ZarinPal

What ZarinPal does

ZarinPal (زرین‌پال) is Iran's pioneering online payment gateway, established in 2010 as the country's first Shaparak-licensed payment service provider (پرداخت‌یار). The platform connects online merchants simultaneously to six Iranian bank payment service providers — Mellat, Pasargad, Sepehr, Iran Kish, Asan Pardakht, and Saman — via a proprietary smart-routing layer that directs each transaction to the gateway with the highest success rate. Core technology is a GraphQL API with OAuth 2.0 authentication, supplemented by REST endpoints, official SDKs for PHP, Node.js, Python, and Android, and an extensive plugin marketplace spanning WordPress/WooCommerce, Joomla, LearnDash, Paid Memberships Pro, SocialEngine, Ubercart 3, and multiple form builders. Around the core IPG the company has assembled complementary modules: Direct Settlement (same-day fund disbursement in the first Paya cycle, including weekends), Open Banking (unified account management across 14 Iranian banks via RTP, Paya, Satna, and Pol rails), Pay-Row (QR-code payments), ZarinLink (payment URLs), IBAN/Sheba issuance, and the ZarinPal Man mobile app for merchant management. The company is headquartered in Tehran and operates exclusively in the Iranian domestic market.

ZarinPal serves a horizontal mix of online business segments — e-commerce stores, digital content platforms, cryptocurrency service providers, multi-vendor marketplaces, game developers, and SaaS providers — and claims a merchant community of over one million. Revenue is primarily transaction-based: a standard commission of 0.5% per successful payment (capped at 16,000 Tomans) plus a fixed 500 Toman fee, with a free first month for new users and custom rates for merchants exceeding 100 daily transactions. Ancillary revenue comes from the Direct Settlement service (0.5% per withdrawal, capped at 16,000 Tomans) and E-namad electronic trust-mark issuance at 600,000 Tomans per issuance. Distribution is self-serve across web panel, mobile app, API, and plugin marketplace, supplemented by an affiliate program, a bug bounty program, and a content-marketing blog. Beyond the core gateway, the company operates five wholly-owned sub-brands: NeoZarin (payment services), ZarinExpress (express payments), ZarinPlus (premium tier), ZarinCrowd (crowdfunding), and ZarinDax (data/analytics).

The firm is privately held with 51-100 employees and has one disclosed funding event — a small 2019 round from Karafarin Bank. The business is exposed to Iran-specific macro and regulatory dynamics (currency redenomination, sanctions, Shaparak oversight) but holds a durable first-mover position in the domestic online payments rail, evidenced by its 15+ years of continuous operation, multi-PSP integration architecture, and broad merchant footprint.

Name

ZarinPal

Legal name

ZarinPal (زرین‌پال)

Website

https://zarinpal.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

ZarinPal is Iran's first Shaparak-licensed online payment gateway, connecting merchants simultaneously to 6 bank PSPs via smart routing, GraphQL API, and SDKs/plugins, serving 1M+ e-commerce, gaming, crypto, and SaaS businesses.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Payment Gateway

NAICS

Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (522320)

SIC

Finance Services (6199)

akta.pro primary industry

Integrated Payment Processors (PSP/Acquirer) (FSAMABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Omnichannel Gateway Enablement (Online + In-store) (FSAMACAH), POS-to-Online Unified Payments (Omnichannel Payments) (CRAFALAL)

Keywords

• Online payment gateway
• Payment processing services
• Merchant payment solutions
• E-commerce payment integration
• Digital payment infrastructure

Headquarters

HQ city

Tehran

HQ country

Iran

HQ region

Middle East

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Payment Gateway Transaction Fees: Transaction-based commission on each successful payment. Standard rate is 0.5% per transaction with a cap of 16,000 Toman plus 500 Toman fixed fee. First month is free for new users (only Shaparak commission applies).
2. Direct Settlement Service Fee: Additional fee for accelerated settlement service at 0.5% of transaction amount up to 16,000 Toman per withdrawal
3. E-namad Issuance: Electronic trust mark (E-namad) issuance service for merchants at 600,000 Toman per issuance

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

ZarinPal operates as Iran's first licensed payment service provider (پرداخت‌یار), offering an Internet Payment Gateway (IPG) that connects online merchants simultaneously to 6 Iranian bank payment service providers (Mellat, Pasargad, Sepehr, Iran Kish, Asan Pardakht, Saman) with smart routing to maximize successful transactions. Around the IPG core, ZarinPal sells add-on services including Direct Reconcile (same-day settlement), Open Banking (unified 14-bank account management), Pay-Row (QR code payments), ZarinLink (payment links), IBAN/Sheba registration, and e-Namad electronic trust badge issuance.

