What Ryft does

Ryft (legally Ryft Pay Ltd) is a UK-based Authorised Payment Institution that provides an embedded payment platform for marketplaces, digital platforms, franchises, and omnichannel merchants. Founded in 2019 by Sadra Hosseini, Alex Mackenzie, and Richard Kirby — the operators behind the marketplace app Butlr, which was acquired by OrderPay in 2021 — the company was created to solve the friction the founders experienced with generic processors like Stripe and Adyen: high transaction fees and the absence of native marketplace features such as automated split payments, seller onboarding, and escrow. The company is headquartered in Manchester with a regional office in London, is regulated by the FCA (Authorised Payment Institution No. 972895), is PSD2-compliant, and holds PCI DSS Level 1 certification.

The platform is delivered through RESTful APIs and SDKs for Web, iOS, and Android, and combines core payment processing (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Apple Pay, Google Pay) with marketplace-native modules including automated split payments with custom commission rates, rapid KYC/AML seller onboarding, conditional delayed payments, recurring billing, and transaction monetisation. Enterprise modules extend the platform with ML-driven merchant underwriting, acquirer orchestration with automatic failover across partners including Clearhaus and Worldpay, tokenization, fraud management with 3DS 2.0 (false decline rates reported below 0.1%), global payouts, dispute management, and reporting. An omnichannel layer was launched in October 2025 to unify online and in-person card terminal transactions.

Ryft monetises primarily through volume-based transaction processing fees and shares of monetisation revenue generated by platforms embedding its payment flows. The company markets pricing at up to 70% lower than Stripe Connect with no minimum volume requirements, positioning as a regional alternative to global processors. Distribution combines API-first self-service for developers, direct enterprise sales to marketplaces and multi-location businesses, and channel partnerships — notably with POS provider Epos Now and acquirer Clearhaus, which leverages Ryft's FCA licence to serve UK merchants. As of late 2025, the company reports over 1,500 merchants live across verticals spanning pet services, fashion, restaurants, pharmacy, ticketing, and fundraising.

Name

Ryft

Legal name

Ryft Pay Ltd

Website

https://ryftpay.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Ryft is a UK-based FCA-authorised payment platform offering embedded payment processing, split payments, automated seller onboarding, and omnichannel infrastructure for marketplaces, digital platforms, franchises, and multi-location merchants across the UK and Europe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Embedded Payments Platform

NAICS

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

SIC

Finance Services (6199)

akta.pro primary industry

EMV Chip, Magstripe & PIN Debit Acceptance (FSAMADAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

NFT Custody, Wallets & Asset Management (collectibles wallets, vaults, portfolio tools) (FSAPAFAF)

Keywords

• Marketplace payments
• Payment processing
• Split payments
• Embedded payments
• Payment platform

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Transaction Processing Fees: Ryft earns revenue from transaction processing fees charged on payments processed through its platform. The company offers volume-based pricing models with claims of up to 70% cost savings compared to competitors like Stripe.
2. Transaction Monetisation: Platforms and marketplaces generate revenue by monetising payments processed through their platform using Ryft's embedded payments solution, with Ryft taking a share of the transaction fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Ryft is a UK-based Payment Services Provider offering an embedded payment platform for marketplaces, digital platforms, and omnichannel businesses. The core offering consists of payment processing with automated split payments, rapid seller onboarding with KYC/AML compliance, delayed and recurring billing, transaction monetisation, and in-person card terminal acceptance. For enterprise clients, Ryft delivers modular components including ML-powered underwriting, acquirer orchestration, tokenization, fraud management with 3DS 2.0, global payouts, dispute management, and white-glove migration services.

Product overview

Ryft is a UK-based Payment Services Provider (PSP) offering an embedded payment platform for marketplaces, platforms, and omnichannel businesses. The core offering consists of a unified payment processing platform with modules for split payments, rapid seller onboarding, delayed and recurring billing, transaction monetisation, and in-person payments. For enterprise clients, Ryft provides modular components including ML-powered underwriting, FCA licensing and compliance infrastructure, embedded forms, acquirer orchestration, tokenization, fraud management with 3DS 2.0, global payouts, dispute management, and comprehensive reporting. The platform integrates with payment networks (Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Worldpay, Clearhaus) and supports digital wallets (Apple Pay, Google Pay).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Payment Processing Core payment processing service that accepts all major credit and debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express) and digital wallets (Apple Pay, Google Pay), supporting multi-currency transactions for cross-border commerce. Designed for marketplace operators, platforms, franchises, and merchants.
• Split Payments Automated split payment solution that assigns custom commission rates per seller, item, or transaction and automatically deducts fees and commissions in real time for marketplace payments. Designed for marketplace and platform operators.
• Rapid Seller Onboarding Self-service portal for account creation and compliance verification with automated KYC/AML checks, identity document upload, and real-time webhook status updates for onboarding marketplace sellers at scale. Designed for marketplace operators.
• Delayed & Recurring Payments Flexible payment scheduling solution enabling conditional payment delays, escrow services, recurring billing intervals, and automated subscription management with retry logic for failed payments. Designed for marketplaces, platforms, and subscription-based merchants.
• Transaction Monetisation Embedded payments solution enabling platforms and marketplaces to generate revenue by monetising every transaction processed through their platform with native checkout experiences and transaction fee generation. Designed for platform operators and marketplaces.
• Card Terminals In-person payment processing capability enabling merchants to accept card payments at physical locations as part of Ryft's omnichannel offering. Designed for multi-location retailers, franchises, and omnichannel merchants.

