High Risk Holdings
High Risk Holdings is a privately held US payment processor founded in 2015 that provides card-not-present, ACH, eCheck, and PIN-debit processing plus chargeback and fraud management to high-risk merchants across cannabis, adult, tech support, gaming, and similar verticals.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersBerkeley, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What High Risk Holdings does
High Risk Holdings is a US-based, privately held payment processing company founded in 2015 that specializes in serving card-not-present merchants in verticals traditional acquirers decline, including cannabis and CBD, adult entertainment, tech support, online dating, jet charter, nutraceuticals, online gaming, and bail bonds. The company is headquartered in Laguna Niguel, California (with a Berkeley mailing address), operates with 11-50 employees, and reports a cumulative customer base exceeding 152,000 merchants worldwide. Its core platform functions as a Payment Facilitator (PayFac) that combines merchant onboarding, sub-merchant management, PCI-DSS- and NACHA-compliant transaction processing, ACH and eCheck acceptance, virtual terminal and mobile payment capture, and a PIN-based debit rail purpose-built for the cannabis industry.
The product portfolio centers on a suite of twelve interconnected payment modules, anchored by a Chargeback Security service that uses AI and machine learning for fraud detection, dispute documentation, and reimbursement. Distribution is dual-track: a direct sales motion staffed by Certified Payments Professionals who run consultation, underwriting, and onboarding for higher-risk merchants, alongside an ISV Partner Program and native integrations with Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, OpenCart, PrestaShop, and Magento for SMB and mid-market reach. The company monetizes primarily through per-transaction processing fees on card, ACH, and eCheck rails, supplemented by recurring merchant-account and managed chargeback service fees under a custom, quote-based pricing model. Strategic card-network relationships (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, UnionPay) and ACH network connectivity underpin its global acceptance claim, while AML and NACHA compliance frameworks address the regulatory complexity of restricted verticals.
High Risk Holdings firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- High Risk Holdings
- Legal name
- High Risk Holdings
- Website
- https://highriskholdings.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- High Risk Holdings is a privately held US payment processor founded in 2015 that provides card-not-present, ACH, eCheck, and PIN-debit processing plus chargeback and fraud management to high-risk merchants across cannabis, adult, tech support, gaming, and similar verticals.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
High Risk Holdings industry classification
Industry- Product category
- High-Risk Payment Processing Services
- NAICS
- Finance and Insurance (52)
- SIC
- Finance Services (6199)
- akta.pro primary industry
- High-Risk / Specialty Merchant Acquirers (FSAMABAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Merchant Risk, Underwriting & Portfolio Monitoring (FSAMALAH), Payments Fraud & Chargeback Prevention (HDADALAE), Card & Alternative Payment Processing (PSPs, Acquirers, Aggregators) (MPAEALAA)
Keywords
Where High Risk Holdings is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Berkeley
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
High Risk Holdings business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Payment Processing Services: Transaction-based revenue from processing credit card, debit card, and digital wallet payments for high-risk merchants. The company earns fees per transaction processed through their platform.
- High-Risk Merchant Account Services: Revenue from providing specialized merchant accounts for high-risk industries including adult products, cannabis, tech support, and other sectors with elevated chargeback and fraud risks.
- ACH and eCheck Processing: Fees from processing direct bank transfers and electronic checks, offering lower transaction costs compared to credit cards for high-risk merchants.
- Payment Facilitator (PayFac) Services: Revenue from enabling sub-merchants to process payments through the company's platform, including onboarding, risk management, and compliance tools.
- Chargeback Management Services: Fees for chargeback protection, prevention tools, and dispute management services that help merchants reduce chargeback losses.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Custom pricing based on business needs and risk profile |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels5 records
High Risk Holdings product offering
Product offeringCore offering
High Risk Holdings is a payment processor that specializes in providing merchant accounts and electronic payment processing for card-not-present merchants in high-risk industries such as cannabis, adult, tech support, online gaming, nutraceuticals, dating, bail bonds, and jet charter. The company delivers a PCI-compliant platform with fraud detection, chargeback protection, ACH/eCheck processing, virtual terminals, mobile/wireless payments, and a Payment Facilitator (PayFac) program for sub-merchant onboarding.
