CashFlows
Cashflows is a UK- and EEA-regulated payment acquiring platform providing card processing, POS, gateway, and PayFac-as-a-Service solutions to merchants and fintechs across retail, insurance, financial services, dental, and veterinary verticals.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2006
- HeadquartersCambridge, United Kingdom
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What CashFlows does
Cashflows (legal entity: Cashflows Europe Limited) is a UK-based payment acquiring platform founded in 2006, operating across the UK under FCA regulation (reference 900006) and across the EEA through its Dutch subsidiary PayCheckout B.V. under De Nederlandsche Bank supervision (R12887). The company is a principal member of Mastercard and Visa and holds license agreements with American Express, Discover, UnionPay, and JCB, enabling it to deliver end-to-end card acquiring for merchants across online, in-person, and omnichannel channels. Its product portfolio spans core payment processing, POS terminals (SUNMI and Castles hardware lines), payment gateway services with Hosted Checkout and Virtual Terminal, and value-added modules including Anytime Settlement (up to 8 same-day settlement windows), Account Updater, Direct Send instant payouts to Visa cards, Network Tokens, 3D Secure V2.2, and the Cashflows Portal for real-time transaction management. The company also offers Cashflows Advance (alternative business financing for SMEs) and Cashflows Shift (PayFac-as-a-Service with BIN sponsorship, launched November 2025 to serve fintechs).
Cashflows generates revenue primarily through transaction-based fees charged on an interchange++ or blended-cost basis, with additional streams from gateway service fees, network token event charges, FX margin on multicurrency settlement, and PayFac-as-a-Service fees. Its go-to-market combines direct field sales for enterprise merchants with a partnership-led model spanning ISOs, ISVs, sector associations (notably BDIA for UK dental practices), and fintech partners (Blink Payment, SplitPay, Acquired.com, CASH4UNOW). AI systems underpin merchant onboarding (over 80% of applications processed within 24 hours) and risk/fraud decisioning. The company serves merchants across retail, insurance, financial services, veterinary, dental, and fintech verticals in the UK and EEA.
Cashflows is privately held with no disclosed institutional investors or funding rounds, operates from London (registered offices at Hanover Square and St Bride Street) and Venray in the Netherlands, and employs 101-250 staff. Leadership includes CEO Hannah Fitzsimons, founder Nick Ogden, CFO Julian Leigh, Group CTO Mat Peck, and COO Helen Smith. Its core strategic focus is dual: maintaining regulatory-anchored acquiring infrastructure for direct merchants while building an embedded-payments ecosystem (Shift, partnerships with fumopay, Boodil, GoCardless, BDIA) to extend reach into fintech and vertical-specific markets.
CashFlows firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CashFlows
- Legal name
- Cashflows Europe Limited
- Website
- https://cashflows.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2006
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Cashflows is a UK- and EEA-regulated payment acquiring platform providing card processing, POS, gateway, and PayFac-as-a-Service solutions to merchants and fintechs across retail, insurance, financial services, dental, and veterinary verticals.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
CashFlows industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Payment Processing & Merchant Acquiring
- NAICS
- Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (52232), Sales Financing (522220)
- SIC
- Miscellaneous Business Credit Institution (6159), Short-Term Business Credit Institutions (6153)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Embedded Payments (Pay-ins, Pay-outs, Wallets) (FSAGALAB)
Keywords
Where CashFlows is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cambridge
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
CashFlows business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Merchant Acquiring / Transaction Processing: Cashflows generates revenue primarily through transaction fees charged to merchants for card payment processing services. Fees are charged on an 'interchange ++' basis (interchange fees + scheme fees + transaction fee margin) or a blended cost basis. Transaction fees include fixed fees per transaction and variable scheme/interchange pass-throughs.
- Payment Gateway Services: Fees for gateway services providing communication network to transfer transaction information between merchant online stores and Cashflows payment processing system. Gateway Services Fees are charged as part of the pricing plan.
- Cashflows Advance (Alternative Business Financing): Alternative business financing product providing SME funding, generating revenue through interest and financing fees on advances extended to merchants.
- Network Token Services: Fees for Network Token Processing, Request Cryptogram creation, and Token Life Cycle Management — charged for all token and cryptogram creation and usage events whether successful, failed, or requiring additional handling.
- Cashflows Multicurrency Payment: Currency conversion margin applied to cross-currency settlement, generating revenue from the spread between mid-market exchange rates (Oanda benchmark) and rates applied to merchants.
