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Edenred Romania announces the launch of own chatbot, Felicia, based on AI, the first solution of a fringe benefits company in Romania. Felicia will provide instant answers to questions about Edenred products and services and will take over first requests during first quarter of this year. Romania is the first country in Central Europe where Edenred group implements a chatbot, benefiting from the expertise of other subsidiaries, where similar products successfully operate, and thus offers more digital interaction options with its users.

The implementation of conversational technology in Edenred Romania solutions ecosystem is part of the company's accelerated digitization strategy and will contribute to improving the customer experience, whose queries will be successfully resolved much faster. The Felicia chatbot, in the most advanced version of a digital solution dedicated to human conversation, will be available to customers 24/7 from any device with an internet connection, on Edenred Romania's website and Facebook page, including the Benefit platform, as well as in the mobile application.

By accessing the new direction of automation with chatbots and AI, Edenred aims to support more customers and their employees.

Dana Sîntejudean, Regional Director, Edenred Central Europe: “With the launch of our new digital solution, Edenred Romania reaffirms its commitment to serve each customer with the same passion as always, customer experience being our main concern.

Our focus on innovation and technology has led us to offer our users this new conversational technology, aiming to reduce response time in solving the situations they encounter. At the beginning, we expect Felicia to successfully solve over 20% of common support queries, and she will become smarter as she learns from user interactions, providing the majority with a personalized experience.”

Who is Felicia?

Felicia's story began with Edenred's desire to permanently improve the experience of its users and the team's passion to only have satisfied and happy customers with the solutions at their disposal, the name of the chatbot being chosen to highlight the essence of the service it offers.

Felicia, a name of Latin origin, derived from the adjective "felix" ("happy"), is the definition of happiness, being synonymous with thanking those who it cares for, in this case, customers, retailers and users from the Edenred Romania benefits ecosystem.

How Felicia works

Felicia is an innovative chatbot based on artificial intelligence, especially developed for the Romanian market, which recognizes writing in Romanian and can converse with Edenred solutions users.

Edenred users most frequently asked questions are about payment methods and fringe benefits in general. Felicia will answer questions on Edenred Romania's website and Facebook page, including the Benefit platform, as well as in the mobile application. It is a functional chatbot, adapted to understand users' questions and needs even in a text with typos.

Out of the desire to simplify the daily lives of all people, in a period of great challenges for the whole society, we launched Edenred Pay, own mobile payment solution for the Android operating system available for all digitalised fringe benefits. Currently, a large part of Edenred Romania's beneficiaries are Android users, so this mobile payment solution will support them in the process of adopting new online consumption habits.

Edenred digital solutions’ users can already download the MyEdenred Pay app from the Google Play Store for free on devices running Android 6.0 or later and include NFC technology.

Edenred Pay is a simple and fast payment method, which involves the use of a personal device always at hand - a smartphone running Android - and implements the strictest security standards, such as tokenization. Beneficiaries of Edenred Romania prepaid cards can make contactless mobile payments as soon as they have uploaded the fringe benefit cards in the new dedicated application.

Mobile payments via Edenred Pay are accepted in the national network of Edenred partner merchants that implement contactless POS terminals. The new payment solution, Edenred Pay, also brings multiple benefits for partner merchants - cashier payments are streamlined when made with mobile devices and help reduce human contact between employees and customers. Edenred Pay does not require any additional development or investment from merchants.

Especially during this period, for safety and hygiene reasons, Edenred Romania makes every effort to encourage the adoption of digital solutions both by the beneficiaries, but also among customers and partner merchants.

Currently, Edenred Romania offers solutions so that all its users can make mobile payments, as Edenred Pay covers the whole range of benefits products distributed by Edenred: Edenred Ticket Restaurant, Edenred Vacanță, Edenred Cadou and Edenred Cultural.

Globally, Edenred already launched 36 programs in 21 countries, and was the first group of prepaid corporate services to offer mobile payment solutions.
 

Travel booking platform BenefitBooking.ro has been launched being the only one that accepts payments with all holiday vouchers for all the 13,500 listed accommodation units. With BenefitBooking.ro, through its own travel agency, tourists can now buy holidays in Romania even at hotels and guesthouses that otherwise do not accept payment with holiday vouchers directly at the reception.

