Connectum

What Connectum does

Connectum Limited is a UK-based payment services provider founded in 2014, headquartered at 63 St. Mary Axe, London. The company offered card acquiring and payment processing services for e-commerce merchants, processing Mastercard, UnionPay, and Visa transactions across multiple currencies via a payment gateway with real-time monitoring, tokenization for one-click payments, 3D-Secure authentication, and e-invoicing. Ancillary services included business payment accounts with SEPA and SWIFT international transfer capabilities, card payout services (OCT and MoneySend), and e-invoicing with dynamic descriptors.

Connectum operated a channel-led go-to-market combining direct remote onboarding with partner programs (PSP Formation, Payment Facilitator, and ISO Agent reseller). Revenue was generated primarily through per-transaction acquiring fees, supplemented by rolling reserves (0-10%), monthly monitoring fees (from EUR 10 per Merchant ID), onboarding fees (from EUR 50 per MID), chargeback processing fees (from EUR 30 plus EUR 0.50 per reversal), and payment account service fees for wires and SEPA transfers. The company held UK FCA Authorised Payment Institution status (registration No. 624117), PCI DSS Level 1 certification, and SWIFT connectivity (CNNNGB21), and reported 3,000+ merchants and 25M+ buyers processed prior to its regulatory restriction.

On 22 May 2024, following discussions with the Financial Conduct Authority, Connectum entered into a voluntary undertaking that suspended all regulated payment services activities, halted new customer onboarding, and required the return of customer funds. As of the available data, the company's operations are restricted to wind-down and fund return activity, materially changing its operating posture from an active acquirer to a constrained entity.

Name

Connectum

Legal name

Connectum Limited

Website

https://connectum.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Connectum Limited is a London-headquartered, FCA-authorised payment acquirer that processed Mastercard, UnionPay, and Visa transactions for 3,000+ e-commerce merchants, operating payment gateway, tokenization, and SEPA/SWIFT account services. As of May 2024, an FCA voluntary undertaking restricts it from conducting regulated payment services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Payment Processing & Merchant Acquiring

NAICS

Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (522320), Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (52232)

SIC

Finance Services (6199), Services-Help Supply Services (7363)

akta.pro primary industry

Integrated Payment Processors (PSP/Acquirer) (FSAMABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Payment Gateways & API Connectivity (FSAGABAB), Embedded Card Issuing & Card-as-a-Service (FSAGALAC), Payables & Disbursements (ACH/SEPA, wires, checks, virtual cards) (FSABAIAB)

Keywords

• Payment card acquiring
• Online payment gateway
• Multi-currency processing
• Merchant card processing
• E-commerce acquiring services

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Transaction Processing Fees: Per-transaction acquiring fees charged on successful payments. Fee is set individually for each merchant based on volume and risk profile. This is the primary revenue stream from card payment processing services.
2. Rolling Reserve: Percentage of transaction volume withheld as rolling reserve (0-10%) to cover potential chargebacks and fraud losses. Funds are held temporarily and released based on settlement terms.
3. Monthly Monitoring Fees: Recurring monthly fees starting from 10 EUR per MID for ongoing monitoring and account maintenance services.
4. MID Onboarding Fees: One-time onboarding fees starting from 50 EUR per MID (Merchant ID) for new merchant account setup and integration.
5. Chargeback Processing Fees: Fees starting from 30 EUR for processing chargeback disputes and reversals at 0.50 EUR per transaction.
6. Payment Account Services: Fees for wire transfers, SEPA payments (incoming 5 EUR, outgoing 20 EUR), non-SEPA international payments (incoming 10 EUR, outgoing 60 EUR), and account balance fees at 0.6% per annum.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Connectum is a payment institution providing merchant card acquiring services that process Mastercard, UnionPay, and Visa transactions through an online payment gateway with multi-currency support. Its offering is rounded out by business payment accounts with SEPA and SWIFT international transfer capabilities, card payout services (Original Credit Transactions, MoneySend, P2P), token-based one-click and recurring payments, e-invoicing, and partner enablement programs (PSP formation, Payment Facilitator, ISO Agent).