- Shift PayFac-as-a-Service: Revenue from enabling fintechs and businesses to become payment facilitators under Cashflows acquiring infrastructure, generating fees for BIN sponsorship and merchant acquiring services.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Monthly | Interchange ++ pricing model |
| Hybrid | Monthly | Blended cost pricing model |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Monthly | Minimum Monthly Service Charge (MMSC) |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Monthly | Network Token Fees |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels8 records
Marketing channels8 records
CashFlows product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CashFlows is a payment acquiring and processing platform that enables merchants to accept card payments across online, in-person, and omnichannel channels under FCA (UK) and DNB (EEA) regulatory licences, with direct principal membership in Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, UnionPay International, and JCB. Its core product suite spans Payment Processing, a Payment Gateway, In-Person Payments with POS terminals (SUNMI P3, P2 SE, P3 Mix and Castles terminals), Cashflows Shift PayFac-as-a-Service with BIN sponsorship for fintechs, and Cashflows Advance alternative business financing for SMEs.
Product overview
Cashflows is a UK-based fintech payment platform offering a comprehensive payment processing ecosystem with three core service areas: Payment Processing (card acceptance), In-Person Payments (POS terminals), and Payment Gateway (online payments). The platform is built around its payment acquiring infrastructure with configurable settlement options and a partnership-led approach. Key products include Fast Onboarding (AI-supported merchant onboarding), Cashflows Advance (business financing), and Shift (PayFac as a Service for fintechs). Additional modules cover Anytime Settlement, Account Updater, Direct Send (instant payouts), 3D Secure, Network Tokens, Cashflows Portal, and various online payment tools (Hosted Checkout, Virtual Terminal, Click to Pay). The company also provides sector-specific solutions for retail, insurance, financial services, veterinary, and dental industries.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Cashflows Shift: PayFac as a Service solution enabling companies to operate like acquirers with BIN sponsorship, launched November 2025 targeting fintechs.
- Cashflows Advance
- PayCheckout
Products and services
- Payment Processing Core merchant card payment processing service for businesses, providing fast, secure, and easy transaction processing through Cashflows' acquiring platform under FCA (UK) and DNB (EEA) licensing.
- Payment Gateway Online payment gateway for merchants to take card payments on websites, including hosted checkout, virtual terminal, pay-by-link, REST API integration, and Cashflows Portal real-time transaction data.
- In-Person Payments Point-of-sale payment solutions offering card machines and terminals (SUNMI P3, SUNMI P2 SE, SUNMI P3 Mix, Castles Vega countertop, Castles Vega 3000 Mobile, Castles Saturn 1000 F2) for taking card payments in person.
- Cashflows Shift (PayFac-as-a-Service) PayFac-as-a-Service platform for fintechs and businesses, integrating payment facilitator capabilities with BIN sponsorship so companies can offer merchant acquiring under Cashflows licences without taking on direct acquiring regulation.
- Cashflows Advance Alternative business financing product providing UK SME funding; Cashflows generates revenue from interest and financing fees on advances extended to merchants.
- Fast Onboarding AI-supported merchant onboarding tool that processes over 80% of applications inside 24 hours, giving merchants and partners control over customer application submissions.
- Omnichannel Unified commerce solution enabling businesses to accept payments across all channels including online, in-person, and mobile, with consistent reporting through the Cashflows Portal.
- Cashflows Multicurrency Payment Foreign currency conversion service enabling merchants to trade in their processing currency of choice and settle transactions in a currency and bank account of the merchant's choosing, using the Oanda mid-market rate benchmark.
- Retail Payment Solutions Card payment solutions tailored for retailers including ecommerce, grocery, furniture and household businesses needing in-person and online acceptance.
- Insurance Payment Processing Card payment processing solutions for insurance companies, brokers and MGAs with support for recurring billing on premiums and renewals and payouts for claims.
- Financial Services Payments Payment solutions for financial services businesses including recurring billing for subscriptions and payout capabilities for BNPL, lenders, treasury, and payment facilitators.
- Veterinary Payments Card payment systems for veterinary practices supporting in-person payments at clinics and recurring payment plans for ongoing pet care.
- Dental Payment Systems Card payment systems for UK dental practices with support for patient prepayments and recurring payment plans, distributed via the BDIA partnership.
- SUNMI P3 POS Terminal POS terminal hardware offered by Cashflows for seamless, secure and speedy in-person card payments.
- SUNMI P2 SE POS Terminal Smart POS terminal running Android OS for in-person card payments.
- SUNMI P3 Mix POS Terminal All-in-one POS solution combining multiple payment capabilities for businesses accepting cards in person.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 80% of merchant applications processed inside 24 hours through AI-supported Fast Onboarding
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use CashFlows
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles6 records
CashFlows technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration6 records
AI capability2 records
Feature10 records
CashFlows partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- British Dental Industry Association (BDIA)coreCashflows partnered with BDIA to provide purpose-built payment services for UK dental practices, replacing outdated legacy merchant systems. The solution features AI-supported fast onboarding, real-time transaction data through the Cashflows Portal, and PCI-compliant security tailored to handle complex billing, patient prepayments, and recurring payment plans. BDIA offers Cashflows through its Business Services portfolio, targeting dental operators across the UK.
- fumopaycoreCashflows partnered with fumopay to launch an instant payout solution. The collaboration enables Cashflows merchants to offer instant payouts to their customers via fumopay's payout infrastructure.