Digital platform BenefitBooking.ro can be accessed by all holiday vouchers’ beneficiaries from all issuers in Romania. Edenred Vacanță card users can pay with their holiday cards for reservations in the new platform, still having other options offered by Edenred Romania.

In a difficult time for travel industry and when the entire hospitality industry is struggling to find resources to mitigate the losses caused by the blockage in recent months, BenefitBooking.com comes to the aid of all users of holiday vouchers, offering first platform integrated with Booking.com, at which payments can be made directly with holiday cards, regardless of whether the hotel or the booked guesthouse accepts them or not directly at the reception.

The beneficiaries of holiday cards pay with them directly in the platform for reserved holidays, and BenefitBooking.ro, through its own travel agency, pays, further, to the hotel units, thus generating additional income for them.

Tourists who buy holidays through BenefitBooking.ro have access to over 13,500 accommodation units in Romania listed on the world's largest online booking platform, Booking.com.

Deductible benefits, exempt from taxes and fees

Holiday vouchers are deductible benefits and exempt from employer taxes and fees, up to 6 gross minimum basic salaries per employee and can be granted by companies that made a profit or income in the previous financial year. Regarding the public servants paid from public funds, they receive annual holiday vouchers in the amount of 1,450 lei for each employee.

Starting with March 30, 2020, as a preventive measure in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, holiday vouchers can be issued exclusively on electronic support (card), according to OUG No. 35/2020.

BenefitBooking.ro is the newest product launched by the flexible benefits platform BenefitOnline, being an independent product. In order to access the travel booking platform, users do not necessarily need to receive flexible benefits through BenefitOnline.
 

Long-awaited, since the end of 2018, cultural vouchers and digital gift vouchers have become reality in Romania today: Edenred Romania has been licensed to issue digital gift vouchers and cultural vouchers.

Cultural vouchers are a whole new benefit, which is aimed at bringing culture closer to Romanian employees and their families. Digital gift vouchers are the modernization of an already existing and widely used benefit, being offered on a gift card in a classic, paper-based gift.

Edenred obtained the authorization for the issue of cultural tickets in Romania on 24th May 2019 and will issue such vouchers both on the card and on paper.

Cultural vouchers can be offered to all employees by employers on a monthly basis, in the amount of 150 lei per employee, and occasionally in the amount of 300 lei per event. The cultural vouchers thus offered are exempt from social charges for both companies and employees, subject only to 10% of the employee's income tax. Cultural vouchers are deductible within 5% of the value of personnel wage costs.

With cultural vouchers, employees will be able to pay for cultural goods and services from a wide range of addresses. "Edenred vouchers and cultural cards will open doors for hundreds of thousands of employees to shows, concerts, cinemas, museums, festivals, fairs and exhibitions, themed parks, books, school textbooks, musical albums, conferences, language classes, piano/robotics/astronomy/history lessons ... the palette of choices opens new horizons of knowledge for all. Culture can become a daily habit." says Dana Sîntejudean, CEO of Edenred Romania & Moldova.

Cultural vouchers are a long-awaited and necessary solution, given that culture and leisure activities occupy so far a very limited place in the average spending of Romanians, accounting for only 3.9% of the total monthly expenses. Also spendings in education represent only 0.7% of the monthly expenses of Romanians, according to the latest INSSE reports, for the fourth quarter of 2018.

"Vouchers and cultural cards will eliminate some of the financial barriers that limit employees' access to cultural activities. At the same time, cultural vouchers will help companies build a healthy work environment, support the professional and personal development of employees, and invest in employees' well-being. Investing in culture is the most profitable choice for social and economic progress." adds Dana Sîntejudean.

Edenred has already developed a network of partners where you can use cultural cards and vouchers at a national level, starting partnerships to cover all types of cultural products and services.

Edenred partners include Cărtureşti, Bilete.ro, Libris, Librarium, as well as ticketing platforms such as www.eventbook.ro, www.myticket.ro, www.bilete.ro or www.entertix.ro, with hundreds shows, concerts and events in the offer, from Untold or Electric Castle to Summer Magic or Gaşca Zurli.

When it comes to digital gift vouchers, they can be offered to employees and their minor children in the amount of 150 lei per beneficiary, for Easter, Christmas, 1st of June and March 8th. Gift vouchers granted to employees are exempt from social contributions and income tax and are deductible up to 5% of the salary costs. They can also be used in marketing, promotion, or protocol programs.

