What Bank Associates Merchant Services does

Bank Associates Merchant Services (BAMS Holdings Group, LLC) is a US-based merchant services provider founded in 2006 and headquartered in Brooklyn, NY. The company operates as a registered Independent Sales Organization with Wells Fargo Bank, Citizens Bank, and PNC Bank, and as an agent of Fiserv Canada Ltd., which collectively underwrite and clear its merchant accounts. BAMS serves thousands of SMB and mid-market merchants across more than 15 verticals, including eCommerce, retail, restaurants, hospitality, B2B, healthcare, non-profits, salons, auto repair, and supermarkets, with a quote-based interchange-plus pricing model supplemented by AmEx OptBlue, Level 2/3 B2B processing, and a competitive price guarantee.

The product platform is anchored by the BAMS Payment Gateway, a RESTful API with six SDKs (Node.js, PHP, Python, Ruby, Java, .NET), a 2025-launched developer sandbox, and integrations with Authorize.Net, NMI, PayTrace, USAePay, CyberSource, and major eCommerce platforms (Shopify, BigCommerce, Magento, WooCommerce, Volusion). Supporting modules include IRIS CRM (proprietary merchant reporting portal), Dispute Assistant Manager (chargeback lifecycle tooling), Next Day Funding and Same Day Funding via TSYS, EMV and contactless acceptance, Sezzle-powered Buy Now Pay Later, Fundomate-powered business funding, gift/loyalty cards, and PCI DSS compliance through ControlScan.

BAMS generates revenue primarily through interchange-plus transaction fees on credit, debit, digital wallet, and ACH payments, with secondary streams from gateway fees, AmEx OptBlue, and referral-based merchant funding origination. Distribution is sales-led via phone (866-510-2267), website quote requests, and an affiliate program, with dedicated account representatives managing onboarding (typically 48 hours from quote to processing) and ongoing merchant relationships. The company is privately held, management-owned, with no disclosed venture or private equity investment.

Name

Bank Associates Merchant Services

Legal name

BAMS Holdings Group, LLC

Website

https://bams.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Bank Associates Merchant Services (BAMS) is a Brooklyn-based, privately held merchant services ISO operating since 2006, providing interchange-plus payment processing, gateway, funding, and chargeback tools to thousands of SMB and mid-market merchants across more than 15 US verticals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Payment Processing & Merchant Services

NAICS

Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (522320), Sales Financing (52222)

SIC

Short-Term Business Credit Institutions (6153), Miscellaneous Business Credit Institution (6159)

akta.pro primary industry

BaaS Platforms & Sponsor Bank Enablement (FSAGALAA)

Keywords

• Payment processing services
• Merchant account services
• Credit card processing
• Payment gateway solutions
• ECommerce payment processing

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Payment Processing Transaction Fees: BAMS earns revenue through interchange-plus pricing, charging merchants a markup above the base interchange rate set by card networks. The company offers competitive rates with transparent fee structures, processing credit cards, debit cards, digital wallets, and ACH payments across multiple card types including Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover.
2. Gateway and Processing Fees: Additional fees for payment gateway services, potentially including monthly gateway fees, transaction fees, and setup fees for merchant accounts. Supports multiple gateway integrations including Authorize.Net, NMI, PayTrace, and USAePay.
3. Merchant Funding Services: BAMS connects merchants to over 20 pre-approved lenders through Fundomate partnership for merchant account loans, small business loans, and merchant cash advance services. Revenue generated through referral fees or partnerships with lending providers, offering funding up to $500,000 with 24-48 hour approval.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

BAMS (Bank Associates Merchant Services) is a US-based payment processor and merchant services provider. The company offers credit and debit card processing, payment gateway services, ACH payments, and related merchant services (chargeback management, EMV terminals, Level 2/3 B2B processing, funding, gift/loyalty, BNPL) under interchange-plus pricing. It operates as a registered Independent Sales Organization of Wells Fargo Bank, Citizens Bank, PNC Bank, and Fiserv Canada Ltd.

