Payfirma
Payfirma, operating as KORT Payments, is a Canada-based multi-channel payment processor offering the PayHQ platform for authorization, settlement, and funding, serving ISOs, ISVs, and SMB-to-enterprise merchants across North America.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersVancouver, Canada
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Payfirma does
Payfirma, operating under the consumer-facing brand KORT Payments, is a Canada-based payment processor founded in 2011 that provides a multi-channel payment platform for mobile, ecommerce, and in-store transactions. The company's core product is PayHQ, an end-to-end payment solution that handles authorization, settlement, and funding through a single merchant number, complemented by invoicing, recurring billing, dashboard reporting, a partner portal with white-label capabilities, and dual-pricing (cash discount and surcharge) programs. A gateway and APIs serve developers through developer.payfirma.com, supporting ISV embedded-payment use cases.
KORT's go-to-market targets three primary segments: Independent Sales Organizations (ISOs) and agent partners reselling payment services, Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) embedding payments via APIs and SDKs, and direct merchants ranging from SMB through enterprise. Distribution is partner-first across North America, with US coverage enabled through registered ISO sponsorships with Woodforest National Bank (TX) and Chesapeake Bank (VA). Recent strategic activity has emphasized embedded-payments partnerships (Tilled Inc., 2025) and AI-powered cash-management technology (Paythings Smart Safe, 2026).
The company operates transaction-based and subscription revenue streams. Disclosed institutional funding totals approximately $23M across rounds from 2011 to 2015, led by Dundee Capital Markets. Operational scale, per company-stated metrics, includes thousands of merchants, millions of transactions, and billions of dollars in payment volume processed across Canada and the United States.
Payfirma firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Payfirma
- Legal name
- Payfirma
- Website
- https://payfirma.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Payfirma, operating as KORT Payments, is a Canada-based multi-channel payment processor offering the PayHQ platform for authorization, settlement, and funding, serving ISOs, ISVs, and SMB-to-enterprise merchants across North America.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Payfirma industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Payment Processing
- NAICS
- Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (522320)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Merchant-of-Record (MoR) & Payment Facilitation (PayFac) Infrastructure (FSAGABAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Embedded Payments (Pay-ins, Pay-outs, Wallets) (FSAGALAB), Marketplace / Platform Acquiring (PayFac & Sub-Merchant Management) (FSAMABAF), Recurring Billing & Subscription Payments Enablement (FSAMACAF), Bill Pay, Invoicing & Payables Platforms (BPAMAFAF)
Keywords
Where Payfirma is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Vancouver
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Payfirma business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Payment Processing Services: Transaction-based fees charged to merchants for processing credit card and payment transactions. The company earns a percentage or per-transaction fee on every payment processed through its platform.
- Platform/Subscription Services: PayHQ platform services including invoicing, recurring billing, and merchant account management. Likely includes subscription or monthly fees for platform access.
- Dual Pricing Programs: Cash discount and surcharge programs that provide compliant pricing options for merchants, generating additional revenue streams.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Monthly | Standard Solution |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Monthly | Integrated Solution |
| Hybrid | Multi-year contract | Custom Solution |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels3 records
Payfirma product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Payfirma operates the PayHQ end-to-end payment platform, providing merchants with multi-channel payment acceptance (in-store, online, and mobile) along with back-office tools for reporting, chargeback management, and recurring billing. The company extends this platform to Independent Sales Organizations (ISOs) and Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) via white-label and embedded payment offerings, and supports dual-pricing programs. The business is also associated with the KORT Payments brand.
Product overview
Payfirma operates KORT Payments as its consumer-facing brand, offering a unified payment platform. The core product is PayHQ, an end-to-end payment platform that handles the full transaction lifecycle including authorization, settlement, and funding. PayHQ enables merchants to accept payments in-person and online, with features like invoicing, recurring billing, and seamless integrations—all on one platform with a single merchant number. The platform is complemented by gateway and API access for developers, a white-label partner portal, and dashboard and reporting tools for performance monitoring.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- PayHQ: A robust, end-to-end payment solution that handles authorization, settlement, and funding. Enables merchants to accept payments in-person and online, with features like invoicing, recurring billing, and seamless integrations—all on one platform, with a single merchant number.
