Cardstream
Cardstream is a UK-based independent PCI DSS Level 1 payment gateway provider offering a white-label platform and Open Payment Network connecting banks, PSPs, ISOs, and ISVs to 200+ acquirers and 150+ payment methods across 120+ countries via a single API.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1999
- HeadquartersTaunton, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Cardstream does
Cardstream is a UK-based independent payment service provider founded in 1999 and headquartered in Taunton, Somerset, with an additional London office. The company operates a PCI DSS Level 1 certified cloud-based white-label payment gateway platform built around its Open Payment Network, which provides single API connectivity to 200+ acquirers and 150+ alternative payment methods across 120+ countries. Its core products include the White Label Payment Gateway (enabling banks, PSPs, ISOs, and ISVs to deploy fully rebranded payment platforms), PayFac-as-a-Service (a European-first offering enabling platforms to operate as Merchant of Record with sub-merchant onboarding and split payment automation), and supporting modules including 3-D Secure v2, tokenization, Open Banking payments, and Click to Pay.
The company's technology stack centers on a single API integration model with SDKs in PHP, Python, Ruby, .NET, and Java, supported by hosted payment pages, a Merchant Management System dashboard, virtual terminal, velocity checks, and DDoS mitigation. AI-driven fraud protection is delivered through a partnership with Kount, providing identity trust signals and adaptive authentication. Cardstream's customer base spans PSPs, ISOs, ISVs, banks, and vertical-specific merchants (hospitality, parking, marketplaces) accessed through a channel-driven GTM model with 140+ reseller partners globally.
Cardstream generates revenue through three streams: monthly gateway subscription fees (starting at £18/month with complimentary transactions), usage-based transaction processing fees, and white-label licensing fees to banks, PSPs, ISOs, and software companies. The company employs 80+ people and is led by founder-CEO Adam Sharpe, with CFO Gurinder Sumra (appointed November 2024) and Director of Sales Joseph Perry (joined September 2025). The company is privately held with no disclosed external funding and reported "record-breaking" year-on-year revenue growth in 2024.
Cardstream firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Cardstream
- Legal name
- Cardstream Limited
- Website
- https://cardstream.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1999
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Cardstream is a UK-based independent PCI DSS Level 1 payment gateway provider offering a white-label platform and Open Payment Network connecting banks, PSPs, ISOs, and ISVs to 200+ acquirers and 150+ payment methods across 120+ countries via a single API.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Cardstream industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Payment Gateway Platform
- NAICS
- Credit Card Issuing (522210)
- SIC
- Miscellaneous Business Credit Institution (6159)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Integrated Payment Processors (PSP/Acquirer) (FSAMABAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Embedded Card Issuing & Card-as-a-Service (FSAGALAC), Card Issuing & Program Management Platforms (BPAMAFAH)
Keywords
Where Cardstream is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Taunton
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Cardstream business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Gateway Subscription Fees: Monthly subscription model providing access to payment gateway infrastructure with complimentary monthly transactions included. Tiered pricing starting at £18 per month for base gateway access.
- Transaction Processing Fees: Usage-based revenue from payment processing transactions passing through the platform, charged per transaction with volume-based economics.
- White-Label Licensing: Revenue from licensing the white-label payment gateway platform to banks, PSPs, ISOs, and software companies for branded deployment.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Standard Gateway Subscription |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Cardstream product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cardstream operates a white-label payment gateway platform with its Open Payment Network, enabling banks, PSPs, ISOs, and software companies to deploy fully branded payment processing services through a single API connecting to 200+ acquirers and 150+ alternative payment methods. The company also provides PayFac-as-a-Service (PFaaS) infrastructure enabling rapid sub-merchant onboarding, KYC/AML workflows, and Merchant of Record operations for platform partners across 120+ countries.
Product overview
Cardstream offers a modular white label payment platform architecture built around its Open Payment Network. The core offering consists of the White Label Payment Gateway (providing full rebranding capability for banks, PSPs, ISOs, and software companies) and PayFac-as-a-Service (enabling platforms to become payment facilitators with sub-merchant onboarding). These are supplemented by security modules including 3-D Secure v2, Tokenisation, Kount AI Fraud Protection, and Velocity Checks; payment method modules including 150+ Alternative Payment Methods and Open Banking; and operational tools including the Merchant Management System, Click to Pay, Pay Button/Pay by Link, and Virtual Terminal. The entire ecosystem connects through a single API to 200+ global acquirers and supports transactions across 120+ countries.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Open Payment Network: Cardstream's global connector platform offering single API integration to access payment options including credit cards, debit cards, wallets, and Alternative Payment Methods.
- PayFac-as-a-Service
Products and services
- White Label Payment Gateway
Companies that use Cardstream
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Cardstream technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration10 records
AI capability2 records
Feature5 records
Cardstream partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- MastercardcoreStrategic partnership with Mastercard enabling Click to Pay integration, Open Banking capabilities, and PayFac-as-a-Service infrastructure development for white-label payment gateway solutions.
