What Secure Payments Academy does

Secure Payments Academy (SPA), founded in 2011 as EMV Academy and rebranded in October 2018, is a privately held payments education and training company headquartered in Great Neck, New York. The firm delivers deep technical and business-case instruction across the payments stack, including EMV chip-and-pin migration, mobile and contactless payments, payment tokenization, eCommerce and card-not-present fraud detection, ISO20022 messaging standards, open banking, digital identification, and blockchain/Bitcoin fundamentals. Curriculum is structured as more than 20 numbered course modules ranging from half-day briefings (SPA-29, SPA-30) through 2-day workshops (SPA-18, SPA-22, SPA-24A, SPA-26) to multi-day deep dives (SPA-20, SPA-24B, SPA-25) and self-paced online modules (SPA-PK1, SPA-27, SPA-31). Training is built on field-generated expertise from the founders' consulting practice working with acquirers, issuers, merchants, and payment technology vendors worldwide, and the curriculum is maintained in compliance with EMVCo, VISA, MasterCard, EPCA, and MULTOS specifications.

The business operates a multi-channel delivery model: instructor-led workshops at company training centers in New York, Los Angeles, San Jose, London, and Toronto; customized on-site private workshops at client organizations; and self-paced e-learning distributed through the PayKademy partnership announced in December 2023. Pricing is per-seat, one-time, ranging from approximately $1,700 to $2,900 per attendee with discounts available for STA members and combined course packages. Distribution is amplified through eleven documented strategic partnerships spanning payments technology vendors (ICC Solutions, CreditCall, CIM USA, Q-Card), industry associations (Secure Technology Alliance, ETA, ATMIA), and international training partners (TSI, VCS Technologies, ID Technology Partners).

The customer base spans financial institutions, payment processors and acquirers, merchants, mobile and IoT companies, healthcare organizations, and ISOs/agents, with documented wins across 100+ companies in 25 countries. The company is founder-owned and operated by CEO Mansour Karimzadeh and CMO Stewart Chalmers, with no disclosed institutional investors, funding rounds, or M&A activity.

Name

Secure Payments Academy

Legal name

Secure Payments Academy

Website

https://securepaymentsacademy.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Payments Education and Training

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (6117)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Finance, Banking & Capital Markets (EDAAAPAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Core Digital Curriculum & Courseware (Full Programs & Units) (EDAFACAA)

Keywords

• Payments training
• EMV education
• Mobile payments courses
• Payment security training
• Tokenization training

Headquarters

HQ city

Great Neck

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Training Workshops: In-person and online instructor-led training workshops on payment technologies. Courses range from half-day briefings to 5-day deep dive programs.
2. e-Learning Platform Courses: Self-paced online courses offered through PayKademy partnership. Users purchase courses and access at their own pace.
3. Custom Private Workshops: Customized group training conducted onsite at customer organizations or private sessions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Secure Payments Academy provides instructor-led payments education and training covering EMV chip, mobile, contactless, tokenization, ISO20022, open banking, blockchain/Bitcoin, and fraud detection. Courses are sold as standalone workshops (half-day briefings through 5-day deep dives), customized private onsite workshops, and self-paced e-learning modules delivered through the PayKademy platform. The company also offers complementary advisory/consulting and strategy services rooted in field experience with global payments stakeholders.

