Stone
Stone is a Brazilian payment institution authorized by the Banco Central do Brasil, serving more than 4.68 million entrepreneurs across 5,500+ cities with integrated POS card acceptance, PJ banking, credit, insurance, and API-driven software integrations under the Stone and Ton brands.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersJardim Paulista, Brazil
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Stone does
Stone Instituição de Pagamento S.A. is a Brazilian payment institution authorized by the Banco Central do Brasil as an acquirer (credenciadora) and electronic money issuer. Founded in 2014 and headquartered in São Paulo, Stone operates as the Brazilian operating subsidiary of StoneCo Ltd., a Cayman Islands holding company. The company serves more than 4.68 million entrepreneurs across 5,500+ cities in Brazil, positioning itself as an integrated "bank for entrepreneurs" (O Banco de Quem Empreende).
The product platform combines physical payment acceptance (Maquininha POS terminals across 10+ hardware models), mobile acceptance (TapStone NFC and Tap to Pay on iPhone), a free Conta PJ business bank account with Reserva Stone savings at 100% CDI, credit products (Capital de Giro working capital loans, Cartão Stone business credit card, FGI PEAC BNDES-backed financing, account credit limits, Pix e Boleto no Crédito), insurance products, and management tools (Minhas Finanças, Raio-X, Bate Ponto employee management). The developer-facing stack includes Connect Stone REST API, SDK Android, AutoTEF for self-service kiosks, Conciliação reconciliation API, and the Pagar.me online payment gateway subsidiary. Distribution operates through a hybrid model: digital self-serve via website, WhatsApp and phone (3004-9681); field sales agents for mid-market and franchises; a franchise network; and a Stone Partner Program with 2,500+ developers and tiered benefits (Official, Advanced, Master, Prime).
Revenue is generated through transaction fees on card/Pix payments (individualized take rates by merchant profile), interest income on credit products, commissions on insurance policies, hardware rentals (waivable based on sales volume), and online gateway fees from Pagar.me. Ton operates as a sub-brand targeting micro-entrepreneurs (MEI/autônomos) with simplified, lower-cost offerings. Strategic priorities evidenced by recent moves include portfolio refocus (divestiture of Linx to Totvs for R$3.05 billion in July 2025, exit of Dental Office stake to Capim in May 2026), expansion of MSME credit via $521.5 million in DFC and IDB Invest financing, and deepening the partner ecosystem. Brand-building investments include Luciano Huck ambassadorship and BBB25 sponsorship from 2025.
Stone firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Stone
- Legal name
- Stone Instituição de Pagamento S.A.
- Website
- https://stone.com.br
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Short description
- Stone is a Brazilian payment institution authorized by the Banco Central do Brasil, serving more than 4.68 million entrepreneurs across 5,500+ cities with integrated POS card acceptance, PJ banking, credit, insurance, and API-driven software integrations under the Stone and Ton brands.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Stone industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Payment Processing Services
- NAICS
- Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (522320)
- SIC
- Finance Services (6199)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Card-Present Acquirers (Retail & POS Focus) (FSAMABAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- In-App / Online Checkout Wallets (FSAMAEAH), Merchant Payment Gateways (API/Hosted Checkout) (FSAMACAA), Merchant & Commercial Acquiring (POS/eCommerce acquiring for corporates) (FSABAIAH)
Keywords
Where Stone is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Jardim Paulista
- HQ country
- Brazil
- HQ region
- Latin America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Stone business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Payment Processing / Transaction Fees: Stone charges merchants a take rate on every card transaction processed through its POS machines, online payment links, and Pix acceptance. Pricing is individualized based on merchant sales volume and business segment. The company also offers installment processing, with revenue shared across the card network, issuing bank, and acquirer.
- PJ Account Services: Stone offers a free PJ (legal entity) account with optional paid services including boleto issuance (R$1.99 per boleto), and fee-based features for financial management. This creates a recurring relationship with merchants as their primary business banking relationship.
- Credit Products (Capital de Giro, Account Limit, Credit Card): Stone provides credit lines including working capital loans (Capital de Giro), account credit limits, and business credit cards. Interest income on these credit products represents a growing revenue stream as Stone deepens its lending activity.
- Insurance Products: Stone offers business insurance (store insurance), life insurance, and card protection insurance, earning commissions on policy sales as an intermediary.