Companies that use Payfirma
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Payfirma technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
Payfirma partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- PaythingscoreKORT Payments partnered with Paythings to modernize cash handling for retailers. The AI-powered platform replaces manual cash management and outdated logistics with real-time visibility and next-day deposit capabilities, providing lower costs and faster access to funds.
- Tilled Inc.coreStrategic partnership to deliver a unified embedded payments experience to ISVs across North America. The partnership combines KORT's payment infrastructure with Tilled's embedded payments platform.
- Woodforest National BankcoreKORT Payments is a registered ISO (Independent Sales Organization) of Woodforest National Bank, The Woodlands, TX. This banking partnership enables the company to offer payment processing services in the US.
- Chesapeake BankcoreKORT Payments is a registered ISO of Chesapeake Bank, Kilmarnock, VA. This banking partnership provides additional infrastructure for US payment processing services.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Payfirma competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Clover Network (Fiserv): Fiserv-owned SMB POS and payment processing platform distributed heavily through ISOs and bank partners. Closest incumbent analog to KORT's ISO-channel go-to-market.
- Square (Block): Large incumbent offering SMB POS, payment processing, software, and banking. Overlaps with KORT in multi-channel SMB acceptance and developer APIs but at much greater scale and capital base.
- Stripe: Global payment processor with deep developer APIs, embedded payments, and platform products. Overlaps with KORT's gateway, ISV/embedded, and API-first positioning; significantly larger and better-capitalized.
Direct peers
- Helcim: Canadian-headquartered SMB payment processor offering multi-channel acceptance, transparent interchange-plus pricing, and developer APIs. Most direct geographic and product comparable to KORT/Payfirma.
- Stax (formerly Fattmerchant): Subscription-based payment processor targeting SMBs and ISVs/ISOs with interchange-plus pricing and embedded payment APIs. Closely mirrors KORT's partner-led, transparent-pricing model.
- Finix: Payments infrastructure provider enabling software platforms and marketplaces to embed payments and accept money as a PayFac. Directly comparable to KORT's ISV/embedded payments motion, including the Tilled-aligned strategy.
- Tilled: PayFac-as-a-Service platform purpose-built for ISVs to embed payments. Now a strategic partner of KORT but overlapping functionally on ISV distribution and PayFac infrastructure.
- NMI: Payment gateway and orchestration provider powering ISVs, ISOs, and integrated software vendors. Directly comparable to KORT's gateway/API offering and partner-channel focus.
- USA ePay: Payment gateway and merchant services provider serving SMBs, ISOs, and software developers with API-driven integrations. Strong product overlap with KORT's gateway and developer tooling.
- Payment Depot: SMB-focused payment processor with interchange-plus pricing and multi-channel acceptance. Competes head-to-head in the SMB and ISO segment KORT serves.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Payfirma social profiles
Digital presencePayfirma financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Payfirma leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Payfirma funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds8 records
Investors5 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Payfirma M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Payfirma
What does Payfirma do?
Payfirma operates the PayHQ end-to-end payment platform, providing merchants with multi-channel payment acceptance (in-store, online, and mobile) along with back-office tools for reporting, chargeback management, and recurring billing. The company extends this platform to Independent Sales Organizations (ISOs) and Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) via white-label and embedded payment offerings, and supports dual-pricing programs. The business is also associated with the KORT Payments brand.
Is Payfirma a public or private company?
Payfirma is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Payfirma founded?
Payfirma was founded in 2011. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Payfirma based?
Payfirma is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Payfirma make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Payment Processing Services are the primary driver. The others are platform/Subscription Services and dual Pricing Programs.
Who are Payfirma's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Clover Network (Fiserv), Square (Block) and Stripe. Direct peers are Helcim, Stax (formerly Fattmerchant), Finix, Tilled, NMI, USA ePay and Payment Depot.
Does Payfirma have an API?
Yes. Payfirma offers gateway and APIs through developer.payfirma.com. The developer portal provides clean APIs, SDKs, and detailed reference materials for building payment integrations. Developer documentation is at developer.payfirma.com.
What industry is Payfirma in?
Payfirma's product category is Payment Processing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAGABAE, Merchant-of-Record (MoR) & Payment Facilitation (PayFac) Infrastructure, with a secondary code of FSAGALAB, Embedded Payments (Pay-ins, Pay-outs, Wallets). Its NAICS code is 522320 and its SIC code is 7372.