Product overview

Secure Payments Academy (formerly EMV Academy) is a payments education and training company offering a comprehensive curriculum of instructor-led and e-learning courses. The portfolio includes EMV technology courses (SPA-01, SPA-13, SPA-14, SPA-15), mobile and contactless payments training (SPA-17, SPA-30), eCommerce and fraud detection courses (SPA-18, SPA-19, SPA-PK1, SPA-PK2), payment tokenization programs (SPA-22, SPA-24A, SPA-24B), blockchain/Bitcoin fundamentals (SPA-16), open banking courses (SPA-26, SPA-27), ISO20022 deep dive programs (SPA-25, SPA-25A, SPA-25B, SPA-25C), and digital ID/digital banking training (SPA-23, SPA-31). Courses are delivered in-person at training centers and through e-learning partnerships with PayKademy. The company specializes in deep technical and business case training for acquirers, issuers, processors, merchants, and payment technology companies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SPA-01: EMV 3 Day Immersion, A to Z of EMV 3-day workshop covering planning, implementation, and payments strategies required to succeed in an EMV chip and pin ecosystem, addressing business and technical needs including post-EMV challenges. Targeted at card issuers, acquirers, merchants, and processors.
• SPA-18: eCommerce Payments and CNP Fraud Workshop 2-day course covering eCommerce payments, Card Not Present (CNP) fraud types, fraud detection systems, and fraud mitigation systems. Priced $1,700–$1,900.
• SPA-20: Payment Fundamentals, Digital Payment Frameworks and Payment Security 3-day course examining the history of payments, parties in the payment ecosystem, payment technology platforms, EMV, contactless, mobile payments, tokenization, 3D-Secure, and blockchain. Priced $2,599–$2,899.
• SPA-22: Payment Tokenization 2-day course covering payment tokenization technologies and implementation.
• SPA-23: Digital ID, Digital Currency, Fintech, and Neo Banks 3-day course providing an overview of the digital payment world with digital identification at its core, covering fintech and neo bank models.
• SPA-24A: Payments Tokenization Business Planning Course 2-day business-oriented course on payments tokenization technology, stakeholders, and business impact for issuers, processors, merchants, and corporates. Priced $1,739–$1,932; 8% bundle discount available with SPA-24B.
• SPA-24B: Payments Tokenization Product Planning Course 3-day course on monetizing payments tokenization into new products and services for merchants, processors, corporates, and issuers. Priced $2,609–$2,899.
• SPA-25: ISO20022 Deep Dive Course 5-day deep dive into the ISO20022 payment messaging standard covering business and technical implementation.
• SPA-26: Open Banking Course 2-day course covering open banking technology, services, and implementation.
• SPA-27: Open Banking Online Course 4-module online course covering open banking technology for self-paced learners.
• SPA-16: Blockchain Fundamentals 1-day course demystifying blockchain and Bitcoin technologies for payments professionals.
• SPA-17: Mobile, Contactless Payments Fundamentals 2-day deep dive for chip, card, and mobile handset manufacturers covering mobile and contactless payments fundamentals.
• SPA-31: Digital Identification Online 4-module online course on building trust through digital identification.
• SPA-PK1: Card Payment Fraud Modules 4-module course covering card payment fraud categories including Card Present Fraud, Online Payments Fraud, Mobile Authentication/Verification, and FIDO, 3DS, SRC, and Tokenization. Delivered via PayKademy e-learning platform.
• EMV and Mobile Fundamentals Workshop Comprehensive instructor-led payments curriculum covering EMV fundamentals for card issuers, acquirers, merchants, and processors.
• Custom Private Workshops Customized group training conducted onsite at customer organizations, tailored to the client's payments technology training needs.
• Advisory and Consulting Services Consultancy services specializing in credit, debit and EMV smart card implementations for financial institutions, payment systems design/analysis/recommendations, and project management, plus complete training workshops for EMV standards and project implementations.
• Strategy and Reports Strategy advisory and downloadable whitepapers/reports helping banks and processors navigate vendor product changes, globalization, and disruptive payment offerings.

Quantifiable outcome

• Trained professionals across 100+ companies in 25 countries

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.