Product overview

ZarinPal operates as a payment aggregator (Paymarg-Yar) in Iran, offering a platform-plus-modules architecture centered on its core Internet Payment Gateway (IPG). The core IPG connects merchants simultaneously to 6 bank payment gateways (Mellat, Pasargad, Sepehr, Iran Kish, Asan Pardakht, Saman) with smart routing to optimize transaction success rates. Around this core, ZarinPal provides multiple add-on modules: Direct Reconcile for accelerated daily settlement, Open Banking for unified multi-bank account management, Pay-Row for QR code payments, ZarinLink for payment links, and IBAN/Sheba services. Additional services include a mobile app (ZarinPal Man), e-Namad issuance, and a content blog. Developer access is enabled through official SDKs (PHP, Node.js, Python, Android) and a GraphQL/REST API, plus official and community-built plugins for major platforms including WooCommerce, WordPress, Joomla, and various form builders. ZarinPal also offers related sub-brands: NeoZarin (cryptocurrency services), ZarinExpress, ZarinPlus, ZarinCrowd, and ZarinDax.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ZarinPal Man (زرین‌پال من): Mobile application for payment gateway management, transaction management, reconciliation, and customer support.
• NeoZarin (نئوزرین)
• ZarinExpress (زرین‌ اکسپرس)
• ZarinPlus (زرین‌ پلاس)
• ZarinCrowd (زرین‌ کراد)
• ZarinDax (زرین‌ دکس)
• Pay-Row (پیرو)
• ZarinLink (زرین‌لینک)

Products and services

• Internet Payment Gateway (IPG) Core internet payment gateway enabling online businesses in Iran to accept card payments via simultaneous connections to 6 bank PSPs (Mellat, Pasargad, Sepehr, Iran Kish, Asan Pardakht, Saman) with smart routing to maximize successful transaction rates. Targeted at online merchants, e-commerce sites, and digital service providers.
• Direct Reconcile (تسویه مستقیم)

Quantifiable outcome

• 6 simultaneous payment gateway connections increase transaction success rate
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration17 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Mellat Bank (بانک ملت)coreTechnology or IntegrationZarinPal connects to Mellat Bank's payment gateway as one of its 6 PSP partners, enabling merchants to process payments through Mellat's bank infrastructure
• Pasargad Bank (بانک پاسارگاد)coreTechnology or IntegrationZarinPal connects to Pasargad Bank's payment gateway as one of its 6 PSP partners, providing redundant processing capability for merchants
• Sepehr Electronic Payment (پرداخت الکترونیک سپهر)coreTechnology or IntegrationZarinPal integrates with Sepehr payment gateway for transaction processing
• Iran Kish (ایران کیش)coreTechnology or IntegrationZarinPal connects to Iran Kish payment gateway network
• Asan Pardakht (آسان پرداخت)coreTechnology or IntegrationZarinPal integrates with Asan Pardakht for additional payment processing capacity
• Saman Bank (بانک سامان)coreTechnology or IntegrationZarinPal connects to Saman Bank payment gateway for processing transactions
• Shaparak (شاپرک)coreTechnology or IntegrationShaparak is the national switch for electronic payments in Iran. ZarinPal operates as a payment aggregator licensed by Shaparak, with all transactions ultimately routed through this national network

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Checkout.com: Global modern payment processor with developer-first GraphQL-style APIs, multi-acquirer routing, and high reliability focus. A relevant international analog to ZarinPal's smart-routing technology stack.
• Flutterwave: Pan-African payment infrastructure provider with API-first design, multi-currency support, and gateway aggregation across local providers. Functionally analogous to ZarinPal's role as a domestic payment aggregator.
• Stripe: Global API-first payment processor serving online businesses with developer-friendly integrations, multi-method support, and smart routing. Comparable to ZarinPal in product philosophy though operating globally.
• Razorpay: India's leading API-first payment gateway offering developer integrations, multiple bank routing, and a full-stack fintech product suite. Mirrors ZarinPal's developer-first approach in a large emerging market.
• PayU: Global payment gateway provider with strong presence in emerging markets, offering online checkout, smart routing, and merchant tools. Comparable operating model to ZarinPal's aggregator approach.
• Behpardakht (Mellat): Bank Mellat's proprietary payment gateway, one of the underlying PSPs that ZarinPal routes through. Represents both a key partner and a competitive threat as a direct bank-offered gateway.
• Saman Bank Electronic Payment: Saman Bank's electronic payment service is one of the PSPs connected to ZarinPal and a comparable bank-led payment offering in Iran.

Direct peers

• Pay.ir: Iranian payment gateway service provider targeting online businesses with similar PSP aggregation capabilities. Competes with ZarinPal for Iranian e-commerce merchants.
• NextPay: One of Iran's leading payment gateway providers, offering internet payment gateway services and competing directly with ZarinPal for the same online merchant base in Iran.
• IDPay: Iranian online payment gateway provider offering card-to-card and IPG services. Directly competes with ZarinPal in the Iranian e-commerce and online services market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• GitHubgithub.com/ZarinPal-Lab
• Xx.com/zarinpal
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/zarinpal

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ZarinPal