MONTRÉAL, Feb. 17, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Yanik Guillemette, technology entrepreneur and Chair of Accolad’s External Advisory Committee on Technology and Innovation, today announced the deployment of a new automation infrastructure enabling Canadian organizations to instantly manage referral payments, sales incentives, and customer rewards through an expanded digital gift card marketplace.
This development marks an important milestone for Accolad, whose platform now provides access to more than 200 international digital gift cards, including Amazon, Walmart, Esso, Boston Pizza, and IKEA, while also promoting a strong local ecosystem featuring over 70 recognized Québec-based businesses.
These include brands such as Lambert, Mia Bijoux, La Cordée, Strøm Spa Nordique, St-Hubert, and many other Québec companies, allowing organizations to balance operational simplicity with support for local commerce.
Automating What Was Previously Manual
Historically, referral programs and commercial incentive payments relied on fragmented processes, including manual transfers, physical gift cards, heavy administrative tracking, and significant delays.
Accolad’s new integration is designed to eliminate these operational frictions.
“Organizations want to reward people quickly — whether it’s a referring customer, a salesperson exceeding targets, or a partner closing a transaction. Until now, these payments were surprisingly complex to manage. Our goal was to make them as simple as sending an email,” said Yanik Guillemette.
The platform now enables:
- Automated referral payments;
- Sales contests and performance challenges management;
- Distribution of digital commercial incentives;
- Rapid issuance of compensations or promotional rewards;
- Integration of incentives directly into automated customer journeys.
Growing Adoption Across Travel and Insurance Industries
Accolad is seeing accelerating adoption in sectors where financial incentives play a strategic role, including:
- Tour operators and travel agencies;
- Insurance providers;
- Insurance brokers;
- Partner and affiliate networks.
These organizations now use the platform to deliver digital bonuses and rewards to clients or partners, significantly simplifying administrative compliance and accounting processes.
“In many industries, issuing a bonus or reward remains unexpectedly complicated. Our objective is to transform these payments into an instant, traceable, and fully automated process,” added Guillemette.
Supporting Local Economies in a Digital Environment
Beyond automation, Accolad promotes a hybrid approach combining global brands with local merchants.
According to the company, this strategy enables organizations to offer meaningful rewards while supporting Québec businesses — an increasingly important factor for employers and corporate partners.
Infrastructure Designed for the Relationship Economy
This integration reflects a broader trend: the rise of the relationship economy, where growth increasingly depends on referrals, partnerships, and customer loyalty alongside traditional acquisition strategies.
Accolad positions its technology as an invisible infrastructure layer enabling large-scale automation of incentive micro-payments.
“Referral programs and commercial incentives are becoming major growth drivers. Our role is to remove operational complexity so organizations can focus on building stronger relationships with customers and partners,” concluded Yanik Guillemette.
About Accolad
Accolad is a Canadian technology platform specializing in the automation of recognition programs cards, digital rewards, and commercial incentives. The solution enables organizations to securely distribute rewards and digital payments at scale through an extensive catalogue of local and international brands.
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b0ba4431-b6d1-4b86-acd3-384bcc6ebcda