What Eliot Management Group does

Eliot Management Group, LLC (operating as "Eliot Management Group by Deluxe") is a US payment services company founded in 1998 and headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Deluxe Corporation and operates as a registered Independent Sales Organization (ISO) of Fifth Third Bank, National Association, the bank sponsor through which it underwrites merchant credit and debit card processing. The company sells payment acceptance and merchant services to approximately 13,818 small and medium-sized businesses across restaurant, retail, quick service, automotive, and salon verticals, processing roughly $3 billion in card volume annually.

The product portfolio is anchored by the Deluxe Payments Platform, a cloud-based merchant environment with Level 3 processing, PCI compliance, and a real-time reporting dashboard. Core acceptance hardware includes the Ingenico Tetra countertop and wireless line, Dejavoo QD-series and Z11 terminals, Pax A920/A80 smart terminals, plus Epos Now and Sound POS systems distributed by EMG. Complementary software and services include dlxPAY (Tap to Pay on iPhone/Android), dlxFastFunds (near-real-time funding via Visa), FirstPay.Net e-commerce virtual terminal, Trec2Go online ordering with Uber Eats/DoorDash integration, Online Forms, gift card/loyalty programs, analytics, next-day funding, surcharge and cash discount programs, and merchant cash advance. Certifications include EMV capability and PCI-DSS alignment.

Revenue is generated primarily via transaction-based residual income on payment processing (interchange plus markup, with qualified/mid-qualified/non-qualified pricing), complemented by equipment sales and leasing, merchant cash advance origination, and gift/loyalty program fees. Go-to-market is direct-to-merchant through a field sales model: local sales representatives based in 14+ US cities develop and manage merchant portfolios in-person, supported by inside sales, a referral partner program paying monthly residual on referred volume, and self-service merchant portals (FirstView statements, FirstPay.Net e-commerce, agent DailyDashboard). A Best Rate Guarantee commits EMG to match or beat any written competitor offer.

Name

Eliot Management Group

Legal name

Eliot Management Group, LLC

Website

https://emgway.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Eliot Management Group, a Deluxe Corporation subsidiary and registered ISO of Fifth Third Bank, provides payment processing, POS hardware, and merchant services to approximately 13,818 small and medium-sized businesses across U.S. restaurant, retail, quick service, auto, and salon verticals through a 14+ city field sales network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Payment Processing Services

NAICS

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

akta.pro primary industry

Integrated Payment Processors (PSP/Acquirer) (FSAMABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Merchant Payment Gateways (API/Hosted Checkout) (FSAMACAA), Direct Debit / ACH Collections & Recurring Billing (FSAMAGAE)

Keywords

• Payment processing services
• Merchant services
• Credit card processing
• POS systems
• Merchant cash advance

Headquarters

HQ city

Worth

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices14 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Payment Processing Transaction Fees: Transaction-based fees from processing credit/debit card payments for merchants. Interchange fees plus markup. Revenue derived from per-transaction charges based on qualified, mid-qualified, and non-qualified transaction categories.
2. Equipment Sales & Leasing: Sale and leasing of payment terminals and POS hardware including Tetra, Dejavoo, Pax, Epos Now, and Sound POS systems
3. Gift Card & Loyalty Programs: Gift card program sales and loyalty solutions for merchants to increase customer spending
4. Cash Advance Services: Merchant cash advance offerings to provide working capital to business customers

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Eliot Management Group is a payment processor that helps small and medium-sized businesses accept card payments through a suite of countertop, wireless, and smart terminals backed by the proprietary Deluxe Payments Platform. Operating as an Independent Sales Organization of Fifth Third Bank, the company processes over $3 billion annually for more than 13,800 active merchants and offers add-ons such as next-day funding, gift/loyalty programs, online ordering, eCommerce, and merchant cash advance.

Product overview

Eliot Management Group by Deluxe offers a comprehensive payment processing ecosystem centered on the Deluxe Payments Platform. The portfolio consists of core payment acceptance products (countertop, wireless, and smart POS terminals), supplemented by value-added services including mobile payments (dlxPAY), fast funding (dlxFastFunds), online/eCommerce solutions (Trec2Go, FirstPay.Net, Online Forms), and merchant services (gift cards, loyalty programs, analytics, next-day funding, surcharge programs). Hardware partners include Ingenico (Tetra series), Pax, Dejavoo, and Epos Now/Sound POS systems. The platform supports all major payment types including EMV, contactless, mobile wallets, and ACH/echeck transactions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Deluxe Payments Platform: A comprehensive merchant digital platform for processing payments with advanced Level 3 processing capabilities.

Products and services

• Deluxe Payments Platform

Quantifiable outcome

• $3 billion processed annually across 13,818+ merchants nationwide

Named customers5 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Feature3 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Heartland Payment Systems: Heartland Payment Systems, a Global Payments company, is a direct ISO-model peer providing payment processing, POS, and payroll services to SMB merchants. Heartland's local-rep distribution and full-stack approach closely mirrors EMG's go-to-market model and SMB vertical focus.
• North American Bancard: North American Bancard is a registered ISO/payment processor offering merchant services, POS solutions, and equipment sales to SMBs. NAB competes directly with EMG across the same SMB verticals with a comparable ISO distribution model and product portfolio.
• Clover (Fiserv): Clover is a Fiserv-owned SMB payments and POS platform with hardware terminals, software marketplace, and merchant services. Clover's app-based POS and integrated payments compete directly with EMG's smart terminals (Sound POS, Epos Now) and Deluxe Payments Platform for the same SMB merchant base.
• Square (Block): Square is a direct competitor to EMG, offering integrated payment processing plus hardware and software to SMB merchants. Square's self-service digital onboarding and bundled POS solutions (Square Register, Square for Restaurants) compete with EMG's Deluxe Payments Platform and Epos Now offerings across the same SMB verticals.
• Toast: Toast is a restaurant-focused integrated payments and POS platform that directly competes with EMG's restaurant merchant offering. Toast's all-in-one software-plus-hardware approach challenges EMG's Trec2Go, Epos Now, and payment processing stack in the same restaurant SMB segment.
• Stripe: Stripe is a leading online payment processor whose Stripe Terminal, POS, and embedded commerce offerings compete with EMG's e-commerce (FirstPay.Net) and in-person payment products. Stripe's developer-first platform increasingly targets the same SMB and mid-market merchants EMG serves through its API and integrations.

Broad incumbents

• Fiserv: Fiserv is a large financial technology incumbent providing merchant acquiring, Clover POS, and bank-platform services. Fiserv's Clover unit competes directly with EMG, while its broader portfolio of acquiring and banking software overlaps with EMG's ISO processing model.
• PayPal (Braintree): PayPal is a diversified payments incumbent with Braintree, Zettle, and POS solutions that overlap with EMG's payment processing and hardware offerings. PayPal's broader consumer and SMB wallet position makes it a broad competitor rather than a direct SMB-focused ISO peer.
• First Data (Fiserv): First Data, now part of Fiserv, is a major payment processor and acquirer with deep ISO and agent relationships in SMB. First Data's Clover and ISO channel programs directly compete with EMG for merchant portfolios and ISOs.
• Global Payments: Global Payments is a large incumbent payment processor offering merchant services, POS, and issuer solutions across SMB and enterprise segments. Through Heartland and its ISO channel, Global Payments overlaps with EMG's distribution model and SMB merchant portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/eliotmgroup
• Facebookfacebook.com/theeliotmanagementgroup

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Eliot Management Group