PaymentCloud
PaymentCloud is a US merchant services provider founded in 2015 that specializes in payment processing for high-risk businesses across verticals including CBD, vape, firearms, adult, telemedicine, and subscription, offering dedicated merchant accounts with fast approvals, fraud and chargeback tooling, and 100+ platform integrations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersEncino, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What PaymentCloud does
PaymentCloud is a US-based merchant services provider founded in 2015 and headquartered in Encino, California, specializing in payment processing for businesses classified as high-risk by traditional acquirers. The company targets verticals including adult entertainment, CBD and hemp, vape and e-cigarettes, firearms and ammunition, telemedicine, SaaS, subscription and continuity billing, nutraceuticals, debt consolidation, document preparation, and other regulated or elevated-chargeback industries that mainstream processors such as Stripe and Square routinely decline. Its core product is a dedicated merchant account offering fast approvals (24 hours to 5 days) with guaranteed funds access, supported by a modular processing platform covering in-person credit card acceptance, retail POS, mobile payments, online checkout with virtual terminals, MOTO card-not-present processing, ACH transfers, eCheck, and cryptocurrency acceptance. The platform is built around integrations with major shopping carts (Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Magento, OpenCart, PrestaShop, 3dcart, Ecwid, WordPress, ZenCart, Volusion) and payment gateways (Authorize.net, USAePay, NMI), totaling 100+ connectors, and includes machine-learning-driven fraud detection, 2FA authentication, and chargeback management tools. Underwriting is supported by relationships with 10+ banks.
The business operates on a transaction-fee revenue model with custom-quoted pricing based on industry risk, processing volume, and merchant history, billed monthly with no long-term contracts. Go-to-market is sales-led, combining a self-serve website application portal (apply.paymentcloudinc.com), dedicated account representatives assigned to each merchant, and an ISO & Agent partner program for third-party referrals. The company has raised $45M to date: a $10M credit facility from Espresso Capital in June 2021 and a $35M strategic investment from Electronic Merchant Systems (EMS) in June 2022, the latter earmarked for acquisitions, platform expansion, and staffing. PaymentCloud acquired Paysley in October 2020 as its first disclosed M&A transaction. Recent strategic activity includes the October 2025 Float partnership enabling FSA/HSA reimbursement acceptance for telemedicine merchants, a January 2025 partnership with 24PetMeds for online pet pharmacy payments, and the launch of an Embedded Payments product line. The company employs 51-100 people and maintains a 4.8-star average across review platforms.
PaymentCloud firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- PaymentCloud
- Legal name
- PaymentCloud, LLC
- Website
- https://paymentcloudinc.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- PaymentCloud is a US merchant services provider founded in 2015 that specializes in payment processing for high-risk businesses across verticals including CBD, vape, firearms, adult, telemedicine, and subscription, offering dedicated merchant accounts with fast approvals, fraud and chargeback tooling, and 100+ platform integrations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
PaymentCloud industry classification
Industry- Product category
- High-Risk Merchant Payment Processing
- NAICS
- Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (522320), Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (52232)
- SIC
- Finance Services (6199)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Integrated Payment Processors (PSP/Acquirer) (FSAMABAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Merchant Payment Gateways (API/Hosted Checkout) (FSAMACAA), Recurring Billing, Subscriptions & Tokenized Payments (CRAFALAH), Embedded Payments (Pay-ins, Pay-outs, Wallets) (FSAGALAB)
Keywords
Where PaymentCloud is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Encino
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
PaymentCloud business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Payment Processing & Transaction Fees: PaymentCloud generates revenue primarily through transaction fees charged to merchants for processing credit card, ACH, eCheck, and cryptocurrency payments. Merchants are assigned dedicated account managers who handle ongoing account management and volume requests. The revenue model is consumption-based, scaling with merchant transaction volume.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Monthly | Custom-quoted pricing based on industry risk level, processing volume, and business history |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
PaymentCloud product offering
Product offeringCore offering
PaymentCloud provides dedicated merchant accounts and payment processing services tailored for high-risk businesses that traditional processors decline. Its core offering enables merchants to accept credit cards, ACH/eCheck, and cryptocurrency in-person, online, via mobile, and through MOTO channels, supported by 100+ integrations, ML-driven fraud prevention, chargeback management, and a network of 10+ acquiring bank partners that underwrite hard-to-place accounts.
Product overview
PaymentCloud is a payment processing company operating as a unified merchant services platform specializing in high-risk businesses. The core offering centers on dedicated merchant accounts with fast approvals and guaranteed funds access, supported by a modular product portfolio that includes credit card processing (both in-person and online), payment gateways (Authorize.net, NMI), virtual terminals, retail POS systems, mobile payments, MOTO, ACH transfers, eCheck processing, and cryptocurrency acceptance. The platform differentiates through specialized high-risk merchant services with fraud prevention and chargeback protection tools. E-commerce functionality is enabled through 12+ pre-built shopping cart integrations (Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Magento, and others). Recent expansion includes embedded payments and FSA/HSA reimbursement services for telemedicine merchants through the Float partnership.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- Fast approvals: 24 hours to 5 days for high-risk merchant accounts
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use PaymentCloud
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments8 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
PaymentCloud technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration15 records
Feature4 records
PaymentCloud partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- FloatcorePaymentCloud announced a partnership with Float to provide FSA/HSA reimbursement services to telemedicine merchants. The collaboration enables telemedicine merchants to accept flexible health benefit payments at checkout, increasing conversions, supporting subscription models, and unlocking FSA/HSA access for health and wellness merchants. This expands PaymentCloud's offerings in the telemedicine vertical.
