FINEST
FINEST is a Frankfurt-based payment processor providing gateway, acquiring, processing, and risk management services to low-, medium-, and high-risk online merchants across 160+ countries via the Open Payment Platform.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersFrankfurt, Germany
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What FINEST does
FINEST (legal entity Finest PCF GmbH) is a Frankfurt am Main-based payment processing company incorporated in 2018 that provides payment gateway, processing, merchant acquiring, risk management, and PCI compliance services to online merchants operating in low-, medium-, and high-risk industries across more than 160 countries. The company's core asset is the Open Payment Platform (OPP), which integrates the ACI Worldwide PAY.ON Payments Gateway (Level 1 PCI-DSS V3 compliant), ReD Shield fraud prevention, and the ACI Business Intelligence Platform, exposing them to merchants via COPYandPAY, Mobile SDKs for Android and iOS, Server-to-Server API, and the PaySourcing hosted payment page.
The business model is transaction-fee based, with revenue derived from payment processing fees, merchant acquiring services, and risk management services priced via custom quotes through a direct enterprise sales motion with dedicated account managers. The target customer base spans e-commerce merchants, high-risk verticals (gambling, gaming, forex, crypto, CBD, adult), international merchants needing multicurrency accounts, and mobile commerce operators. Through a network of more than 400 acquiring banks, FINEST offers domestic and cross-border multi-currency processing, alternative and crypto payment methods, smart GEO IP-based transaction routing, chargeback management, and recurring billing capabilities.
FINEST is privately held with no disclosed external funding or parent company; it is managed by a sole Managing Director, Patrick Carlo Friedrich (Geschäftsführer). The company operates from a single Frankfurt office with 11-50 employees and serves merchants globally via its direct sales channel and the Open Payment Platform API integrations.
FINEST firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- FINEST
- Legal name
- Finest PCF GmbH
- Website
- https://finest-finance.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- FINEST is a Frankfurt-based payment processor providing gateway, acquiring, processing, and risk management services to low-, medium-, and high-risk online merchants across 160+ countries via the Open Payment Platform.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
FINEST industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Payment Processing Services
- NAICS
- Activities Related to Credit Intermediation (5223)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Payment Processing & Acquiring Infrastructure (FSAGABAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Integrated Payment Processors (PSP/Acquirer) (FSAMABAA), Processor-Agnostic / White-Label Acquiring Platforms (Acquiring-as-a-Service) (FSAMABAI), Merchant Acquiring & Card Processing (PSPs) (CRAFALAB)
Keywords
Where FINEST is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Frankfurt
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
FINEST business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Payment Processing Fees: FINEST processes domestic and cross-border payments in multi-currencies and alternative payment methods, generating revenue through transaction fees on each processed payment. The company benefits from optimized conversion rates through smart transaction routing.
- Merchant Acquiring Services: Provides online merchants with merchant accounts worldwide with personal billing descriptors accepted by acquiring banks in different jurisdictions. Revenue generated from merchant account services, multicurrency merchant accounts, and payout services.
- Risk Management Services: Tailored anti-fraud suite and risk monitoring tools to mitigate financial, reputation and chargeback risk. Services include sophisticated AML monitoring and risk scoring.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Custom enterprise pricing based on business type and risk profile |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
FINEST product offering
Product offeringCore offering
FINEST is an international payment processing company that provides online merchants with secure domestic and cross-border card payment processing, merchant acquiring services, risk management, chargeback prevention, and PCI DSS compliance. Its proprietary Open Payment Platform (OPP) connects merchants to a global network of 400+ acquiring banks across 160+ countries through a single secure gateway, supporting multi-currency transactions, alternative payment methods including crypto, and serving low-, medium-, and high-risk industry verticals.
Product overview
FINEST is an international payment processing company offering a unified platform architecture centered on the Open Payment Platform (OPP). The platform integrates multiple modules including the Payment Gateway, Payment Processing, Merchant Acquiring Services, and Risk Management Suite as core offerings. Supporting modules include Business Intelligence & Reporting, Chargeback Management, and developer tools such as COPYandPAY, Mobile SDK, Server-to-Server API, and PaySourcing/Web Payment Frontend. The OPP serves as the central integration hub connecting merchants to acquiring banks through PAY.ON Payments Gateway, processing domestic and cross-border payments across 160+ countries.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- All-in-One Payment Gateway
Quantifiable outcome
- High approval ratios through GEO IP based Weight Dispatchers and Smart Routing
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use FINEST
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
FINEST technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
AI capability2 records
Feature8 records
FINEST partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- ACI WorldwidecoreACI Worldwide is a key technology partner providing FINEST with Level 1 PCI-compliant PAY.ON Payments Gateway, ReD Shield fraud prevention suite, and Business Intelligence Platform (BIP). This partnership enables FINEST to offer enterprise-grade payment processing, fraud detection, and real-time reporting capabilities to merchants globally.
