Lapay

What Lapay does

Lapay UK Ltd is a UK-incorporated, FCA-authorised Payment Institution (reference 914920) that provides a one-stop cross-border payments stack for SMEs, cross-border e-commerce merchants and digital entertainment platforms. The company is headquartered at 86-90 Paul Street, London, and operates with a 11–50 person team.

The platform is built around four core products: Global Acquiring (a payment gateway spanning credit cards, debit cards, e-wallets and bank transfers across UK, EU, Far East Asia, Africa, Middle East, Asia-Pacific and Latin America); Virtual Accounts (multi-currency collection accounts via global bank partners with real-time fund tracking); Collections & Settlements (cross-border payment acceptance from 100+ countries with payouts in 130+ currencies); and Currency Exchange (24/7 real-time FX quotes through dedicated networks). A Risk Control overlay provides real-time monitoring, fraud detection and chargeback dispute support. Distribution combines direct B2B sales to enterprise and mid-market merchants with developer-friendly APIs and a partnership network of global banks.

Revenue is generated through transaction-based fees on payment processing and acquiring, plus FX spread on multi-currency settlement and exchange. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; prospective customers are routed via [email protected]. Following an investment in March 2024 from Singapore-based crypto payments provider Alchemy Pay, Lapay functions as Alchemy Pay's UK-licensed vehicle for Web3 payment rails and broader regulatory expansion across 20+ jurisdictions, with the combined entity claiming a 173-country footprint.

Name

Lapay

Legal name

Lapay UK Ltd.

Website

https://lapay.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Lapay UK Ltd is an FCA-authorised cross-border payments fintech serving SMEs, cross-border e-commerce merchants and digital entertainment platforms with acquiring, multi-currency accounts, settlements and FX services spanning 100+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cross-Border Payment Services

NAICS

Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (52232), Other Activities Related to Credit Intermediation (522390)

SIC

Finance Services (6199), International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Cross-Border FX, Multi-Currency & Treasury for Payments (FSAGABAK), Cross-Border & FX Payments Platforms (BPAMAFAK), Digital Payments & Money Movement (ACH/SEPA/FPS, Bill Pay, P2P) (FSAGAAAF)

Keywords

• Cross-border payments
• Global payment gateway
• Multi-currency accounts
• Foreign exchange services
• Merchant acquiring

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Payment Processing and Acquiring: Transaction-based fees from processing cross-border payments and global acquiring services for merchants accepting various payment methods including credit cards, debit cards, and e-wallets
2. Currency Exchange: Revenue generated from competitive exchange rates on multi-currency transactions and settlements, serving clients exchanging currencies across global markets

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Lapay provides a modular global payments platform that enables businesses to accept cross-border payments from 100+ countries, hold funds in virtual multi-currency accounts, settle in 130+ currencies, and access real-time foreign exchange. The platform combines global acquiring, collections and settlements, virtual accounts, and currency exchange, delivered through developer-friendly APIs and direct sales to cross-border merchants and digital entertainment platforms.

Product overview

LaPay is a modular global payments platform offering a suite of interconnected services for cross-border business. The core portfolio comprises Global Acquiring (payment gateway), Virtual Accounts (multi-currency collection), Collections and Settlements (cross-border payments in 130+ currencies), and Currency Exchange (real-time FX). These products integrate with dedicated risk control services and account management tools, enabling businesses to accept, convert, and settle payments across UK, EU, Far East Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. The platform serves both Traders/E-commerce and Digital Entertainment sectors with tailored solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Global Acquiring One-stop global acquiring service enabling businesses to access hundreds of local payment methods across the UK, EU, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and Africa, supporting diverse payment types including credit cards, debit cards, and e-wallets.
• Virtual Accounts
• Collections and Settlements
• Currency Exchange
• Global Payment Gateway for Digital Entertainment
• Fast Settlement Service
• Risk Control Services
• Global Multi-Currency Settlement for Traders/E-commerce

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Payoneer: Payoneer provides cross-border B2B payments, multi-currency receiving accounts, and FX for SMBs and freelancers — closely comparable to Lapay's Virtual Accounts and Collections & Settlements offerings.
• dLocal: dLocal specializes in cross-border payments for emerging markets across LatAm, Africa, and Asia. It is a direct competitor to Lapay's emerging-market and SME-focused acquiring and payouts.
• Airwallex: Airwallex offers multi-currency business accounts, global acquiring, FX, and payouts across 100+ countries. It directly overlaps with Lapay's Virtual Accounts, Collections & Settlements, and Currency Exchange products for cross-border SMBs.
• PingPong: PingPong provides cross-border payment processing, multi-currency accounts, and acquiring for e-commerce merchants and SMEs trading internationally — directly comparable to Lapay's cross-border e-commerce and emerging-market focus.
• Wise (formerly TransferWise): Wise operates a multi-currency network offering cross-border payments, FX, and business accounts across 100+ countries. Its cross-border and FX capabilities directly overlap with Lapay's core products.

Broad incumbents

• Adyen: Adyen provides unified global acquiring, payment processing, and FX for enterprise merchants. It is a direct competitor to Lapay's Global Acquiring and Currency Exchange products, with vastly greater scale and direct scheme licenses.
• Checkout.com: Checkout.com is a global payment gateway and acquirer with strong coverage in EMEA and emerging markets. It directly overlaps with Lapay's payment gateway and acquiring offerings, particularly for enterprise merchants.
• Worldpay: Worldpay is a global merchant acquirer and payment processor offering cross-border acquiring, multi-currency settlement, and FX. It competes broadly with Lapay's Global Acquiring service at much greater scale.
• Alchemy Pay: Alchemy Pay is the parent company and strategic investor in Lapay. It is a global crypto-fiat payment gateway operating in 173 countries, directly comparable to Lapay's global acquiring and FX services, though with a stronger crypto/Web3 focus.
• Stripe: Stripe offers global payment processing, multi-currency support, and developer-friendly APIs. While broader in scope, its cross-border and emerging-market capabilities directly overlap with Lapay's Global Acquiring and API-first delivery model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lapay-limited

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Lapay