TSG
TSG is a privately held payments-focused analytics and consulting firm that provides benchmarking platforms (AIM, GEM, PaySights), market intelligence, and advisory services to 1,000+ clients across the global payments ecosystem, including card networks, banks, acquirers, fintechs, and the investment community.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2006
- HeadquartersOmaha, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What TSG does
TSG (The Strawhecker Group) is a privately held payments-focused analytics, intelligence, and consulting firm founded in 2006 and headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska. The company combines proprietary data assets with consulting expertise to serve the global payments ecosystem, operating a portfolio of benchmarking platforms (AIM, GEM, PaySights) and published research (eReports, the annual Directory of U.S. Merchant Acquirers) that together cover approximately 50% of the U.S. card-accepting market and monitor roughly 60% of U.S. gateway traffic across 35+ global locations. TSG's stated dataset includes real transaction data from over 20 payment providers and benchmarks six performance dimensions including uptime, transaction success rate, and authorization rate.
The firm generates revenue through a mix of subscription-based data products (AIM, GEM, PaySights, eReports), multi-year enterprise consulting engagements covering payments strategy, technology enablement, and M&A advisory, and content products distributed via the TSG Portal and TSGShop. Its go-to-market is relationship-based enterprise field sales, targeting payment service providers, card networks (Visa, Mastercard), financial institutions (JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Elavon, PNC, Worldpay), fintechs (PayPal, Stripe, Adyen), software platforms, and the investment community. Strategic partnerships with Adyen (2025) and Payforge (2025) extend distribution, and an "AI Built for Payments" generative assistant was introduced in 2026. Client base is reported at 1,000+ spanning fintech startups, SaaS platforms, and Fortune 500 leaders.
TSG firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- TSG
- Legal name
- The Strawhecker Group
- Website
- https://thestrawgroup.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2006
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- TSG is a privately held payments-focused analytics and consulting firm that provides benchmarking platforms (AIM, GEM, PaySights), market intelligence, and advisory services to 1,000+ clients across the global payments ecosystem, including card networks, banks, acquirers, fintechs, and the investment community.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
TSG industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Payments Analytics & Consulting
- NAICS
- Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (522320)
- SIC
- Finance Services (6199)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Integrated Payment Processors (PSP/Acquirer) (FSAMABAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Embedded Payments (Pay-ins, Pay-outs, Wallets) (FSAGALAB)
Keywords
Where TSG is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Omaha
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
TSG business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Management Consulting: Strategic consulting services for payments companies covering technology challenges, operational optimization, and business strategy.
- Market Intelligence: Full-service market intelligence including primary and secondary research for payments industry insights.
- Data Products (AIM, GEM, PaySights, eReports): Proprietary data and benchmarking platforms providing ongoing industry metrics and performance analytics to subscribers.
- Technology Enablement Services: Hands-on technology implementation and integration services to help clients embed payments and achieve measurable ROI.
- Mergers and Acquisitions Advisory: Guiding buyers on acquisition objectives and sellers through valuation exercises in the payments industry.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Enterprise consulting and advisory services |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
TSG product offering
Product offeringCore offering
TSG sells payments industry analytics, market intelligence, and consulting services to enterprises in the payments ecosystem. Its core products include proprietary benchmarking platforms AIM (Acquiring Industry Metrics) and GEM (Global Experience Monitoring), the PaySights intelligence platform, published eReports such as the annual Directory of U.S. Merchant Acquirers, and service lines covering management consulting, market intelligence research, technology enablement, and M&A advisory.
Product overview
TSG (The Strawhecker Group) is a payments-focused analytics, intelligence, and solutions firm offering a comprehensive suite of products and services backed by unique combinations of payments industry expertise and deep analytics. The core product portfolio includes AIM (Acquiring Industry Metrics) for data benchmarking, GEM (Global Experience Monitoring) for experience benchmarking across merchant and developer perspectives, eReports for published industry research, and PaySights for payments intelligence. These are complemented by service offerings including Management Consulting, Market Intelligence, Technology Enablement, Mergers and Acquisitions advisory, and BrandInfluence marketing services. TSG also publishes annual directories and awards including the Directory of U.S. Merchant Acquirers and Real Transaction Metrics Awards. Recent product development includes an AI Built for Payments assistant announced in 2026.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- AIM (Acquiring Industry Metrics)
- GEM (Global Experience Monitoring)
- PaySights
- eReports Comprehensive published research reports covering all aspects of the payments industry, including the Directory of U.S. Merchant Acquirers and Payment Gateway Directory, providing data-driven insights for new entrants through established global entities.
- Management Consulting Strategic consulting services that narrow in on specific payments needs while remaining nimble and focused on optimal solutions to help clients reach their goals, covering technology, operations, and business strategy challenges.
- Market Intelligence Full-service market intelligence team providing extensive primary and secondary research to support clients through strategic decision-making across the payments industry.
- Technology Enablement Dynamic approach to solving technology challenges by combining expertise, analytics, and hands-on capabilities to help clients embed payments and drive measurable ROI.
