Valmar
Valmar Merchant Services is a US-based payment processor offering credit, debit, ACH, real-time, and push-to-card processing through direct multi-bank ISO/MSP partnerships. It specializes in high-risk and regulated industries such as CBD, hemp, firearms, lending, and collections, primarily serving SMB and mid-market merchants with transparent interchange-plus pricing.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersBuffalo, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Valmar does
Valmar Merchant Services, LLC is a US-based payment processor founded in 2013 and headquartered in Amherst, New York, operating as a registered ISO/MSP of three banks (Commercial Bank of California, Evolve Bank & Trust, and North American Banking Company). The company offers credit and debit card processing, ACH payments, Real-Time Payments via The Clearing House, Push-to-Card instant funding, and eCheck/Check 21 processing, all unified through a proprietary Valmar Gateway dashboard that provides real-time batch tracking, fraud filters, role-based permissions, and reconciliation-ready CSV exports. Valmar differentiates by specializing in high-risk and regulated verticals—CBD, hemp, firearms, lending, collections, smoke/vape, telemedicine, and adult products—where mainstream processors routinely decline merchants or terminate accounts; the firm also serves mainstream retail, e-commerce, medical, and subscription segments.
The business model is transaction-based interchange-plus pricing, with optional flat-rate and custom enterprise tiers, plus ancillary revenue from hardware sales/leasing (PAX and SwipeSimple terminals) and lifetime residual commissions paid to ISO/referral partners. Go-to-market is sales-led with direct merchant acquisition (statement review, quote requests, phone sales, 24–48 hour approval) augmented by a referral-partner channel targeting ISOs, agents, banks, CPAs, and bookkeepers through a white-labeled dashboard. Distribution is US-domestic only.
Ownership is founder-controlled: Adam March (Founder & Board Member) and Daniel Valentine (Co-Founder) remain active, with Richard Heaton as CEO (promoted from CFO in October 2019) and Jonathan Gentile as CFO (joined December 2022). The company is bootstrapped with no disclosed external funding. Certifications include BBB A+ Accreditation and membership in Nacha, ETA, Online Lenders Alliance, and the Hemp Beverage Alliance. Headcount is reported at 11–50 employees, and the customer base skews SMB with selective mid-market accounts (e.g., Sterling Auto Group, Fundi Loans) across a long-tail of merchants.
Valmar firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Valmar
- Legal name
- Valmar Merchant Services, LLC
- Website
- https://vlmr.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Valmar Merchant Services is a US-based payment processor offering credit, debit, ACH, real-time, and push-to-card processing through direct multi-bank ISO/MSP partnerships. It specializes in high-risk and regulated industries such as CBD, hemp, firearms, lending, and collections, primarily serving SMB and mid-market merchants with transparent interchange-plus pricing.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Valmar industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Payment Processing Services
- NAICS
- Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (522320), Sales Financing (52222), Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (52232)
- SIC
- Services-Consumer Credit Reporting, Collection Agencies (7320), Short-Term Business Credit Institutions (6153), Loan Brokers (6163)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Merchant-Integrated BNPL (Checkout POS Financing) (FSAGAIAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) Platforms (BPAMAFAG), Payment Reconciliation, ERP/AP Integration & Data Enrichment (Level 2/3, eReceipts) (THACAJAE)
Keywords
Where Valmar is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Buffalo
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Valmar business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Payment Processing Fees: Interchange-plus pricing model where merchants pay card network interchange fees plus a transparent processor markup. Supports credit/debit cards, ACH, Real-Time Payments, eCheck, and Push-to-Card transactions.
- Referral Partner Commissions: Commissions paid to ISOs, agents, and referral partners for each successful merchant account referral. Partners receive residuals for the lifetime of referred accounts.
