GMO Epsilon

What GMO Epsilon does

GMO Epsilon Inc. (GMOイプシロン株式会社) is a Tokyo-based Japanese payment service provider founded in 2002 and operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of publicly traded GMO Internet Group since its June 2013 rebranding. The company delivers a multi-layered payment services portfolio built around two core platforms: the Epsilon Payment Service, a comprehensive SMB-focused online payment gateway offering 15+ payment methods (credit cards across five major brands, convenience stores, carrier billing, bank transfer, GMO後払い post-pay, virtual bank accounts, PayPay QR, and prepaid e-money) via three subscription tiers (Beginner ¥2,980/month, Standard ¥5,980/month, Premium ¥9,980/month at 2.79–3.6% transaction fees); and fincode byGMO, a developer-first API platform launched May 2022 with unified multi-method integration and MCP server support for AI agent-based commerce. Supporting products include the Multi-Payment Terminal (16 in-person methods at 3.23%), Cycle byGMO Visa business card with sales-linked limits, transaction lending for merchants (and medical/care sectors), M's PayBridge for B2B inter-company payments, TREE PAYMENT for invoice reconciliation (deployed at Sumitomo Life Insurance), and add-on modules for recurring billing, fraud detection, early deposit, and 3D Secure 2.0 authentication.

Revenue is generated through a hybrid model: monthly subscription fees per plan tier, percentage-based transaction fees (2.79–3.6% on credit cards with volume-based tiering, plus separate rates for convenience store, PayPay, GMO後払い, and bank transfer), optional add-on fees (early deposit 0.5%, fraud detection ¥3,000/month base, mail link SMS ¥40/message, etc.), terminal hardware and processing fees, and incremental revenue from transaction lending and the Cycle byGMO business card. Distribution is primarily digital self-serve for SMBs and individual merchants, supplemented by deep integrations across 20+ e-commerce platforms (makeshop, カラーミーショップ, Shopify, EC-CUBE, WooCommerce, Wix, Magento, PrestaShop, etc.) and dedicated enterprise support for high-volume merchants.

The company reports 42,000+ merchant installations and is certified PCI DSS v3.2, ISO 27001, and Privacy Mark compliant. Its competitive position rests on regulatory compliance breadth, GMO Group ecosystem distribution, and breadth of payment methods and value-added services, with a stated strategic emphasis on AI agent integration (MCP server), B2B payment expansion (M's PayBridge, TREE PAYMENT), and enterprise vertical expansion beyond its SMB heritage.

Name

GMO Epsilon

Legal name

GMOイプシロン株式会社

Website

https://epsilon.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

GMO Epsilon is a Japanese payment service provider (subsidiary of GMO Internet Group) offering online and in-person payment processing for 42,000+ SMB e-commerce merchants via subscription plans, a developer API platform (fincode byGMO), and value-added services including lending, business cards, and B2B reconciliation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Payment Processing Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Finance Services (6199)

akta.pro primary industry

Payment Orchestration Platforms (Multi-PSP Routing) (FSAMACAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Merchant Payment Gateways (API/Hosted Checkout) (FSAMACAA), Payment Orchestration Platforms (FSAGABAA), Payment Gateways & Orchestration (CRAFALAA), Recurring Billing, Subscriptions & Tokenized Payments (CRAFALAH), Smart Routing, Cascading & Payment Optimization (FSAMACAJ)

Keywords

• Online payment processing
• Payment gateway services
• E-commerce checkout
• Credit card processing
• Merchant cash advance

