What Powertranz does

Powertranz (formerly First Atlantic Commerce) is a Bermuda-headquartered payment gateway provider founded in 1998 and rebranded in May 2025, operating for over 25 years as the principal regional gateway for the Caribbean and Central America. The platform processes approximately 60 million transactions annually for 10,000+ merchants and integrates directly with 20+ acquiring banks and processors across 30 countries. Core capabilities include a multicurrency payment gateway with hosted payment page, recurring billing, payment tokenization, virtual terminal, real-time reporting and reconciliation, 3D Secure 2, PCI-validated Point-to-Point Encryption (the first in the Caribbean, via Bluefin), and PCI MPoC-certified SoftPOS Tap-on-Phone. Card-present acceptance is delivered through POS terminals, the PowertranzQR mobile app, and a plug-and-play AMP POS ecosystem, with social commerce and AI-powered chat-based selling enabled via the Reach partnership.

The company earns revenue primarily from transaction fees on credit and debit card processing, recurring billing services for subscription merchants, and fraud-prevention services; pricing is quote-based rather than publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is hybrid: direct sales through web application forms with dedicated account managers for merchants and acquiring banks, augmented by a bank partner programme, technology partnerships with Equifax, Bluefin, Tilopay, AMP, Reach, Pay at the Table, Mobile Smart City, Visa and Mastercard, and 80+ shopping cart and reservation system integrations (Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, BigCommerce, VTEX, Sabre, etc.). The platform maintains a 99.99% gateway uptime SLA and is PCI DSS Level 1 certified, GDPR compliant, and serves enterprise customers across hospitality (Sandals), retail (PriceSmart, Wendy's, Taco Bell, Payless), telecom (Flow, Digicel, TSTT, BTC Bahamas), airlines (Cayman Airways), education (Universidad Panamericana), and government.

Name

Powertranz

Legal name

First Atlantic Commerce Ltd

Website

https://powertranz.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Powertranz is a Bermuda-based payment gateway serving 10,000+ merchants and 20+ acquiring banks across 30 countries in the Caribbean and Central America, processing 60 million transactions annually with PCI DSS Level 1 certified infrastructure.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Payment Gateway Services

NAICS

Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518)

SIC

Finance Services (6199)

akta.pro primary industry

Merchant-of-Record (MoR) & Payment Facilitation (PayFac) Infrastructure (FSAGABAE)

Keywords

• Payment gateway services
• Online card processing
• Multi-currency transactions
• Merchant fraud prevention
• POS payment integration

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamilton

HQ country

Bermuda

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Payment Processing Fees: Powertranz earns transaction fees for processing credit and debit card payments. The company acts as a payment gateway connecting merchants, acquiring banks, card networks (Visa, Mastercard, Amex), and issuing banks. Fees are typically charged per transaction as a percentage or flat rate plus per-transaction fee.
2. Recurring Payment Services: Subscription-based recurring billing services for merchants managing subscription-based businesses, clubs, memberships, and cyclical billing. Powertranz stores card data via tokens and automatically handles billing cycles.
3. Fraud Prevention Services: Integrated fraud management solutions including Equifax fraud platform, AVS/CVC verification, and 3DS2 authentication offered as value-added services to merchants and banks.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Powertranz is a multi-currency online and in-person payment gateway that enables merchants across the Caribbean and Central America to accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover cards through a single integration to 20+ regional acquiring banks in 30 countries. The platform delivers real-time authorization, settlement, fraud prevention, and PCI-compliant tokenization, complemented by hosted payment pages, recurring billing, virtual terminal, POS, SoftPOS Tap-on-Phone, and QR-based contactless acceptance.