Product overview
High Risk Holdings operates as a specialized payment processing platform designed for high-risk industries. The company offers a comprehensive suite of 12 interconnected payment solutions organized around a core Payment Facilitator (PayFac) model. The product portfolio centers on the PayFac platform, which enables fast merchant onboarding and sub-merchant management, supplemented by specialized solutions including Chargeback Security (fraud detection and dispute management), E-Commerce Payment Solutions, eCheck Processing, ACH Processing, Virtual Terminal, and Wireless Mobile Payment Solutions. Industry-specific verticals include PIN-Based Payment for Cannabis, plus dedicated solutions for Adult Products, Bail Bonds, Dating Sites, Jet Charter, Nutraceuticals, Online Gaming, and Tech Support industries. The ISV Partner Program enables software vendors to integrate via API. The platform emphasizes PCI compliance, fraud protection, and chargeback mitigation across all product offerings.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- High-Risk Merchant Account Services Specialized merchant account services tailored for high-risk industries (adult, cannabis, tech support, nutraceuticals, dating, gaming, bail bonds, jet charter), featuring 99% approval rate, PCI DSS compliance, AML compliance, fraud detection, and chargeback management.
- Chargeback Security Chargeback protection and fraud prevention service for high-risk merchants, including chargeback management, dispute resolution, reimbursement options, AI-driven fraud detection, AVS, and 3D Secure authentication to protect revenue.
- Payment Facilitator (PayFac) Platform Payment Facilitator platform that enables businesses and ISVs to onboard sub-merchants seamlessly, manage PCI compliance and risk, and process payments through a single platform with a powerful integration API.
- E-Commerce Payment Solutions Secure online payment processing platform for high-risk e-commerce businesses supporting global payments in multiple currencies, with fraud detection and chargeback management tools, and pre-built integrations for BigCommerce, WooCommerce, Shopify, OpenCart, PrestaShop, and Magento.
- Online Payment Processing High-risk online payment software platform for merchants needing global payment acceptance in multiple currencies with real-time fraud detection and advanced chargeback management.
- eCheck Processing Electronic check payment processing solution enabling businesses to accept ACH payments with lower transaction fees than credit cards, compliant with NACHA standards.
- ACH Processing Automated Clearing House payment processing solution for high-risk merchants, enabling direct bank account transfers with lower fees, faster settlement, and full NACHA compliance.
- Virtual Terminal Online interface enabling merchants to manually process credit card, debit card, and ACH payments securely via phone, mail, or internet-connected device without a physical card reader.
- Wireless Mobile Payment Solutions Mobile payment processing platform allowing businesses to accept secure payments using smartphones and tablets without wired connections, supporting credit cards, debit cards, and contactless payments.
- In-Store Retail Payment Solutions Point-of-sale payment processing system for retail businesses, offering fast, secure transactions with seamless POS integration and real-time sales reporting.
- PIN-Based Payment for Cannabis Secure PIN-based payment solution specifically designed for the cannabis industry, running on debit rails rather than credit card rails to ensure regulatory compliance and avoid shutdowns.
- ISV Partner Program Partnership program providing independent software vendors access to APIs, integration tools, co-marketing opportunities, and dedicated support for embedding High Risk Holdings payment solutions into their software platforms.
Quantifiable outcome
- Trusted by over 152,000 customers worldwide
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use High Risk Holdings
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments8 records
Ideal customer profiles9 records
High Risk Holdings technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration6 records
AI capability1 record
Feature8 records
High Risk Holdings partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Major Card NetworkscoreStrategic relationships with Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, and UnionPay enabling acceptance of all major payment card types across global networks.
- ACH NetworkcorePartnership with ACH network for electronic fund transfers, enabling lower-cost alternative to credit card processing with NACHA compliance.
- Digital Wallet ProviderscoreIntegration with digital wallet payment methods including support for secure digital wallet transactions alongside traditional card payments.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
High Risk Holdings competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Durango Merchant Services: Durango Merchant Services is a direct competitor focused on high-risk merchant accounts and payment processing for cannabis, adult, and nutraceuticals — the same verticals High Risk Holdings targets, with similar underwriting and chargeback tooling.
