eMerchantBroker
eMerchantBroker is a registered ISO/MSP of BMO Harris Bank that provides merchant accounts, payment gateway, business funding, and chargeback protection primarily to SMB merchants in high-risk verticals such as CBD, adult, gaming, nutraceuticals, and firearms, operating from Thousand Oaks with a London office.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersThousand Oaks, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What eMerchantBroker does
eMerchantBroker (EMB), operating as Emerchantbroker, LLC and founded in 2011, is a privately held payment processor and registered ISO/MSP of BMO Harris Bank, NA, headquartered in Thousand Oaks, California with a regional headquarters in London. The company specializes in underwriting and processing card-not-present merchant accounts for businesses that traditional banks routinely decline, including high-risk verticals such as CBD, adult entertainment, electronic cigarettes and vaping, online gaming and gambling, nutraceuticals, collections, MLM, firearms, tobacco, travel and timeshares, debt consolidation, and software/e-books. EMB claims a 99% application approval rate and 24-48 hour account activation, supported by a self-serve portal (atlasmanager.com), an inside-sales phone team, and a partner/reseller channel.
EMB's product surface bundles merchant acquiring with a proprietary payment gateway, multi-MID smart transaction routing, Fraud Shield risk tools, and integrations with Verifi and Ethoca for chargeback prevention, plus add-on modules for ACH Business Funding and Merchant Cash Advances (5-7 day funding), e-check processing (including iCheck), cryptocurrency acceptance, international multi-currency processing, virtual terminal, and a partner program. The platform connects natively to Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Wix, OpenCart, Shift4Shop, QuickBooks, and Plaid, with PCI DSS Level 1 certification, GDPR compliance, and a multi-data-center infrastructure spanning North America, the UK, and Europe. EMB is associated with Bankful, a sister company that provides Shopify-native payment facilitation.
The business earns revenue primarily through transaction fees on processed card volume (high-risk rates starting at 2.99%, plus a 0.6% EMB volume fee on the Pro gateway tier with a $50 monthly minimum), recurring gateway subscription revenue (Pro and Enterprise tiers), fees on merchant cash advances and ACH funding, and managed services around chargeback protection. Go-to-market combines direct online self-serve application, consultative inside sales, marketplace presence via e-commerce platform integrations, and a referral/reseller program. EMB does not disclose revenue, headcount beyond a 1-10 employee range, ownership structure beyond BMO Harris registration, or funding history, and is led operationally with Blair Thomas listed as co-founder.
eMerchantBroker firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- eMerchantBroker
- Legal name
- Emerchantbroker, LLC
- Website
- https://emerchantbroker.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- eMerchantBroker is a registered ISO/MSP of BMO Harris Bank that provides merchant accounts, payment gateway, business funding, and chargeback protection primarily to SMB merchants in high-risk verticals such as CBD, adult, gaming, nutraceuticals, and firearms, operating from Thousand Oaks with a London office.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
eMerchantBroker industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Payment Processing Services
- akta.pro primary industry
- High-Risk / Specialty Merchant Acquirers (FSAMABAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Merchant Services Aggregators & SMB Acquirers (FSAMABAK), Marketplace / Platform Acquiring (PayFac & Sub-Merchant Management) (FSAMABAF), Merchant-of-Record (MoR) & Payment Facilitation (PayFac) Infrastructure (FSAGABAE)
Keywords
Where eMerchantBroker is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Thousand Oaks
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
eMerchantBroker business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Payment Processing / Transaction Fees: EMB earns revenue through transaction fees on credit card payments processed through their merchant accounts. Fees include per-transaction charges and percentage-based fees on transaction volume. High-risk merchant rates as low as 2.99%
- Payment Gateway Subscription: Monthly subscription fees for gateway access (Pro plan $0/month with $0.10 per transaction + 0.6% volume fee; $50 monthly minimum). Enterprise plan offers full customization with dedicated account representative
- Business Funding / MCA: Merchant Cash Advance (MCA) and ACH Business Funding services providing working capital to merchants. Revenue generated from funding arrangement fees and interest
- Chargeback Protection Services: Dedicated chargeback prevention and protection services, likely with additional service fees, working in partnership with Verifi and Ethoca
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Hybrid | Monthly | Pro Plan - Gateway subscription with transaction fees |
| Subscription | Monthly | Enterprise Plan - Full customization with dedicated support |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | High-Risk Merchant Accounts |
| Outcome Based/ Performance | Pay-as-you-go | Business Funding (MCA/ACH) |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
eMerchantBroker product offering
Product offeringCore offering
eMerchantBroker provides high-risk and standard merchant account services, accepting 99% of low- and high-risk applications with approvals in 24-48 hours. The company complements its merchant accounts with payment gateway access, business funding (MCA and ACH), chargeback protection, electronic check processing, cryptocurrency acceptance, and international multi-currency processing, delivered through a proprietary payment gateway and integrations with major e-commerce platforms. EMB operates as a registered ISO/MSP of BMO Harris Bank, NA, serving merchants across 20+ specialized industries.