- 24PetMedscorePaymentCloud signed on as the online payments partner for 24PetMeds' white-label Pet Rx Program, enabling the online vet pharmacy to process pet prescription payments through PaymentCloud's merchant services infrastructure.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
PaymentCloud competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Durango Merchant Services: Durango Merchant Services is a direct competitor focused on high-risk merchant account approvals and processing. It serves nearly identical verticals (adult, CBD, nutraceuticals, firearms, subscription) and competes head-to-head for the same hard-to-place merchant accounts.
- Maverick Payments: Maverick Payments is a high-risk merchant services specialist offering credit card processing, ACH, and gateway integrations for industries similar to PaymentCloud's. Both compete for ISOs/agents and merchants in adult, CBD, and subscription verticals.
- PayKings: PayKings is a high-risk payment processor explicitly targeting merchants rejected by mainstream providers, including adult, CBD, firearms, and nutraceutical verticals. It offers a similar transaction-fee revenue model and bank-underwriting partnership structure to PaymentCloud.
- Soar Payments: Soar Payments is a high-risk merchant account provider serving CBD, adult, supplements, and similar verticals with dedicated account representatives and an ISO/reseller program — a close operational parallel to PaymentCloud's model.
- National Processing: National Processing provides merchant services with a dedicated high-risk division, serving SMBs across industries that overlap PaymentCloud's verticals. Comparable transaction-fee economics and underwriting partnerships with acquiring banks.
- High Risk Match: High Risk Match is an ISO-style network and processor connecting high-risk merchants with underwriting banks, operating in similar verticals to PaymentCloud. Comparable positioning as a specialist intermediary for hard-to-place accounts.
Broad incumbents
- Electronic Merchant Systems (EMS): EMS is PaymentCloud's strategic investor ($35M in 2022) and processing partner, and a broader merchant services acquirer serving both low-risk and high-risk merchants at greater scale. It represents a parent/incumbent relationship and the most direct comparable on bank underwriting depth.
- Stripe: Stripe is the dominant mainstream payment processor that explicitly rejects many high-risk verticals, which is the foundation of PaymentCloud's value proposition. While not a direct competitor, Stripe's policies define the demand pool PaymentCloud serves.
- Square (Block): Square is a mainstream SMB payments incumbent that de-risks by declining certain high-risk categories, channeling rejected merchants toward specialists like PaymentCloud. It anchors the SMB payments ecosystem in which PaymentCloud's target merchants operate.
Emerging players
- Stax (formerly Fattmerchant): Stax is a SaaS-style payments platform offering subscription-based merchant accounts with interchange-plus pricing, increasingly moving into higher-risk verticals. It represents an emerging model that competes for SMB merchants in adjacent segments.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
PaymentCloud social profiles
Digital presencePaymentCloud compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance5 records
PaymentCloud financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
PaymentCloud leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
PaymentCloud funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
PaymentCloud M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about PaymentCloud
What does PaymentCloud do?
PaymentCloud provides dedicated merchant accounts and payment processing services tailored for high-risk businesses that traditional processors decline. Its core offering enables merchants to accept credit cards, ACH/eCheck, and cryptocurrency in-person, online, via mobile, and through MOTO channels, supported by 100+ integrations, ML-driven fraud prevention, chargeback management, and a network of 10+ acquiring bank partners that underwrite hard-to-place accounts.
Is PaymentCloud a public or private company?
PaymentCloud is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was PaymentCloud founded?
PaymentCloud was founded in 2015. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is PaymentCloud based?
PaymentCloud is headquartered in Encino, United States, in the North America region.
How does PaymentCloud make money?
One revenue line is on record: payment Processing & Transaction Fees.
Who are PaymentCloud's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Durango Merchant Services, Maverick Payments, PayKings, Soar Payments, National Processing and High Risk Match. Broad incumbents are Electronic Merchant Systems (EMS), Stripe and Square (Block). Stax (formerly Fattmerchant) is listed as an emerging player.
Does PaymentCloud have an API?
No public API is recorded for PaymentCloud.
What industry is PaymentCloud in?
PaymentCloud's product category is High-Risk Merchant Payment Processing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAMABAA, Integrated Payment Processors (PSP/Acquirer), with a secondary code of FSAMACAA, Merchant Payment Gateways (API/Hosted Checkout). Its NAICS code is 522320 and its SIC code is 6199.