Methodology
How our payment provider matching works
Assessment before introduction. We structure a merchant or portfolio profile, compare it against payment partners in our network, and introduce a business only where a route may fit. Nothing here is an approval: provider underwriting decides the outcome.
What we assess
An assessment starts from a structured profile, not from a provider list. The six inputs below are what a payment partner needs before it can say whether a requirement is worth reviewing, so they are what we ask for.
| Business type | Whether you are a merchant, a PSP or payment provider, or an MSB. A PSP looking for an acquiring partner is a different assessment from a merchant looking for card acquiring, and different partners handle each. |
|---|---|
| Industry and product | Appetite is set per vertical. iGaming, Forex, Crypto and Adult are each underwritten differently, and the product actually sold matters as much as the label on the website. |
| Company jurisdiction and customer markets | Licensing, settlement, currency and scheme rules follow both where the company is registered and where its customers pay from. We assess requirements across Europe, Latin America, Asia, MENA and Australia. Country-level availability is confirmed during the assessment and is never assumed. |
| Payment requirement | Card acquiring, alternative payment methods, an acquiring partner or MID issuance, or a replacement route for a provider that is being lost. This determines which partners can be considered at all. |
| Approximate processing volume | Partners set minimums and have finite capacity. A volume range, even an estimate, is what separates a requirement a partner will review from one it will not. |
| Processing history and current situation | Previous terminations, chargeback levels, reserves held and the reason for the search. Underwriting normally finds these, so declaring them early avoids assessing routes that were never available. |
What a potential match means
A potential match means the profile looks relevant enough for an assessment or an introduction, based on the information provided and the appetite a payment partner has told us about.
It is not an approval, a quote, a rate or a commitment from any provider. Provider underwriting and compliance review decide the outcome, and a payment partner can decline at any stage.
We use the phrase deliberately. Anything stronger would describe a decision that is not ours to make.
The five steps
- Requirements submitted. You share the profile: business type, industry, markets, payment requirement, approximate volume and current situation.
- Setup assessed. We review the profile as a payment partner would read it, and come back if something material is missing or unclear.
- Potentially relevant routes checked. We check the profile against the current appetite and capacity of payment partners in our network. Partner appetite is confirmed when the request is assessed, rather than assumed from a stored list.
- Commercial discussion supported. Where a route may fit, we help clarify pricing, documentation and operating requirements before either side commits time to onboarding.
- Introduction made. With your consent, we introduce the business to the payment partner. The provider then underwrites independently and decides on approval, pricing and terms.
How we select which partners to consider
Selection is a filter, not a ranking. Three things decide whether a payment partner is considered for a specific requirement:
- Relevance. Whether the partner works with the industry, the jurisdictions and the payment methods the business actually needs.
- Stated appetite and current capacity. What the partner has told us it is taking on now. Appetite moves, so a route that fitted last quarter may not fit today.
- Ability to assess the requirement. Only some partners are set up to assess MID issuance for a merchant portfolio at all, so a requirement of that kind narrows the list before anything else is considered.
We are not a bank, acquirer, payment service provider or processor, and we do not sell payment processing. We do not publish paid rankings, and no provider can buy a place in an assessment.
How we are paid
The assessment and introduction service is free for merchants, PSPs and MSBs. We may receive compensation from a payment provider when an introduction leads to a completed placement. This does not change the information you provide, the routes we assess or the underwriting decision made by the provider.
The service is free to the merchant, PSP or MSB. There is no fee for the assessment and no fee for the introduction.
Compensation is tied to a completed placement, not to which routes are assessed or which partners are considered. It does not create a reason to present a route that does not fit, because a placement that fails underwriting pays nothing and costs everyone time.
Where a payment partner relationship is relevant to something we publish, we say so on the page.
What we do not do
- We do not process payments, acquire card transactions or hold funds.
- We do not issue MIDs. Merchant IDs are issued by acquirers and licensed providers.
- We do not guarantee approval, pricing or a timeline. Those decisions belong to the provider.
- We do not publish paid rankings, sponsored placements or provider league tables.
- We do not make country-level coverage claims without current evidence from a payment partner.
- We do not help present a business as something it is not. Misdescribed products, undisclosed activity and attempts to route transactions under an unrelated business are refused.
What we need from you
The assessment is only as good as the profile behind it. Three things make the difference:
- Accurate information. Real product, real markets, realistic volume. An optimistic profile produces an assessment that underwriting will unpick later.
- Transparency about the history. Previous restrictions, terminations, reserves and chargeback issues change which routes are worth assessing. Providers normally find them during underwriting either way.
- Consent before anything is shared. Nothing goes to a payment provider until you consent to an introduction, and consent can be withdrawn before it is made. See the data and privacy notice.
Do not send card numbers, identity documents or customer records at this stage. The assessment does not need them, and the documents a provider requires are confirmed during onboarding.
Start with an assessment
Share the business type, industry, markets, payment requirement and approximate volume. We assess the profile first and introduce only where a route may fit.
Final onboarding decisions are made by each payment provider following underwriting and compliance review.
Clear answers
Frequently asked questions
What does a potential match mean?
It means the profile looks relevant enough for an assessment or an introduction, based on the information provided and the appetite a payment partner has told us about. It is not an approval, a quote, a rate or a commitment from any provider. Underwriting and compliance review decide the outcome.
Is the service free for merchants?
Yes. The assessment and introduction service is free for merchants, PSPs and MSBs. We may receive compensation from a payment provider when an introduction leads to a completed placement, and that does not change which routes are assessed.
Can you guarantee a merchant account?
No. Final onboarding decisions are made by each payment provider following underwriting and compliance review. Any assessment we publish is subject to provider underwriting, and a provider can decline at any stage.
Do providers pay for placement?
No. No provider can buy a place in an assessment and we do not publish paid rankings. Payment partners are considered on relevance to the requirement, their stated appetite and their current capacity.