Merchant Advisory
Merchant Advisory is a Sydney-based payments consulting firm that helps large retailers, global e-commerce businesses, not-for-profits, and small businesses reduce merchant fees and select payment service providers through optimisation reviews, RFP processes, and specialist advisory panels, delivered via the Payments Consulting Network.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersSydney, Australia
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Merchant Advisory does
Merchant Advisory is an Australian-headquartered payments consulting firm that helps businesses optimize payment acceptance, reduce merchant fees, and select payment service providers. It operates as a business name of Payments Consulting Network Pty Ltd (ABN 87 202 769 335), a private company founded in January 2013 and headquartered in Sydney. The firm serves large national retailers, global e-commerce websites, not-for-profits, industry associations, and small businesses, delivering consulting engagements, Payments Optimisation Reviews, and Short-Form and Long-Form RFP processes. Its go-to-market is sales-led and project-based, with no referral fees or commissions taken from payment service providers, an explicit positioning designed to preserve independence.
The core service portfolio comprises a Payments Optimisation Review plus a Payment Service Provider Panel and nine specialist advisory panels covering fraud and chargeback management, payments orchestration, real-time A2A payments, token vault, B2B payments, reconciliation and data insights, FX and cross-border payments, loyalty, and terminal hardware, software, and management. The Payments Consulting Network underpins the service with a distributed consultant base across 5 regions, 11 countries, and 18 cities, with over 80% of consultants reported to have 15-40 years of payments industry experience. Named enterprise engagements include Kering (a 724-store luxury retail transformation with Adyen across 27 markets), Kmart, and Anko Global.
Revenue mechanics are professional services fees earned on consulting engagements and RFP processes, with no software licensing, transaction-based fees, or provider commissions in the model. Marketing relies on content (blog posts, the 2025 Ecommerce Payments Experience Report, guides), the Payments Beats podcast, an email newsletter, LinkedIn presence, and media partnerships with NRF APAC 2025 and 2026 plus content syndication with major PSPs including Adyen, Checkout.com, Fiserv, eWAY, and SWIFT. The firm has no public or partner-facing API, no proprietary software product, and no disclosed funding rounds.
Merchant Advisory firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Merchant Advisory
- Legal name
- Payments Consulting Network Pty Ltd as trustee for Payments Consulting Network Trust ABN 87 202 769 335
- Website
- https://merchantadvisory.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Merchant Advisory is a Sydney-based payments consulting firm that helps large retailers, global e-commerce businesses, not-for-profits, and small businesses reduce merchant fees and select payment service providers through optimisation reviews, RFP processes, and specialist advisory panels, delivered via the Payments Consulting Network.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Merchant Advisory industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Payments Consulting
- NAICS
- Management Consulting Services (54161)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Corporate Development & Strategic Partnerships Advisory (JVs, Alliances, Carve-outs) (BPAHAOAG)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Merchant Risk, Underwriting & Portfolio Monitoring (FSAMALAH)
Keywords
Where Merchant Advisory is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Sydney
- HQ country
- Australia
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices16 records
Markets served
Merchant Advisory business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Consulting and Advisory Services: Payments optimisation consulting services including Payments Optimisation Reviews and RFP processes to help businesses compare merchant fees and select payment solutions. PCN does not receive referral fees or commissions from payment service providers listed on their website or participating in RFP processes.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
Merchant Advisory product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Merchant Advisory provides independent payments consulting services that help businesses optimise payment acceptance and reduce merchant service fees. Offerings include Payments Optimisation Reviews, Short-Form and Long-Form RFPs, and access to specialist advisory panels covering fraud, orchestration, B2B, FX/cross-border and terminal solutions. Engagements are delivered through direct consulting arrangements rather than as a packaged software product.
Product overview
Merchant Advisory is a payments consulting service operated by Payments Consulting Network (PCN). Rather than a unified software platform, it offers a portfolio of advisory services including Payments Optimisation Review, Short-Form RFP, and Long-Form RFP processes. The service maintains multiple specialist advisory panels covering Payment Service Provider selection, Fraud & Chargeback Management, Payments Orchestration, Real Time A2A Payments, Token Vault, B2B Payments, Reconciliation and Data Insights, FX and Cross-Border Payments, Loyalty, and Terminal Hardware/Software/Management. The company also produces the Payments Beats Podcast as an industry resource. All services are delivered by independent payments industry experts who help businesses understand payment options, compare merchant fees, and select optimal solutions for their requirements.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Payments Optimisation Review A comprehensive consulting review that analyses a business's payment acceptance to identify opportunities for merchant fee savings, improved service levels, and operational efficiency. Delivered to merchants by independent payments industry experts.
- Short-Form RFP A streamlined request for proposal process for selecting payment service providers, aimed at businesses seeking quicker turnaround on vendor selection, with comparison of merchant fees and solution fit.
- Long-Form RFP An extended request for proposal process for payment service provider selection, providing thorough evaluation and comparison of solutions for businesses with complex requirements.
- Payment Service Provider Panel A curated panel of payment service providers that businesses can access through Merchant Advisory for vendor evaluation and selection across their specific requirements.