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Transaction/Processing Fees: Primary revenue stream from percentage-based fees on payment transactions. Rates vary by plan tier and card brand: Beginner 3.6%, Standard 2.99-3.6%, Premium 2.79-3.19%. Additional fees for convenience store (¥150-200/transaction + 4% for amounts ¥5,000+), PayPay (3.45%), GMO後払い (4.0% + ¥252/transaction), and bank transfers (¥20/transaction).
2. Monthly Subscription Fees: Monthly platform fees per plan tier: Beginner ¥2,980, Standard ¥5,980, Premium ¥9,980 (all excluding tax). Processing fees are ¥0 across all plans. Optional services add incremental monthly fees.
3. Optional Services Revenue: Additional paid options including: Early deposit service (0.5% fee), irregular deposit service, subscription billing (monthly), installment/revolving (monthly), fraud detection (¥3,000/month for up to 100 checks, then ¥2,000 per 100), mail link SMS (¥40/message), and multi-currency payment processing.
4. Terminal Hardware and Fees: Multi-payment terminal hardware sales and processing fees at 3.23% per transaction for in-person payments. Covers 16 payment methods including credit cards and QR codes.
5. Business Card (Cycle byGMO): Revenue derived from merchant usage of the Cycle byGMO Visa business card, which offers cashback based on transaction volume. Card is free for merchants but operational costs are offset through merchant cash flow management.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

GMO Epsilon provides online payment processing infrastructure for Japanese e-commerce merchants, enabling acceptance of 15+ payment methods (credit cards across 5 major brands, convenience store payments, QR codes, bank transfers, carrier billing, post-pay) through a single contract and integration. The core platform offers link-based and token-based payment APIs, three subscription tiers, and is complemented by a developer-focused API platform (fincode byGMO), a multi-payment in-person terminal, a sales-linked Visa business card (Cycle byGMO), and merchant financing via transaction lending.

Product overview

GMO Epsilon operates a multi-layered payment services portfolio centered on two core platforms: the original イプシロン決済サービス (Epsilon Payment Service), a comprehensive payment gateway for SMB e-commerce merchants offering 15+ payment methods via three subscription tiers (ビギナー, スタンダード, プレミアム), and fincode byGMO, a developer-focused next-generation payment API designed for startups with unified multi-method integration and AI agent capabilities. The product suite spans online payment processing (credit cards, convenience stores, QR codes, bank transfer, post-pay, carrier billing), in-person terminal payments, merchant financing (Cycle byGMO business card, transaction lending), payment reconciliation (TREE PAYMENT), and B2B payment workflows (M's PayBridge). A rich ecosystem of add-on modules includes recurring billing, fraud detection, 3D Secure authentication, chargeback protection, email link payments, early payout, and shipping services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• fincode byGMO: Online payment infrastructure platform for startups, providing API-based payment processing services.
• Cycle byGMO
• GMOイプシロン トランザクションレンディング

Products and services

• Epsilon Payment Service (イプシロン決済サービス) Comprehensive payment gateway service offering credit card processing across 5 major brands (VISA, Mastercard, Diners, JCB, AMEX), convenience store payments, carrier billing, bank transfers, post-pay (GMO後払い), virtual bank accounts, and QR code payments for Japanese e-commerce merchants. Offered via three subscription tiers (Beginner, Standard, Premium).
• fincode byGMO Next-generation online payment infrastructure API designed for startups and developers. Supports 7+ payment methods (Google Pay, Apple Pay, PayPay, credit cards, convenience store, bank transfers, account transfer) via unified API with sandbox test environment and MCP server for AI agent-based payment processing.
• Cycle byGMO (サイクル byGMO) Sales-linked Visa business card exclusively for Epsilon merchant customers. Annual fee free, with daily cashback based on transaction volume and next-day fund availability from sales revenue.
• GMO Epsilon Transaction Lending (GMOイプシロン トランザクションレンディング) Lending service for Epsilon merchant customers providing financing based on transaction history, with fast approval (as fast as 5 business days) and merchant-exclusive low interest rates. Also available for medical, nursing care, and welfare sectors.
• Multi-Payment Terminal (マルチ決済端末) Multi-payment in-person card terminal for retail transactions, supporting 16 payment methods including credit cards and QR codes. Industry-low transaction fee of 3.23%. Managed through the same Epsilon admin dashboard as online payments.
• TREE PAYMENT - 入金突合ゼロVAce(ベース) Enterprise-focused payment reconciliation service built on fincode byGMO, issuing dedicated bank accounts per invoice to eliminate manual bank transfer reconciliation. Currently deployed at Sumitomo Life Insurance from March 2026.
• M's PayBridge Inter-company B2B payment platform supporting both payment initiation (外出金) and account receivables collection (請求収納). Enables corporations to streamline payment workflows and improve cash flow management between business counterparties.

