What SumUp Payments does

SumUp Payments is a private financial technology company founded in 2011 that provides mobile point-of-sale (mPOS) payment acceptance and adjacent financial services to small merchants and micro-businesses. Operating across 35+ countries with over 4 million customers, the company is registered in Brazil as SumUp Instituição de Pagamento Brasil Ltda., headquartered in São Paulo. Its core product is a mobile card reader ("Maquininha") that pairs with a smartphone or tablet, supplemented by Tap to Pay — an NFC-based contactless acceptance flow that eliminates dedicated hardware — and a suite of omnichannel tools including shareable payment links, in-app POS, an online store builder, and a digital business account with native Pix integration for instant Brazilian transfers.

The underlying platform is built around a self-serve, product-led distribution model: merchants download the mobile app, onboard without sales intervention, and can immediately begin accepting Visa, Mastercard, Elo, Amex, Google Pay, Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, Pix, Boleto, and meal voucher schemes (VR, Ticket, Alelo). Beyond acceptance, SumUp layers in working-capital products — business loans (Empréstimo), receivables anticipation (Antecipação de Recebíveis), a multi-card (Cartão Múltiplo) for accessing sales proceeds, and collection/invoicing tooling — converting the payments relationship into a broader financial relationship. The payleven brand, acquired and integrated into the Brazilian offering, extends distribution for card reader hardware.

SumUp monetizes primarily through per-transaction fees on card and Tap to Pay volume (with promotional first-month rates for new merchants), hardware sales of card readers, and revenue from its digital financial services and online store offerings. Distribution is anchored by a mobile app with self-serve signup, an e-commerce storefront for hardware, and a referral program ('Indique e Ganhe') that drives organic merchant acquisition. The company's customer-service reputation — including a 9.5/10 score and RA1000 certification on Brazil's Reclame Aqui platform with a 97.6% case resolution rate — is a notable trust signal in a segment where merchants are highly sensitive to support quality. Founders Daniel Klein and Marc-Alexander Christ continue to be associated with the business.

Name

SumUp Payments

Legal name

SumUp Instituição de Pagamento Brasil Ltda.

Website

https://sumup.com.br

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

SumUp Payments is a private fintech founded in 2011 that provides mobile POS card readers, Tap to Pay contactless acceptance, and embedded financial services (digital account, Pix, loans, receivables advance) to small merchants and micro-businesses across 35+ countries, with 4M+ customers served primarily through a self-serve mobile app.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mobile Payment Processing

NAICS

Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (52232), Sales Financing (52222), Collection Agencies (56144)

SIC

Short-Term Business Credit Institutions (6153)

akta.pro primary industry

POS, SoftPOS & In-Person Acceptance Infrastructure (FSAGABAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

A2A Checkout & Merchant Acceptance Solutions (FSAMAFAF), Alternative Payment Methods (APMs) Enablement (BNPL, wallets, local methods) (FSAMACAE), Merchant-of-Record (MoR) & Payment Facilitation (PayFac) Infrastructure (FSAGABAE)

Keywords

• Mobile point-of-sale
• Card payment processing
• Contactless payments
• Merchant financial services
• Small business payments

Headquarters

HQ city

São Paulo

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Transaction Fees (Maquininhas): Percentage-based fees charged on each card transaction processed through card readers or Tap to Pay. Promotional rates offered in the first month with standard rates thereafter.
2. Hardware Sales: Sale of card reader terminals to merchants. Option to purchase card readers from SumUp store.
3. Digital Financial Services: Revenue from digital banking services including loan origination (Empréstimo), receivables anticipation (Antecipação de recebíveis), and multi-card management (Cartão múltiplo)
4. Online Store / E-commerce Solutions: Fees for online store creation (Loja Online) and online payment processing services
5. Payment Link Fees: Transaction fees for Link de Pagamento (payment links) used for remote payment collection

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

SumUp Payments provides mobile point-of-sale (mPOS) card readers and Tap to Pay contactless payment solutions that enable small merchants and micro-businesses to accept card and digital payments via smartphones or tablets. The offering extends to an integrated financial services ecosystem including a digital business account, payment links for remote collection, online store creation, Pix integration, business loans, receivables anticipation, and multi-card products. The platform serves over 4 million customers across 35+ countries with localized operations.

