Eight+ Payment Touchpoints, One Connected Journey: A DFS Crypto NOVA Interview

November 4, 2026

Fuel and convenience customers increasingly expect payment to be quick, flexible, and familiar, whether they are buying fuel, charging an electric vehicle (EV), ordering food, or paying in-store. Yet the systems behind these services are often separate, creating a fragmented experience for customers and adding increased complexity for operators.

DFS Crypto NOVA^® is designed to bring payment experiences across forecourt and retail devices together in one secure, modular platform. In this article, we look at what this means for fuel retailers and operators, drawing on perspectives from Mitchell Yu, Senior Product Management Manager, EMEA, and Peter Van Nauw, DFS Senior Director and General Manager, Systems & Payment, EMEA.

Connecting the Payment Experience

Question: What is Crypto NOVA, and how does it address these challenges?

Mitchell Yu: “Crypto NOVA is Dover Fueling Solutions^®' (DFS) most advanced and modular payment platform. It provides unrivalled payment processing and has been specifically developed to deliver unified and fast transaction processing for fuel retail, as well as other markets.

Peter Van Nauw: “Crypto NOVA supports a unified experience across all devices and services, rather than treating each payment point as a separate part of the customer journey.”

Question: What does a connected payment experience mean for fuel retailers?

Peter Van Nauw: “Our vision is to deliver a consistent and connected payment experience across every touchpoint, for every customer and every transaction; while offering retailers and merchants unified control, simplified reconciliation, and operational excellence powered by the most trusted and scalable payment gateway.”

Mitchell Yu: “At a fuel site, customers may encounter separate payment points for fuel, a car wash, a coffee purchase, EV charging etc. Bringing these touchpoints into a more connected payment environment can help operators simplify reconciliation and offer customers a more consistent experience.”

A Customer Experience Where Payment “Just Works”

Question: Why does payment matter so much to the overall customer journey?

Peter Van Nauw: “Customers should be able to use their preferred payment method across site touchpoints without having to think about it. They may expect their bank card, fuel card, contactless payment, or loyalty scheme to work when they buy fuel, pay for a coffee, or use another service.

When payment is slow, confusing or unavailable, it can disrupt the visit. A smooth transaction, by contrast, can help customers move on with their journey and explore other services at the site. For retailers, reducing payment friction is one part of building the experience and loyalty they want customers to return for.”

Mitchell Yu: “This is why Crypto NOVA was designed and is certified to process credit, debit, fuel and loyalty cards, and to facilitate contactless payments. Depending on the configuration and acceptance arrangements, customers can pay using physical cards, smartphones or wearables.”

Question: How does Crypto NOVA fit into a retailer’s existing systems?

Mitchell Yu: “Crypto NOVA integrates with the DFS Prizma^® ecosystem, including DFS Prizma POS, and OASE^™. It also supports integrations with Tokheim^® and Wayne^® fuel dispensers as well as other site devices. Its open architecture, based on IFSF standards, is designed to support integration across a connected payment environment.”

Modernising in Stages, Not All at Once

Question: Why is it challenging to update payment systems at an established fuel site?

Peter Van Nauw: “Legacy sites can depend on interconnected systems, third-party equipment, and back-office integrations. Replacing infrastructure may involve significant investment and site downtime, as well as work to reconnect interfaces with other systems.”

Mitchell Yu: “That being said, retailers do not necessarily need to replace everything at once. A modular, step-by-step approach can allow them to update payment capabilities, while seeking to preserve existing operations and integrations. The right implementation depends on each retailer’s infrastructure and requirements.”

Peter Van Nauw: “Crypto NOVA gives retailers flexibility in how they develop their payment environment. DFS and DFS partners can work with customers to assess their needs, the existing infrastructure, and the appropriate scope of change; however, integrations with legacy systems may require individual assessment. It is a future-proof way for retailers to implement an innovative and connected experience across all forecourt and retail devices.”

Security Across Indoor and Outdoor Payments

Question: How can operators support convenient payments while protecting transactions?

Mitchell Yu: “Crypto NOVA is based on PCI PTS 6.x SRED accreditation and designed for 24/7 indoor and outdoor operations. Anti-tamper and anti-skimming measures are incorporated into its hardware design and real-time, point-to-point encryption (P2PE) is designed to help protect transaction data from physical breaches and theft.

In combination with OASE, Crypto NOVA can be extended to support PCI DSS and P2PE. Together, these capabilities provide a security foundation for processing payments across the platform’s supported devices and services.”

Payment Across More than Eight Touchpoints

Question: How can one platform support a site with a growing mix of services?

Peter Van Nauw: “The central proposition of Crypto NOVA is that it enables a site to expand beyond traditional fuel sales without needing to treat every new service as a separate payment environment. It provides a secure payment platform across forecourt equipment, in-store retail, and emerging services such as EV charging, car washes and parking.”

Mitchell Yu: “With Crypto NOVA retailers can build a wider service offering around a common payment platform to support payment across a range of touchpoints, including:

• Fuel dispensers and fuel sites
• Convenience stores (c-stores)
• Point-of-sale (POS) systems
• Self-checkouts kiosks
• EV chargers
• Car washes
• Order kiosks
• Vending machines

Question: How does the payment experience work for customers and site teams?

Mitchell Yu: “Crypto NOVA features a full-colour touchscreen that guides customers through transactions. Transaction information is shared with retailers and merchants to help simplify reconciliation. By supporting payments across multiple site touchpoints, the platform is designed to make the experience more consistent for customers and easier to oversee for operators. In turn, facilitating a more unified customer journey.”

Peter Van Nauw: “Our vision is to deliver a consistent and connected payment experience across every touchpoint, for every customer, and every transaction; while offering retailers and merchants unified control, simplified reconciliation, and operational excellence powered by the most trusted and scalable payment gateway. Crypto NOVA is an ever-evolving connected payment ecosystem expertly designed to support omnichannel user experiences.”