US Alliance Group

What US Alliance Group does

US Alliance Group Inc. (USAG) is a privately held, family-owned payment processing company headquartered in Rancho Santa Margarita, California, operating since 1997 (originally as Electronic Cash Systems) and reorganized under the USAG holding company in 2007. The company functions as a one-stop-shop merchant services provider in the United States, delivering credit and debit card processing, ACH transfers, gift cards, ATM placement and processing, electronic check processing, bill payment, merchant cash advances, and consumer lending (via its LevlPay sub-brand) to thousands of SMB merchants and complex business organizations. USAG is structured around four sub-brands — Electronic Cash Systems (ECS) for low to medium-risk merchants, Alternative Payments International (API) for non-traditional payments and ATM placements, Precision Payments International (PPI) for complex organizations transitioning from cash to card, and LevlPay for consumer debt repayment — all delivered through a multi-channel distribution model combining direct sales, Independent Sales Office (ISO) resellers, and Independent Software Vendor (ISV) integrations with SDK and API support.

The company is a registered ISO of five U.S. banks (Citizens Bank, Evolve Bank & Trust, Cal West Bank, Dart Bank, First National Bank of Pasco) and is an authorized reseller of Clover Network processing solutions. Technology features include secure tokenization, point-to-point encryption (P2PE), remote key injection, an omni-channel platform spanning in-store, self-service, e-commerce, and mobile, and PCI DSS compliance managed through a partnership with SecurityMetrics, the largest Qualified Security Assessor in the U.S. USAG holds PCI Security Standards Council Approved Service Provider status and BBB accreditation. Its in-house Merchant Services and Technical Support departments commit to answering every call within 45 seconds or less, and a dedicated Merchant Relations Specialist team handles onboarding and account setup.

Revenue is generated entirely through transaction-based fees across the company's payment and lending product lines, supplemented by revenue-share arrangements with ISO resellers and ISV partners. Pricing is custom and quote-based rather than publicly published, varying by transaction volume, industry, and risk profile. The company is led by founder and CEO Fadi Cheikha, with 30+ years of payments industry experience, alongside Chief Revenue Officer Mark Davis. USAG has been recognized on the Inc. 500 and Inc. 5000 lists multiple times since 2003 and was named a six-time Orange County Business Journal fastest-growing private company; the CEO was an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year finalist in 2021 and 2022. There is no evidence of institutional capital, M&A activity, international operations, or public financial disclosures.

Name

US Alliance Group

Legal name

US Alliance Group Inc.

Website

https://usag-inc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

US Alliance Group is a privately held, family-owned U.S. payment processing company offering credit/debit card processing, ACH, ATM placement, merchant cash advances, and consumer lending through four sub-brands, serving thousands of SMB merchants via direct sales, ISO resellers, and ISV integrations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Payment Processing Services

NAICS

Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (522320), Sales Financing (52222)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Integrated Payment Processors (PSP/Acquirer) (FSAMABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Merchant Payment Gateways (API/Hosted Checkout) (FSAMACAA), Integrated POS Payments (ISVs & Vertical POS Platforms) (FSAMADAD), Embedded Payments (Pay-ins, Pay-outs, Wallets) (FSAGALAB)

Keywords

• Payment processing services
• Merchant services
• Credit card processing
• ATM placement services
• Merchant cash advances

Headquarters

HQ city

Rancho Santa Margarita

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Credit and debit card processing: Transaction-based fee revenue from processing credit and debit card payments for merchants. Revenue is generated through transaction fees and interchange rates.
2. ATM services: ATM placement and processing services, generating revenue from transaction fees on cash withdrawals.
3. ACH and electronic check processing: Processing of ACH transfers and electronic check payments for merchants.
4. Gift card programs: Gift card issuance and processing solutions for merchants.
5. Bill payment processing: Bill payment processing services allowing merchants to accept consumer payments.
6. Merchant cash advances: Working capital loans and merchant cash advances to eligible merchants, providing alternative financing revenue.
7. Consumer lending: Consumer lending products through LevlPay offering flexible debt repayment solutions.
8. ISV revenue share: Revenue sharing arrangements with Independent Software Vendors who integrate USAG's payment APIs into their platforms.
9. ISO partnerships: Revenue sharing with Independent Sales Offices that resell USAG's processing platforms to merchants.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

US Alliance Group (USAG) provides comprehensive payment processing solutions for merchants, including credit and debit card processing, ATM placement and processing, ACH and electronic check processing, gift card programs, bill payment processing, merchant cash advances, and consumer lending through its LevlPay platform. The company also offers APIs and SDKs for Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) to integrate payment acceptance into their platforms, along with PCI compliance, secure tokenization, and point-to-point encryption services.

