Merchant Accounts with SharPay

Accept Global Payments Without Limits

With a SharPay merchant account, your business can accept payments worldwide — even in industries that traditional banks avoid. Whether you’re running an e-commerce store, a crypto platform, or a high-risk project like gambling or betting, SharPay provides fast onboarding, global coverage, and flexible solutions tailored to your needs.

Open your merchant account today and start scaling without payment barriers.

Open Merchant Account

What Is a Merchant Account?

A merchant account is a dedicated financial account that allows your business to accept card payments and alternative payment methods. Every time a customer pays with a card, the money is first settled into your merchant account before being transferred to your company’s bank account.

There are two types of merchant accounts:

- Standard merchant account

Designed for low-risk businesses, with minimal compliance requirements.

- High-risk merchant account

Specialized for businesses in industries flagged as risky, with additional safeguards, rolling reserves, and higher scrutiny.

If your company operates globally or in a high-risk sector, a merchant account is not just optional — it’s essential.

Industries We Support

SharPay is more than just a provider. We are your payment partner, helping your business grow in any market.

Licensed Gambling and iGaming

Casino, sportsbook and betting operators with a valid gaming licence for every jurisdiction they accept players from. Card payments, SEPA, SWIFT and crypto settlement are available. Unlicensed operators are not accepted.
How iGaming merchant accounts work

Crypto and Digital Assets

Exchanges, wallets and crypto-facing platforms accept card and bank payments and settle in crypto. We support USDC, BTC, ETH, DAI, LTC, XRP and TUSD. VASP registration or licensing is required where your jurisdiction demands it.
Crypto cards for payouts

Adult Platforms

Licensed adult content platforms are accepted. Content must be legal in every market you operate in, age verification must be in place, and the company must hold all permits its activity requires. Escort services are not accepted.
Opening an adult merchant account

Dating and Social Platforms

Dating apps and social platforms running subscriptions or in-app purchases. Recurring billing, card issuing and multi-currency payouts are supported. We ask for your corporate documents and a clear description of how you monetise.
Dating merchant accounts explained

Forex and Brokerage

Licensed brokers and trading platforms. A regulator licence is mandatory, along with proof that client funds are held separately. Card deposits, SEPA and SWIFT settlement and crypto payouts are available.
Getting approved as a forex broker

Subscriptions and Recurring Revenue

SaaS products, membership sites and any model built on regular billing. Recurring payments, retry logic for failed charges and per-card spending limits are supported.
Scaling recurring revenue safely

E-commerce and Marketplaces

Online stores, marketplaces and platforms with split payouts to sellers. Visa and Mastercard acceptance worldwide, SEPA and SWIFT settlement, and automated payouts to your merchants.

What We Do Not Accept

Nutra and dietary supplements are not accepted under any conditions. Unlicensed operators in any vertical are declined at underwriting.

Key Benefits of SharPay Business Merchant Accounts

✅ Flexible conditions

Rolling reserves adapted to your industry, transparent pricing.

✅ Card issuing

Create your own payment card or crypto card for customers and payouts.

✅ 24/7 support

An intuitive platform for comfortable control of financial transactions.

✅ Global acceptance

Visa, Mastercard, SEPA, SWIFT, and crypto transactions in one platform.

✅ Fast onboarding

Open your merchant account remotely, without visiting an office.

✅ Security first

Advanced fraud protection, 3-D Secure, and real-time monitoring.

How It Works: Features and Capabilities

A SharPay merchant account gives you everything you need to run payments seamlessly:

Payment Methods

- Visa & Mastercard acceptance worldwide.
- SEPA and SWIFT transfers and global banking.
- Cryptocurrency support for instant global settlements.

Transaction Management

- Real-time payment monitoring and reporting.
- Refund and chargeback handling tools.
- Automated settlement to your business account.

Integrations & API

- Developer-friendly API for custom solutions.
- Plugins for e-commerce and CMS platforms.
- Crypto payment rails with conversion to fiat.

Payout Options

- Direct payouts to bank accounts.
- Card withdrawals to your team or clients.
- Crypto settlements for fast global distribution.

How to Open a Business Merchant Account

Opening a merchant account with SharPay is simple and fast:

Apply online — fill out the application form.
Submit documents — company registration, KYC/AML docs, processing history.
Compliance check — our specialists review your documents and data.
Integration — connect your website, platform, or app.
Start accepting payments worldwide.

The timeline depends on how complete your document package is and how complex your vertical is.

Merchant Account Pricing and Fees

How much does accepting payments cost?

MDR is 3% to 5% plus 0.50 EUR per transaction. The spread depends on your vertical: a licensed subscription business and a licensed betting operator carry different risk, so they are not priced the same.

We look at individual arrangements for your business — describe your model and we will quote your rate.

Acquiring terms

MDR — 3% to 5%, by vertical
Transaction fee — 0.50 EUR
Settlement in EUR via SEPA — 0.20%
Settlement period — T+7
OCT payout to card — 4% plus 1.00 EUR per transaction
Refund penalty — 50 EUR
Chargeback penalty — 100 EUR

Limits

Per transaction — 10 to 2 500 EUR
Daily — 200 000 EUR
Monthly — 2 000 000 EUR

Account fees

Account opening — 1 000 EUR
Account closure — 100 EUR
Reactivation — 100 EUR
Internal payments — 10 EUR
SEPA, incoming and outgoing — 10 EUR + 0.30%
SWIFT EUR, incoming — 50 EUR + 0.35%
Faster Payments and CHAPS (UK) — 15 GBP

What is the rolling reserve?

