Clearhaus Holding A/S
Clearhaus is a Danish payment institution and Visa/Mastercard Principal Member providing API-first merchant acquiring services to over 42,000 European e-commerce SMBs, with recent expansion into POS acquiring and Payment Facilitator solutions under Unzer Group ownership.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersAarhus, Denmark
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Clearhaus Holding A/S does
Clearhaus Holding A/S, operating through its subsidiary Clearhaus A/S, is a Danish payment institution and merchant acquirer founded in 2011 and headquartered in Aarhus, Denmark. The company is authorized by the Danish Financial Supervisory Authority (Finanstilsynet) as a pan-European Payment Institution and is a Principal Member of both Visa and Mastercard, enabling it to provide end-to-end acquiring services without reliance on a sponsor bank in its core markets. Since onboarding its first customer in March 2015, Clearhaus has scaled to serve more than 42,000 webshops across at least 14 European countries as of January 2026, with localized operations in English, Danish, German, Norwegian, Swedish, Polish, Romanian, Slovak, and Finnish. The company has been a subsidiary of Unzer Group since January 2021.
Clearhaus's product portfolio centers on merchant acquiring services for online card payments, extended by POS acquiring (launched 2025-2026 in partnership with Verifone), a Payment Facilitator (PayFac) solution for licensed platforms (March 2026), and a broad feature set including conditional 3-D Secure, automated chargeback management, automated account reconciliation, recurring transactions, dynamic descriptors, and fraud detection. The technical foundation is an API-first platform with a Merchant API, Gateway API for PSPs, sandbox environments, and support for Visa Direct, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and MobilePay, with settlement available in 11 currencies (DKK, EUR, GBP, NOK, SEK, USD, CZK, HUF, PLN, RON, CHF). Clearhaus holds PCI DSS, GDPR, and PSD2 compliance certifications.
Clearhaus generates revenue primarily through transaction fees — 1.45% on locally issued consumer cards in Germany and from 2.75% on business and foreign-issued cards, with a minimum per-transaction fee and no setup or monthly fees. The go-to-market is API-first self-service (1-3 working day onboarding) supplemented by a channel network of approximately 90 payment gateways and PSPs across Europe, with named partners including PensoPay, ANYDAY, Frisbii, Reepay, Payfunc, team.blue, Payrexx, PaynoPain, Terminal.fo, GR8PAY, and Quickpay. The customer base is horizontally diversified across e-commerce SMBs and includes enterprise logos such as Boozt, DAO, Qliro, DBU, and Fastspeed.
Clearhaus Holding A/S firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Clearhaus Holding A/S
- Legal name
- Clearhaus A/S
- Website
- https://clearhaus.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Clearhaus is a Danish payment institution and Visa/Mastercard Principal Member providing API-first merchant acquiring services to over 42,000 European e-commerce SMBs, with recent expansion into POS acquiring and Payment Facilitator solutions under Unzer Group ownership.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Clearhaus Holding A/S industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Merchant Acquiring & Payment Processing
- akta.pro primary industry
- Merchant Acquiring Banks & ISO/MSP Acquirers (FSAMABAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Card Clearing & Settlement (Interchange, Network Settlement) (FSABAJAJ)
Keywords
Where Clearhaus Holding A/S is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Aarhus
- HQ country
- Denmark
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Clearhaus Holding A/S business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Transaction Processing Fees: Clearhaus generates revenue primarily through transaction fees charged as a percentage of each payment processed plus a fixed per-transaction fee. For locally issued consumer cards in Germany, the rate is 1.45% with a minimum of €0.20 per transaction. Business cards and foreign-issued cards are charged from 2.75% with a minimum of €0.40. The company does not charge set-up fees or monthly fees.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Locally issued consumer cards - Inside Germany |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Business cards and foreign issued cards - Outside Germany |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Clearhaus Holding A/S product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Clearhaus is a pan-European payment institution and merchant acquirer that enables online and in-store businesses to accept Visa and Mastercard card payments. As a Visa and Mastercard Principal Member, Clearhaus provides merchant accounts, transaction processing, settlement services, fraud and chargeback management, multi-currency support, and a RESTful Merchant API, with merchant onboarding typically completed within 1-3 working days and no setup or monthly fees.
Product overview
Clearhaus is a Danish payment institution and acquirer providing a unified commerce payment platform. The core offering consists of merchant acquiring services for online businesses, supplemented by POS acquiring for physical retail locations and a Payment Facilitator solution enabling platforms to become sub-acquirers. The product portfolio includes payment security features (Conditional 3-D Secure, Fraud Detection), payment method integrations (Apple Pay, Google Pay, MobilePay), multi-currency support, automated back-office features (Chargeback Management, Account Reconciliation, Recurring Transactions), and a comprehensive Merchant API for developer integration.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- Merchants can onboard and start processing payments within 1-3 working days
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Clearhaus Holding A/S
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Clearhaus Holding A/S technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature11 records
Clearhaus Holding A/S partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- VerifonecoreAs part of the wider Unzer-Verifone partnership, Clearhaus merchants gain access to complete payment solutions from payment terminals to cashier software. Merchants benefit from faster implementation, simplified operations, and a smoother shopping experience. Verifone contributes its innovative terminals and payment apps.
- PensoPayminorPensoPay is a payment gateway partner. According to PensoPay COO Danny Christensen, they waited patiently for an acquirer like Clearhaus. Their previous acquirer took 2-3 weeks to process applications, but Clearhaus does it in less than 24 hours.
- ANYDAYminorANYDAY is a payment gateway partner. According to COO Kenneth Ahlquist, they are incredibly satisfied with the partnership. From day one they were welcomed and taken seriously, and Clearhaus is far faster at accelerating compared to others in the financial world.