Product overview
eMerchantBroker (EMB) is a payment processing company specializing in high-risk merchant accounts. The core offering is a unified payment processing platform that provides merchant account services across risk categories (low, medium, high-risk), augmented by complementary add-on modules including Business Funding, Chargeback Protection, Electronic Check Processing (iCheck), Payment Gateways (proprietary plus Authorize.net, eProcessingNetwork, NMI), Cryptocurrency Payments, and International Merchant Services. The platform integrates with major e-commerce platforms (Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, OpenCart, Wix, Shift4Shop) and accounting software (QuickBooks). EMB operates as both a merchant services provider and ISO/MSP of BMO Harris Bank, serving over 3,200+ business owners and 50k+ customers.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- High-Risk Merchant Accounts Specialized merchant account services for businesses classified as high-risk by traditional banks, including CBD, adult industry, electronic cigarettes, online gaming, collections, and nutraceutical industries. EMB approves 99% of high-risk applications.
- Low-Risk Merchant Accounts Merchant account services for low-risk industries including apparel, moving companies, home goods, beauty products, pet supplies, and auto parts, featuring competitive rates and flexible funding options.
- Medium-Risk Merchant Accounts Merchant account services for medium-risk industries including electronics, travel, luxury, subscriptions, online dating, and classified websites.
- Business Funding Working capital solutions including ACH Business Funding and Cash Advance Program, providing fast funding in 5-7 days regardless of credit score, connecting merchants with diverse lending programs.
- Chargeback Protection Fraud prevention and chargeback protection services using tools like Fraud Shield, helping merchants assess transaction risk and prevent unauthorized activity, in partnership with Verifi and Ethoca.
- Electronic Check Processing ACH-based electronic check processing services, including iCheck for faster fund transfers on multiple checks with fewer restrictions than standard ACH.
- Payment Gateways EMB's proprietary payment gateway plus integrated third-party gateways (Authorize.net, eProcessingNetwork, NMI/Network Merchants Inc) enabling merchants to process credit card transactions online with multi-currency support, PCI compliance, fraud prevention, and 24-hour approval.
- Cryptocurrency Payments Cryptocurrency payment acceptance services allowing merchants to accept Bitcoin and other digital currencies for customer transactions.
- International Merchant Services Cross-border payment processing including offshore merchant accounts, international payment processing, and multi-currency support for global sales.
- Industry-Specific Merchant Accounts Specialized merchant accounts across 21+ industries including Online Gaming & Casinos, Bail Bonds, MLM, CBD Oil, Travel & Timeshares, VOIP/Telecom, Firearms, Tobacco, Online Ticketing, Debt Consolidators, and other high-risk verticals.
Quantifiable outcome
- 99% of low and high-risk merchant applications approved
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use eMerchantBroker
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
eMerchantBroker technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration8 records
Feature7 records
eMerchantBroker partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.
- ShopifycoreNative integration partnership allowing merchants to seamlessly connect EMB payment processing with Shopify e-commerce stores. EMB provides high-risk merchant accounts that integrate with Shopify via premium payment gateway extension, enabling businesses in CBD, adult, gaming, and other high-risk industries to accept payments.
- WooCommercecoreIntegration with WooCommerce (WordPress e-commerce plugin) enabling merchants to sync EMB payment processing. High-risk merchants require premium payment gateway extension since WooCommerce's core payment gateways often reject them.
- BigCommercecoreIntegration partnership with BigCommerce platform for seamless payment processing setup. Part of EMB's e-commerce platform integration strategy.
- WixsecondaryIntegration with Wix website builder platform, allowing Wix merchants to access EMB payment processing services.
- OpenCartsecondaryPartnership with OpenCart e-commerce platform for payment gateway integration.
- Shift4ShopsecondaryIntegration with Shift4Shop platform for payment processing services.
- QuickBookssecondaryQuickBooks integration allowing merchants to sync payment and financial data with EMB processing for accounting reconciliation.
- PlaidsecondaryIntegration partnership with Plaid for bank account verification and connection services supporting the application and funding processes.