Product overview

Powertranz is a unified payment gateway platform offering a comprehensive suite of payment processing solutions for merchants, banks, and partners across the Caribbean and Central America. The core Powertranz Payment Gateway provides multicurrency online payment processing with 3D Secure 2 authentication, fraud prevention, and PCI DSS compliance. The platform architecture consists of the core gateway with integrated modules including Hosted Payment Page (HPP), Recurring Payments, Payment Tokenization, Virtual Terminal, and Reporting & Reconciliation. For merchants, additional products include POS Solutions (with SoftPOS Tap on Phone), PowertranzQR (mobile contactless payments), and Social Commerce via Reach platform. For banks, the platform offers Online Risk Management & Reporting and a Bank Partner Programme. Security and fraud prevention is enhanced through 3D Secure 2 MPI, Point to Point Encryption (P2PE via Bluefin), AVS/CVC Pre-Authentication Services, and Equifax fraud management. The ecosystem includes 80+ shopping cart and platform integrations (Magento, Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, VTEX, regional platforms), POS integrations with 50+ systems, and partnerships with payment processors (EPX, Fiserv) and technology providers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Powertranz Payment Gateway Core multi-currency payment gateway that enables merchants to accept Mastercard, Visa, American Express, and Discover payments online and in-store, integrated with 20+ banks and processors across 30 countries and connected to 80+ shopping cart and plug-in platforms.
• Hosted Payment Page (HPP) Secure, PCI-DSS compliant webpage hosted on Powertranz servers that collects card information, processes transactions in real time, can be customized to merchant brand, and reduces merchant PCI compliance burden.
• Recurring Payments Flexible recurring billing solution that securely stores card data via tokenization and automatically handles billing cycles on daily, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, or annual schedules for merchants running subscription, club, or membership businesses.
• Payment Tokenization PCI DSS compliant tokenization service that replaces sensitive card numbers with non-sensitive tokens, allowing merchants to securely store card details on the Powertranz platform and process repeat transactions without handling raw card data.
• Virtual Terminal Web-based virtual terminal that enables merchants to accept credit and debit card payments via any secure browser for MOTO (Mail Order/Telephone Order) transactions, with no software installation required.
• Shopping Carts & Plug-ins Pre-built plug-in integrations with 80+ shopping carts, reservation systems, and online ordering platforms (including Magento, Shopify, WooCommerce, WordPress, BigCommerce, VTEX, and regional platforms) that let merchants accept payments without custom development.
• Reporting & Reconciliation Web-based merchant portal offering real-time transaction reporting across multiple currencies and Merchant IDs, with tools to review/download reports, manage user access roles, and handle customer enquiries.
• POS Solutions In-person payment solutions including POS hardware (with AMP) and SoftPOS Tap on Phone, supporting EMV Chip & PIN, Magstripe, mobile wallets, and NFC contactless transactions, integrated with 50+ POS systems.
• PowertranzQR Solution Mobile app-based contactless payment solution that lets merchants generate QR codes for customers to scan and complete transactions without dedicated POS hardware, secured via Equifax fraud prevention and 3DS2 with AES encryption.
• Social Commerce Social commerce solution enabling merchants to sell and accept payments via WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and webchat, consolidating social channels into a single interface with AI-powered customer interactions and integrated product catalogs and payment processing.
• Online Risk Management & Reporting AI-driven fraud prevention and risk management solution for acquiring banks, providing real-time transaction reporting at merchant and portfolio levels, automated screening controls, and chargeback management across the customer journey.
• Bank Partner Programme Ecommerce acquiring programme for banks offering multi-currency payment processing, customer authentication, and fraud prevention, with a dedicated account manager and personalized service to grow online revenues.
• 3D Secure 2 MPI 3D Secure 2 Payer Authentication providing cardholder identity verification and fraud protection; enables a chargeback liability shift from merchant to issuer for authenticated transactions, available as part of the gateway flow or as a standalone service.
• Point to Point Encryption (P2PE) PCI-validated Point-to-Point Encryption powered by Bluefin that encrypts cardholder data at the Point of Interaction in ID Tech SREDKey2 P2PE devices with off-site decryption in Bluefin Hardware Security Modules, reducing merchant PCI scope to a 35-question SAQ P2PE-HW.
• AVS/CVC Pre-Authentication Services Address Verification Service (AVS) and Card ID Verification (CVV2/CVC2/CID) checks for pre-authorization fraud screening that compare billing addresses and validate security codes to confirm cardholder authenticity and reduce chargebacks.
• Credit Card Processing End-to-end credit and debit card processing covering the full transaction lifecycle — authorization, capture, settlement, and funds transfer — through major card networks.

Quantifiable outcome

• 99.99% Payment Gateway uptime
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration66 records

AI capability6 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered secondary and core.

