What UNBS does

UNBS (United National Bankcard Services, Inc.) is a privately held merchant services provider founded in 1999 and headquartered in Columbia, Maryland. The company operates as a registered Independent Sales Organization (ISO) and Merchant Service Provider (MSP) of Elavon, Inc. (a wholly owned subsidiary of U.S. Bancorp) and of Citizens Bank, N.A., using these bank sponsorships to deliver card acceptance, ATM, and POS processing to small businesses across 13 US states through a network of offices and independent agent resellers. Its product set spans credit card terminals (Hypercom Optimum, Verifone VX, First Data FD series, plus PIN pads), ATM hardware and processing, POS systems, restaurant card processing with tip handling, MOTO, e-commerce gateway processing, gift card programs, and TeleCheck electronic check acceptance, supplemented by PCI DSS and ADA compliance advisory content and TIN/EIN validation services.

Underlying technology is built on third-party terminal and processor infrastructure rather than proprietary software; UNBS bundles multi-vendor hardware (Hypercom, Verifone, First Data) with bank-sponsored processing rails (Elavon, Citizens Bank, FDMS) and TeleCheck for check conversion. Compliance support (PCI, ADA 2010 Standards for Accessible Design) is positioned as an advisory differentiator for SMB merchants that lack in-house expertise.

The business model is primarily transaction-fee based on merchant processing volume (residual economics shared with ISO agents), with supplementary revenue from hardware resale and ATM transaction fees. Go-to-market is hybrid: direct sales engagement via an agent inquiry process and channel partners (independent sales agents) who resell merchant services. Pricing is quote-based on merchant type, volume, and industry rather than publicly disclosed tiers. The company employs 100+ professionals and reports operations across North America and Asia Pacific, though the latter is supported only by headcount commentary and a Korean-language site option rather than disclosed overseas entities. UNBS is founder-led under CEO Yong Cho, with no disclosed institutional or PE ownership.

Name

UNBS

Legal name

United National Bankcard Services, Inc.

Website

https://unbs.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

UNBS is a US-based ISO/MSP registered with Elavon and Citizens Bank that provides merchant payment processing, ATM and POS services, and compliance support to small businesses across 13 states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Merchant Payment Processing

akta.pro primary industry

Merchant Acquiring Banks & ISO/MSP Acquirers (FSAMABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Merchant Services Aggregators & SMB Acquirers (FSAMABAK), Card-Present Acquirers (Retail & POS Focus) (FSAMABAC)

Keywords

• Merchant services
• Payment processing
• Credit card terminals
• POS systems
• ATM services

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices15 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Merchant Services - Credit Card Processing: Transaction-based fees for processing credit and debit card payments. Services include retail face-to-face swiped transactions, mail/phone orders (MOTO), and e-commerce payment gateway processing.
2. ATM Services: ATM deployment and transaction processing services for merchants.
3. POS and Terminal Hardware: Sale and service of point-of-sale terminals and peripherals including Hypercom Optimum series, Verifone VX series, and First Data FD series devices.
4. Gift Card and Check Processing: Gift card programs and TeleCheck electronic check acceptance solutions for merchants.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

UNBS provides merchant services including electronic payment processing, credit card terminal sales, ATM services, and point-of-sale (POS) system solutions. Operating as a registered ISO/MSP, the company enables small and mid-sized businesses to accept card-based payments through partnerships with major processors and hardware vendors.

Product overview

UNBS (United National Bankcard Services) is a payment processing company founded in 1999 offering a suite of cash flow solutions primarily for small businesses. The portfolio consists of hardware products (credit card terminals and PIN pads from manufacturers like Hypercom/Optimum, Verifone, and First Data), ATM services, and POS services, supported by various processing solutions including retail, restaurant, mail/phone order, e-commerce, gift cards, and check processing. The company also provides compliance-related services for PCI and ADA requirements, TIN/EIN validation, and operates an agent/ISO partnership program for recruiting independent sales organizations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Electronic Payment Processing End-to-end electronic payment processing service that allows merchants to accept credit and debit card transactions, backed by processor relationships with Elavon, Citizens Bank, First Data, and TeleCheck.
• Credit Card Terminals Sale and deployment of certified credit card payment terminals from leading hardware manufacturers, provided to merchants as part of their payment processing setup.
• ATM Services ATM placement and processing solutions for merchants seeking to offer cash access services to their customers, including equipment, processing, and management.
• POS Systems Point-of-sale system solutions that integrate with the company's payment processing services, providing merchants with checkout, transaction management, and reporting functionality.

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Elavon, Inc.coreTechnology or IntegrationUNBS is an Elavon Payments MSP and Registered MSP/ISO of Elavon, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of U.S. Bancorp, Minneapolis, MN. This partnership provides processing infrastructure, voice authorization services, and access to payment networks.
• Citizens Bank, N.A.coreTechnology or IntegrationUNBS is a registered ISO (Independent Sales Organization) of Citizens Bank, N.A., enabling additional payment processing capabilities and network access.
• Howard County Economic Development AuthorityminorOthersLocal government economic development authority that recognized UNBS with an award and featured the company in success stories.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Clover Network (Fiserv): Fiserv-owned SMB POS and merchant services platform with hardware terminals and software. Overlaps with UNBS's POS/terminal offerings to small businesses, backed by a much larger acquirer (Fiserv).
• PayPal: Established large-scale payment platform serving SMBs in online and increasingly card-present contexts. Comparable through SMB checkout, POS, and Braintree merchant acquiring footprint.
• Fiserv: Large financial technology and merchant acquiring incumbent through First Data/Cl▼over and direct ISO relationships. Comparable as the bank/acquirer-side counterpart to which UNBS-style ISOs attach.
• Global Payments: Diversified payments technology company providing merchant acquiring, POS, and integrated commerce. Comparable as a broad incumbent serving SMB and enterprise merchants across card-present and e-commerce.

Direct peers

• Stripe: Online payment processor increasingly serving SMBs and platforms; competes with UNBS's e-commerce and MOTO processing offerings through developer-friendly APIs and integrated checkout.
• North American Bancard: Established independent sales organization and payment processor serving SMB merchants across the U.S. Closely comparable ISO/MSP business model with bank-acquirer partnerships and agent channel distribution.
• Helcim: SMB-focused payment processor offering card-present, e-commerce, and POS services with transparent pricing. Competes with UNBS in the same merchant segment with an integrated, software-led approach.
• Payment Depot: SMB merchant services provider with transparent interchange-plus pricing and POS/terminal offerings. Competes head-to-head with UNBS for cost-conscious SMB merchants.
• Stax: Subscription-based payment processing platform purpose-built for SMBs and ISOs. Directly comparable in target market and in serving independent agents/resellers.
• Square (Block, Inc.): Direct competitor in SMB card acceptance, providing integrated hardware (Square Reader/Terminal), POS software, and processing. Represents the tech-native acquirer model bypassing traditional ISOs.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/united-national-bankcard-services-inc.

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 UNBS