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Who needs an acquiring bank
An acquiring bank is needed for any business that accepts payments. bank cards: retail trade, restaurants, online stores, service sector, educational and medical organizations. In fact - anyone who has customers with cards.
For online trading, an acquirer is a mandatory element of infrastructure. Without connecting to an acquiring bank (or payment aggregator, which works through an acquirer) it is impossible to accept payment by card online.
Businesses often choose not to connect directly to the acquiring bank, but work through aggregator - it's faster, easier from the point of view in terms of document flow and does not require a separate agreement with the bank.
A modern acquiring bank, as a rule, offers additional tools: SBP, installments, payment according to details. This allows you to close all non-cash payment needs through one provider. However, when direct connection will have to follow its tariffs and technical requirements that are not always convenient for small businesses.
Paysido instead of a direct acquirer
Paysido is a payment aggregator that works through several acquirers at the same time. This increases reliability: if one acquirer gives failure - payments go through another. The seller does not need a separate agreement with the acquiring bank - one agreement with Paysido is enough.
Paysido suits businesses of any size. Individual entrepreneurs and startups are connecting quickly - without a complex package of documents and without the requirement to open an account with specific bank. Medium-sized businesses receive a single office for management all payments, flexible settings and API. Large clients - individual rates, dedicated manager and 24/7 support.
Paysido’s partners include retail chains, marketplaces and online services with thousands of transactions daily. The aggregator provides transparent analytics and centralized payment management - regardless of which acquirer a particular transaction goes through operation.
Another advantage of working through Paysido is portability. When changing business bank account or bank payment solution does not change: seller continues to work with the same cabinet, the same settings and the same integrations. Direct agreement with the acquiring bank for such changes will require re-registration.
How to choose an acquiring bank or payment aggregator
When choosing an acquirer and aggregator, it is important to evaluate several parameters.
Commission. The rate depends on the turnover and area business. The higher the turnover, the more loyal the conditions: large sellers negotiate an individual tariff directly with the acquirer.
Enrollment deadlines. Standard time – 1–3 business days day.
Support for payment methods. Modern acquirer supports MIR cards, contactless payment (NFC), cards in smartphones (SberPay, Mir Pay), and for online stores - 3DS authentication and recurring payments.
Reliability and support. Technical glitches on the side acquirers directly affect sales. Pay attention to SLA (guaranteed service availability time) and round-the-clock availability technical support.
Connection conditions. Acquiring banks require opening their business bank account is an additional limitation.
Aggregators, unlike direct acquirers, like As a rule, they are not tied to a specific bank.
When to go directly to the acquiring bank? Direct agreement with the acquirer justified for large businesses with high turnover if you already You are serviced by a specific bank and want a single financial window.
In other cases, an aggregator is preferable: it connects faster, provides flexible conditions and allows you to simultaneously work with several acquirers - this increases the fault tolerance of the payment systems.
Mistakes when choosing an acquiring bank
Focus only on the size of the commission. Low rate is not the only criterion. If the acquirer delays deposits or handles chargebacks poorly, the losses will outweigh the savings.
Ignoring the conditions for chargebacks. Every chargeback costs the seller money: the acquirer charges a fine for disputed transactions. Check with the acquirer the threshold of the acceptable level and penalties for it excess.
Selecting an acquirer with the requirement to open an account. Row acquiring banks impose the opening of a business bank account as a condition connections. If you already have an account with another bank, this creates extra expenses.
Underestimating the importance of technical support. Crash acquirer during peak hours - this is a direct loss of sales. Please check in advance if there is does the acquirer monitor availability, how quickly incidents are resolved and Are there backup payment processing channels?
Aggregator, working through several acquirers, covers this risk automatically.
Conclusion
The acquiring bank is a key link in the chain of non-cash payments. Without It is not possible to accept card payments. When choosing an acquirer evaluate the commission, speed of enrollment, list of supported tools and service reliability.
More often it is more profitable for a business to work through aggregator — Paysido combines several acquirers, reduces financial risks and simplifies connection. Both large companies and small and medium-sized businesses will find a reliable partner in Paysido with individual conditions and dedicated support. Register and start accepting payments without any hassle.
FAQ - frequently asked questions
What is an acquiring bank in simple words?
Acquiring bank is a credit institution that provides businesses with possibility to accept payments by bank cards. In simple words: acquirer is an intermediary between the seller and the payment system. When the buyer pays by card, it is the acquiring bank that processes the transaction, verifies the card details, requests money from the buyer's bank and credits them to the seller's bank account.
The word “acquirer” comes from the English acquire - “to acquire”. B In the payment context, the acquirer “purchases” transactions on behalf of the merchant. Without an acquirer, a store cannot accept non-cash payments.
It is important not to confuse the acquiring bank with the issuing bank. The issuer issues buyer card. The acquirer serves the seller. For each payment two these participants interact through the payment system (MIR, Visa, Mastercard) to transfer funds.
The acquiring bank bears financial responsibility to the payment system for the operations performed. Therefore, the acquirer checks the business before connection: assesses the scope of activity, risks of returns and reputation seller. Acquiring banks refuse some types of business or set a higher rate - this applies to high-risk segments. For a standard business, the procedure for connecting to an acquirer takes from several days to two weeks.
What functions does the acquiring bank perform?
Transaction processing. The acquirer accepts the request for payment from a POS terminal or payment page of a website, transmits data to payment system and receives a response about permission or rejection of the operation. The whole process takes seconds.
Authorization of payments. The acquiring bank requests authorization with the issuing bank: are there enough funds in the buyer’s account, is the card blocked? Once the transaction is confirmed fixed.
Settlements with the seller. The acquirer collects amounts for all transactions and transfers them to the seller’s business bank account minus his commissions. The standard enrollment period is 1–3 business days.
Ensuring security. The acquirer is responsible for PCI DSS compliance and payment data protection. For Internet acquiring without this certification and 3DS authentication work with Online payments are not possible. Reliable acquirer yourself supports these requirements - the seller does not need to understand technical safety standards.
Working with returns and chargebacks. When making a claim buyer, the acquiring bank conducts an investigation and interacts with the issuing bank to resolve the dispute.
How does an acquiring bank work?
Let's look at standard card payments step by step.
The buyer places the card on the terminal or enters data on the website. The terminal or payment gateway transmits encrypted data acquiring bank. The acquirer sends a request to the payment system - MIR, Visa, Mastercard. The payment system redirects the request to the issuing bank - buyer's jar. The issuer checks the balance, card status and limits, after which it sends the response back along the chain: issuer → payment system → acquirer → terminal. If everything is in order, the terminal issues a check, the transaction is committed.
At the end of the operating day, the acquiring bank conducts clearing: collects all transactions and performs settlements with issuing banks. After that the money less commission goes to the seller.
The acquiring bank does not keep the buyer’s money permanently - it conducts financial transaction. The funds are “frozen” on the buyer’s account from the moment authorization before clearing is completed. When canceling a payment or returning the acquirer provides the reverse operation - the funds are returned to the buyer.