Stefan Rosenau has spent his career at the forefront of payment innovation, from cashless wristbands at major festivals to RFID fan cards for stadiums. Today, as Senior Account Executive covering the German market at KUARIO and a participant of the German Vending Association (BDV) payments committee, he works directly with vending operators navigating the shift toward more connected payment infrastructure.
We sat down with Stefan to discuss payment modernisation in Germany, the operational challenges operators are facing today, and why simplification is becoming just as important as innovation.
How would you describe where most mid-sized operators are right now in terms of payment modernisation?
The question has shifted. Operators are no longer asking, “Should I go cashless?” That decision has already been made. The question now is, “How do I modernise my fleet without turning it into a massive project?”
Most operators I speak to are somewhere in the middle of that transition. They have started modernising, but are still managing too many separate systems: one for payments, one for telemetry, one for reporting. That fragmentation is where a lot of the hidden operational cost and complexity starts to build.
2. What are the practical consequences of running those systems separately?
Every additional system means another invoice, another support contact, and another reconciliation process at month-end. When something goes wrong, operators often find themselves coordinating between multiple providers just to identify the issue.
The operators struggling most are not necessarily the ones with outdated machines. Often, they already have modern hardware, but the administration around it has become increasingly difficult to manage efficiently.
3. You sit on the BDV payments committee. What should operators be paying attention to right now?
Three areas are particularly important right now.
Fiscalisation—There is still no fully uniform standard in Germany. TSE is widely discussed as the way to make transaction data audit-proof, but standard EVA-DTS files alone are not considered sufficient by authorities. Operators should make sure they understand whether their current setup actually meets compliance requirements.
Accessibility—Since 28 June 2025, all newly deployed payment terminals must meet EAA accessibility requirements, including features such as haptic feedback and high-contrast displays. Existing devices remain protected under Bestandsschutz, so immediate replacement is not required.
Telemetry—The industry is moving from manual readings to data-driven decisions. Real-time data optimises routes, reduces “out-of-stock” incidents, and automates billing. Importantly, the data belongs to you, even if analysed by external providers
4. Many operators worry that modernising means replacing machines that are still working. Is that true?
Almost never. If a machine supports MDB, and most do, there is usually no reason to replace it entirely. In many cases, the machine itself still performs perfectly well. The payment terminal is simply the part that has become outdated.
At KUARIO, we see this regularly. Operators have fleets that work perfectly well mechanically, but they are missing contactless payments, remote price management, and real-time transaction visibility. Upgrading the terminal solves those challenges without replacing the machine itself, which keeps both cost and disruption low.
5. What’s a question operators never think to ask you, but should?
They should ask about the most underestimated cost in a vending operation, which is time. More specifically, the amount of administrative work that still happens manually.
Operators spend enormous amounts of time reconciling reports, handling unnecessary service visits, or updating prices machine by machine. Managing separate systems is like trying to maintain three cars at once—it’s exhausting and expensive. When we look closely at these processes, the operational cost is often much higher than expected.
The conversation in the industry tends to focus heavily on transaction fees, which are important. But in many cases, the operational cost of fragmented systems and manual processes has a much greater impact on profitability over time.
6. What does it actually look like in practice when an operator consolidates onto a single platform?
In practice, it means simplification across the business.
Instead of juggling multiple invoices, reports, and support contacts, operators work through one platform with one consolidated report and one payout. Reconciliation becomes much easier because sales and clearing are connected automatically.
Service visits can also become more efficient because operators have real-time visibility into which machines actually require attention.
At KUARIO, we built the platform around this principle: payments, telemetry, and reporting managed through one device, one integration, and one point of contact. For operators managing growing fleets, that simplification becomes increasingly valuable over time.
7. What separates the operators who are scaling successfully from those who are struggling?
The operators scaling successfully have largely stopped relying on intuition alone. They use real-time data to understand which machines need restocking, which locations are underperforming, and where service visits are actually necessary.
They also no longer view payments as a standalone function. The most effective operators think about payments, machine management, and customer experience as part of one connected environment. Loyalty programmes, remote pricing, and transaction visibility are no longer viewed as optional extras. They are becoming part of how modern vending operations compete.
Operators who delay modernisation often find themselves adapting later under greater operational pressure.
Thank you, Stefan. To learn more about how KUARIO helps operators simplify payments, telemetry, and reporting through one device, one platform, and one payout, go to https://kuario.com/.
Stefan has also explored these themes in depth in our Vending Guide, “Welche Ihrer Automaten verdienen wirklich Geld?” — co-authored with Yanik Larsen, managing director of Larsen Automaten, also a BDV Member, and based on the currently available BDV Operator Study.
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