Product overview

Bank Associates Merchant Services (BAMS) is a payment processing and merchant services provider offering a unified platform centered on the BAMS Payment Gateway, with integrated modules for funding (Next Day Funding, Same Day Funding, Business Funding), fraud and dispute management (Dispute Assistant Manager, PCI Compliance), and specialized processing (Level 3 Processing, EMV Solutions, American Express OptBlue, Buy Now Pay Later). Supporting services include IRIS CRM for reporting and merchant account management, Gift & Loyalty Cards, Apple Pay Integration, and a Competitive Price Guarantee. The ecosystem integrates with major eCommerce platforms (Magento, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, Shopify), payment gateways (Authorize.Net, NMI, PayTrace, USAePay), POS systems (restaurant, retail, hospitality), and accounting/ERP platforms (QuickBooks, NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics 365).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• IRIS CRM: Customer resource management and reporting platform provided to BAMS merchants for transaction tracking, statements, and account management.

Products and services

• BAMS Payment Gateway Secure, scalable, high-performance payment gateway enabling businesses to accept payments seamlessly across online, in-store, and omnichannel environments. Supports major credit cards, debit cards, and digital wallets including Apple Pay, with PCI-compliant infrastructure, tokenization, and fraud detection.
• IRIS CRM
• Dispute Assistant Manager
• Next Day Funding
• Same Day Funding
• Level 2 and Level 3 Processing
• EMV Solutions
• American Express OptBlue
• Buy Now Pay Later (Sezzle)
• BAMS Business Funding
• Gift & Loyalty Cards
• PCI Compliance Program
• Apple Pay Integration
• Competitive Price Guarantee

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 50% reduction in interchange fees for B2B merchants using Level 3 processing
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments14 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration40 records