Edenred digital gift vouchers can be used in over 4,000 merchant parteners across the country, covering both independent and large retail chains, hypermarkets, fashion, electro and IT, jewelery, cosmetics, and more.

"Digital gift vouchers are a big step forward in employee motivation and reward programs. Edenred issues gift vouchers for thousands of companies and hundreds of thousands of their employees for 15 years, and the job market is ready for digital solutions. Gift vouchers are on the 4th place in the top of the extrasalary benefits provided by companies in Romania, so their digitization is very good news. Romania's new work, consumption and living habits required a digital solution to make their lives easier, and now we have this solution. Digitization allows us to connect companies more quickly with employees and traders, into a modern ecosystem that everyone wins." says Dana Sîntejudean.

Edenred is the world's leading provider of payment solutions for the world of work, connecting 830,000 customer companies, 47 million employee users and 1.7 million partner traders from 45 countries.

In Romania, Edenred serves more than 35,000 customer companies and over 1,500,000 users for meal cards and vouchers, gift vouchers, holiday vouchers, social vouchers, and business prepaid cards.

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Edenred, the global leader in payment solutions for the working world, connects 830,000 corporate clients, 47 million employee users and 1.7 million partner merchants across 45 countries. Thanks to its global technology platform, the Group managed 2.5 billion transactions in 2018, primarily carried out via mobile applications, online platforms and cards, and representing more than €28 billion in business volume.

Edenred’s 8,500 staff are driven by a commitment to improving employees’ quality of life, increasing companies’ efficiency and boosting merchants’ revenues. They achieve this through three business lines:

• Employee Benefits (food, meals, well-being, leisure, culture and human services)
• Fleet & Mobility Solutions (fuel, tolls, maintenance and business travel)
• Complementary Solutions, including Corporate Payment Services (virtual payment cards, identified wire transfers and supplier payments), Incentives & Rewards (gift cards and platforms, and incentive programs), and Public Social Programs.

Edenred is listed on the Euronext Paris stock exchange and included in the following indices: CAC Next 20, FTSE4Good, DJSI Europe and MSCI Europe.

In June, the current year, Edenred has performed a study through GfK whose purpose was to measure its clients’ degree of loyalty. The results of the study revealed that 85% of Edenred’s clients are loyal to the brand.

The net loyalty score is a measure of client loyalty, statistically showing their answers at the question “How likely would it be for you to recommend this company”.

How is it calculated?
An answer scale from 1 to 10 is used, which divides the respondents in:
- Promoters – nu only are they satisfied, but they also speak to their friends and acquaintances about the company (those to give scores of 9 and 10)
- Passive – they are satisfied, but not loyal (scores of 7 and 8)
- Detractors – this is the category of unsatisfied persons (giving scores lower or equal to 6)

According to those who participated in the study (small, medium, large and very large companies that order meal vouchers and gift vouchers monthly), the main features of the collaboration with Edenred are the following:

• Availability of Edenred representatives to respond to clients’ requests

• Edenred’s promptness to solve and respond to clients’ requests

• Easy collaboration

• Fast delivery of vouchers and cards

• Efficient communication and flexibility

In Romania, Edenred serves more than 35.000 client companies and 1.5 million users for Ticket Restaurant® meal vouchers and cards, gift vouchers and cards, childcare vouchers, holiday vouchers, social vouchers, as well as prepaid cards for business expenses.

Edenred Group operates in 42 countries, counting 8.000 employees.

Most employees who receive meal vouchers prefer to use them in food stores, supermarkets or hypermarkets, but few know that they can be used also to pay the bill in restaurants, pizza places, fast-foods, cafeterias, etc. Actually, they can be used especially to pay the bill in quite many restaurants (this is why they were invented).
It is true, not all restaurants accept meal vouchers therefore, if you wanted to use the meal vouchers in restaurants, but you gave up the idea because you did not know which restaurants accept them, we’ve made a list of 10 for you. We hope you find it useful!

Caru' cu bere is one of the most popular restaurants in the Old Town. Every day you will see a flood of tourists jam to have a meal here. You can also do it, using your meal vouchers. There is also a daily special, quite convenient, which can be paid using approximately 2 meal vouchers.

