PayZen

What PayZen does

PayZen is a French online payment platform and brand of Lyra Network, a subsidiary of Lyra Group (founded 2001 in Toulouse, France). The platform was conceived in 2009 as Lyra's flagship e-commerce and remote-payment solution and is sold both directly to merchants and white-labeled by more than 30 major French banks under names including Sogecommerce, Systempay, and Scellius. PayZen serves e-commerce merchants, B2B companies, public-sector and local-government organizations, call centers, remote/virtual sellers, and nonprofits, supporting 150+ payment methods across cards, wallets, SEPA instant transfers, SEPA direct debit, and BNPL.

The underlying technology is a cloud-based PCI DSS Level 1 certified processing stack with a REST API (v4.0), JavaScript payment embedding, native mobile SDKs for iOS/Android, and 50+ free CMS modules. Core product lines include Online Payment (embedded, redirect, one-click, subscription), Mobile Payment, Payment Link, SEPA Instant Bank Transfer (via PSD2 PISP/AISP licensing), SEPA Direct Debit with electronic mandate, a Virtual Terminal for phone orders, a hosted Data Collection Form, a Back Office dashboard, and a Risk Management Module with 120+ configurable fraud criteria and integrations with Cybersource and Konduto. A dedicated Public Sector module and integrations with municipal software editors (JVS Mairistem, Berger Levrault, Horanet) target French local-government payment collection.

PayZen earns primarily through per-transaction fees (volume-tiered pricing bands from under €250K to over €10M annual processing volume) plus a one-time service activation fee (FAS). Distribution is multi-channel: direct self-serve website onboarding with sub-48-hour activation, an iOS/Android seller app, bank white-label, web-agency referral partners, CMS plugin distribution, and an API-first channel for enterprise developers. Headcount is 101–250, with the platform claiming 100,000+ connected websites and Lyra Group processing billions of euros annually across 11 subsidiaries on 3 continents (Europe, Latin America, Asia). Note: a separately-incorporated US-based fintech also named PayZen (operating in healthcare payments) raised a $232M Series B in August 2024 from NEA; that capital and business do not belong to the French PayZen entity analyzed here.

Name

PayZen

Legal name

Lyra Network

Website

https://payzen.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

PayZen is a French online payment platform by Lyra Network (Lyra Group) supporting 150+ payment methods for e-commerce, B2B, and public-sector merchants, distributed directly and white-labeled by 30+ French banks via PCI DSS Level 1 certified infrastructure.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Payment Processing / Payment Gateway

NAICS

Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (522320)

SIC

Finance Services (6199)

akta.pro primary industry

Merchant Payment Gateways (API/Hosted Checkout) (FSAMACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Payment Gateways & API Connectivity (FSAGABAB), Smart Routing, Cascading & Payment Optimization (FSAMACAJ), Payouts, Disbursements & Mass Payments Infrastructure (FSAGABAN), Bank-to-Bank Transfers & Pay-by-Bank (Consumer & Merchant) (FSAMAFAC)

Keywords

• Online payment processing
• Payment gateway services
• PCI compliant payments
• SEPA direct debit
• E-commerce checkout

Headquarters

HQ city

Labège

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Transaction Fees: PayZen charges per transaction (per card transaction). Pricing tiers exist based on annual payment volume, with lower rates for higher volumes. Transaction fees are the primary revenue stream.
2. Service Activation Fees: One-time service activation fee (FAS - Frais d'Activation du Service) for new merchant setup.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

PayZen is a French online payment platform, conceived in 2009 and operated by Lyra Group, that enables merchants, public sector organizations, and B2B companies to accept and manage payments online, on mobile, and remotely. The platform supports 150+ payment methods including cards, wallets, SEPA direct debit, instant SEPA bank transfers, BNPL, and international methods, delivered through embedded checkout, hosted redirect, mobile SDK, payment links, virtual terminal, and API integrations. It is PCI DSS Level 1 certified since 2009, 3DS2-compliant, and licensed as a PISP/AISP under PSD2, with the platform also offered via white-label by major French banks under names such as Sogecommerce, Systempay, and Scellius.