- KountcoreAI-driven fraud protection integration providing real-time fraud screening and prevention capabilities within the Cardstream payment gateway platform.
- CashflowscoreStrategic partnership for PayFac-as-a-Service (PFaaS) development, providing payment facilitator infrastructure to enable rapid merchant onboarding.
- PPROminorPartner presence at MPE Berlin event, representing expanded distribution reach for Cardstream's payment gateway solutions in European markets.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Cardstream competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- NMI: NMI is a US-headquartered payment gateway and PayFac enablement provider offering white-label payment infrastructure to ISVs, ISOs, and PSPs via a single API. It is the closest direct comparable to Cardstream given its shared white-label gateway, PayFac-as-a-Service model, and target customer base of PSPs, ISOs, and software platforms.
- Trust Payments: Trust Payments is a UK-based payment gateway and acquiring services provider with global reach, offering white-label and reseller-friendly payment infrastructure to PSPs, ISOs, and merchants. It directly overlaps with Cardstream on UK-centric, multi-acquirer gateway services and reseller-led distribution.
- PPRO: PPRO is a payments orchestration platform that aggregates local and alternative payment methods through a single API for PSPs and acquirers. It is a direct alternative payment method and acquirer-agnostic peer to Cardstream's Open Payment Network, with overlapping PSP and reseller customers.
Broad incumbents
- Stripe (Connect): Stripe is a global payments infrastructure incumbent whose Stripe Connect product offers embedded payments and platform-based merchant onboarding analogous to Cardstream's PayFac-as-a-Service. Although broader in scope and consumer-direct, it competes for the same embedded payments wallet at software platforms and marketplaces.
- Adyen: Adyen is a large global payment processor providing unified online, mobile and in-store payments to enterprise merchants. It overlaps with Cardstream's gateway, multi-acquirer orchestration and alternative payment method capabilities, particularly at the enterprise end of the market.
- Checkout.com: Checkout.com is a global end-to-end payments platform offering gateway, acquiring, and processing services with broad APM coverage. It competes with Cardstream for enterprise PSP and platform customers seeking a single global provider with deep acquirer connectivity.
- Worldpay (FIS): Worldpay is one of the largest global payment processors and acquirers, offering gateway and processing services to merchants, ISVs, and banks. It is comparable to Cardstream in providing white-label and partner-channel payment infrastructure at scale, though at a far larger enterprise tier.
- Global Payments: Global Payments is a large incumbent payment technology company offering merchant acquiring, gateway, and integrated payment solutions globally. It competes with Cardstream in gateway and integrated PSP services, particularly through its partner and ISO channels.
Emerging players
- Spreedly: Spreedly is a payment orchestration platform providing a single API to connect to multiple gateways and acquirers, with strong tokenization and vault capabilities. It is comparable to Cardstream's Open Payment Network in API-based multi-acquirer orchestration, though it operates as a higher-layer orchestrator rather than a gateway.
- Rapyd: Rapyd is a fintech-as-a-service platform offering payments, payout, and embedded finance infrastructure including white-label wallet, issuing, and acquiring. It overlaps with Cardstream's PayFac-as-a-Service and global APM coverage, though with a different geographic emphasis.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Cardstream social profiles
Digital presenceCardstream financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Cardstream leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Cardstream funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Cardstream 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 Cardstream
What does Cardstream do?
Cardstream operates a white-label payment gateway platform with its Open Payment Network, enabling banks, PSPs, ISOs, and software companies to deploy fully branded payment processing services through a single API connecting to 200+ acquirers and 150+ alternative payment methods. The company also provides PayFac-as-a-Service (PFaaS) infrastructure enabling rapid sub-merchant onboarding, KYC/AML workflows, and Merchant of Record operations for platform partners across 120+ countries.
Is Cardstream a public or private company?
Cardstream is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Cardstream founded?
Cardstream was founded in 1999. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Cardstream based?
Cardstream is headquartered in Taunton, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Cardstream make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Gateway Subscription Fees are the primary driver. The others are transaction Processing Fees and white-Label Licensing.
Who are Cardstream's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are NMI, Trust Payments and PPRO. Broad incumbents are Stripe (Connect), Adyen, Checkout.com, Worldpay (FIS) and Global Payments. Emerging players are Spreedly and Rapyd.
Does Cardstream have an API?
Yes. Cardstream offers a single API integration through its Open Payment Network, providing access to all payment options including credit cards, debit cards, wallets, and Alternative Payment Methods. The API supports white label capabilities allowing partners to completely rebrand the payment platform. Integration tools include sample code, test cards, test accounts, and on-demand support from technical support team. Developer documentation is at guides.gitbook.io/integrationguide.
What industry is Cardstream in?
Cardstream's product category is Payment Gateway Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAMABAA, Integrated Payment Processors (PSP/Acquirer), with a secondary code of FSAGALAC, Embedded Card Issuing & Card-as-a-Service. Its NAICS code is 522210 and its SIC code is 6159.