[image="47"]

Image source: carucubere.ro

Moreover, another hunted restaurant for lunch (recently dinner as well) is City Grill, a bit cheaper than Caru' cu bere, but serving dishes as delicious as them. One lunch would cost you around 2 meal vouchers.

Also in the Old Town, you can have a meal at La Mama, if you feel like eating Romanian dishes (a meal costs around 2 vouchers).

But you can always try something Chinese as well, from Wu Xing. Here, a meal can even be paid using a single meal voucher, but for certain dishes it is necessary to use more vouchers, depending on what catches your eye in the menu.

Wu Xing in the Old Town is a cheerful, clean and practical place, where you go to eat quickly and make room for others. The bamboo poles wall actually gives it a discrete Asian atmosphere, but it is not taken to the extreme of pom pom lampshades, or the Chinese pop music.

You can use your meal vouchers to serve a meal also on Decebal Boulevard, at Ruby Tuesday, but here you will need a little more than 1-2 meal vouchers to pay the bill. Or you can always try one of the Vietnamese dishes at Jumbo Vietnamese Food (Li Wu). It is a small self-service restaurant, with about 5-6 tables and high chairs near the countertop, where you can eat hot Vietnamese fast food. Prices are low, and one meal can be paid using 1 or 2 meal vouchers.

When you miss Vama Veche, but you are still in Bucharest, on your lunch break, not during the weekend, you can run down to Papa la Şoni, on Sfinţii Voievozi no 13. Nicely painted wooden tables and benches, posters and paintings hanging on the walls, with hooks and twine, a bust to watch over you from a corner and make you wonder who that character immortalized in plaster is. And the subtle rock music that comes out of the speakers. A meal here can be paid using 2 or more meal vouchers.
Meals at Papa Şoni can be paid using meal vouchers both in Bucharest and in Vama Veche.

Don’t forget, when you feel like eating good pizza, you can always satisfy your appetite at Cuptorul cu Lemne. It will cost you only around 2, maximum 3 meal vouchers.

Crêperie d'Amour is a mobile crêperie, because we all want some joy or a nice surprise coming our way. Because small joys give purpose to each day, and smile and treats must be handy.

[image="48"]

Image source: clatitefermecate.ro
 

Crêperie d'Amour is an honest and natural crêperie. Here goodies are homemade, prepared on the spot, from the most fresh ingredients and best recipes in the world. A portion of pancakes can be paid using 1-2 meal vouchers.

When you feel like eating noodles, you can run down to Chopstix. Here you can also pay using meal vouchers, and depending on what you order, one lunch can cost between 1 and 2 meal vouchers.

We have good news: we have launched the new My Edenred application with a new design, an improved experience, new features and we are glad to present it to you.

As important updates in the application, you will find the section of displaying PIN code and its reminder, the order history, the possibility of (temporarily or permanently) locking your card (as well as unlocking it whenever you wish), you can find our your balance in real time, see the map of partner retailers, which is frequently updated.

In addition, the new My Edenred application now has a bazaar section, a category dedicated to the most attractive special offers, where you can see, by fields of interest (restaurants, food, fashion and beauty, hobby, gifts, etc.), promotions that you can enjoy as Edenred client.

The dedicated program, “Come to lunch at 1”, created especially for you in collaboration with a nutrition specialist, will offer you a diversified and healthy menu every day, as well as the joy of a nice meal with your co-workers.

The category of “Virtual cards” will help you store all your cards (pharmacies, supermarkets, etc.), having them handy every time, without needing to fill out your wallet anymore.

All you need to do to enjoy the improved application is to install My Edenred from Google Play or App Store and you can use the same authentication data as on the online platform https://www.user.myedenred.ro/, no need to create a new account.

Download the new application and it’s guaranteed that you will get a discount code, in amount of 100 lei, for the tourist packages from Eximtur, if you subscribe to Edenred’s news and special offers! 

Discover the new My Edenred - user friendly application! 

Starting from September 2017, 15 graduates from the selected countries within Edenred Group will have the opportunity to work for Edenred in 12 large cities on 4 continents, including Shanghai, Boston, São Paulo or Milan. Of the 15 graduates who will take part of this program, one can come from Romania.