Product overview

US Alliance Group (USAG) operates as a diversified portfolio of payment processing brands under a single parent company, serving as a one-stop-shop merchant service provider in the U.S. The company comprises four main divisions: Electronic Cash Systems (ECS) for low to medium-risk merchants, Alternative Payments International (API) for alternative payment solutions and ATM placements, Precision Payments International (PPI) for complex business organizations, and LevlPay for flexible debt repayment solutions. USAG provides a comprehensive suite of payment services including credit and debit card processing, ACH transfers, gift cards, ATMs, merchant cash advances, and consumer lending, with technology offerings including APIs, secure tokenization, and P2PE & PCI compliance solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Electronic Cash Systems (ECS): Payment solutions for low to medium-risk merchants accepting credit cards, debit cards, gift cards, mobile, and online payments including bill pay and ACH.
• Alternative Payments International (API)
• Precision Payments International (PPI)
• LevlPay

Products and services

• Electronic Cash Systems (ECS)
• Alternative Payments International (API)
• Precision Payments International (PPI)
• LevlPay
• Merchant Cash Advance Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 45-second or less response time for merchant support calls
• +3 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SecurityMetricscoreTechnology or IntegrationUSAG partners with SecurityMetrics, the largest QSA (Qualified Security Assessor) in the US, to provide PCI Compliance and Certification services. USAG is held to the highest standards regarding the capture, security, and protection of cardholder information and is a member and Approved Service Provider on the PCI Security Standards Council.
• Citizens Bank, N.A.coreOthersUS Alliance Group Inc., doing business as Electronic Cash Systems, is a registered Independent Sales Organization of Citizens Bank, N.A., 1 Citizens Plaza, Providence, RI 02903.
• Evolve Bank & TrustcoreOthersUS Alliance Group Inc., doing business as Electronic Cash Systems, is a registered Independent Sales Organization of Evolve Bank & Trust, Memphis, Tennessee.
• Cal West BankcoreOthersUS Alliance Group Inc., doing business as Electronic Cash Systems, is a registered Independent Sales Organization of Cal West Bank, Irvine CA.
• Dart BankcoreOthersUS Alliance Group Inc., doing business as Electronic Cash Systems, is a registered Independent Sales Organization of Dart Bank, Mason, Michigan.
• First National Bank of PascocoreOthersUS Alliance Group Inc., doing business as Electronic Cash Systems, is a registered Independent Sales Organization of First National Bank of Pasco, Dade City, Florida.
• Aiden WhisperminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSAG exemplifies its dedication to making a difference through its partnership with Aiden Whisper, a nonprofit devoted to fostering generosity and supporting underserved populations.
• Northeast Acquirers' AssociationminorOthersIndustry association membership for payment processing professionals in the Northeast United States.
• Midwest Acquirers' AssociationminorOthersIndustry association membership for payment processing professionals in the Midwest United States.
• Western States Acquirers' AssociationminorOthersIndustry association membership for payment processing professionals in the Western United States.
• Merchant Acquirers' CommitteeminorOthersIndustry committee focused on merchant acquiring and payment processing standards.
• National Automated Clearing House AssociationminorOthersIndustry association for ACH payments and electronic payments ecosystem.
• ATM Industry AssociationminorOthersIndustry association for ATM services and deployment.
• Electronic Transactions AssociationminorOthersMajor industry trade association for electronic payments and transaction processing.
• Financial Services AllianceminorOthersIndustry alliance for financial services companies and payment processors.
• Auto Dealers Office Management AssociationminorOthersIndustry association for automotive dealer office management and payment solutions.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Stripe: Global online payments incumbent competing with USAG's ISV/embedded-payments and online checkout offerings via developer-first APIs; increasingly relevant as SMB software platforms standardize on Stripe for embedded payments.
• Global Payments: Large public merchant acquirer and processor with a deep ISO program. Competes both as a sponsor-bank/processor relationship option and as a broad-scale acquirer competing with USAG for mid-market merchant volume.
• Fiserv: Major payments incumbent and owner of Clover Network and First Data; relevant as both a sponsor-rail of USAG's Clover offering and a broad competitor across acquiring, POS, and merchant services.
• Block (Square): Public SMB payments incumbent offering Square POS, integrated software, and merchant processing at scale. Competes with USAG for the same low-to-medium-risk SMB segment but with software-led acquisition economics that an ISO cannot match.

Direct peers

• Helcim: Direct competitor in the SMB payment processing segment, offering merchant accounts, online checkout, and integrated payments with transparent interchange-plus pricing—overlapping with USAG's ECS and API sub-brands.
• Gravity Payments: Privately-held SMB merchant services and payment processing company that, like USAG, operates a registered ISO/processor model targeting small and mid-sized merchants with merchant services, gateways, and POS-adjacent offerings.
• Stax (formerly Fattmerchant): Subscription-based SMB payment processor and ISO serving small and mid-market merchants with integrated software and transparent pricing—an emerging flat-fee model competing with USAG's traditional residual-based ISO channel.
• CDG Commerce: Privately-held merchant services provider and ISO offering credit card processing, gateways, and POS solutions to small and mid-sized businesses via direct and ISO channels—closely comparable to USAG's ECS/PPI offerings.
• Payment Depot: Subscription-based SMB payment processor offering wholesale interchange-plus pricing to small and mid-sized merchants—an ISO-style model competing head-to-head with USAG's standard merchant residual pricing in low-to-medium-risk segments.
• North American Bancard: Privately-held ISO and payment processor serving SMBs and ISOs with merchant processing, ATMs, and value-added services—a closely comparable family-controlled US acquirer/ISO competitor to USAG.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/us-alliance-group-inc

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries4 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 US Alliance Group