- PaymentCloud: PaymentCloud is a high-risk merchant acquirer offering card-not-present processing, chargeback management, and gateway services across restricted MCCs; competes head-to-head with High Risk Holdings for SMB high-risk merchant accounts.
- eMerchantBroker (EMB): EMB provides high-risk merchant processing, offshore processing, and chargeback mitigation for verticals including adult, CBD, and tech support — a near-mirror of High Risk Holdings' go-to-market.
- PayKings: PayKings specializes in high-risk merchant accounts for online gaming, adult, and nutraceuticals with a similar consultative sales motion and approval-focused value proposition.
- Instabill: Instabill is a long-standing high-risk and international merchant account provider with comparable verticals, chargeback tools, and offshore processing options for restricted industries.
Broad incumbents
- Nuvei: Nuvei is a publicly listed payments specialist serving online gaming, adult, and high-risk e-commerce at scale; overlaps with High Risk Holdings' verticals but operates a much larger global infrastructure.
- Square (Block): Block operates mainstream SMB payments with broad eCommerce integrations (Shopify, WooCommerce, etc.); while it serves fewer restricted verticals, it competes for the long tail of merchants that fall just below High Risk Holdings' risk threshold.
- Stripe: Stripe is a dominant mainstream payments and PayFac platform with developer-friendly APIs and broad eCommerce integrations; its restricted-business list shapes which merchants overflow to High Risk Holdings.
- Authorize.Net: Authorize.Net (a Visa solution) is a mainstream payment gateway with virtual terminal and fraud tools; it represents the scale incumbent that High Risk Holdings positions against for high-risk merchants.
Emerging players
- CanPay: CanPay is a cannabis-specialized debit-based payments network analogous to High Risk Holdings' PIN-based cannabis solution; competes directly for cannabis dispensary payment volume.
Market position
Strengths1 record
Weaknesses1 record
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
High Risk Holdings social profiles
Digital presenceHigh Risk Holdings compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
High Risk Holdings financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
High Risk Holdings leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
High Risk Holdings funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
High Risk Holdings 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 High Risk Holdings
What does High Risk Holdings do?
High Risk Holdings is a payment processor that specializes in providing merchant accounts and electronic payment processing for card-not-present merchants in high-risk industries such as cannabis, adult, tech support, online gaming, nutraceuticals, dating, bail bonds, and jet charter. The company delivers a PCI-compliant platform with fraud detection, chargeback protection, ACH/eCheck processing, virtual terminals, mobile/wireless payments, and a Payment Facilitator (PayFac) program for sub-merchant onboarding.
Is High Risk Holdings a public or private company?
High Risk Holdings is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was High Risk Holdings founded?
High Risk Holdings was founded in 2015. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is High Risk Holdings based?
High Risk Holdings is headquartered in Berkeley, United States, in the North America region.
How does High Risk Holdings make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Payment Processing Services are the primary driver. The others are high-Risk Merchant Account Services, ACH and eCheck Processing, payment Facilitator (PayFac) Services and chargeback Management Services.
Who are High Risk Holdings's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Durango Merchant Services, PaymentCloud, eMerchantBroker (EMB), PayKings and Instabill. Broad incumbents are Nuvei, Square (Block), Stripe and Authorize.Net. CanPay is listed as an emerging player.
Does High Risk Holdings have an API?
Yes. High Risk Holdings offers an API for payment integration. The PayFac solution features seamless integration with a powerful API that enables sub-merchants to onboard quickly and process payments. The API provides quick integration capabilities for merchants and partners to embed payment processing into their platforms.
What industry is High Risk Holdings in?
High Risk Holdings's product category is High-Risk Payment Processing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAMABAE, High-Risk / Specialty Merchant Acquirers, with a secondary code of FSAMALAH, Merchant Risk, Underwriting & Portfolio Monitoring. Its NAICS code is 52 and its SIC code is 6199.