Closer checks at onboarding
A review of your website, licences, ownership and compliance controls. Many high-risk categories must also be registered with Visa, Mastercard or both before processing.
High-Risk Payment Processing and Merchant Accounts
Card processing for businesses most providers turn away. Tell us about your business once, get matched with a payment provider whose high-risk programme accepts your industry, licence and markets, and go live without applying to provider after provider.
How it works
01
Tell us about your business
Your industry, company, licences, markets, volumes and processing history, in one online application.
02
Get matched
Your profile is matched with a payment provider whose high-risk programme accepts your industry, licence and markets.
03
Go live
Add your company documents and payout account once. Your account is prepared with the provider and you start taking payments.
High-risk industries we work with
iGaming
How iGaming operators are underwritten by PSPs and acquirers: licensing, player geography, payment methods, chargebacks and payout terms.
Forex & CFD
Payment processing for forex, CFD and trading platforms: regulation, funding methods, client withdrawals, chargeback exposure and provider appetite.
Crypto
Card acquiring and PSP options for exchanges, on-ramps and crypto businesses: licensing, AML expectations, on-ramp flows and settlement.
Adult
Payment processing for adult content, dating and cam platforms: scheme registration, content compliance, subscription billing and chargeback control.
Nutraceuticals
Payment processing for supplements and nutraceuticals: claims compliance, subscription and trial billing, refund ratios and acquirer appetite.
Subscriptions
Payment processing for subscription and recurring-billing businesses: retries, dunning, SCA exemptions, churn-driven disputes and settlement.
Travel
Payment processing for travel agencies, OTAs and tour operators: delivery lag, reserves, bonding, chargeback exposure and settlement timing.
Ecommerce
Choosing a payment processor for an online store: approval rates, local payment methods, multi-currency pricing, settlement terms and fraud tooling.
Gambling operators by licence
Malta Gaming Authority (MGA)
How an MGA licence affects card acquiring: what acquirers check, the MGA payment and player-funds rules, AML thresholds, markets and reserves.
Curaçao Gaming Authority (CGA)
How Curaçao-licensed casinos and sportsbooks get card acquiring under the new LOK regime: what acquirers check, the AML and crypto rules, and how to prepare.
UK Gambling Commission (UKGC)
How UKGC rules shape gambling deposits and withdrawals: the credit card ban, payment service rules, affordability checks, AML and what acquirers ask for.
Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission (GSC)
How Isle of Man GSC rules shape gambling payments: approved payment methods, player funds protection, the €3,000 AML threshold, crypto and acquirer checks.
Gibraltar gambling licence
What Gibraltar's Gambling Act 2025 means for operator payments: payout timing, no credit, AML due diligence on every depositor, and what acquirers check.
Kahnawake Gaming Commission (KGC)
How Kahnawake-licensed casinos and sportsbooks get card acquiring: what the KGC licence covers, the Canadian market rules acquirers check and how to prepare.
Anjouan gaming licence
What an Anjouan gaming licence means for card acquiring in 2026: the dispute over its legal standing, how acquirers read it and what strengthens your case.
Forex brokers and crypto firms by licence
CySEC licence (Cyprus)
How CySEC-licensed forex and CFD brokers get card acquiring: client money rules, retail CFD limits, Visa's October 2026 changes and acquirer checks.
Seychelles FSA licence
How Seychelles-licensed forex and CFD brokers get card acquiring: the 2025 Securities Act changes, which client markets acquirers accept and what to prepare.
Mauritius FSC licence
How Mauritius-licensed forex and CFD brokers get card acquiring: the Investment Dealer licence, what acquirers check, client money and card scheme rules.
MiCA licence (EU crypto)
How MiCA-authorised crypto firms get card acquiring and fiat payments: what changed when the transition ended, the PSD2 question and what acquirers check.
Already had problems with a provider?
Your chargeback rate is too high
The Visa and Mastercard limits, what happens above them and how to keep processing.
Your account is under review
Why providers review accounts, how long it takes and what to send.
Your merchant account was terminated
What a MATCH listing means and how to get processing again.
A provider asked for a reserve
What it does to your cash flow and which terms to agree.
You have no processing history
What replaces statements and how a first application gets accepted.
What to expect from a high-risk account
A reserve or delayed settlement
Part of each payout is usually held for a period to cover disputes. Our rolling reserve guide shows how it works with an example.
Chargeback limits that matter
Mastercard flags merchants from 1.5% of chargebacks, and Visa from 1.5% of fraud and disputes in most regions. Your chargeback ratio is what keeps or loses the account.
Limits that grow with you
You are approved for a stated volume, ticket size and market list. Limits are usually raised after a period of clean processing, so state your numbers honestly from the start.
New to the topic? Read what high-risk payment processing means and how the card schemes classify it, or see what high-risk payment processing costs.
What you need to apply
- Company documents, and identification for owners and directors.
- Any licence your activity requires, for the entity that will contract.
- A live website with terms, refund policy and contact details.
- Expected monthly volume, average transaction and markets.
- Recent processing statements and chargeback figures, if you already process.
- A payout bank account in the company's name.
Check which routes may fit your business
Whether a provider accepts you depends on your category, licence, markets, volume and dispute history. Answer four questions to start.
Four questions about your business
Industry, company country, customer markets and estimated monthly volume, that is all we need to begin.
Common questions
What is a high-risk merchant account?
It is a merchant account from an acquirer that runs a programme for businesses most providers decline: regulated gambling, forex and CFD trading, crypto, adult content, nutraceuticals, subscriptions with free trials, travel, or merchants with a difficult chargeback history. It works like any other merchant account, with extra checks at onboarding and safeguards such as a reserve.
Can I get a high-risk merchant account after being terminated?
Often, yes. It depends on why you were terminated and whether you were listed on Mastercard's MATCH list or Visa's terminated merchant list. A termination without a listing is much easier to move past, and some providers board listed merchants when the cause has clearly been fixed. Be open about it in your application.
What does a high-risk merchant account cost?
Expect higher processing fees than low-risk retail, chargeback fees, scheme registration fees for categories that require it and, in most cases, a rolling reserve or delayed settlement. The exact terms depend on your industry, volume and history, which is why matching with the right provider matters more than the headline rate.
Is Ecompayer a payment provider?
No. Ecompayer matches your business with a payment provider that accepts your profile, through one online application, and prepares your account with that provider. The provider processes your payments and settles the money to you.
Get matched with a high-risk payment provider
Add your business details once. We match you with a provider that accepts your industry and markets, and prepare your account so you can go live.
Check my payment optionsNothing is shared with a provider until you submit your onboarding pack. Approval is always the provider's decision.