What Payments Consulting Network does

Payments Consulting Network (PCN) is a boutique, vendor-agnostic payments consulting firm founded in Sydney in January 2013 and structured as Payments Consulting Network Pty Ltd as trustee for Payments Consulting Network Trust (ABN 87 202 769 335). It operates a network-of-consultants model with local presence across 17 cities in 14 countries spanning Asia-Pacific, Europe, North America, and Latin America, and a core team of 11–50 employees of whom 80% have 15–30 years of payments industry experience — described by the firm as a 'reverse pyramid of consulting.' Services span Merchant Advisory (delivered via the merchantadvisory.com and merchantpricing.com sub-brands), Benchmarking, Strategy Development, Request for Proposals, Market Research and Assessments, and a six-monthly ATM Industry Round Table forum. PCN does not sell software; it sells professional services and advisory output, generating revenue through bespoke, quote-based project engagements.

PCN serves a diversified client base across Financial Institutions, Payments Processors, Merchants (including named enterprise references such as Kering and Wayfair), Card Schemes, Not-for-Profits, ATM Deployers, Service Providers, and other Consulting Firms. Named enterprise engagements include work on Kering's unified payments rollout across 724 stores in 27 markets with Adyen and ongoing payments strategy advisory for Wayfair. The firm monetizes through professional services fees rather than subscription, licensing, or transaction-based pricing, and pricing is not publicly disclosed.

PCN's go-to-market is sales-led and content-driven: a blog, newsletter archive, annual Ecommerce Payments Experience Report, the Payments Beats podcast, and flagship media partnerships with NRF APAC, MRC, Currency Research, eTail Australia, and Pay360 serve as top- and mid-funnel demand generation. The firm is independently owned with no evidence of external PE or VC backing in the source material. Leadership includes Managing Director and founder Mangala Martinus, COO Liz Beggs, and regional Directors across London, Manila, and Sydney, with research and marketing functions supporting the global consultant network.

Name

Payments Consulting Network

Legal name

Payments Consulting Network Pty Ltd as trustee for Payments Consulting Network Trust ABN 87 202 769 335

Website

https://paymentsconsulting.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Payments Consulting Network is a boutique, vendor-agnostic payments consulting firm operating across 17 cities in 14 countries, delivering Merchant Advisory, Benchmarking, Strategy, RFP, and Market Research services to financial institutions, processors, merchants, and card schemes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Sydney

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices16 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Consulting Services: Payments Consulting Network generates revenue through bespoke consulting engagements covering merchant advisory, benchmarking, strategy development, market research, and request for proposal services. They also operate the ATM Industry Round Table as a six-monthly industry forum for senior executives.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Payments Consulting Network is a specialist payments consulting firm that advises enterprises across the payments value chain on merchant advisory, benchmarking, strategy development, request for proposals, and market research. The firm also operates an ATM Industry Round Table forum and a sub-brand, Merchant Advisory (merchantadvisory.com), which helps businesses and not-for-profits optimize payments acceptance and select service providers.

Product overview

Payments Consulting Network is a global consulting firm specialising in payments, offering advisory services through a portfolio of distinct service lines rather than a unified software product. The core services include Merchant Advisory (delivered via merchantadvisory.com and merchantpricing.com sub-brands), Benchmarking, Strategy Development, Request for Proposals, Market Research and Assessments, and an ATM Industry Round Table. Additional offerings include the Payments Beats podcast and annual research reports such as the Ecommerce Payments Experience Report. The company operates as a network of independent payments consultants across 17 cities in 14 countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Merchant Advisory

Quantifiable outcome

• 80% of team has 15-30 years payments industry experience
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Merchant Advisory (merchantadvisory.com)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMerchantAdvisory.com is a business name operated by Payments Consulting Network, helping organizations save merchant fees and optimize payments acceptance – instore and online. It provides pricing comparison, payments optimization review, and RFP services.
• Merchant Risk Council (MRC)flagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerPCN is a media partner for MRC conferences including MRC Barcelona, MRC Melbourne, and MRC's flagship events in Las Vegas and Amsterdam.
• National Retail Federation (NRF)flagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerPCN is a media partner for NRF 2026: Retail's Big Show Asia Pacific, taking place June 2-4, 2026 at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore.
• Currency ResearchflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerPCN is a media partner for the Central Bank Payments Conference 2026, taking place August 31-September 2, 2026 in Istanbul, Türkiye.
• The PayperscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPCN serves as an Endorsement Partner of The Paypers, collaborating on the Cross-Border and Ecommerce Report 2023-2024.
• eTail AustraliacoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPCN is a media partner for eTail Australia Interactive 2026, taking place September 22-23, 2026 at Pullman Melbourne Albert Park.
• Pay360coreGTM or Marketing PartnerPCN is a media partner for Pay360 conference, a payments system ecosystem conference in London.
• ConnectPayminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInterviewed CEO Marius Galdikas at MPE Berlin event to discuss embedded finance and Banking-as-a-Service topics.
• AdyenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdyen is a member of PCN's Payment Service Provider panel. PCN covered Adyen's partnership with Kering for unified payments across luxury retail stores.
• DataMesh GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDataMesh is a member of PCN's Payment Service Provider panel. PCN conducted Q&A with CEO Mark Nagy on merchant payment solutions.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Edgar, Dunn & Company: A specialist payments consulting firm with deep global reach, advising issuers, merchants and payments companies on strategy, vendor selection and market entry. Directly comparable to PCN in target customers, specialist model and vendor-agnostic positioning.
• Flagship Advisory Partners: Independent specialist consultancy focused on payments, digital and financial services strategy and M&A. Overlaps with PCN in advising payments technology firms, processors and merchants on competitive positioning and growth strategy.

Broad incumbents

• Capco: Global technology and management consultancy with deep payments and banking practices. Competes with PCN for enterprise payments transformation engagements but offers much larger delivery capacity across multiple geographies.
• Oliver Wyman: Global management consulting firm with a recognized payments, cards and digital finance practice serving banks, networks and processors. A scaled incumbent against whom PCN bids for specialist payments advisory work.
• McKinsey & Company: Top-tier global management consultancy with sizable payments and fintech practices. Competes with PCN for top-of-house payments strategy engagements, but at materially larger team scale and broader service portfolio.
• Accenture (Financial Services / Payments practice): Global professional services firm with substantial payments and banking technology transformation offerings. Overlaps with PCN in merchant payments, cards and digital banking advisory, but anchored in technology implementation services.
• Bain & Company: Global strategy consultancy with financial services and payments expertise. Competes with PCN for enterprise payments strategy mandates but operates at significantly larger scale and broader industry coverage.
• Boston Consulting Group (BCG): Global strategy consultancy with recognized fintech and payments practices. Competes with PCN for board-level payments transformation strategy, but with full-stack teams across technology, operations and design.
• A.T. Kearney (now Kearney): Global management consultancy with financial services and payments strategy capabilities. Overlaps with PCN's strategic advisory focus while operating at larger scale across broader industries.

Emerging players

• The Baringa Group: Independent consultancy with strong payments, banking and energy practices. Comparable to PCN in independent specialist positioning and payments strategy focus, though operating primarily in UK/Europe with broader sector coverage.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/paymentsconsnet
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/payments-consulting-network

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Payments Consulting Network