- Machine Rental / Hardware: Merchants receive payment machines with rental fees that may be waived based on sales volume. Stone also provides POS terminals with varying hardware specifications (Positivo L4, L3, Tectoy T8, S920, D210N, Q92, A8, MP35P, V240M, Sunmi P2).
- Sales Anticipation (Antecipação): Stone allows merchants to receive future installment payments in advance, charging a fee/discount rate for early receipt of receivables.
- Partner Program / Pagar.me: Pagar.me, a subsidiary, provides online payment gateway services (online transactions, recurring billing, split payments, wallet management) to e-commerce merchants, with transaction and subscription revenue flowing to StoneCo.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free PJ Account (Conta PJ Stone) |
| Unit Pricing | Monthly | PJ Account + Payment Machine (Conta PJ + Maquininha) |
| Freemium | Monthly | Ton (Stone brand for MEI/micro-merchants) |
| Outcome Based/ Performance | Pay-as-you-go | Credit Products (Capital de Giro, Account Limit, FGI PEAC) |
| Subscription | Monthly | Insurance Products |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels7 records
Stone product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Stone is a Brazilian payment acquirer and fintech that sells card payment acceptance hardware (POS terminals known as 'Maquininha'), mobile tap-to-pay acceptance (TapStone, Tap to Pay on iPhone), Pix and boleto acceptance, a free PJ business bank account, credit products (working capital, business credit card, BNDES-backed FGI PEAC), insurance, and developer APIs (Connect Stone, SDK Android, AutoTEF, Pagar.me, Conciliação) for embedded payment integration. The offering is targeted at Brazilian entrepreneurs and MSMEs from individual MEI freelancers to multi-branch franchise networks, with Pagar.me serving online merchants. Revenue is generated primarily through transaction take rates, machine rentals, interest income on credit, and commissions on insurance.
Product overview
Stone is a Brazilian fintech offering an integrated financial services platform for entrepreneurs, centered on payment acceptance and extended by business banking, credit, and management tools. The core offering consists of physical POS terminals (Maquininha) and mobile payment solutions (TapStone, Tap to Pay), supplemented by a Conta PJ business account that serves as the financial hub connecting payments, credit, and management features. Payment acceptance spans card transactions, Pix QR codes, payment links, and online payments via the Pagar.me gateway. Credit products include a business credit card, working capital loans (Capital de Giro), FGI PEAC BNDES-backed financing, and account credit limits. Management tools include employee scheduling/payroll, financial dashboards (Minhas Finanças, Raio-X), savings (Reserva), and insurance. For developers, Stone provides a Partner Program with APIs including Connect Stone (ERP/POS integration), SDK Android, AutoTEF, Pagar.me gateway, and a Conciliação API for automated financial reconciliation. Stone also operates Ton as a simplified sub-brand for micro-entrepreneurs.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Ton: A brand of Stone for autonomous professionals and micro entrepreneurs, with simpler and cheaper solutions for less complex businesses.
- Pagar.me
- TapStone
Products and services
- Maquininha Stone (POS Terminal) Physical card payment terminal that processes debit, credit, and voucher transactions across 50+ card brands, with Pix QR acceptance and installment plans up to 18x. For Brazilian merchants of all sizes.
- TapStone Mobile tap-to-pay solution that turns a smartphone into a payment terminal using NFC, accepting contactless card and wallet payments at the same rates as physical terminals. For Brazilian entrepreneurs and small merchants.
- Tap to Pay on iPhone NFC tap-to-pay functionality on iPhone allowing merchants to accept contactless card payments without additional POS hardware.
- Link de Pagamento Payment link solution for creating and sharing URLs via WhatsApp and social media to accept remote card payments without physical presence. For merchants selling remotely.
- Conta PJ Stone Free business checking account (PJ) serving as the financial hub connecting payments, credit, insurance, and management tools for Brazilian entrepreneurs. Includes unlimited Pix transfers, employee payment tools, and Reserva Stone investment at 100% CDI.
- Cartão Stone (Business Credit Card) Business credit card issued by Stone with limits based on merchant transaction history, offering credit for business growth with installment options.
- Capital de Giro Working capital loan product providing short-term financing to merchants based on transaction volume and receivables, with funds deposited directly into the Stone PJ account.
- FGI PEAC BNDES-guaranteed working capital credit facility offering subsidized rates for working capital and business investment, partially guaranteed by Brazil's national development bank. For qualifying MSMEs.
