment model in our domestic market, we’re now looking to replicate that success internationally by working closely with local partners who understand regional nuances around consumer behaviour, regulation and machine operation. In many overseas markets, phone- and app-based payments are being adopted at a faster pace than traditional contactless card solutions, and those environments lend themselves particularly well to the simplified, lower-cost technologies we’re introducing.

From a business development perspective, we’re keen to have conversations that go beyond basic distribution and focus instead on collaboration, whether that’s co-developing market-specific solutions, adapting hardware and software to local requirements, or aligning on governance and compliance expectations from the outset. By doing so, we can help partners enter new payment models confidently, without the burden of expensive or complex API integrations. Governance and social responsibility are also central to how we choose to grow. Regulation often lags behind technological change, and while this can create uncertainty, we see it as an opportunity to work proactively with trusted partners who share our commitment to transparency, security and responsible innovation. We view this as a long-term investment in the ecosystem rather than a short-term commercial gain, and we believe strong partnerships are essential to achieving that. Prime social governance issues would be faced if the potential for unattended payments on gaming equipment was accepted and we have various solutions that could give varying levels of ‘control’, dependent on the monitoring required by government agencies

At EAG, we’re looking to connect with businesses who see the same opportunity we do: to lead the next phase of payment technology by combining innovation with accountability, and local expertise with a global vision.