- BMO Harris Bank, NAcoreEMB is a registered ISO/MSP (Independent Sales Organization/Member Service Provider) of BMO Harris Bank, NA based in Schaumburg, Illinois. This banking partnership is essential for providing merchant account services and payment processing capabilities.
- VerificorePartnership with Verifi for chargeback prevention and fraud protection services. Verifi provides order visibility and chargeback resolution tools that integrate with EMB's fraud prevention infrastructure.
- EthocacorePartnership with Ethoca for chargeback reduction and fraud prevention. Ethoca's network provides merchant and cardholder alerts to resolve disputes before they become chargebacks.
- BankfulcoreBankful is EMB's sister company and Shopify-native payment processing partner. Bankful provides direct payment facilitation and software orchestration. Together they offer seamless Shopify integration for merchants. EMB is referenced as registered ISO/MSP providing payment software and orchestration.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
eMerchantBroker competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Stax Payments: Tech-forward SMB payment processor (formerly CardX) serving verticals including SaaS subscriptions and high-ticket e-commerce; overlapping with EMB's medium-risk processing.
- Square (Block, Inc.): Mass-market SMB payment processor; broadening into traditionally higher-risk SMB segments (online sellers, subscriptions, travel). Overlaps with EMB's low- and medium-risk offerings but lacks EMB's specialization in the riskiest tiers.
Direct peers
- Easy Pay Direct: High-risk merchant account provider offering e-commerce payment processing, chargeback management, and gateway services for the same hard-to-place verticals as EMB.
- High Risk Merchant Services LLC: Specialty high-risk acquirer covering CBD, adult, firearms, and similar verticals with comparable pricing structure and bank-sponsor model.
- Instabill: High-risk and offshore merchant account provider with overlapping verticals (adult, online gaming, supplements) and similar international/offshore processing emphasis as EMB.
- Durango Merchant Services: Specialized high-risk merchant account provider offering processing across CBD, adult, gaming, and nutraceutical verticals with comparable underwriting and pricing model. Direct head-to-head competitor to EMB.
- National Merchants Association: High-risk merchant acquirer serving many of the same verticals as EMB (CBD, MLM, travel, debt) with comparable ISO/agent distribution and underwriting positioning.
- Payline Data: Direct competitor focused on high-risk merchant accounts with omnichannel processing, similar vertical coverage (supplements, CBD, adult, telemarketing) and same ISO model.
Others
- Verifi (Visa solution): Chargeback prevention and dispute-management platform that EMB integrates with as a partner; adjacent vendor whose tools shape EMB's risk outcomes.
- Authorize.Net (a Visa solution): Gateway provider integrated into EMB's stack as a third-party option; serves as adjacent infrastructure rather than direct acquirer, with EMB reselling its gateway capability.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
eMerchantBroker social profiles
Digital presenceeMerchantBroker compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
eMerchantBroker financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
eMerchantBroker leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
eMerchantBroker funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
eMerchantBroker 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 eMerchantBroker
What does eMerchantBroker do?
eMerchantBroker provides high-risk and standard merchant account services, accepting 99% of low- and high-risk applications with approvals in 24-48 hours. The company complements its merchant accounts with payment gateway access, business funding (MCA and ACH), chargeback protection, electronic check processing, cryptocurrency acceptance, and international multi-currency processing, delivered through a proprietary payment gateway and integrations with major e-commerce platforms. EMB operates as a registered ISO/MSP of BMO Harris Bank, NA, serving merchants across 20+ specialized industries.
Is eMerchantBroker a public or private company?
eMerchantBroker is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was eMerchantBroker founded?
eMerchantBroker was founded in 2011. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is eMerchantBroker based?
eMerchantBroker is headquartered in Thousand Oaks, United States, in the North America region.
How does eMerchantBroker make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Payment Processing / Transaction Fees are the primary driver. The others are payment Gateway Subscription, business Funding / MCA and chargeback Protection Services.
Who are eMerchantBroker's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Stax Payments and Square (Block, Inc.). Direct peers are Easy Pay Direct, High Risk Merchant Services LLC, Instabill, Durango Merchant Services, National Merchants Association and Payline Data. Others are Verifi (Visa solution) and Authorize.Net (a Visa solution).
Does eMerchantBroker have an API?
No public API is recorded for eMerchantBroker.
What industry is eMerchantBroker in?
eMerchantBroker's product category is Payment Processing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAMABAE, High-Risk / Specialty Merchant Acquirers, with a secondary code of FSAMABAK, Merchant Services Aggregators & SMB Acquirers.