- Pix e Boleto no Crédito Credit product enabling merchants to make Pix transfers and pay boletos using their Stone credit line.
- Reserva Stone Business savings account yielding 100% CDI returns, integrated into the Conta PJ for automatic idle cash accumulation from merchant transactions.
- Seguros Stone Business insurance products including life insurance (Seguro de Vida), store insurance (Seguro de Loja), and card protection (Seguro Cartão) offered in partnership with insurance providers.
- Gestão de Funcionários Employee management suite including time tracking (Bate Ponto), payroll processing, and team management tools for merchant workforce administration.
- Catálogo Online Digital product catalog and online storefront integrated with Stone's payment infrastructure, enabling merchants to sell products online.
- Venda por Assinatura Recurring billing and subscription management solution enabling merchants to set up recurring charges for regular customers, with automated collection and reconciliation.
- API Connect Stone REST API enabling ERP, POS, and management platforms to integrate with Stone payment terminals, automate transaction initiation, capture authorization responses, and perform automatic financial reconciliation. For software vendors and developers.
- SDK Android Software development kit for Android enabling developers to build applications that integrate with Stone's Android POS terminals and Bluetooth PIN pad readers for custom payment solutions.
- AutoTEF Integration solution enabling self-service terminals (vending, parking, food ordering kiosks) to accept debit and credit card payments via PIN pad without manual entry.
- Conciliação Stone (Reconciliation API) API providing daily transaction and financial event files (XML format) for merchants to monitor and reconcile all transactions from capture through payment/liquidation, including split payments, cancellations, and chargebacks.
- Pagar.me (Online Payment Gateway) Online payment gateway providing e-commerce merchants with online transactions, recurring billing, subscriptions, split payments, and balance APIs. For online businesses and marketplaces.
- Ton Stone sub-brand for MEI micro-entrepreneurs and autonomous professionals offering simplified, lower-cost financial and payment solutions.
Quantifiable outcome
- 4,680,875+ entrepreneurs served across Brazil
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Stone
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments9 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Stone technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
AI capability5 records
Feature6 records
Stone partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Capim (Dental Fintech)minorCapim, a fintech serving the dental sector, acquired Stone's Dental Office stake as part of Stone's portfolio restructuring. Stone exited its approximately 20% stake (acquired 2020-2021) at a reported EV/EBITDA multiple above 20x. The transaction connects Dental Office's clients to Capim's financial solutions across 12,000+ dental clinics.
- Totvs (Linx sale)minorStone sold its Linx stake to Totvs for R$3.05 billion in July, exiting its ERP/integration business as part of portfolio restructuring following business difficulties. This represents an exit/disinvestment rather than an active partnership.
- Pagar.mecorePagar.me is Stone's online payment subsidiary providing e-commerce merchants with a complete payment gateway — online transactions, recurring billing, split payments, and wallet management. Integrated into Stone's product ecosystem under the same brand umbrella. Core to Stone's online payments strategy.
- Rv TecnologiaminorRv Tecnologia is a long-standing channel partner of Stone, reselling Stone's payment solutions as part of its broader technology portfolio, helping expand Stone's reach to SMB merchants.
- Core Alliance (Payment Networks)coreStone is a member of Brazil's card payment network ecosystem, processing transactions across 50+ card brands including Visa, Mastercard, Elo, American Express, and voucher programs (Sodexo, Ticket).
- Luciano Huck (Brand Ambassador)coreLuciano Huck, one of Brazil's most prominent TV presenters and entrepreneurs, serves as Stone's brand ambassador starting in 2025. His involvement amplifies Stone's brand reach and credibility among Brazilian consumers and entrepreneurs.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Stone competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- PagSeguro / PagBank: Brazilian payment acquirer and digital bank offering POS terminals, Conta PagBank, credit, and Pix acceptance for SMBs — the closest direct competitor to Stone with near-identical product breadth and target customer (Brazilian entrepreneurs).
- Mercado Pago: Fintech arm of Mercado Libre offering POS acquiring, merchant credit, online payments, and a consumer wallet across Latin America — directly competes with Stone across physical and online payment acceptance plus SMB credit in Brazil.
- SumUp: Global SMB-focused payment acquirer with strong Brazil presence offering mobile card readers and merchant accounts — directly competes with Stone in the MEI/micro-merchant segment with a similar product-led growth model.