Quantifiable outcome

• Transaction cost savings: Standard Plan at ¥50K/month sales costs ¥22,480/month vs. ¥28,000 (Company A) and ¥37,500 (Company B logistics-type processor)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration17 records

AI capability4 records

Feature9 records

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CSS (，住信SBIネット銀行 related) — TREE PAYMENTcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 December 2025Co-development partnership for 'TREE PAYMENT - 入金突合ゼロVAce(ベース)-' announced December 2025. Issues dedicated bank accounts per invoice to eliminate manual reconciliation. Jointly developed on the fincode byGMO infrastructure.
• Google PaycoreTechnology or Integration · 9 January 2025Google Pay added as the 7th payment method on fincode byGMO in January 2025. Reduces implementation cost and enables one-stop payment operations for startups growing with simplified payment acceptance.
• M's PayBridge Partner (，住信SBIネット銀行 related)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 December 2024B2B payment platform co-developed through a business partnership announced December 2024. Aims to contribute to sustainable growth of the Japanese economy by streamlining corporate-to-corporate (A2A) payment workflows.
• Apple PaycoreTechnology or Integration · 19 July 2023Apple Pay added as a payment method on fincode byGMO in July 2023. Integrated API enables simplified implementation with unified payment processing across card and digital wallet methods.
• Visa InternationalcoreTechnology or Integration · 22 July 2020Visa is the primary card network partner for Cycle byGMO, the sales-linked Visa business card for Epsilon merchants. Card operates on Visa's payment network infrastructure.
• Japan Geotrust Inc. / GMO Hosting & Security (日本ジオトラスト株式会社)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 28 March 2006Epsilon acts as an agent/reseller for Quick SSL Premium certificates from Japan Geotrust (GlobalSign brand). Offers approximately 28.1% discount vs. standard pricing (¥36,540 → ¥26,250). Part of comprehensive e-commerce security offering.
• paperboy&co. (株式会社paperboy&co.) — Color Me Shop! procoreTechnology or Integration · 23 February 2006Business partnership established February 2006. Color Me Shop! pro is a low-cost online shop ASP service (from ¥875/month) offering blog integration and mobile shop features. Integration allows automatic payment page display upon purchase completion without merchant intervention. papaperboy&co. is now part of GMO Pepabo.
• GMO Payment Gateway Co., Ltd. (GMOペイメントゲートウェイ株式会社)coreOthersSame GMO Internet Group subsidiary. Listed company specializing in comprehensive payment processing infrastructure. Operates as a sister company within the GMO fintech ecosystem, with shared group branding and complementary service offerings.
• GMO Payment Service Co., Ltd. (GMOペイメントサービス株式会社)coreOthersSame GMO Internet Group subsidiary providing payment services. Operates as a group company within the GMO financial services ecosystem.
• GMO Financial Gateway, Inc. (GMOフィナンシャルゲート株式会社)coreOthersSame GMO Internet Group subsidiary providing financial gateway services. Part of the GMO fintech group of companies.
• GMO Card System Co., Ltd. (GMOカードシステム株式会社)coreOthersSame GMO Internet Group subsidiary providing card system services. Group company within the GMO financial ecosystem.
• GMO Reserve Plus Co., Ltd. (GMOリザーブプラス株式会社)coreOthersSame GMO Internet Group subsidiary. Group company serving reservation and booking-related financial services within the GMO ecosystem.
• GMO Enpay Co., Ltd. (GMOエンペイ株式会社)coreOthersSame GMO Internet Group subsidiary. Group company focused on payment services for the ENPAY brand within the GMO fintech group.
• EC-CUBE (株式会社イーシーキューブ)coreTechnology or IntegrationOfficial payment module integration partner. Epsilon provides downloadable payment modules for EC-CUBE 2.x, 3.x, and 4.x versions. EC-CUBE claims estimated 35,000+ active stores in Japan as the #1 open source e-commerce platform. Also offers EC-CUBE Payment Plus as a premium upgrade.
• GMO MakeShop (株式会社GMOメイクショップ)coreTechnology or Integrationmakeshop is a feature-rich e-commerce platform claiming 13 consecutive years of industry #1 status (2025 data). Offers Epsilon-integrated plan with discounted transaction fees. Epsilon's managed shopping cart integration page provides dedicated makeshop setup manual. 20,000+ merchant stores using makeshop.
• GMO Pepabo Inc. — カラーミーショップ (Color Me Shop!)coreTechnology or IntegrationColor Me Shop! claims #1 installation count among Japanese e-commerce ASP services. Offers free trial and 30-day trial period. Epsilon provides dedicated integration manual for Color Me Shop! merchants. Both companies are part of GMO Internet Group.
• Shopify JapancoreTechnology or IntegrationOfficial integration partnership. Shopify is the world's largest e-commerce platform with 600,000+ stores across 175 countries. Epsilon provides dedicated Shopify setup manual. Service supports global merchants including cross-border e-commerce.
• EC-CUBE Partner System Integrators (フォトラボ, EverCart, コマース21, etc.)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCertified development partners: フォトラボ (EC-Connect, Photo Lab), EverCart (operator-built system), コマース21 (B2B, omni-channel), クワサンプラス (printing/web), Cule (web tech), みつばシステム (small dev team), マイクラス (school management). These partners build Epsilon-integrated custom e-commerce solutions.
• EC Council (EC協議会)minorOthersEpsilon is listed as a member/partner of the EC Council (EC pf.jp), a self-regulatory organization for e-commerce in Japan focused on promoting secure and fair online commerce practices.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• freee: Japanese cloud accounting SaaS integrated with Epsilon's transaction lending service via cloud accounting data. Adjacent ecosystem participant rather than direct gateway competitor, but increasingly relevant as embedded finance expands.

