Recently rebranded corporate expense firm Emburse is integrating corporate payment cards directly into its Abacus expense management service, according to the company. The physical and virtual cards are built upon the platform of payments startup Emburse, which was acquired last year by the company formerly known as Certify and Chrome River. In January, the company adopted Emburse as its overarching corporate brand name.
Abacus is the first brand within the corporate umbrella to add direct integration of Emburse Cards, which are slated to expand to Emburse's other brands—Certify, Chrome River, Nexonia and Tallie—in the coming months, according to the company.
Closer integration of corporate payment cards within expense management platforms has been a trend of late and was a significant factor in the decision by the company to acquire Emburse last year. Rechristening the entire conglomerate under the Emburse banner was a further signal of the company's focus on the payments piece, Emburse CEO Eric Friedrichsen indicated in the wake of the rebranding.
Bringing payment cards directly into the expense management channel can offer advantages including easier card issuing and management along with closer control of and better visibility into spending on the cards, according to proponents of that model—a group that also includes expense providers Expensify and Fyle, among others.
Emburse Cards can be issued via Abacus for ongoing or one-off purchases and enable corporate spending managers to set spending parameters including date restrictions, one-time or recurring budgets and limitations around specific merchant category codes or vendors. Travelers making purchases via the Emburse Card will be prompted to capture an image of the receipt and submit the expense within moments of the transaction, reducing the time and effort necessary to track and reconcile expenses, the company said.