Mandate profile
Merchant acquiring and PayFac buyer profile
Buyer profile: a pan-European payments group acquiring payment facilitators, ISOs and merchant acquirers with sticky SMB portfolios.
Card acquiring, PayFacs, POS and embedded payments providers and residual portfolios are all in scope.
Mandate profile
Why payments groups buy acquirers and payfacs.
- Reference
- AQ-0492
- Sector
- Fintech & payments
- Region
- Europe and UK
- Last reviewed
Merchant acquiring rewards scale. Pan-European payments groups buy acquirers, payment facilitators, ISOs and gateways to add merchants, licences and vertical expertise, then run processing on a shared platform.
This profile covers merchant acquirers, payfacs, ISOs, gateways and vertical payment providers in Europe and the UK. Businesses with a diversified merchant book, low fraud and chargeback rates, and strong positions in sectors such as hospitality, retail, travel or healthcare are the core focus.
Buyers here migrate processing to group infrastructure and expand products into the merchant base. Net revenue growth and merchant retention drive value.
Acquisition criteria
What this buyer is looking for.
The buyer is consolidating SMB acceptance. Five factors guide the search.
Merchant portfolio
A diversified base of SMB merchants with steady volume.
Licences
EMI, PI or scheme principal membership.
Distribution
Software partners, ISVs or vertical channels that refer merchants.
Risk management
Low chargebacks and losses.
Technology
Onboarding and gateway systems that scale.
Close, but not an exact match? Tell us anyway.
Share an overview
Target financial profile
The numbers this buyer type works to.
Typical ranges for this profile. Businesses outside a range are still assessed on their overall strength.
- Net revenue
- €3M–€60M a year
- Processing volume
- Growing annual volume
- Merchant base
- Diversified, low concentration
- Risk
- Low fraud and chargeback ratios
- Typical valuation basis
- Multiple of net revenue or EBITDA
- Consideration
- Cash at completion
Deal structure and terms
Structure
Full acquisition, with licence change-of-control approvals.
Processing
Migration plan agreed with scheme and bank partners.
Team
Risk, sales and partnerships teams retained.
Licences
EMI or payment institution licences transferred.
What makes a relevant business
Merchant books that grow on their own.
What stands out is merchant revenue that rarely leaves.
All of these are welcome
- Acquirer, PayFac or ISO
- Own licence or partner model
- Profitable or break-even
- Founder-led or PE-backed
- Any European country
Low attrition
Merchants staying for years.
Vertical focus
Depth in hospitality, retail or services.
Value-added services
Lending, loyalty or software upsells.
Embedded payments
ISV partnerships driving volume.
Market drivers
What keeps demand strong in merchant acquiring and payment facilitators.
Vertical payments
Software-led vertical payments grow fastest.
Consolidation
Scale lowers processing cost.
Open banking
Account-to-account payments add new revenue.
How it works
You decide what is shared, and when.
Nothing goes to any buyer automatically. Every step after the first happens only if there is potential fit and you are comfortable going further.
- 1
Share an overview
Send a short, non-confidential summary using the form. Anonymous is fine at this stage.
- 2
Acquiry reviews fit
We compare it with this profile and the buyers we work with, and tell you plainly whether there is a match, usually with a few questions.
- 3
Agree what can be disclosed
If there is potential fit, we agree with you what can be shared, and with whom, before anything moves.
- 4
Detailed discussions
Deeper conversations progress under confidentiality arrangements put in place for that discussion.
Submit an opportunity
Think your business could fit AQ-0492?
Tell us a little about it. A short, non-confidential overview is enough, and you can leave the company name out. We review every submission ourselves and reply directly.
AQ-0492 is a mandate profile, not a named buyer. We match your overview against the buyers we work with and tell you honestly whether there is a fit.
- Reviewed by Acquiry, never sent to any buyer automatically
- Anonymous overviews welcome
- Owners and advisers both welcome
FAQ
Before you send anything.
What does this mandate profile describe?
It sets out what a pan-european payments group looks for in an acquisition: the target profile, deal size, structure and regions shown above.
What is Acquiry’s role?
Acquiry works on the buy side. Profiles like this one set out the criteria acquirers in this segment use to assess targets.
Are residual portfolios in scope?
Yes. Residual and book-of-business acquisitions are considered.
How is regulatory approval handled?
Change-of-control approvals are planned in from the start.
Are ISOs in scope?
Yes. ISOs and agents with strong merchant books fit.
Do gateways without acquiring fit?
Yes, where volume and merchant relationships are strong.
Is a UK-only business considered?
Yes. UK and EU businesses are both in scope.