Acquiring banks

What an acquiring bank does

An acquiring bank holds the card scheme membership that lets merchants accept Visa, Mastercard and local cards. It underwrites the merchant (or the PSP acting as payment facilitator), settles funds and is liable to the scheme for chargebacks and fraud. Most PSPs and gateways ultimately depend on one or more acquirers behind them, which is why an acquiring bank list by country is a frequent search for both PSPs and large merchants.

Direct acquiring vs through a PSP

• Direct: the merchant signs with the bank, gets its own MID and usually lower fees, but faces stricter underwriting and volume requirements.
• Via PSP or payment facilitator: the PSP holds the relationship and onboards sub-merchants faster; pricing includes the PSP margin. See card acquiring & gateways.

Acquiring for high-risk

Some acquirers accept categories such as iGaming, forex, dating, nutra or subscriptions. Expect:

• additional due diligence and licence checks (e.g. a gaming licence);
• rolling reserves, often a percentage of volume held for a period;
• higher discount rates and per-transaction fees;
• strict chargeback and fraud ratio limits — see chargeback management.

Comparing acquirers

• Accepted MCCs and merchant countries of incorporation.
• Domestic vs cross-border acquiring and its effect on approval rates.
• Settlement currency and frequency, reserve terms.
• 3DS requirements, supported wallets such as Apple Pay and Google Pay.
• Technical access: direct host connection or through a processor.

Country coverage

Local acquiring often lifts approval rates. Browse acquirers in Indonesia, Mexico, the UK or India, and compare with high-risk merchants looking for acquiring. Banks decide on approval themselves; published terms are in Offers, or post a request.