Realex Payments

What Realex Payments does

Realex Payments is the UK and Ireland brand under which Global Payments Inc. (NYSE: GPN) operates its regional payment services business, delivered through GPUK LLP (FCA-authorised, headquartered in Leicester, England) and Pay and Shop Limited (registered in Dublin, Ireland). The company provides a unified payments platform spanning card machines, online payment acceptance, point-of-sale (POS) and EPOS systems, and mobile payment acceptance, supplemented by a software layer for merchant management that includes payment reporting, payment analytics, competitive benchmarking, business funding access, and dispute management. The product set has been extended with a tap-to-pay on iPhone solution (Genius Mobile Pay) and a Pay by Link feature that enables payment acceptance through text, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and email.

The business serves a deliberately broad vertical mix — retail, restaurant, quick service, healthcare, education, stadia and venue, events, transportation, and public sector — with named customers ranging from micro-merchants (Nick the Fishman, The Kings Arms, External Doors Online) to global enterprises (Atlanta Braves, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Volkswagen Financial Services, Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Money). Distribution combines enterprise field sales, inside sales supported by an online quotation tool, self-service digital paths, and a long-standing channel partnership with the British Independent Retailers Association (Bira). The company is regulated by the UK Financial Conduct Authority under the Payment Services Regulations 2017 (registration 504290) and is authorised under the Consumer Credit Act (714439) for terminal rental agreements.

Revenue is generated primarily through transaction-based fees on payment processing, with a pay-as-you-go billing cadence and a quote-based pricing model for merchant contracts, plus possible terminal rental income under the FCA Consumer Credit authorisation. The firm's investor relations and corporate identity are anchored to the Global Payments Inc. parent, a publicly traded acquirer of payment services listed on the NYSE.

Name

Realex Payments

Legal name

Global Payments (Trading as GPUK LLP and Pay and Shop Limited)

Website

https://realexpayments.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Realex Payments is the UK and Ireland trading brand of Global Payments Inc. (NYSE: GPN), providing card machines, online, POS, and mobile payment acceptance plus merchant analytics and funding tools to retailers, restaurants, enterprises, and public sector organisations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Payment Processing

NAICS

Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (52232), Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (522320)

akta.pro primary industry

Integrated Payment Processors (PSP/Acquirer) (FSAMABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Card-Present Acquirers (Retail & POS Focus) (FSAMABAC), Invoicing, Pay-by-Link & Virtual Accounts (CRAFALAJ)

Keywords

• Payment processing
• Merchant services
• Point of sale
• Card machines
• Online payments

Headquarters

HQ city

Dublin

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Payment Processing Services: Transaction-based payment processing fees charged to merchants for accepting card payments online, in-person, and via mobile. Revenue is generated through transaction fees and may include subscription components for terminal rental agreements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Realex Payments (trading as Global Payments / GPUK LLP / Pay and Shop Limited) provides a unified payments platform enabling businesses to accept card payments online, in-person, and on mobile devices. The offering spans card machines, online payment gateway services, POS systems, and smartphone-based mobile payment acceptance (including tap-to-pay), supported by business tools for reporting, analytics, competitive benchmarking, disputes, and funding.

Product overview

Global Payments (trading as Realex Payments) offers a unified payments platform comprising card machines, online payments, POS systems, and mobile payment solutions. The product portfolio includes core payment acceptance products (Card Machines, Online Payments, POS Systems, Mobile Payments) supplemented by business intelligence and management tools (Payment Reporting, Payment Analytics, Competitive Benchmark, Business Funding, Disputes Management). The Genius Mobile Pay feature enables tap-to-pay functionality on iPhone. The platform serves multiple industries including retail, restaurant, healthcare, education, stadia and venue, events, transportation, and public sector.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Card Machines A range of card machines for businesses of any size, enabling in-person card payment acceptance.
• Online Payments Online payment gateway enabling e-commerce transactions, allowing businesses to accept card payments online from anywhere in the world.
• POS Systems A range of point-of-sale (EPOS) systems designed to fit different business types, used by hospitality, retail, and quick-service merchants for till and payment processing.
• Mobile Payments Smartphone-based mobile payment acceptance allowing merchants to take card payments on the move, including tap-to-pay functionality via the Genius Mobile Pay solution on iPhone.
• Business Funding Quick and easy business funding product providing merchants with fast access to working capital.

Named customers10 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• British Independent Retailers Association (Bira)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGlobal Payments serves as Bira's preferred card processing provider for over 10 years, providing tailored and scalable payment services to independent retailers. The partnership offers members secure, flexible, and competitive payment solutions including in-store, online, and mobile payment options.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Visa: Global card network and broader payments ecosystem operator (including acquiring-adjacent services); adjacent incumbent that defines the rails GPUK relies on and increasingly competes with on embedded payments.
• Mastercard: Global card network and payments services provider; similar broad-incumbent relationship to GPUK — defines core rails while expanding into services (cybersecurity, open banking, A2A) that may compete with PSPs.

Direct peers

• Stripe: Global integrated payment processor and acquirer serving online and increasingly in-person merchants with developer-first APIs and transparent pricing; competes directly with GPUK in the UK online and omnichannel SMB and enterprise segments.
• Worldpay: Major UK-headquartered merchant acquirer and payment processor serving enterprise and SMB merchants across in-store and online channels — the closest direct competitor in the UK market in terms of customer profile and product breadth.
• SumUp: European card-reader and mobile payments provider focused on micro-merchants and SMBs with transparent pricing and self-service onboarding; competes head-on with GPUK's card-machine and mobile-pay offerings in the UK and Ireland.
• Dojo: UK-based payments network and acquirer serving small and mid-sized merchants with card machines, online, and mobile acceptance — direct competitor for SMB and hospitality merchant relationships in GPUK's home market.
• Square (Block): Integrated payments, POS, and mobile acceptance provider for SMBs globally; competes with GPUK on mobile/tap-to-pay hardware-agnostic acceptance and on bundled POS + payments value proposition.
• Adyen: Unified global payment processor serving enterprise merchants across online, in-store, and mobile channels with a single platform — competes for large UK enterprise merchants such as those already on GPUK's roster (e.g., Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Money-adjacent).
• Zettle (PayPal): PayPal-owned mobile card reader and POS provider targeting micro and small merchants in Europe; overlaps directly with GPUK's mobile-pay and Genius Tap-to-Pay proposition in the UK.

Emerging players

• Checkout.com: Cloud-native payment processor scaling from enterprise online checkout into omnichannel acceptance; competes with GPUK for enterprise UK and European merchants, particularly digital-first brands.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/realexpayments
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCg9HiItBheBjWJcOBE8q9HQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/realexpayments
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/realex-payments

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Realex Payments