High Risk Holdings

High-Risk Payment Processing Serviceshighriskholdings.com

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

High-risk payment processing
Merchant account services
Chargeback management solutions
Payment facilitator platform
ACH processing services

Where High Risk Holdings is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

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 offering

Core 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 profile

Named customers2 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles9 records

High Risk Holdings technology and API

Technology

Technology 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 signal

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

Major Card NetworkscoreTechnology or IntegrationStrategic relationships with Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, and UnionPay enabling acceptance of all major payment card types across global networks.
ACH NetworkcoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership with ACH network for electronic fund transfers, enabling lower-cost alternative to credit card processing with NACHA compliance.
Digital Wallet ProviderscoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration 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 assessment

Direct 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 compliance and trust

Trust signal

Compliance3 records

High Risk Holdings financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

High Risk Holdings leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

High Risk Holdings funding detail

Funding detail

Funding 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 investment

M&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?

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.