Product overview

SumUp Payments is a fintech company offering a unified payments and financial services platform designed primarily for small and medium-sized merchants. The core offering centers on mobile POS (mPOS) card readers and Tap to Pay technology that transform smartphones into payment terminals. The platform extends through an integrated ecosystem of products including in-app point-of-sale (PDV) for sales management, online store capabilities for e-commerce, payment links for remote collection, and Pix integration for instant Brazilian payments. Financial services include a digital business account, multi-card access, receivables management, business loans, and receivables anticipation. The portfolio is designed as an all-in-one solution where merchants can manage payments, finances, and credit through a single platform, with operations spanning 35+ countries. The company also acquired the payleven brand to expand its Brazilian market presence.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• payleven: A payment solution brand under SumUp, as stated in footer: 'payleven é uma solução SumUp'.

Products and services

• Maquininhas (Card Readers) Mobile point-of-sale (mPOS) card readers that enable small merchants and micro-businesses to accept credit and debit card payments (chip, swipe, and contactless) via smartphone or tablet.
• Tap to Pay NFC-based contactless payment solution that allows merchants to accept contactless card and mobile wallet payments directly through a smartphone without purchasing additional hardware.
• Link de Pagamento (Payment Link) Shareable payment links that allow merchants to collect payments remotely via SMS, WhatsApp, or social media without the card being physically present.
• PDV no App (In-App Point of Sale) Point-of-sale functionality integrated within the SumUp mobile app, providing inventory management, sales tracking, transaction processing, and reporting for merchants.
• Loja Online (Online Store) E-commerce platform enabling merchants to create and manage online stores with integrated payment processing.
• Conta Digital (Digital Business Account) Digital business bank account providing transaction management, balance tracking, and integrated financial operations within the SumUp ecosystem.
• Pix Integration with Brazil's instant payment system enabling free real-time transfers and QR code-based payments for merchants.
• Cartão Múltiplo (Multi-Card) Prepaid and debit card product that enables business owners to access funds from their SumUp sales immediately.
• Empréstimo (Business Loan) Credit facility providing business loans to merchants based on sales volume and transaction history, subject to approval.
• Antecipação de Recebíveis (Receivables Advance) Cash flow solution allowing merchants to receive anticipated funds from future card transaction receivables.
• Gestão de Cobrança (Collection Management) Invoice and receivables management solution for creating, sending, and tracking customer invoices and payment collections.

Quantifiable outcome

• 9.5/10 reputation rating on Reclame Aqui platform
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration12 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• paylevenminorOtherspayleven is operated as a SumUp solution/product in the Brazilian market, representing a consolidation or rebranding of SumUp's card reader services under the payleven brand in certain markets.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Block (Square): Pioneer of mPOS hardware and the Tap to Pay on iPhone concept. Closest global mPOS analog to SumUp, with comparable SMB acquiring plus banking and lending extensions.
• PagBank (PagSeguro): Brazilian SMB-focused payment processor and digital bank offering card machines, Pix, Conta Digital, and lending. Direct overlap in product set and target merchant segment.
• Mercado Pago: Fintech arm of Mercado Libre with deep Brazilian SMB presence across card acceptance, QR/Pix, digital account, and credit. Competes for the same micro-merchant wallet share.
• Stone Co. Brazilian SMB acquirer offering card acceptance, Tap to Pay, digital banking, and credit products. Closest like-for-like competitor in the Brazilian mPOS and SMB payments space.
• PayPal Zettle: PayPal-owned mPOS solution for SMBs across Europe and other markets. Directly comparable hardware-led card acceptance product targeting micro-merchants.

Broad incumbents

• Cielo: Largest Brazilian card acquirer historically and a benchmark for in-person payment acceptance economics. Overlaps in SMB POS but at much larger incumbent scale and broader merchant mix.
• Rede (Itaú): Brazilian acquirer owned by Itaú Unibanco with broad merchant coverage. Competes in the same SMB acceptance space but as part of a large incumbent banking ecosystem.
• Adyen: Global unified payments platform serving enterprise and SMB omnichannel merchants. Comparable in acceptance infrastructure and APM enablement, though tilted toward larger merchants.

Emerging players

• Stripe: Online-first payments platform that has expanded into in-person acceptance (Tap to Pay). Comparable on developer-first acceptance and APM breadth, but historically stronger online than offline.
• Revolut Business: Digital banking and payments offering for SMBs and freelancers with multi-currency accounts, card acceptance, and expense tooling. Partial overlap with SumUp's digital account and SMB financial services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SumUp_BR
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/conect-gospel

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 SumUp Payments