- BoodilcoreCashflows partnered with Boodil to bring card payment capabilities to UK e-commerce merchants ahead of the Golden Quarter (peak shopping season). The collaboration aimed to support merchants during peak trading.
- GoCardlesscoreCashflows teamed up with GoCardless to transform business payouts, enabling merchants to access GoCardless Direct Debit capabilities through Cashflows' platform for recurring collection and payout services.
- Blink PaymentcoreBlink Payment selected Cashflows as its acquiring partner to enhance payment capabilities across financial, legal, and trade sectors. Cashflows provides the underlying acquiring infrastructure for Blink Payment's sector-specific payment solutions.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
CashFlows competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Dojo: UK-based card payment acquirer serving SMBs with countertop, mobile, and online payment acceptance plus settlement tools. Directly comparable to Cashflows as a UK-focused acquirer targeting SMB merchants through partnership and direct channels.
- SumUp: European-headquartered payment acquirer offering card readers, online payments, and merchant accounts to SMBs across multiple markets. Comparable to Cashflows' SMB acquiring model with similar product breadth across in-person and online acceptance.
- Takepayments: UK-based card payment acquirer serving SMBs with countertop, mobile, online, and recurring payment solutions. Directly comparable to Cashflows as a UK acquirer targeting SMB merchants with similar product breadth and partnership-led distribution.
Broad incumbents
- Elavon: Global merchant acquiring and payment processing division of U.S. Bancorp, serving enterprise and SMB merchants across multiple geographies. Comparable to Cashflows in omnichannel card acceptance and acquiring services, though with broader geographic coverage.
- Adyen: Unified global payments platform providing card acquiring, gateway, and processing for omnichannel merchants. Closely comparable to Cashflows' omnichannel acquiring proposition with multi-currency settlement, though serving a much larger enterprise customer base.
- Worldpay: Large-scale global merchant acquirer and payment processor serving enterprise and SMB merchants. Comparable to Cashflows in core card acquiring and gateway services, though at materially greater scale and with broader geographic and scheme coverage.
- Checkout.com: Global payment acquirer focused on enterprise merchants and digital-first businesses with omnichannel processing and developer APIs. Comparable to Cashflows' omnichannel, API-first acquiring proposition, particularly for fintech and digital merchants.
- Stripe: Global payments platform offering card acquiring, gateway, and embedded finance infrastructure for online and in-person payments. Comparable to Cashflows across merchant acquiring and developer-led API integration, but at vastly greater scale and geographic reach.
- Fiserv (Clover/First Data): Global merchant acquiring and financial technology provider offering card processing, POS systems, and value-added services. Comparable to Cashflows in core acquiring and omnichannel proposition, operating at much greater scale.
- Square (Block): Payments platform providing card acceptance hardware, software, and merchant acquiring to SMBs. Comparable to Cashflows' in-person and online payment offering for smaller merchants, with significant additional software and lending adjacencies.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
CashFlows social profiles
Digital presenceCashFlows compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
CashFlows financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CashFlows leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
CashFlows funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CashFlows M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments1 record
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about CashFlows
What does CashFlows do?
CashFlows is a payment acquiring and processing platform that enables merchants to accept card payments across online, in-person, and omnichannel channels under FCA (UK) and DNB (EEA) regulatory licences, with direct principal membership in Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, UnionPay International, and JCB. Its core product suite spans Payment Processing, a Payment Gateway, In-Person Payments with POS terminals (SUNMI P3, P2 SE, P3 Mix and Castles terminals), Cashflows Shift PayFac-as-a-Service with BIN sponsorship for fintechs, and Cashflows Advance alternative business financing for SMEs.
Is CashFlows a public or private company?
CashFlows is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was CashFlows founded?
CashFlows was founded in 2006. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is CashFlows based?
CashFlows is headquartered in Cambridge, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does CashFlows make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Merchant Acquiring / Transaction Processing is the primary driver. The others are payment Gateway Services, cashflows Advance (Alternative Business Financing), network Token Services, cashflows Multicurrency Payment and shift PayFac-as-a-Service.
Who are CashFlows's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Dojo, SumUp and Takepayments. Broad incumbents are Elavon, Adyen, Worldpay, Checkout.com, Stripe, Fiserv (Clover/First Data) and Square (Block).
Does CashFlows have an API?
Yes. Cashflows provides a REST API using JSON for payment gateway integration. The API uses standard HTTP response codes and familiar verbs for simple and consistent development. Developers can send requests to process online payments, manage transactions, and access payment data through the gateway. Developer documentation is at developer.cashflows.com/api_reference/api_reference_overview.html.
What industry is CashFlows in?
CashFlows's product category is Payment Processing & Merchant Acquiring. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAGALAB, Embedded Payments (Pay-ins, Pay-outs, Wallets). Its NAICS code is 52232 and its SIC code is 6159.