• Secure Technology AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 January 2026Partnership to deliver Payments, EMV, and Mobile Training at Identity & Payments Summit 2026. Half-day in-person training session on Payments Fundamentals scheduled for March 4, 2026 at Westin Galleria, Houston, Texas.
• Secure Technology AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 July 2024Partnership to offer e-Payments workshops covering eCommerce, Open Banking, Fraud Detection/Mitigation and other topics. Training series runs September through November 2024, with discounts for STA members.
• ID Technology PartnersminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 22 July 2024Provides Certified Smart Card Industry Professionals – Government (CSCIP/G) training and certification event. Training provided by STA-member ID Technology Partners.
• PayKademycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2023Partnership to provide e-Learning payments training courses on PayKademy platform. Initially four modules covering card payment fraud detection and mitigation technologies offered, with additional courses to follow. The partnership extends global reach for self-paced online learning.
• Technology Strategies International (TSI) and VCS Technologies Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 April 2023Partnership to provide International Payments Training Programs. In-depth payments training courses offered initially in Toronto and New York. Joint courses include SPA-24A and SPA-24B on Payments Tokenization.
• ATM Industry Association (ATMIA)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 January 2015EMV workshops at ATMIA Annual Conference to prepare ATM operators for EMV liability shift deadline. Training focused on U.S. EMV migration for ATM industry.
• Electronic Transactions Association (ETA)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 May 2013EMV and Mobile Payments Education Partnership. Program designed to prepare U.S. payments industry for EMV and Mobile NFC migration. Included EMV & Mobile payments workshop for ISOs and agents.
• Q-CardminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 July 2012Strategic venture for EMV training program. EMVAcademy featured Q-Card Test Services, Cards and Equipment throughout EMV Curriculum.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• RBR (Retail Banking Research): RBR is a research and training firm serving retail banking, payments, and cards professionals, primarily in EMEA. Comparable in audience and adjacent to SPA's training offering, but anchored in EMEA research/events rather than U.S. instructor-led training delivery.

Direct peers

• ATM Industry Association (ATMIA): ATMIA delivers EMV and ATM-focused training and certification programs to ATM operators and the broader payments industry. Overlaps with SPA's EMV migration curriculum and serves a similar financial services professional audience; also an SPA partnership counterparty.
• Glenbrook Partners: Glenbrook Partners is a payments-focused education and advisory firm offering workshops, training programs, and consulting on payments strategy and technology. Closely aligned with SPA in audience (banking/payments professionals), content depth, and instructor-led delivery model.
• Electronic Transactions Association (ETA): ETA is a payments industry trade association that delivers education, certification, and training programs (including on EMV and mobile payments) to its member base. Overlaps with SPA on payments education content and audience, and is also an SPA partnership counterparty.
• Secure Technology Alliance (STA): STA is an industry association running payments, identity, and smart card education programs (including Identity & Payments Summit training). Directly comparable in audience and content scope, and currently partners with SPA on joint training delivery.
• PayKademy: PayKademy is a self-paced e-learning platform for payments and financial services professionals and is both an SPA distribution partner and a peer producing competing payments training content. Comparable audience and content scope, differing primarily in delivery (digital-first vs. instructor-led).

Emerging players

• Finextranet: Finextranet provides payments and fintech training, certifications, and masterclasses for banking and financial services professionals. Comparable in audience and instructor-led workshop delivery, but operates primarily in EMEA rather than North America.
• Tonex Training: Tonex offers short-format professional training courses across technology domains including payments, fintech, and financial systems. Comparable in instructor-led workshop format and enterprise B2B audience, but with much broader non-payments content coverage.

Broad incumbents

• SWIFT Training: SWIFT offers certified payments training programs covering ISO20022, cross-border payments, and financial messaging standards. Comparable curriculum area (notably ISO20022, where SPA also competes) and enterprise audience, but anchored to SWIFT's network and broader global footprint.
• ACI Worldwide (training programs): ACI Worldwide provides payments technology and adjacent training/education programs for banks, processors, and merchants using its software. Comparable in payments education for enterprise banking audiences, though bundled into a much larger software vendor offering.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/securepayments7
• Facebookfacebook.com/emvacademy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/secure-payments-academy

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Secure Payments Academy