- Hardware Sales and Leasing: Sale and lease of POS terminals, card readers, and full workstations. Hardware options include PAX A920 Pro, PAX Elys, Countertop Terminals, PAX A900, SwipeSimple B250, and Mobile Card Readers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Monthly | Interchange-Plus Pricing - Most transparent model with separate interchange and markup fees |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Monthly | Flat-Rate Pricing - Single rate for all transactions |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Monthly | Custom Enterprise Pricing |
| Unit Pricing | Monthly | Hardware Options |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Valmar product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Valmar Merchant Services operates as a registered ISO/MSP providing payment processing solutions to merchants, with a focus on high-risk and regulated industries such as CBD, hemp, firearms, lending, and collections. The company delivers credit/debit card processing, ACH payments, Real-Time Payments (RTP), Push-to-Card instant funding, and eCheck/Check 21 processing through its proprietary Valmar Gateway dashboard. Valmar differentiates through direct bank relationships, transparent interchange-plus pricing, and dedicated human account management rather than automated ticketing systems.
Product overview
Valmar Merchant Services is a financial technology company offering a suite of payment processing solutions centered on its proprietary Valmar Gateway platform. The core product portfolio includes Credit & Debit Card Processing, ACH Processing, Real-Time Payments (RTP), Push-to-Card/Instant Card Funding, and eCheck/Check 21 Processing. Valmar specializes in serving high-risk and regulated industries through its High-Risk Merchant Services offering, covering verticals such as CBD, hemp, firearms, lending, collections, and subscriptions. A Referral Partner Program provides ISOs, agents, and payment professionals with a white-labeled platform, commission tracking, and partner success management. Hardware Solutions offer a range of POS terminals and card readers from PAX and SwipeSimple. The Valmar Gateway serves as the central dashboard unifying transaction tracking, fraud protection, reconciliation exports, and role-based permissioning across all services.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Valmar Gateway Proprietary payment gateway platform providing real-time transaction and batch tracking, ACH and card processing visibility, fraud filters, reconciliation-ready exports, permissioning and roles, and a merchant portal dashboard for managing all payment services.
- Credit & Debit Card Processing Payment processing service for credit and debit card transactions with transparent interchange pricing, integrated tokenization, gateway vaulting, dynamic descriptors, clean PCI compliance, and easy POS integrations, available to merchants across retail, e-commerce, and high-risk verticals.
- ACH Processing Bank-to-bank electronic payment processing enabling direct fund transfers from one bank account to another with fewer fees than card transactions, supporting standard and same-day ACH originations, fraud rules, real-time monitoring, and batch visibility within the Valmar Gateway.
- Real-Time Payments (RTP) Instant payment settlement service operating 24/7 via The Clearing House's RTP network, enabling immediate fund transfers for payouts, refunds, and vendor payments without batching or banking delays, with full visibility in the Valmar Gateway.
- Push-to-Card / Instant Card Funding Real-time debit card payout service enabling instant transfer of funds to customers' debit cards, commonly used for instant loan funding, refunds, and commissions with no waiting period.
- eCheck / Check 21 Processing Electronic check processing and Remotely Captured Check (RCC) solution compliant with UCC, Reg CC, Reg J, and Check 21 Act, designed for lenders to manage loan portfolio return rates with cost-effective payment processing.
- High-Risk Merchant Services Specialized payment processing for businesses in high-risk and regulated industries including CBD, hemp, firearms, lending, collections, subscriptions, smoke shops, telemedicine, and adult products, with direct bank relationships and compliance support.
- Referral Partner Program White-labeled platform for ISOs, agents, and payment professionals offering commission visibility, application tracking, nested account views, CRM-friendly reporting exports, and dedicated partner success management for referring merchants to Valmar.
- Hardware Solutions Range of POS hardware including PAX A920 Pro portable terminal, PAX Elys countertop station, Countertop Terminal, PAX A900 hybrid terminal, SwipeSimple B250 Bluetooth card reader, and Mobile Card Reader, with free hardware options for qualified merchants.
Quantifiable outcome
- Most merchants approved in less than 48 hours
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Valmar
Customer profileNamed customers13 records
Segments9 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Valmar technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration10 records
Feature4 records
Valmar partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor.