- Block (Square): Global SMB payments and financial services platform (Square/Cash App) — directly comparable business model combining POS hardware, merchant acquiring, banking, and lending, though operating primarily in the U.S./U.K./Australia rather than Brazil.
Broad incumbents
- Cielo: Brazil's largest legacy card acquirer (Banco do Brasil/Bradesco affiliated) processing transactions for merchants of all sizes — competes with Stone in card-present acquiring with deeper bank-distribution reach but slower innovation cadence.
- Getnet (Santander): Santander's merchant acquiring arm offering POS terminals and payment processing in Brazil and across Latin America — competes with Stone in card-present acquiring with parent-bank distribution advantages.
- Rede (Itaú): Itaú Unibanco's acquiring subsidiary providing POS terminals and payment processing across Brazil — competes with Stone in card-present acquiring and can leverage Itaú's banking base for credit cross-sell, similar to Stone's PJ account strategy.
Regional players
- Clip: Mexican SMB payment acquirer offering mobile POS terminals and merchant services — operates the same product-led SMB-acquiring playbook as Stone but in Mexico rather than Brazil, useful as a regional peer benchmark.
- EBANX: Latin American payment processor enabling cross-border commerce and local payment method acceptance — comparable to Stone's Pagar.me subsidiary for online/e-commerce payment gateway services across Latin America.
Emerging players
- Nubank: Brazil's largest digital bank offering consumer accounts, credit cards, and increasingly merchant/business banking products — overlaps with Stone's PJ account, credit, and Pix ambitions, particularly as it expands into SMB banking.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Stone social profiles
Digital presenceStone compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance6 records
Stone financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Stone leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Stone subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries10 records
Stone funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors3 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Stone M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A4 records
Investments6 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Stone
What does Stone do?
Stone is a Brazilian payment acquirer and fintech that sells card payment acceptance hardware (POS terminals known as 'Maquininha'), mobile tap-to-pay acceptance (TapStone, Tap to Pay on iPhone), Pix and boleto acceptance, a free PJ business bank account, credit products (working capital, business credit card, BNDES-backed FGI PEAC), insurance, and developer APIs (Connect Stone, SDK Android, AutoTEF, Pagar.me, Conciliação) for embedded payment integration. The offering is targeted at Brazilian entrepreneurs and MSMEs from individual MEI freelancers to multi-branch franchise networks, with Pagar.me serving online merchants. Revenue is generated primarily through transaction take rates, machine rentals, interest income on credit, and commissions on insurance.
Is Stone a public or private company?
Stone is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Stone founded?
Stone was founded in 2014. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is Stone based?
Stone is headquartered in Jardim Paulista, Brazil, in the Latin America region.
How does Stone make money?
Seven revenue lines are on record. Payment Processing / Transaction Fees are the primary driver. The others are PJ Account Services, credit Products (Capital de Giro, Account Limit, Credit Card), insurance Products, machine Rental / Hardware, sales Anticipation (Antecipação) and partner Program / Pagar.me.
Who are Stone's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are PagSeguro / PagBank, Mercado Pago, SumUp and Block (Square). Broad incumbents are Cielo, Getnet (Santander) and Rede (Itaú). Regional players are Clip and EBANX. Nubank is listed as an emerging player.
Does Stone have an API?
Yes. Stone offers a suite of APIs and SDKs for developers to integrate payment technology into their software solutions. The offerings include: (1) API Connect Stone - REST API that connects management systems and ERPs to Stone payment terminals for automated transaction processing and reconciliation; (2) SDK Android - for integrating solutions with Stone's Android POS or Bluetooth Pinpad for mobile card reading; (3) AutoTEF - for integrating self-service solutions with debit/credit card PIN pad payments; (4) Pagar.me API - for online transactions, recurring payments, subscriptions, payment splitting, and balance management; (5) Conciliação API - generates XML reconciliation files showing transactions, installments, cancellations, and financial events for a referenced day. Documentation is openly accessible, and a technical team is available to support integrations. The partner program provides sandbox credentials for development and testing. Developer documentation is at www.stone.com.br/devcenter.
What industry is Stone in?
Stone's product category is Payment Processing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAMABAC, Card-Present Acquirers (Retail & POS Focus), with a secondary code of FSAMAEAH, In-App / Online Checkout Wallets. Its NAICS code is 522320 and its SIC code is 6199.