- FrisbiiminorFrisbii is a partner using Clearhaus' Merchant API for Apple Pay integration. According to Markus K. Brunke, Partner & Integration Manager, the partnership just works flawlessly with fast onboarding and swift communication.
- PayfuncminorPayfunc partnered with Clearhaus to enter Sweden, combining two of the most technology-driven payment platforms in Scandinavia to provide superior payment technology.
- team.blueminorteam.blue partnered with Clearhaus to strengthen European online shops, providing a smooth and optimized payment process for online sales of goods.
- PayrexxminorEuropean payment fintech Payrexx partnered with Clearhaus to bring superior payment solutions to online shops across Europe, focusing on the DACH region.
- PaynoPainminorPaynoPain, a Spanish payment gateway, partnered with Clearhaus to contribute to the development of European payment infrastructure, bringing new capabilities to the Spanish market.
- Terminal.fominorTerminal.fo is a local Faroe Islands gateway that partnered with Clearhaus to make Faroe Islands online shops simpler and faster, enabling e-commerce growth in the market.
- GR8PAYminorGR8PAY, a UK fintech, partnered with Clearhaus to compete with Stripe and PayPal in Europe. Clearhaus provides the technological infrastructure to support GR8PAY's ambitions.
- QuickpayminorQuickpay is a Danish payment gateway partner, part of the Unzer Group alongside Clearhaus, serving the Danish and Scandinavian markets.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Clearhaus Holding A/S competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Mollie: Amsterdam-based payment processor targeting European SMB and e-commerce merchants with multi-currency acquiring and gateway services. Closely comparable to Clearhaus on customer segment, geographic focus (Europe), and SMB-led acquiring model.
- SumUp: European payment processor and acquirer serving micro-merchants and SMBs across online and POS channels. Comparable to Clearhaus on SMB focus, European footprint, and omnichannel acquiring strategy following Clearhaus' POS expansion.
- Stripe: Global online payment processor with a strong developer API and aggressive European SMB acquiring presence. Direct competitor to Clearhaus for API-first e-commerce merchants across Europe.
- Checkout.com: London-headquartered payment processor with pan-European acquiring capabilities and an API-first platform targeting digital-first merchants. Direct competitor to Clearhaus in European online acquiring.
- PensoPay: Danish payment gateway partner that uses Clearhaus as acquiring infrastructure. Comparable Danish SMB e-commerce gateway with overlapping merchant base and Nordic acquiring focus.
- Quickpay: Danish payment gateway and sister company to Clearhaus within the Unzer Group. Closely comparable Danish SMB e-commerce payment processor with shared parent and overlapping customer base.
Broad incumbents
- Adyen: Large global acquiring platform processing payments for enterprise and SMB merchants via a unified API. Competitor in the European merchant acquiring space but at materially larger scale and enterprise skew.
- Worldline: Major European payment processor and acquirer offering merchant acquiring, POS, and unified commerce solutions. Comparable to Clearhaus in European merchant acquiring but at much larger scale and broader product portfolio.
- Nexi: Leading European payment processor following its merger with Nets, offering acquiring and POS services across Nordic and continental Europe. Directly comparable to Clearhaus in Nordic acquiring, particularly post-Nets integration.
Emerging players
- GR8PAY: UK fintech positioning to compete with Stripe and PayPal in Europe, using Clearhaus as underlying acquiring infrastructure. Comparable in target customer (European SMB e-commerce) and growth-stage profile.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Clearhaus Holding A/S social profiles
Digital presenceClearhaus Holding A/S compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Clearhaus Holding A/S financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Clearhaus Holding A/S leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Clearhaus Holding A/S funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Clearhaus Holding A/S 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 Clearhaus Holding A/S
What does Clearhaus Holding A/S do?
Clearhaus is a pan-European payment institution and merchant acquirer that enables online and in-store businesses to accept Visa and Mastercard card payments. As a Visa and Mastercard Principal Member, Clearhaus provides merchant accounts, transaction processing, settlement services, fraud and chargeback management, multi-currency support, and a RESTful Merchant API, with merchant onboarding typically completed within 1-3 working days and no setup or monthly fees.
Is Clearhaus Holding A/S a public or private company?
Clearhaus Holding A/S is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Clearhaus Holding A/S founded?
Clearhaus Holding A/S was founded in 2011. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Clearhaus Holding A/S based?
Clearhaus Holding A/S is headquartered in Aarhus, Denmark, in the Europe region.
How does Clearhaus Holding A/S make money?
One revenue line is on record: transaction Processing Fees.
Who are Clearhaus Holding A/S's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Mollie, SumUp, Stripe, Checkout.com, PensoPay and Quickpay. Broad incumbents are Adyen, Worldline and Nexi. GR8PAY is listed as an emerging player.
Does Clearhaus Holding A/S have an API?
Yes. Clearhaus offers a Merchant API that enables developers to integrate payment processing into their applications. The API provides endpoints for settlements, disputes, transactions, accounts, applications, and more. Available operations include retrieving settlements, managing disputes (accept, reject, review), viewing transactions, and accessing account data. The API supports pagination and query languages (DQL for disputes, SQL for settlements). Sandbox/test environments are available for development and testing. Developer documentation is at developer.clearhaus.com.
What industry is Clearhaus Holding A/S in?
Clearhaus Holding A/S's product category is Merchant Acquiring & Payment Processing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAMABAB, Merchant Acquiring Banks & ISO/MSP Acquirers, with a secondary code of FSABAJAJ, Card Clearing & Settlement (Interchange, Network Settlement).