- PAY.ON Payments GatewaycorePAY.ON Payments Gateway, part of ACI Worldwide, provides the Level 1 PCI-compliant, secure, flexible, all-in-one global gateway for Payment Services Providers (PSPs), ISOs and Acquirers around the world. This technology enables FINEST's core payment gateway services.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights6 records
FINEST competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Trust Payments: PSP focused on online merchants including high-risk verticals (gambling, gaming, adult, crypto). Closest niche peer to FINEST in vertical mix and boutique service model.
- Stripe: Global integrated payment processor and acquirer offering APIs for online card acceptance, smart routing, fraud prevention (Radar), and global acquiring. Closest large-scale peer to FINEST in business model and customer base.
- Mollie: European-based payment processor offering multi-currency processing, gateway services, and developer-friendly APIs to SMEs and mid-market merchants. Comparable regional peer to FINEST with similar target segments.
- Paysafe: Specialized payments platform with strong presence in high-risk verticals (gambling, gaming, crypto) and digital wallets. Closest vertically-aligned peer to FINEST in regulated and high-risk online commerce.
- 2Checkout (Verifone): Digital commerce and payment processing platform serving global online merchants, including subscription billing and high-risk verticals. Comparable integrated PSP offering to FINEST.
- Checkout.com: Global payment processor with direct acquiring relationships across multiple geographies, offering smart routing, fraud tools, and multi-currency support. Directly comparable to FINEST in core PSP/acquirer proposition.
- Payvision: European-headquartered acquirer and PSP focused on cross-border e-commerce and high-risk merchants. Direct peer to FINEST with similar vertical specialization and regional orientation.
Broad incumbents
- Adyen: Global payments platform combining processing, acquiring, and risk management into a single stack. Comparable to FINEST in offering unified processing and acquiring services, but operates at vastly larger scale and focuses on enterprise merchants.
- Worldpay: One of the largest global merchant acquirers and payment processors, offering omnichannel processing, fraud, and cross-border services. Overlaps with FINEST in acquiring and processing, but serves much larger enterprise customers.
Others
- ACI Worldwide: Core technology partner providing PAY.ON gateway, ReD Shield fraud, and BIP platform. Functions as the underlying infrastructure supplier for FINEST rather than a competitor, but its broader Real-Time Payments and issuer services overlap with adjacent payment processing capabilities.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
FINEST social profiles
Digital presenceFINEST compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
FINEST financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
FINEST leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
FINEST funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
FINEST 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 FINEST
What does FINEST do?
FINEST is an international payment processing company that provides online merchants with secure domestic and cross-border card payment processing, merchant acquiring services, risk management, chargeback prevention, and PCI DSS compliance. Its proprietary Open Payment Platform (OPP) connects merchants to a global network of 400+ acquiring banks across 160+ countries through a single secure gateway, supporting multi-currency transactions, alternative payment methods including crypto, and serving low-, medium-, and high-risk industry verticals.
Is FINEST a public or private company?
FINEST is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was FINEST founded?
FINEST was founded in 2018. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is FINEST based?
FINEST is headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does FINEST make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Payment Processing Fees are the primary driver. The others are merchant Acquiring Services and risk Management Services.
Who are FINEST's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Trust Payments, Stripe, Mollie, Paysafe, 2Checkout (Verifone), Checkout.com and Payvision. Broad incumbents are Adyen and Worldpay. ACI Worldwide is listed as an others.
Does FINEST have an API?
Yes. FINEST offers multiple API and integration options as part of its Open Payment Platform (OPP). These include: COPYandPAY plug-in for PCI DSS compliance and customized payment pages; Mobile SDK for Android and iOS integrating mobile devices to the Open Payment Platform; Server-to-Server API for flexible front-end and back-end processing workflow; Mobile-App/In-App Payment library for PCI-compliant in-app payments; and PaySourcing hosted payment page with Web Payment Frontend (WPF) for maximum flexibility and high conversion rates. The OPP connects merchants to private and corporate accounts via a single secure integration point. Developer documentation is at finest-finance.com.
What industry is FINEST in?
FINEST's product category is Payment Processing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAGABAC, Payment Processing & Acquiring Infrastructure, with a secondary code of FSAMABAA, Integrated Payment Processors (PSP/Acquirer). Its NAICS code is 5223 and its SIC code is 7370.