Consumer & Commercial Payments
April 21, 2025
Join us as we explore UNIR’s transformational journey and uncover how PagoNxt Payments revolutionised their payment reconciliation processes, handling 75,000 transactions in a year.
The International University of La Rioja (UNIR) was founded in 2008 and is a world leader in online education in Spanish. It belongs to the Proeduca Educational Group, which has more than 150,000 graduates on five continents and more than 90,000 students from almost 100 countries currently enrolled.
In the busy halls of the academic world, managing payments can quickly become overwhelming. UNIR, like many universities, grappled with the complexities of reconciling student payments. With a multitude of payers and intricate transactions, manual reconciliation proved burdensome and error-prone, straining the university’s operational resources. The problem was exacerbated by issues such as payments not coming from the students, but rather, a family member or legal tutor with a different name, often due to differences in payment practices among international students.
“I will tell you one thing: although we knew that UNIR was going to be a success, we could not imagine the overwhelming demand for our educational programs and the corresponding volume of payments. We quickly realised the need for specialised support to manage this complexity effectively,” commented Francisco Álvarez, Chief Financial and Administrative Officer at UNIR.
Enter PagoNxt Payments, the trusted ally UNIR needed to navigate their payment challenges. Armed with payment geeks and cutting-edge tech, introducing a transformative solution to UNIR’s reconciliation concerns.
With a seamless solution that links each payment to each student ID, UNIR is now able to leverage PagoNxt Payments solid reconciliation platform to avoid manual tracking ultimately. With each transfer, the university can now see the transaction date, amount, purpose, and the specific student ID. This information is compiled into a particular file that the university uploads into their system, streamlining the entire payment process. All facilitated through an API, making it a simple, automated, and reliable process that has modernised UNIR’s operations.
“The implementation process was excellent. We felt very supported, working hand-in-hand with the PagoNxt Payments technical team. The project was a success, and our IT team was very satisfied,” stated David Sánchez, Treasury Director at UNIR.
With PagoNxt Payments as a trusted payment provider, UNIR’s operational landscape underwent a remarkable transformation. What once demanded exhaustive manual effort now unfolded effortlessly, with transactions seamlessly associated with the student ID. The days of laborious reconciliation were replaced by a sense of clarity and efficiency, empowering UNIR to focus on their core mission of delivering exceptional education.
“Thanks to PagoNxt, we manage €210 million in payments annually, assigned and reconciled without errors. In just eight months, we have processed 75,000 transactions,” highlighted Francisco Álvarez, chief financial and administrative officer.
“Previously, we faced challenges with payment tracking, receiving numerous inquiries from students. Now, with the information seamlessly integrated from the start, we have significantly minimised errors and inquiries, enhancing overall student satisfaction,” added David Sánchez, treasury director at UNIR.
“With a 20% reduction in reconciliation time, we’ve unlocked valuable time and resources to drive strategic initiatives and further our mission of academic excellence,” emphasised David Sánchez.
The introduction of PagoNxt Payments not only streamlined internal operations but also significantly improved the student experience. The reduction in payment-related issues led to fewer calls and could be leading to a more positive perception of UNIR among its students.
“This project greatly helps in keeping student payments up-to-date and accurate. Partnering with PagoNxt Payments and Santander gives us great peace of mind,” commented David Sánchez, Treasury Director at UNIR. “It is highly recommended and a game changer for any university to undertake this project.”
If you are ready to revolutionise your payment processes, partner with PagoNxt Payments, a paytech part of Santander Group specialising in account-to-account (A2A) payment solutions for Financial Institutions, NBFIS, and Corporates. Reach out and start unlocking growth thanks to simpler payment experiences.
For more information regarding our reconciliation solution and payment services, we provide through PagoNxt Emoney EDE, S.L., click on emoney.pagonxt.com.
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