- NachaminorNacha member, indicating participation in the ACH network and adherence to ACH rules and standards for electronic payments.
- Electronic Transactions Association (ETA)minorETA member, indicating participation in the payments industry trade association.
- Online Lenders Alliance (OLA)minorOLA member, supporting online lending industry connections and best practices.
- Hemp Beverage AllianceminorIndustry association membership supporting hemp and CBD beverage industry connections.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Valmar competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Stax: Subscription-based payment processor with transparent interchange-plus pricing and developer-friendly tools for SMB and SaaS merchants, competing on pricing transparency and modern technology — directly comparable to Valmar's messaging.
- Durango Merchant Services: High-risk ISO offering credit card processing to CBD, firearms, nutraceutical, and adult merchants with emphasis on merchant retention and transparency, mirroring Valmar's positioning in stigmatized verticals.
- Host Merchant Services: Mid-market payment processor offering interchange-plus pricing, transparent statements, and dedicated support to SMBs across general retail and higher-risk verticals, competing head-to-head with Valmar on the 'no-nonsense processor' value proposition.
- National Processing: SMB-focused payment processor providing card-present and card-not-present processing with direct sales and ISO partner channels, comparable to Valmar on GTM motion and merchant size.
- PaymentCloud: Specialist high-risk merchant services provider serving e-commerce, CBD, firearms, adult, and nutraceutical merchants with interchange-plus pricing and dedicated underwriting — the closest direct analogue to Valmar's high-risk vertical focus.
Broad incumbents
- PayPal: Diversified digital payments platform with merchant acquiring, digital wallets, and working-capital products; an indirect competitor for Valmar's e-commerce merchants via PayPal Checkout and Braintree.
- Square (Block): Mass-market SMB payments and POS platform with hardware, software, banking, and lending — overlaps with Valmar's retail and e-commerce merchants but does not serve most high-risk verticals.
- Heartland Payment Systems (Global Payments): Large-scale SMB-focused acquirer with ISO/agent distribution and broad vertical coverage; a comparable model at significantly greater scale and balance sheet.
- Fiserv (Clover): Incumbent acquirer whose Clover POS/network competes in Valmar's hardware and SMB segments; Valmar explicitly positions against Clover on its hardware comparison page.
- Stripe: Global online payment platform with developer-first APIs and Atlas-style embedded finance products; competes for Valmar's e-commerce and SaaS-adjacent merchants but does not target high-risk or ISO/agent channels.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Valmar social profiles
Digital presenceValmar compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance5 records
Valmar financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Valmar leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Valmar funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Valmar 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 Valmar
What does Valmar do?
Valmar Merchant Services operates as a registered ISO/MSP providing payment processing solutions to merchants, with a focus on high-risk and regulated industries such as CBD, hemp, firearms, lending, and collections. The company delivers credit/debit card processing, ACH payments, Real-Time Payments (RTP), Push-to-Card instant funding, and eCheck/Check 21 processing through its proprietary Valmar Gateway dashboard. Valmar differentiates through direct bank relationships, transparent interchange-plus pricing, and dedicated human account management rather than automated ticketing systems.
Is Valmar a public or private company?
Valmar is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Valmar founded?
Valmar was founded in 2013. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Valmar based?
Valmar is headquartered in Buffalo, United States, in the North America region.
How does Valmar make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Payment Processing Fees are the primary driver. The others are referral Partner Commissions and hardware Sales and Leasing.
Who are Valmar's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Stax, Durango Merchant Services, Host Merchant Services, National Processing and PaymentCloud. Broad incumbents are PayPal, Square (Block), Heartland Payment Systems (Global Payments), Fiserv (Clover) and Stripe.
Does Valmar have an API?
No public API is recorded for Valmar.
What industry is Valmar in?
Valmar's product category is Payment Processing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAGAIAA, Merchant-Integrated BNPL (Checkout POS Financing), with a secondary code of BPAMAFAG, Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) Platforms. Its NAICS code is 522320 and its SIC code is 7320.