VR Payment
VR Payment is a Frankfurt-based, BaFin-licensed payment service provider and wholly-owned DZ BANK subsidiary serving as the payment arm of the Volksbanken Raiffeisenbanken cooperative banking network. It processes 983 million transactions annually across POS, e-commerce, and mobile channels for 90,000+ corporate customers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1972
- HeadquartersFrankfurt, Germany
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What VR Payment does
VR Payment GmbH is a Frankfurt-based, BaFin-licensed E-Geld-Institut (e-money institution) that operates as the dedicated payment service provider for the German cooperative banking sector (Genossenschaftliche FinanzGruppe). Wholly owned by DZ BANK Gruppe and tracing its origins to BIK GmbH (founded 1972), the company was renamed CardProcess GmbH and rebranded to VR Payment in 2019. It serves approximately 90,000+ corporate customers ranging from small and medium merchants to enterprise accounts in retail, hospitality, sports and events, and mobility, processing 983 million transactions in 2024 across 312,000 connected terminals and 6.7 million credit cards. The management team is led by CEO Carlos Gómez-Sáez (since 2014), with CFRO Patrick Dittmer, COO Tariq Noori, and CPTO Dr. Helmut Wißmann (joined August 2025 from paydirekt GmbH).
The product portfolio spans three primary surfaces. Card-present/POS acceptance includes physical terminals, VR PayMe softPOS that converts Android NFC smartphones into payment terminals, and VR PayMe mPOS for iPhone. E-commerce is delivered through a cloud-based gateway with shop plugins for 10+ platforms (Shopify, Shopware, Magento, WooCommerce, Gambio, JTL, PrestaShop, Salesforce, PlentyONE, Planet). Omnichannel is delivered through a jointly developed platform with wallee Group. The payfree subsidiary provides RFID-based cashierless grab-and-go checkout, deployed at Eintracht Frankfurt's stadium. Accepted methods include all major card networks (Mastercard, Visa, girocard, Amex, JCB, UnionPay, Diners, Discover), digital wallets (Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal), Klarna BNPL, and — since November 2025 — Wero, the European Payments Initiative's account-to-account scheme, in which VR Payment is a founding pilot partner.
VR Payment operates a hybrid transaction-fee and subscription revenue model. Card terminals are offered at fixed monthly subscriptions starting at €19.90 with all transaction fees included; softPOS charges 1% per transaction; terminal hardware is sold or rented separately. Distribution is anchored by the 650+ Volksbanken Raiffeisenbanken branches serving SMB merchants, supplemented by direct enterprise sales (Burger King since 2017, Europa-Park since 2011, Aramark, Eintracht Frankfurt as exclusive PSP since 2020, FC Augsburg, Karlsruher SC, 1. FC Kaiserslautern), a commercial network operator (KNB) program for resellers, and self-service developer tools (SDK, shop plugins). Value-added services — digital receipt management, Händlerreport Plus, dynamic currency conversion, recurring payments, BNPL orchestration, and Wero — drive incremental recurring revenue on top of core acquiring fees.
VR Payment firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- VR Payment
- Legal name
- VR Payment GmbH
- Website
- https://vr-payment.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1972
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- VR Payment is a Frankfurt-based, BaFin-licensed payment service provider and wholly-owned DZ BANK subsidiary serving as the payment arm of the Volksbanken Raiffeisenbanken cooperative banking network. It processes 983 million transactions annually across POS, e-commerce, and mobile channels for 90,000+ corporate customers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
VR Payment industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Payment Processing Services
- NAICS
- Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (52232), Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (522320), Credit Card Issuing (522210)
- SIC
- Finance Services (6199), National Commercial Banks (6021)
- akta.pro primary industry
- EMV Chip, Magstripe & PIN Debit Acceptance (FSAMADAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Recurring Payments & Variable Recurring Payments (VRP) Enablement (FSAGACAJ), BNPL Card / Virtual Card Programs (FSAKACAC)
Keywords
Where VR Payment is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Frankfurt
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
VR Payment 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: Revenue generated from processing card transactions at POS terminals and e-commerce. Transaction fees are charged per transaction, with fixed monthly prices offered for card payments (starting at €19.90/month) including all transaction fees.