- Payments Beats Podcast A podcast series featuring interviews with payments industry leaders discussing trends, innovations and best practices, distributed on Libsyn, Spotify, Apple Podcast and iHeart.
Quantifiable outcome
- Tyro merchants achieved up to 20% savings in merchant fees through least cost routing
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Merchant Advisory
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Merchant Advisory technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Merchant Advisory partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Payments Consulting NetworkcoreMerchant Advisory is a business name operated by Payments Consulting Network Pty Ltd as trustee for Payments Consulting Network Trust ABN 87 202 769 335. PCN is the parent organisation providing the operational structure and global network of payments consultants.
- AdyencoreAdyen is a member of Merchant Advisory's Payment Service Provider Panel. Featured in case studies covering Kering's unified payment transformation across 724 stores in 27 markets, supporting 31 payment methods and 3,500+ terminals.
- NRF (National Retail Federation)corePayments Consulting Network / Merchant Advisory is a media partner of NRF '26 Retail's Big Show Asia Pacific and NRF 2025 Retail's Big Show Asia Pacific, participating in panel discussions.
- SWIFTminorQ&A interview with Shriyanka Hore, Global Head of Industry Relations at SWIFT, discussing cross-border payments trends and the Global Payments Optimisation Index.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Merchant Advisory competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Edgar, Dunn & Company: Independent payments consultancy advising merchants, banks, and networks on payments strategy, fees, and emerging technologies — directly comparable to Merchant Advisory's multi-panel advisory model.
- Glenbrook Partners: Long-standing payments strategy consulting firm providing advisory to merchants, issuers, and networks across payments acceptance, fintech, and emerging rails — competing for similar enterprise mandates.
- The Strawhecker Group: Payments strategy consultancy advising merchants and financial institutions on merchant acquiring and acceptance strategy — overlapping directly with Merchant Advisory's PSP-panel and RFP offerings.
- CMSPI: CMSPI specializes in merchant services cost reduction and payment processing optimization consulting for enterprise merchants, the same core service as Merchant Advisory's Payments Optimisation Reviews and least-cost-routing engagements.
Broad incumbents
- 451 Research / S&P Global Market Intelligence: Enterprise IT and fintech research and advisory arm of S&P Global with significant payments practice, providing research and consulting services to similar enterprise merchants and PSPs.
- McKinsey & Company (Payments Practice): Top-tier global consultancy with a dedicated payments transformation practice serving large merchants, banks and PSPs — likely competitor for the largest merchant mandates also targeted by Merchant Advisory.
- Bain & Company (Financial Services / Payments practice): Global strategy consultancy with a sizable payments practice advising large merchants and PSPs on strategy and operating model — competing for the same enterprise advisory engagements.
- Aite-Novarica Group: Research and advisory firm covering banking, payments, and fintech with enterprise consulting practices — adjacent competitor for advisory RFPs from large merchants and PSPs.
- Datos Insights (formerly Retail Payments Advisory / Aite): Financial services research and advisory firm with deep payments coverage — competes for strategic advisory mandates from financial institutions and large merchants.
Regional players
- East & Partners: Australia-headquartered financial services research and advisory firm covering payments and transaction banking across APAC — closely comparable to Merchant Advisory's core APAC footprint and enterprise client base.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Merchant Advisory social profiles
Digital presenceMerchant Advisory financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Merchant Advisory leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Merchant Advisory funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Merchant Advisory 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 Merchant Advisory
What does Merchant Advisory do?
Merchant Advisory provides independent payments consulting services that help businesses optimise payment acceptance and reduce merchant service fees. Offerings include Payments Optimisation Reviews, Short-Form and Long-Form RFPs, and access to specialist advisory panels covering fraud, orchestration, B2B, FX/cross-border and terminal solutions. Engagements are delivered through direct consulting arrangements rather than as a packaged software product.
Is Merchant Advisory a public or private company?
Merchant Advisory is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Merchant Advisory founded?
Merchant Advisory was founded in 2013. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Merchant Advisory based?
Merchant Advisory is headquartered in Sydney, Australia, in the Oceania region.
How does Merchant Advisory make money?
One revenue line is on record: consulting and Advisory Services.
Who are Merchant Advisory's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Edgar, Dunn & Company, Glenbrook Partners, The Strawhecker Group and CMSPI. Broad incumbents are 451 Research / S&P Global Market Intelligence, McKinsey & Company (Payments Practice), Bain & Company (Financial Services / Payments practice), Aite-Novarica Group and Datos Insights (formerly Retail Payments Advisory / Aite). East & Partners is listed as a regional player.
Does Merchant Advisory have an API?
No public API is recorded for Merchant Advisory.
What industry is Merchant Advisory in?
Merchant Advisory's product category is Payments Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAOAG, Corporate Development & Strategic Partnerships Advisory (JVs, Alliances, Carve-outs), with a secondary code of FSAMALAH, Merchant Risk, Underwriting & Portfolio Monitoring. Its NAICS code is 54161 and its SIC code is 8742.