The Edenstep program offers participants the possibility to perform in a stimulating, international environment, as part of the Volunteering for International Experience program (V.E.I) from France. The candidates selected from the prestigious business universities will form a class of 15 graduates sharing the desire to gain sound international professional experience and to contribute to Edenred’s development.

The selected graduates will participate in the current mission of the Group, that of developing fully digital solutions of salary benefits and more and more focused on mobile solutions, to fructify the opportunities created by digital technology, becoming world leader in business expense management and reinventing the corporate payments market

"The selected graduates will participate in the current mission of the Group, that of developing fully digital solutions of salary benefits and more and more focused on mobile solutions, to fructify the opportunities created by digital technology, becoming world leader in business expense management and reinventing the corporate payments market"

Together with the Group’s employees, participants will benefit during the entire program, from individual support (training and mentoring), to help them make full use of a very valuable experience, which will increase their employment chances in the long term.

Starting from September 4th 2017, the 15 participants from the selected countries, including Romania, will spend one week at Edenred main headquarters in Paris, where they will meet the Group’s Executive Directors. Then they will spend two working weeks in Munich, Milan and Paris. Participants will be accommodated together in an apartment during this induction period, and at the end of this period they will be able to share their first impressions during a dinner with a member of Edenred’s Executive Committee.

Between the end of September 2017 and September 2019, each participant in the Edenstep program will perform two paid internships, each of them one-year long, in a certain country, in one of Edenred’s areas of expertise - finances, marketing, strategy and development, or digital technology.

Edenstep, an opportunity for international professional experience

The Edenstep program will offer the young graduates the opportunity to work in one of the four main regions of the Group:

• Latin America
• North America
• Asia
• Europe

How to apply

Graduates interested in participating in the Edenstep program are invited to send their CV and one PowerPoint slide in which they present themselves in English at graduate.program@edenred.com by April 14th 2017. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to participate in a one-day recruitment session in Paris (two interviews, followed by a group case study, in English). 

Candidates must have graduated either in 2015, 2016 or 2017 and be eligible for the V.E.I. placement program. They must speak English fluently and have minimum previous work experience, either an internship, a temporary employment contract or a permanent position, ideally in a field that is compatible with the Group’s activity.

For more information: https://www.edenred.com/en/edenstep

Food turns into the energy that our body needs in order to work within normal parameters. This is why we cannot live without it. However, there are days when we are busy and neglect our lunch, either because we are in town, or because we are out of money, or because we want to lose weight (hunger is a wrong way to diet).

If you are in the mood to have lunch and you only have meal vouchers in handy, we prepared a list that we hope will be useful for you.

1. Restaurants in the area of Unirii where you can pay using Ticket Restaurant meal vouchers

Springtime

If you are hungry, you can have lunch at Springtime in the complex “Micul Paris” of Unirea Shopping Center. There you can choose varied menus at good prices. Do not leave your meal vouchers at home, because here you can also pay using meal vouchers.

[image="49"]

Image source: springtime.ro

Subway

The place where you can make a feast of “submarine” sandwiches, in long bread that are actually called “subs”, which measure either 15 cm or 30 cm in length.

The menu contains 15 types of sandwiches, with chicken, turkey, beef, ham, spicy salami, vegetables, tuna and different variations, both for meat-eaters and for vegetarians.

With these, you can get, a selection of vegetables (green salad, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, onions, olives) if you wish.

[image="50"]

Image source: subwayro.com

Chopstix

Here you can choose from a diversified menu, over 20 types of delicious Chinese dishes. Chicken, beef, pork, salads and trimmings with rice and rice noodles, mixed with vegetables, meat or various sauces are available.

[image="51"]

Sursa foto: chopstix.ro

La Zamfir

If you wish to change your menu a little bit, you can choose to eat at La Zamfir, in the complex “Micul Paris” of Unirea Shopping Center. Several types of Romanian dishes are available and you can pay using meal vouchers.

Gregory's

If you are in a hurry, a fresh sandwich is exactly what you need. If you don’t wish to eat bread, you can choose a salad. With 2 meal vouchers you can serve an excellent lunch!

McDonald's

The place does not need much presentation. We believe that you’ve already eaten something there at least once. Among our recommendations we can mention tuna salad, potato wedges and ice cream.