A share of your turnover held back to cover chargebacks and refunds. The standard is 10% held for 180 days. Individual arrangements are possible depending on your profile.

When do I get my money?

Settlement runs on T+7 — funds from a transaction reach you seven days after it clears. The rolling reserve is released on its own schedule, 180 days from each transaction.

Where card acquiring does not work

We operate in Europe, Canada and selected other regions — the current list is on the How it works page. Cross-border Visa and Mastercard acquiring is unavailable in jurisdictions under full sanctions and severely restricted where targeted sanctions apply to specific banks or entities.

Payment Gateway and Merchant Account

A merchant account and a payment gateway are two different things that only work together. The gateway is the technical layer that takes card data from your checkout, encrypts it and passes it on. The merchant account is where the money lands before it moves to your company bank account.

What our gateway gives you

a hosted payment page and an API for your website, platform or app
plugins for common CMS and e-commerce systems
Visa and Mastercard acceptance worldwide, plus SEPA and SWIFT settlement
crypto payment rails with conversion to fiat
3-D Secure, anti-fraud screening and real-time monitoring

Payment gateway for high-risk businesses

Standard gateways decline risky verticals by category, without looking at the file. We underwrite the case instead: your licence, your ownership structure, your processing history. Licensed gambling, adult, forex, dating and crypto businesses are routed through the same infrastructure as any other merchant — the difference is in the reserve and the rate, not in whether you get access.

White-label gateway

If you want to run the gateway under your own brand, that is a separate product: gateway, card issuing and IBAN accounts under your branding. See our White-Label payment solutions page.

Requirements, Timeline and Countries

What documents we ask for

We request the full corporate package, because approval depends on being able to confirm the business is legal and transparent:

certificate of incorporation and articles of association
licences covering your activity in every market you serve
ownership and control structure, with UBO identification
AML policy and the officer responsible for it
processing history, if you have been live elsewhere

How long onboarding takes

Onboarding time is individual. It depends on how complete your document package is and how complex your vertical is. A complete package in a straightforward vertical moves through underwriting fastest — an incomplete one stalls regardless of the industry.

Countries we serve

We work with companies registered in Europe. Applications from companies registered in the United States or the United Kingdom are not accepted. The current list of supported countries is on the How it works page.

Why Choose SharPay for High-Risk Merchant Accounts

SharPay is built for businesses that banks reject on principle. We do not turn away industries — we underwrite them. One condition applies to every vertical we onboard: the business must be legal and hold the licences its activity requires.

Licensed high-risk verticals — gambling and iGaming, adult platforms, forex and brokerage, crypto, dating and subscription businesses, each with the permits their market demands.
Global payments — SEPA, SWIFT, Visa, Mastercard and crypto settlement on one platform.
Conditions built around your model — the processing rate, the rolling reserve and the limits are set from your vertical, your volume and your risk profile.
Integrated cards — issue branded payment cards and crypto cards for payouts.
Underwriting that reads your file — a compliance team that works with high-risk documentation every day.

Your business deserves more than a rejection letter. With SharPay you get a partner that reads your licence, understands your vertical and prices the risk instead of refusing it.

If Your Merchant Account Was Terminated

Losing an account is not the end of your business, but the next application is harder than the first. Acquirers can see the termination, so hiding it does not work.

What usually causes it

chargeback ratio above the scheme threshold
a mismatch between the declared business model and the real traffic
expired or missing licences for a market you were serving
volume growing far past the approved limits

What to prepare before reapplying

Bring the termination letter, your chargeback data for the last six months, the fix you have put in place, and current licences. An application that explains the problem and shows the remedy is underwritten faster than one that omits it.

Read the full recovery guide.

FAQ

What is the difference between a standard and a high-risk merchant account?

A standard account serves low-risk retail with light compliance. A high-risk account covers verticals with higher chargeback exposure or regulatory load — it carries a rolling reserve, closer monitoring and individually set pricing.

Do you work with unlicensed operators?

No. Every vertical we onboard is subject to the same condition: the business is legal and holds the licences its activity requires.

How much does a merchant account cost?

Account opening is 1,000 EUR. The processing rate is quoted individually from your vertical, volume and risk profile.

Which companies can open an account?

Companies registered in Europe. We do not accept companies registered in the United States or the United Kingdom.

What is a rolling reserve and how much is held?

It is a share of your turnover held back to cover chargebacks and refunds. The size is set from your turnover and agreed before you go live.

Which payment methods can I accept?

Visa and Mastercard worldwide, SEPA and SWIFT transfers, Faster Payments and CHAPS in the UK, and cryptocurrency settlement.

A merchant account is the backbone of any online business. Without it, you can’t grow, expand internationally, or provide customers with the payment options they expect.

SharPay gives you everything you need: fast onboarding, global payments, support for high-risk industries, and integrated solutions like cards and crypto.