Quantifiable outcome

• 62% reduction in payment processing costs compared to Stripe for marketplace operators
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

AI capability2 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Epos NowcoreTechnology or IntegrationRyft partnered with Epos Now to deliver a fully integrated POS and payments solution for franchises and multi-location businesses. The partnership combines Epos Now's AI-powered POS with Ryft's flexible payment infrastructure.
• ClearhauscoreTechnology or IntegrationClearhaus, a leading European acquirer, partnered with Ryft to access the UK market using Ryft's FCA licence and technology post-Brexit. This enables Clearhaus to serve UK marketplace merchants without securing their own licence.
• American ExpresssupportingTechnology or IntegrationRyft partnered with American Express to enable UK merchants to accept Amex card payments, expanding payment flexibility for eCommerce and digital platforms with focus on B2B payments.
• WorldpaysupportingTechnology or IntegrationRyft partners with Worldpay as part of its network of acquiring banks, providing global payment processing capabilities through a single API integration.
• Future TicketingsupportingTechnology or IntegrationRyft partnered with Future Ticketing to provide payment flexibility for ticketing platforms with improved commercial terms, faster payouts, and enhanced support for venues and events.
• CharacsupportingTechnology or IntegrationRyft partnered with Charac to deliver over 30% processing fee reductions for independent pharmacies through the Charac platform.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Stripe Connect: Stripe Connect is the global incumbent for marketplace and platform payments, powering multi-party flows and embedded payments. Ryft explicitly benchmarks against Stripe Connect on pricing, customer wins (Tuft, Viing) cite migrations from Stripe.
• PayPal: PayPal is a global incumbent for marketplace and platform payments, with Braintree and PayPal Checkout covering similar merchant flows. PayPal executives participated in Ryft's Series A, indicating overlap in customer base and strategic interest.
• Adyen: Adyen is a global enterprise payment processor offering unified online, in-person, and marketplace payments. Ryft positions against Adyen on minimum-volume requirements and cost for mid-market platforms, particularly franchise and multi-location operators.
• Square (Block): Square (Block) offers omnichannel payment processing, POS hardware, and embedded commerce APIs targeting SMBs, franchises, and platforms. It overlaps with Ryft's omnichannel platform launch and in-person card terminal offering.
• Checkout.com: Checkout.com is a UK-founded global payment processor serving enterprise marketplaces and platforms. Like Ryft, it competes on performance and cost for cross-border commerce, though at significantly larger scale and broader geographic footprint.

Others

• Worldpay: Worldpay is a global acquirer and payment processor that Ryft integrates with as an acquiring-bank partner. It is both an infrastructure dependency and a broader competitor for enterprise merchants seeking omnichannel payment processing.

Direct peers

• ClearBank: ClearBank is a UK-based clearing bank offering real-time payments, embedded banking, and payment infrastructure for fintechs and platforms. It competes with Ryft's licensing-as-a-service and acquirer-orchestration value proposition for regulated payment workloads.
• Mangopay: Mangopay is a European payment provider purpose-built for marketplaces and platforms, offering split payments, seller onboarding, and KYC. GiftRound is named as a Ryft customer that previously used Mangopay, making them a direct competitor for the same marketplace payment workload.
• Modulr: Modulr is a UK FCA-authorised payments infrastructure provider offering API-based payment initiation, payouts, and embedded account services. It competes with Ryft for platforms building payment-facilitator-style flows and embedded finance products in the UK and Europe.
• Mollie: Mollie is a European payment service provider offering multi-currency processing, split payments, and marketplace-friendly APIs for SMB and mid-market platforms. It overlaps with Ryft's vertical focus on European marketplaces and platforms seeking Stripe alternatives.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• GitHubgithub.com/ryftpay
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ryftpay

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds8 records

Investors12 records

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 Ryft