- Network Operation Fees: Fees for operating the payment network connecting terminals and processing transactions. VR Payment is a certified technical network operator certified by Deutsche Kreditwirtschaft (DK).
- Terminal Provision: Provision of card terminals to merchants, either as outright purchase or through rental models included in monthly service packages.
- Value-Added Services: Additional services including digital receipt management, merchant reporting, dynamic currency conversion, and premium support services.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Card terminal fixed monthly price including transaction fees |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | SoftPOS 1% transaction fee |
| Subscription | Annual | Wero 12-month fixed price promotion |
Go-to-market motion4 records
Distribution channels7 records
Marketing channels7 records
VR Payment product offering
Product offeringCore offering
VR Payment operates as a full-service Payment Service Provider (PSP) and certified technical network operator under Germany's DZ BANK Gruppe, delivering card acceptance and digital payment processing across POS, e-commerce, and mobile channels. Its portfolio spans stationary card terminals, mobile softPOS/mPOS acceptance, a cloud-based e-commerce payment gateway, and an omnichannel platform jointly developed with wallee Group. It serves as the dedicated payment provider for the Volksbanken Raiffeisenbanken cooperative banking network and processes transactions for over 90,000 corporate customers through 312,000 connected terminals.
Product overview
VR Payment is a full-service payment provider and Payment Service Provider (PSP) offering a comprehensive portfolio of payment solutions for the German cooperative banking group (Volksbanken Raiffeisenbanken). The core offerings include POS payment solutions (Kartenzahlungen), mobile payments via VR PayMe (softPOS turning Android smartphones into payment terminals and mPOS for iPhone with portable terminals), and E-Commerce Payment (cloud-based platform with shop plugins). The Omnichannel Payment solution, developed with WALLEE Group, integrates all channels into one central platform. Key payment methods include Wero (European A2A payments), Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, Klarna, and major card networks (Mastercard, Visa, girocard). Additional services include recurring payments, QR code payments, digital receipt management (Händlerreport Plus), and dynamic currency conversion. The company operates merchant portals (VR pay Backoffice, VR pay QuickCommerce, Service-Portal) and provides SDKs for developer integration. The subsidiary payfree offers RFID-based grab-and-go checkout solutions. VR Payment is the only full-service payment provider 100% owned by a German banking group (DZ BANK), certified as an E-Money Institute by BaFin and technical network operator by Deutsche Kreditwirtschaft.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- VR PayMe softPOS
- VR PayMe mPOS
- E-Commerce Payment
- Omnichannel Payment
- Kartenzahlungen (Card Payments)
- Wero
- Kartenlesegeräte (Card Readers/Terminals)
- payfree
- Arapay
Quantifiable outcome
- 85% of merchant customers have full acceptance (Vollakzeptanz) for all card payments
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use VR Payment
Customer profileNamed customers18 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
VR Payment technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration30 records
AI capability7 records
Feature6 records
VR Payment partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- EPI (European Payments Initiative)coreVR Payment is a founding pilot partner of EPI, supporting Wero as European sovereign payment solution. Contributed to technical implementation of Wero in e-commerce from the beginning. VR Payment is one of the first providers to offer Wero to merchants in Germany.
- Wallee GroupcoreStrategic partnership for omnichannel payment solution development. Jointly developed integrated platform unifying stationary and digital payments. Wallee provides technological excellence and pan-European development capacity; VR Payment contributes acquiring expertise and cooperative banking network strength.
- Volksbank LahrcoreLong-standing partnership since 2011 for payment services at Europa-Park. Local cooperative bank provides customer relationship while VR Payment supplies technical infrastructure.
- DZ BANKcoreParent company and head of the cooperative financial group. VR Payment is a subsidiary of DZ BANK Gruppe and part of Genossenschaftliche FinanzGruppe. DZ BANK is central bank for ~650 Volksbanken Raiffeisenbanken.