AI capability2 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• FundomatecoreTechnology or IntegrationBAMS integrates with Fundomate to provide merchant funding services, connecting business owners to over 20 pre-approved lenders. Merchants can apply directly in IRIS and compare offers from multiple lenders for working capital needs including merchant account loans and cash advances up to $500,000.
• SezzlecoreTechnology or IntegrationBAMS partners with Sezzle to offer Buy Now, Pay Later services for merchants, enabling customers to split purchases into interest-free installments. Sezzle pays merchants upfront for orders and handles collections, protecting merchant revenue while providing flexible payment options to consumers.
• Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBAMS Holdings Group, LLC is a registered Independent Sales Organization of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., Concord, CA. This enables BAMS to offer merchant services under the Wells Fargo banking brand.
• Citizens Bank, N.A.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBAMS Holdings Group, LLC is a registered Independent Sales Organization of Citizens Bank, N.A., Providence, RI. This enables BAMS to offer merchant services under the Citizens Bank banking brand.
• PNC Bank, N.A.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBAMS Holdings Group, LLC is a registered Independent Sales Organization of PNC Bank, N.A., Pittsburgh, PA. This enables BAMS to offer merchant services under the PNC Bank banking brand.
• Fiserv Canada LtdcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBAMS Holdings Group, LLC operates as an Agent of Fiserv Canada Ltd. The Clover name and logo are registered trademarks owned by Clover Network, LLC, utilized by Fiserv Canada Ltd.
• Authorize.NetcoreTechnology or IntegrationBAMS is an Authorize.Net Preferred Reseller offering certified integration with the Authorize.Net payment gateway. Authorize.Net is a Visa solution.
• NMI (Network Merchants Inc.)coreTechnology or IntegrationBAMS integrates with NMI payment gateway for secure transaction processing, tokenization, and merchant services. Level 3 supported processing for B2B and government transactions.
• PayTracecoreTechnology or IntegrationBAMS integrates with PayTrace gateway for payment processing with advanced fraud detection tools and seamless eCommerce platform compatibility.
• USAePaycoreTechnology or IntegrationBAMS integrates with USAePay gateway providing secure payment processing options for merchants seeking alternative gateway solutions.
• BigCommercecoreTechnology or IntegrationBAMS offers certified integrations with BigCommerce eCommerce platform for seamless payment processing, checkout optimization, and mobile conversion support including Apple Pay.
• Magento (Adobe Commerce)coreTechnology or IntegrationBAMS offers certified integrations with Magento (Adobe Commerce) platform for eCommerce merchants seeking payment gateway connectivity.
• WooCommercecoreTechnology or IntegrationBAMS offers WooCommerce certified integrations for WordPress-based eCommerce stores requiring payment processing solutions.
• CyberSourcecoreTechnology or IntegrationBAMS offers certified integrations with CyberSource payment gateway for enterprise merchants requiring advanced payment processing capabilities.
• VolusioncoreTechnology or IntegrationBAMS offers Volusion certified integrations for small to mid-size eCommerce businesses requiring payment processing solutions.
• ShopifycoreTechnology or IntegrationBAMS supports Shopify integration for eCommerce merchants with Sezzle BNPL integration available through the Shopify platform.
• TSYScoreTechnology or IntegrationBAMS Same Day Funding utilizes TSYS processing network for compatible hardware and software, enabling merchants to process credit card sales and batch transactions for same business day funding.
• Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small BusinessesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBAMS participates in the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program supporting entrepreneurship and business growth through educational resources and networking.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• PayPal: PayPal offers online payment processing, gateway services, and POS solutions for SMB and enterprise merchants. BAMS targets similar SMB customers seeking transparent interchange-plus pricing, and competes against PayPal's Braintree and Payflow offerings.
• Authorize.Net: Authorize.Net is a Visa-owned payment gateway widely used by SMBs for online card-not-present processing. BAMS is a Preferred Reseller of Authorize.Net and integrates it as part of its gateway offering, making it both a partner and a comparable gateway provider.
• Square (Block): Square provides integrated payment processing, POS hardware, and software for SMBs across retail, restaurants, and services. Like BAMS, Square targets SMB merchants with bundled hardware, software, and processing — and BAMS publishes a direct comparison page against Square.
• Stripe: Stripe is a leading global payment processor offering online and in-person payment acceptance, with developer-first APIs and competitive interchange-plus pricing. BAMS explicitly publishes a 'BAMS vs Stripe' comparison page, indicating direct competitive overlap for SMB and mid-market merchants.
• Payment Depot: Payment Depot is an ISO-style payment processor offering wholesale interchange-plus pricing to SMBs, similar to BAMS. Both companies target cost-conscious merchants seeking transparent fee structures outside of traditional tiered pricing.
• Stax (formerly Fattmerchant): Stax is a subscription-based payment processor offering interchange-plus pricing, gateway, and software solutions to SMB and mid-market merchants. It competes head-to-head with BAMS on transparent pricing for software-enabled commerce.
• National Processing: National Processing is a payment processing ISO offering merchant services across retail, restaurant, and eCommerce verticals with interchange-plus and flat-rate pricing. It is a closely comparable mid-market ISO competing for the same SMB merchant pool as BAMS.
• Adyen: Adyen is a global payments platform serving enterprise and mid-market merchants with unified online, in-store, and platform payments. BAMS publishes a direct comparison page against Adyen, positioning its US-centric, SMB-friendly offering against Adyen's enterprise focus.

Broad incumbents

• Fiserv: Fiserv is a major payments and financial technology provider whose Clover POS and acquiring services overlap with BAMS's merchant services. BAMS operates as an Agent of Fiserv Canada Ltd, illustrating both partnership and competitive overlap in merchant acquiring.
• Global Payments: Global Payments is a large publicly-traded payments company providing merchant acquiring, gateway, and software solutions across SMB, mid-market, and enterprise segments. It serves as a broader incumbent comparable to BAMS through its ISO and direct channels.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/bamsmerchantservices
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bams-merchant-services
• Instagraminstagram.com/bamsmerchantservices
• Xx.com/BankAssociates

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Bank Associates Merchant Services