- Mergers and Acquisitions Advisory Advisory services actively assisting buyers on their acquisition objectives and guiding potential sellers through extensive valuation exercises in the payments industry.
- BrandInfluence Marketing services offering co-branded or white-labeled payments-focused content and design to elevate client marketing efforts.
- AI Built for Payments AI assistant specifically designed for the payments industry, supporting decision-making for payments industry applications, announced as part of TSG's new product developments in its third decade of operations.
Quantifiable outcome
- Top 10 payments companies processed $11 trillion in 2025 payment card volume tracked through TSG's directory
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use TSG
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
TSG technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability1 record
Feature5 records
TSG partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- PayforgecoreTSG and Payforge announced a strategic partnership to deliver end-to-end payments technology solutions. The partnership combines TSG's analytics and consulting expertise with Payforge's payment processing capabilities to provide comprehensive solutions for clients seeking integrated payments technology.
- AdyencoreTSG formalized a new partnership with Adyen, joining Adyen's Partner Program as a leading Service Partner. The partnership enables TSG to support client growth with any processor or acquirer while avoiding exclusivity and competitive overlap in the payments integration space. TSG will help merchants and platforms integrate payments with specialized expertise and a proven delivery framework.
- StripecoreTSG announced continued investment in strategic partnerships with platforms including Stripe, alongside Adyen and Payforge. Stripe notably joined the top five merchant acquirers for the first time with over $900 billion in U.S. processing volume, representing 45% year-over-year growth according to TSG's data.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
TSG competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- McKinsey & Company (Payments Practice): Global management consulting firm with a dedicated payments practice. Competes with TSG on enterprise strategy consulting for large PSPs and banks, with much broader scope and resources.
- Forrester Research: Large-scale research and advisory firm covering technology and financial services. Overlaps with TSG's research subscription model and now owns Mercator Advisory Group, a direct payments peer.
- Accenture (Payments & Fintech): Global consultancy with major payments consulting and technology implementation practices. Competes with TSG's management consulting and technology enablement services, with vastly larger delivery scale.
- Coalition Greenwich (CRISIL): Research and benchmarking firm for financial services, owned by CRISIL/S&P Global. Comparable benchmarking and market intelligence model serving banks and processors.
- Bain & Company (Financial Services): Global management consulting firm with deep payments and fintech expertise. Competes with TSG on M&A advisory and strategic consulting engagements for payment leaders.
Direct peers
- Mercator Advisory Group: Payments-focused research and advisory firm serving issuers, acquirers, and processors. Similar B2B intelligence and consulting model serving the same ecosystem as TSG.
- Datos Insights (formerly Aite-Novarica Group): Specialist research and advisory firm for financial services, with deep coverage of payments, banking, and fintech. Closely mirrors TSG's research, consulting, and intelligence model for financial institutions and processors.
- The Nilson Report: Long-running payments industry subscription publication covering card volumes, networks, and merchant acquirers. Directly comparable to TSG's directory and eReports franchises for payments market intelligence.
- Javelin Strategy & Research: Financial services research and advisory firm with payments, banking, and fraud practices. Comparable subscription research plus custom advisory model.
- Insider Intelligence (eMarketer): Subscription intelligence platform covering digital commerce, fintech, and payments. Similar recurring data/research product model for executive buyers in adjacent verticals.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
TSG social profiles
Digital presenceTSG financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
TSG leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
TSG funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
TSG M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about TSG
What does TSG do?
TSG sells payments industry analytics, market intelligence, and consulting services to enterprises in the payments ecosystem. Its core products include proprietary benchmarking platforms AIM (Acquiring Industry Metrics) and GEM (Global Experience Monitoring), the PaySights intelligence platform, published eReports such as the annual Directory of U.S. Merchant Acquirers, and service lines covering management consulting, market intelligence research, technology enablement, and M&A advisory.
Is TSG a public or private company?
TSG is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was TSG founded?
TSG was founded in 2006. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is TSG based?
TSG is headquartered in Omaha, United States, in the North America region.
How does TSG make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Management Consulting is the primary driver. The others are market Intelligence, data Products (AIM, GEM, PaySights, eReports), technology Enablement Services and mergers and Acquisitions Advisory.
Who are TSG's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are McKinsey & Company (Payments Practice), Forrester Research, Accenture (Payments & Fintech), Coalition Greenwich (CRISIL) and Bain & Company (Financial Services). Direct peers are Mercator Advisory Group, Datos Insights (formerly Aite-Novarica Group), The Nilson Report, Javelin Strategy & Research and Insider Intelligence (eMarketer).
Does TSG have an API?
No public API is recorded for TSG.
What industry is TSG in?
TSG's product category is Payments Analytics & Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAMABAA, Integrated Payment Processors (PSP/Acquirer), with a secondary code of FSAGALAB, Embedded Payments (Pay-ins, Pay-outs, Wallets). Its NAICS code is 522320 and its SIC code is 6199.