- Landesbauernverband Baden-WürttembergminorCooperation with Stüwer offering exclusive conditions for REGIOMAT purchase to association members, enabling direct marketing for agricultural producers.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
VR Payment competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Worldline (formerly Ingenico/Equens): Worldline is the largest European payment service provider, directly competing with VR Payment in the German merchant acquiring and POS market after acquiring EquensWorldline and Concardis. Both serve banks and merchants with omnichannel payment solutions across Europe.
- PAYONE (Nexi Group): PAYONE is a leading German payment service provider owned by Nexi, directly competing with VR Payment in POS acquiring, e-commerce payments, and omnichannel solutions for German retailers and SMBs.
- Computop: Computop is a German-headquartered PSP offering omnichannel payment processing for retail and e-commerce, directly competing with VR Payment's merchant services across POS and online channels in the DACH region.
- SumUp: SumUp is a European fintech offering mobile POS terminals and payment processing primarily targeting SMB merchants, directly competing with VR Payment's card terminal and softPOS offerings in Germany and across Europe.
- Heidelpay (Worldline subsidiary): Heidelpay, now part of Worldline, is a German PSP competing directly with VR Payment across e-commerce, POS, and alternative payment methods. Both target the German merchant market with omnichannel offerings.
Broad incumbents
- Adyen: Adyen is a global payment platform serving enterprise merchants with unified online, mobile, and POS processing. It competes with VR Payment for large German enterprise customers (e.g., retail chains, stadiums) and represents the technology benchmark for omnichannel PSPs.
- Stripe: Stripe is a global internet economy payment infrastructure provider competing with VR Payment's e-commerce platform. While VR Payment's strength is in POS, Stripe's developer-first approach and German expansion threaten e-commerce and omnichannel market share.
- Nexi: Nexi is the largest European PayTech serving banks, merchants, and corporates across payment processing and acquiring. Through PAYONE, Nexi is a direct competitor in Germany and provides a comparison point for European PSP scale.
Emerging players
- PPRO: PPRO is a European payment service provider offering local payment method aggregation and orchestration. While less direct in POS, PPRO competes with VR Payment in e-commerce payment infrastructure and alternative payment method coverage in DACH.
Others
- Verifone: Verifone is a global POS terminal manufacturer and payment solutions provider. While primarily a hardware provider rather than acquirer like VR Payment, Verifone competes in the integrated payment solutions space for enterprise merchants and is part of the broader payments ecosystem.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
VR Payment social profiles
Digital presenceVR Payment compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance5 records
VR Payment financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
VR Payment leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
VR Payment subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
VR Payment funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
VR Payment 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 VR Payment
What does VR Payment do?
VR Payment operates as a full-service Payment Service Provider (PSP) and certified technical network operator under Germany's DZ BANK Gruppe, delivering card acceptance and digital payment processing across POS, e-commerce, and mobile channels. Its portfolio spans stationary card terminals, mobile softPOS/mPOS acceptance, a cloud-based e-commerce payment gateway, and an omnichannel platform jointly developed with wallee Group. It serves as the dedicated payment provider for the Volksbanken Raiffeisenbanken cooperative banking network and processes transactions for over 90,000 corporate customers through 312,000 connected terminals.
Is VR Payment a public or private company?
VR Payment is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was VR Payment founded?
VR Payment was founded in 1972. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is VR Payment based?
VR Payment is headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does VR Payment make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Transaction Processing Fees are the primary driver. The others are network Operation Fees, terminal Provision and value-Added Services.
Who are VR Payment's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Worldline (formerly Ingenico/Equens), PAYONE (Nexi Group), Computop, SumUp and Heidelpay (Worldline subsidiary). Broad incumbents are Adyen, Stripe and Nexi. PPRO is listed as an emerging player. Verifone is listed as an others.
Does VR Payment have an API?
No public API is recorded for VR Payment.
What industry is VR Payment in?
VR Payment's product category is Payment Processing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAMADAG, EMV Chip, Magstripe & PIN Debit Acceptance, with a secondary code of FSAGACAJ, Recurring Payments & Variable Recurring Payments (VRP) Enablement. Its NAICS code is 52232 and its SIC code is 6199.