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Modulr glossary

End-to-End (E2E) Encryption / Security Keys / Tokenisation

End-to-End (E2E) encryption, security keys, and tokenisation are core but distinct technologies in safeguarding payment data. E2E encryption ensures data remains unreadable from sender to recipient. Security keys control system access, while tokenisation replaces sensitive information (e.g., card numbers) with non-sensitive tokens to prevent misuse.

Applications

E-commerce:

Reduces fraud in online card payments by verifying the cardholder's identity

Banking and fintech:

Helps issuers and payment providers comply with Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) requirements.

Advantages

  • Enhanced security: Reduces unauthorised transactions by verifying that the genuine account holder is authorising the payment
  • Fraud prevention: Helps reduce chargebacks related to fraud.

Challenges

  • User Experience: Additional authentication steps can cause friction and increase checkout abandonment
  • Implementation complexity: Requires integration with card schemes and issuer systems.

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