• Mobile Smart City (Pango)secondaryTechnology or Integration · 10 April 2025Powertranz partnered with Mobile Smart City Pango to enable mobile payment parking and traffic management services in Bermuda and the Caribbean. The Pango Mobile Payment platform allows users to manage parking through smartphones. The Corporation of Hamilton is using the Contactless Access Control platform with LPR and pay-in-lane capabilities on Front Street.
• EquifaxcoreTechnology or IntegrationEquifax provides integrated fraud prevention and risk management platform via the Powertranz gateway. The partnership delivers AI-driven fraud detection, identity verification, and chargeback protection for merchants processing online transactions. Equifax's machine learning technology has reviewed hundreds of millions of transactions to provide maximum protection.
• Tilopay (Inteligencia Comercial Tilo)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTilopay provides full commerce solutions connecting local and international suppliers, technology and e-commerce providers. Integrated to Powertranz Gateway, Tilopay powers connections with ecommerce platforms via plug and play integrations including Shopify, WooCommerce, Wix, Magento, OpenCart, VTEX, and BigCommerce.
• BluefincoreTechnology or IntegrationBluefin provides PCI-Validated Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE) solution for Powertranz merchants. Bluefin's encryption technology encrypts cardholder data at the Point of Interaction in PCI-approved ID Tech SREDKey2 P2PE devices with decryption done off-site in Bluefin Hardware Security Modules. Powertranz is the first provider of PCI-validated P2PE in the Caribbean.
• AMP (A Mobile Payment)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAMP provides a plug-and-play ecosystem for smarter in-person payments. The partnership enables POS software vendors with lightweight integration points to deliver integrated payment solutions for merchants. AMP offers Android AMV devices, AMP 360 terminals, remote key injection and rapid integration for vending, hospitality, retail, and transport.
• Reach (Social Commerce)secondaryChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPowertranz partnership with Reach enables social commerce through WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and webchat. The Reach platform consolidates business social media chats into a single interface with AI-powered customer interactions, integrated with Shopify, Odoo, Meta, Wix and WooCommerce. Merchants accept payments via Powertranz gateway directly within chat channels.
• Pay at the TablesecondaryChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPay at the Table provides digital hospitality solutions with integrated payments. The solution connects with 200+ POS systems and over 1,000 applications, leveraging Powertranz's QR and Tap-on-Phone card acceptance. Features include digital menus, QR code ordering and payment, and HD marketing capabilities for restaurants.
• EPX (Electronic Payment Exchange)coreTechnology or IntegrationEPX is a secure, fully integrated international payments platform acting as processor, acquirer, and backend service partner. For nearly 40 years, they have provided payment processing services for merchants, retailers, and banks in the United States, Canada, Europe, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
• FiservcoreTechnology or IntegrationFiserv is a provider of payment and financial services technology. The company provides payment and mobile banking systems, account processing systems, and electronic payments processing products and services. Fiserv enables money movement for thousands of financial institutions and millions of people and businesses.
• YunosecondaryTechnology or IntegrationYuno is a payment orchestrator that enables any company to manage all their payment methods and anti-fraud tools with one integration. The company customizes and smart routes the checkout experience and adds new payment methods for merchants to increase acceptance and reduce cost.
• VisacoreTechnology or IntegrationVisa is a strategic card network partner enabling Powertranz merchants to accept Visa cards for online and in-person transactions. Powertranz is integrated with Visa's payment network for authorization, clearing, and settlement of transactions.
• MastercardcoreTechnology or IntegrationMastercard is a strategic card network partner enabling Powertranz merchants to accept Mastercard cards. Powertranz participates in Mastercard's payment network and has partnerships supporting Mastercard Day Jamaica events for industry collaboration.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• PayPal: Global digital payments platform offering online checkout, multi-currency processing, fraud prevention, and Braintree gateway services. Comparable to Powertranz in providing card-processing gateway and fraud tools, with growing Latin American and Caribbean footprint that overlaps with Powertranz's market.
• Stripe: Global payment gateway and processing platform offering multi-currency card acceptance, tokenization, and developer-friendly APIs. Comparable to Powertranz as a card-processing gateway, but competing broadly across geographies including increasingly in Latin America and the Caribbean.
• Adyen: Global unified commerce platform providing payment processing, acquiring, and POS solutions to enterprise merchants. Comparable to Powertranz in offering a single-integration gateway with multi-currency, fraud, and POS, but at a much larger scale and with broader geographic reach.

Direct peers

• Paymentez: Latin American payment gateway and processing platform providing card acceptance, alternative payment methods, fraud prevention, and merchant integrations. Comparable to Powertranz as a regional gateway focused on Latin America with multi-currency and bank connectivity.
• Tilopay: Central America and Caribbean e-commerce payment solutions provider connecting merchants to global platforms via Powertranz integration. Comparable to Powertranz as a regional payment enabler, though Tilopay is also a partner/competitor at the merchant-acquisition layer.
• EBANX: Latin America-focused payment processor offering multi-currency card processing, alternative payment methods, and merchant/bank integrations across the region. Comparable to Powertranz as a regional payment gateway targeting Latin America and Central America merchants with bank connectivity.
• dLocal: Emerging-markets payment processor enabling global merchants to accept payments in Latin America, Caribbean, Africa, and Asia. Comparable to Powertranz in providing cross-border payment processing for emerging markets with local payment method and currency support.

Regional players

• Network International: Emerging-markets payment processor and acquirer operating across the Middle East and Africa with merchant acquiring and gateway services. Comparable to Powertranz as a regional payment gateway with bank/processor integration, though focused on different geographies.

Others

• First Atlantic Commerce (legacy): The former name of Powertranz until its May 2025 rebrand. Not a peer in the traditional sense but represents the historical brand identity that the company is migrating away from, with potential brand-equity continuity and customer-recognition considerations.

Emerging players

• Yuno: Payment orchestrator enabling merchants to manage multiple payment methods, processors, and anti-fraud tools via a single integration. Comparable to Powertranz in payment orchestration and fraud capabilities; Yuno is also an existing partner of Powertranz.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/powertranz

Compliance6 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 Powertranz