‍ReferOn, a state-of-the-art affiliate management system, has won the “Rising Star Provider of the Year” title at the 2025 AffPapa Awards — a milestone that recognises the platform’s bold innovation and rapid growth in the affiliate tech space.‍

This award reflects ReferOn’s ability to deliver fast, transparent and scalable affiliate solutions that answer key industry demands. The category highlights the best rising companies in the iGaming and affiliate marketing industries, celebrating innovation and problem-solving solutions.

The AffPapa Awards is an annual event that recognises greatness in iGaming. The ceremony  celebrates developments and innovations among affiliates, operators and B2B providers who have raised the bar and set new standards.

‍Vladyslav Bondarenko, ReferOn’s Head of Product, commented on the achievement, “ReferOn wasn’t built to impress, it was built to solve. From day one, we challenged how affiliate platforms should work, look and feel — because the existing ones simply didn’t. More than a win, this award highlights the value of asking the right questions and building with purpose.”

2025 has been a crucial year for ReferOn, with the company receiving widespread industry recognition and implementing core product developments. Heading into Q3 and Q4, ReferOn is preparing a range of new features and enhancements focused on elevating the user experience and streamlining affiliate operations. The team will travel to iGB Live in London this July ready to share what’s next, meet with partners and discuss how ReferOn is refining affiliate management.

The power affiliate welcomes its latest addition to the C-level team, who will begin working on strategy for various geographies and new verticals

QiH Group, the affiliate known throughout the industry for its compliance-focus and creative customer retention strategies, has welcomed its new CMO, James McCarthy.

Joining from LiveScore Media, where he was MD, McCarthy will start officially on 2 June, using his experience at betting and gaming giants Betfair, Betway Group – and of course, LiveScore – to inform his new remit at QiH Group to drive profit across all marketing activities.

Based in QiH Group’s London office, McCarthy will manage the marketing team of 17 – which will expand to 27 in the coming months – overseeing double digit growth through marketing channels and commercial relationships, as well as improving on the current team’s capabilities.

Speaking of the new move, McCarthy said: “It’s such a pleasure to join a company that has grown so thoroughly and organically in licensed markets. QiH Group is a big name in the iGaming affiliate space, and I look forward to managing the continued growth in diversified sectors and locations.”

Jamie Walters, CEO of QiH Group, said: “QiH has moved from strength to strength recently, growing and adapting with the iGaming markets in the UK, Europe and North America. Welcoming someone as experienced and talented as James onto our team is another strong step for us. I welcome his expertise and am delighted to see where his marketing leadership takes us.”

ReferOn, an innovative affiliate management system, has experienced significant growth in 2024, with multiple technical and quality-of-life improvements to the platform. As a result of an influx of new operators and affiliates, ReferOn has introduced ReferOn Assist.

ReferOn Assist offers tailored support packages in three distinct tiers: ReferOn Assist, ReferOn Assist Plus, and ReferOn Assist Premium. Each tier provides enhanced support, cost-effective hourly support rates and more to help users meet their affiliate marketing strategy goals.

ReferOn Assist, the entry-level subscription package, includes a number of benefits, such as guaranteed support hours, faster response times and a higher resolution priority compared to ReferOn Basic users. All ReferOn Assist subscribers also receive direct channel support for easy access to our agents. Lastly, subscribers to this tier also enjoy more cost-effective out-of-hours support prices and affordable review reports for business analysis purposes.

ReferOn Assist Plus offers a further guaranteed response time, a larger bundle of support hours included and extra training time to help maximise affiliate operation efficiency. This subscription tier includes a quarterly review report packed with valuable insights and dedicated resolution priority for any pressing queries or issues. All subscribers also receive even further reduced out-of-hours support rates.

The last tier, ReferOn Assist Premium, provides operators and affiliates with the most comprehensive dedicated support package. Subscribers receive the highest response time and a large bundle of inclusive support hours at reduced rates. Premium users have access to a dedicated support manager for tailored assistance and the most cost-effective prices for after-hours support.

Each of these support packages are tailored to continue to provide the best possible customer service for Referon clients, whilst also helping reduce costs.

David Harris, ReferOn’s Operation Lead, commented on the new support packages, saying, “ReferOn prides itself on providing top-quality support for all operators and affiliates. The release of the ReferOn Assist packages allows us to prioritise helping our valued partners to ensure that they can make the most of our platform at all times. We look forward to seeing how the ReferOn team can work closely with all our users to achieve their business needs.”