Product overview

Connectum is a unified payment services platform offering acquiring and payment processing solutions for merchants of all sizes. The core offering consists of payment card acquiring services (Mastercard, UnionPay, Visa) and an online payment gateway with real-time analytics. The platform provides ancillary services including payment account opening with SEPA/SWIFT capabilities, card payout services (OCT/MoneySend), tokenization for one-click payments, and e-invoicing. Connectum also offers partner programs including PSP Formation Services, Payment Facilitator Services, and an Agent/ISO reseller program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Payment Acquiring Services Acquiring service that enables online merchants to accept Mastercard, UnionPay, and Visa card payments globally with multi-currency processing support and 24-hour payout crediting.
• Online Payment Gateway Online payment gateway for merchants' websites and mobile apps, providing real-time transaction monitoring, advanced analytics, downloadable statistics, order-status tracking, and customizable payment page templates (logo, fonts, colors).
• Payment Account Services Business payment accounts providing SEPA (incoming / outgoing), non-SEPA international wire transfers, SWIFT payments, account-balance management, and additional digipass / certified SWIFT copy services. Opened remotely.
• Card Payout Services Pay-out-on-cards service supporting Original Credit Transactions (OCT) and MoneySend transactions, enabling funds disbursement to cardholders, card-to-card (P2P) payments, and recurring-charge setup.
• e-Invoicing Electronic invoicing feature enabling merchants to send and manage digital invoices to customers, including dynamic descriptors for merchant statements.
• Tokenization Services Token-based one-click payment and recurring-charge setup that stores card data securely for streamlined checkout experiences across repeat transactions.
• Payment Service Provider (PSP) Formation Services Complete PSP formation program that enables partners to process significant transaction volumes under their own brand with merchant onboarding, risk analysis, and compliance checks handled by Connectum; includes revenue share from merchant sales commissions.
• Payment Facilitator Services Payment Facilitator enablement service for financial institutions and established PFs seeking to expand into e-commerce and payment services via Connectum's acquiring infrastructure and European market relationships.
• Agent Program (ISO Commercial Partner) Merchant reseller program for Independent Sales Organizations, agents, web designers, IT companies, e-commerce platform providers, and law firms to facilitate payment processing services under their own brand with revenue share from merchant sales commissions.

Quantifiable outcome

• Payment crediting to bank account within 24 hours
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• MastercardcoreTechnology or IntegrationPayment card network partnership enabling Mastercard payment card processing. Connectum processes Mastercard credit, debit, and prepaid cards as part of its acquiring services.
• UnionPaycoreTechnology or IntegrationPayment card network partnership enabling UnionPay payment card processing. Supports Chinese payment network cards in Connectum's multi-currency processing infrastructure.
• VisacoreTechnology or IntegrationPayment card network partnership enabling Visa payment card processing. Connectum processes Visa credit and debit cards for merchants globally.
• Central BankcoreOthersCustomer funds are held by the Central Bank, ensuring regulatory compliance and fund protection for merchants.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Tyl by NatWest: UK card payment processor offering acquiring, online payment gateway, and merchant services to UK businesses. Directly comparable UK-focused acquiring and gateway proposition.
• SumUp: European payment service provider offering card acquiring and merchant payment services to SMBs. Directly comparable in target market (small merchants) and product scope (card processing, multi-currency).
• Trust Payments: UK-based payment service provider offering card acquiring, gateway, and multi-currency processing for e-commerce merchants. Comparable scale, regulatory profile (FCA authorised), and product set to Connectum.
• Mollie: European SMB-focused payment processor offering multi-currency card acquiring, payment gateway, and merchant accounts. Closely comparable business model and target customer profile to Connectum, though operating at larger scale.
• Takepayments: UK-based payment service provider offering card acquiring, payment gateway, and merchant services to small and medium businesses. Closest direct UK analogue to Connectum's merchant acquiring proposition.
• Dojo (formerly Paymentsense): UK payment service provider offering card machines, online payment gateway, and acquiring services to SMBs. Direct competitor in the UK e-commerce and SMB acquiring space.

Broad incumbents

• Adyen: Public European payments platform offering unified acquiring across Mastercard, Visa, and UnionPay with global multi-currency processing. Directly comparable product scope to Connectum but operating at enterprise scale with deeper regulatory standing.
• Checkout.com: UK-headquartered global payment processor offering card acquiring, multi-currency processing, and gateway services. Operates in the same niche as Connectum with significantly greater scale, capital, and merchant base.
• Worldpay (FIS): One of the largest global merchant acquirers offering card processing, gateway, and multi-currency services. Overlaps directly with Connectum's acquiring and payment gateway proposition for e-commerce merchants.
• Stripe: Global online payment processor and acquirer offering card processing, multi-currency, and developer APIs. Operates at vastly larger scale than Connectum but competes for the same e-commerce SMB merchant segment with card acquiring and gateway services.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ConnectumLtd
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/11384009
• Xx.com/Connectum_

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Connectum