[image="52"]

Sursa foto: mcdonalds.ro

KFC

Here, you can certainly choose something for your taste. If you are preoccupied with a healthy lifestyle, you can order a salad, corn or even a Twister. It all depends on what you crave for!

[image="53"]

Sursa foto: kfc.ro

2. Restaurants in the Old Town where you can pay using Ticket Restaurant meal vouchers

Dristor Kebab

We believe we are not exaggerating when we say that most of the times, all roads in the Old Town lead to Dristor Kebab. Especially when we do not stop from fulfilling a guilty gastronomic pleasure, such as shawarma served with everything and Ayran.

Wu Xing

You can have lunch here if you wish to try Chinese dishes with various flavors.

[image="54"]

Sursa foto: wuxing.ro

Caru cu bere

Here you can taste traditional Romanian dishes and you can pay using meal vouchers. If you miss home cooked dishes, you can come by at Caru cu Bere!

[image="55"]

Sursa foto: carucubere.ro

City Gril

A good place for business meetings as well. City Grill is a kind of fast food with Romanian style cooked dishes, on a porcelain plate.

[image="56"]

Sursa foto: citygrill.ro

La Mama

As its name says, these are home cooked dishes. The menu contains traditional Romanian dishes, so you have where to choose from. Do you have your meal vouchers handy?

[image="57"]

Sursa foto: lamama.ro

French Bakery

The place where you can have a vegetables quiche, a slice of cheesecake or a campagne bread. You can also have breakfast there, on the days when you couldn’t manage to have it at home.

Edenred continues its journey towards the future, unifying its products and solutions under the umbrella of a unitary and solid brand, bringing together 43 million employees, 750.000 client organizations and companies and 1.4 million affiliated retailers. Today, the 250 products and services developed by the Group, including its iconic Ticket Restaurant, are getting a new image and a new visual identity.

The new identity is captured by the global signature « We connect, you win », reflecting Edenred’s digitization, the networks it has built and the advantages it brings: increased purchasing power for employees, costs optimization for companies, higher revenues for retailers.

On June 14th 2017, Edenred’s 8.000 employees in 42 countries will wear the colors of the new logo. This initiative is part of Edenred’s Fast Forward strategic plan, whose main objective is to digitize its offer and consolidate a leading position in B2B2C.

Bertrand Dumazy, President and Chief Executive Officer of Edenred, has declared: “The Launch of our new visual identity is a significant milestone in Edenred’s transformation. The Group’s transition towards an entirely digitized ecosystem has led us to create a new brand identity that is powerful, meaningful and unifying. For 43 million employees, 1.4 million partner retailers and 750.000 companies, each of our solutions is a source of value creation”.

The new Edenred logo will now feature on all Group solutions, from cards to mobile applications, online platforms and paper vouchers.

Capitalizing the red dot, which has been the company’s signature mark since the launch of the Ticket Restaurant product in the 1960s, the new Edenred logo embodies all the attributes of the new brand: simple, digital, universal, daring and connected.

The new logo features the name Edenred, through the middle of a red circle and left open to the outside: to the Group’s unique network, but most of all, to the employees, companies and retailers that use the Group’s solutions. With its « red» suffix, the new logo echoes a color that has been a visual marker for the Group since day one, making the brand even easier to read.

Edenred’s graphic universe has been completely redesigned, in line with the brand’s new platform. As new element, a ribbon was added, representing the ties developed by Edenred among its different audiences. The online platform uses vibrant colors, images and symbols that are emphasized, as can be seen on the new global website: edenred.com.

On June 14th 2017, the Group’s 8.000 employees will wear the colors of the new logo, at the different events organized simultaneously in the 42 countries where Edenred is present. You can follow these events on social media, via the hashtag #Edenredconnects.

Dana Sintejudean, General Deputy Manager of Edenred Romania, has added: «Edenred Romania has built, during the last few years, modern solutions for companies, especially in the area of extra-salary benefits and business expenses management among companies. Now it is time to reinvent ourselves and innovate how we support the new working methods of companies, employees and retailers. Our new visual identity, the vibrant colors and the modern communication style are aligned to the dynamic and effervescent climate that marks our company’s transition towards a digital future ».

The rebranding project was carried out with the contribution of Royalties agency, which created Edenred’s new logo and new visual identity, and participated in the design of the brand platform.