Product overview

PayZen is a French online payment platform (conceived in 2009) and brand of Lyra Network, offering a modular payment platform-plus-solutions architecture. The core PayZen Platform serves as the unified infrastructure supporting multiple payment products: Online Payment (e-commerce with embedded, redirect, and mobile checkout), Mobile Payment, Payment Link, Instant Bank Transfer (PISP/AISP instant SEPA), SEPA Direct Debit, Virtual Terminal, and Data Collection Form. These products share a common merchant Back Office and support 150+ payment methods across cards, wallets, bank transfers, and BNPL. Add-on modules include the Risk Management Module (fraud detection) and Public Sector Solution. The platform is available directly and via banking white-label partnerships (Sogecommerce, Systempay, Scellius). Related Lyra products include Lyra Collect (Shopify-specific) and Lyra Nomad (unified payment piloting).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• PayZen Online Payment (Paiement en ligne) Core e-commerce payment module supporting embedded JavaScript checkout, redirect to a hosted payment page, and mobile app integration. Includes one-click payment, tokenization, subscription billing, installment payments, pre-authorization, and multi-currency dynamic currency conversion. Targeted at online retailers and e-commerce merchants requiring secure card and alternative payment acceptance on their website.
• PayZen Mobile Payment (Paiement mobile) Mobile-optimized payment solution offering a responsive web checkout and a merchant-facing mobile application for iOS and Android that enables generating and sending payment links or QR codes for in-person or remote payments. Targeted at merchants needing to accept payments on smartphones and tablets.
• PayZen Payment Link (Paiement par lien) Payment link generation and delivery system that allows merchants to send secure payment requests via email, SMS, WhatsApp, and other messaging apps, or to generate QR codes for in-person payments. Supports multi-language and multi-currency links, customizable expiration dates, and bulk import via CSV. Targeted at merchants operating without a website or needing remote payment collection.
• PayZen Instant Bank Transfer (Virement instantané) SEPA instant and standard bank transfer payment method enabling merchants to receive funds in 10 seconds (instant) or J+1 (standard), with a per-transaction ceiling of €250,000. PayZen acts as a licensed Payment Initiation Service Provider (PISP) and Account Information Service Provider (AISP) across 33 SEPA countries. Targeted at merchants wanting to offer bank transfer payments with instant settlement.
• PayZen SEPA Direct Debit (Paiement par prélèvement) Online SEPA Direct Debit (SDD) solution for one-time and recurring payments, featuring electronic mandate signature, SMS/mail OTP authentication, 36-month mandate archiving, and support for both B2B and B2C SEPA schemes across 33 SEPA countries. Targeted at B2B companies, subscription businesses, and any merchant needing recurring or invoice payment collection.
• PayZen Virtual Terminal (Terminal de paiement virtuel) Browser-based virtual payment terminal within the PayZen back office that enables phone order operators to manually enter card or SEPA details for immediate, deferred, or installment payments without requiring a physical POS device. Targeted at call centers, telephone sales operations, and merchants taking orders by phone.
• PayZen Data Collection Form (Formulaire de collecte) Hosted web form builder allowing merchants to create customizable data collection pages (for invoices, donations, subscriptions) that redirect to a payment step, enabling remote payment collection without a merchant website. Targeted at merchants without an e-commerce site needing to accept invoice, donation, or subscription payments.
• PayZen Mobile App (App mobile / Lien de paiement)

Quantifiable outcome

• 95% of support tickets resolved within one day
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration24 records