Emerging players

• Rakuten Pay: Rakuten Group's online payment service available through makeshop and Color Me Shop (Epsilon's sister platforms). Comparable as both a payment method Epsilon offers to merchants and a competing acquirer for Japanese e-commerce.
• Amazon Pay: Login-and-pay wallet integrated into Epsilon's makeshop and Color Me Shop offerings. Competes as both a payment method Epsilon distributes and a standalone checkout option for merchants.

Broad incumbents

• Stripe: Global payment platform with growing Japan presence via Stripe Japan. Comparable developer-first API gateway offering, recurring billing, and multi-method orchestration, though focused primarily on cross-border and tech-forward merchants rather than Japanese SMBs.
• PayPay Corporation (Z Holdings / SoftBank): Dominant Japanese QR-code payment network that Epsilon integrates with for merchant acceptance. As both a payment method competitor and acquirer partner, PayPay is a key comparable in Japanese digital payments, particularly for QR/cashless transactions.

Direct peers

• GMO Payment Gateway: Publicly-listed sister company within GMO Internet Group (3769.T) offering comprehensive payment processing infrastructure for both SMB and enterprise merchants in Japan. Directly comparable product line (card processing, convenience store payments, recurring billing) but with broader scale and enterprise focus.
• Veritrans (Digital Garage / DG Financial Technology): Major Japanese online payment processor owned by Digital Garage, offering card processing, convenience store, and carrier billing for e-commerce merchants. Direct competitor to Epsilon in the Japanese SMB and mid-market gateway segment.
• Square (Block, Inc.): Global payment processor with in-person POS terminals and online gateway. Comparable to Epsilon's combined offering of online payment service plus the Multi-Payment Terminal (16 methods, 3.23% rate) for SMBs.
• Pay.JP (BASE): Developer-focused Japanese payment gateway from BASE, offering tokenization and card processing APIs comparable to fincode byGMO. Targets the same startup/developer merchant segment with API-first design.
• SoftBank Payment Service (SBPS): Payment processing subsidiary of SoftBank Group serving Japanese merchants with online and in-person payment services, including PayPay integration. Closely comparable payment method coverage and SMB/enterprise merchant focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/epsilon.jp

Compliance3 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&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about GMO Epsilon