AI capability2 records

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Lyra Group (Parent Company)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerPayZen is the e-commerce payment platform of Lyra Group, created in 2009. Lyra develops and maintains the platform, which is also offered by banks under white-label arrangements (Sogecommerce, Systempay, Scellius).
• WooCommercecoreTechnology or IntegrationFree payment module for WooCommerce (WordPress) with easy installation and configuration. One of 50+ CMS integrations available.
• PrestaShopcoreTechnology or IntegrationFree payment module for PrestaShop e-commerce platform with seamless integration and configuration.
• MagentocoreTechnology or IntegrationFree payment module for Magento e-commerce platform with full feature support.
• ShopifycoreTechnology or IntegrationPayment module available for Shopify via Lyra Collect solution. Note: Module requires Lyra Collect, not direct PayZen integration.
• Grizzly DevminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWeb agency partner since 1997 specializing in WordPress CMS and software development. Recommends and integrates PayZen for client e-commerce projects.
• ISDIminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSoftware editor partner specializing in custom cloud software, e-commerce, and website development.
• HostecominorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorE-commerce agency offering PrestaShop, WooCommerce, and OpenCart solutions with integrated PayZen payment processing.
• GenilinkminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWeb agency providing e-commerce design, maintenance, and IT solutions including PayZen integration.
• JVS MairistemcoreTechnology or IntegrationMunicipal management software editor for French local government. Integrates PayZen for public sector payment collection.
• Berger LevraultcoreTechnology or IntegrationPublic sector software publisher integrating PayZen for payment collection in municipal and institutional management solutions.
• French Banking NetworkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPayZen technology white-labeled by major French banks including CIC, Crédit Agricole, Crédit Mutuel, Société Générale, BNP, Boursorama, Banque Postale, LCL, and 30+ other banks. Banks offer the platform as Sogecommerce, Systempay, Scellius, and other names.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Stripe: Global payment gateway and processing platform serving internet businesses with API-first card acceptance, wallets, and broad payment method coverage. Directly competes with PayZen for French and European merchants, particularly those building custom e-commerce or SaaS checkout flows.
• Adyen: Global unified payments processor offering card acquiring, online and in-person checkout, and 150+ payment methods through a single integration. Targets the same enterprise and mid-market merchants in Europe as PayZen, but with global acquiring reach.
• Mollie: European payment gateway built for SMBs and mid-market merchants with simple multi-method checkout and strong CMS integrations. Competes head-to-head with PayZen in France, the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium, especially in WooCommerce and PrestaShop segments.
• Checkout.com: Global payment processor with strong European and UK presence, offering card acquiring, APMs and FX through a single API. Targets enterprise and high-growth digital merchants that PayZen also serves in France and across Europe.
• HiPay: French-headquartered payment gateway serving European merchants and online retailers with cards, wallets and local APMs. Closest pure-play domestic competitor to PayZen with similar SMB and mid-market focus and CMS-led distribution.
• PayPlug: French SMB-focused online payment gateway (now owned by Stripe) serving e-commerce merchants with simple card acceptance and plug-and-play integrations. Direct competitor in the French SMB and PrestaShop/WooCommerce segments PayZen targets.

Broad incumbents

• Worldline: European payment giant (formerly part of Atos/Ingenico) covering merchant acquiring, POS, online gateways and financial services across the continent. Competes with PayZen across French enterprise, SMB and public-sector acquiring, though with a much broader product portfolio.

Emerging players

• GoCardless: UK-based specialist in bank-to-bank (direct debit and instant) payments for subscription and recurring billing across Europe. Closest pure-play competitor to PayZen's SEPA Direct Debit and instant bank transfer products.
• SlimPay: French SEPA direct-debit specialist focused on recurring payments and subscriptions for European merchants and B2B. Competes directly with PayZen's SEPA mandate and recurring billing capabilities in France and the broader SEPA zone.

Others

• Lyra Collect: Sister solution inside Lyra Group providing Shopify-specific payment acceptance, distinct from the standard PayZen Shopify module. Comparable as a sibling platform within the same parent ecosystem, addressing adjacent Shopify merchant needs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/_payzen
• Facebookfacebook.com/Payzen.Ecommerce

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about PayZen