CIAO PAY LIMITED

What CIAO PAY LIMITED does

Ciao Pay Limited is a UK-based private payment solutions provider that targets mid-sized and scaling businesses in retail, hospitality, travel, and food and beverage. The company sells the V400m wireless payment terminal — a portable, PCI-DSS compliant device with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and 4G connectivity that accepts all major cards plus Apple Pay and Google Pay — alongside a cloud-based real-time analytics dashboard that breaks down performance by site, staff member, time of day, and payment type.

Under the hood, Ciao Pay does not operate its own payments infrastructure; instead it is layered on Adyen's global, fully compliant payment platform, which gives it multi-channel processing, multi-store account structures, split settlements, and end-to-end encryption without the capital cost of building a PSP from scratch. The company's positioning is "local partner to a global player," combining tier-1 processing with UK-based human support, pre-configured terminals, and next-day settlement versus the multi-day settlement common at legacy acquirers.

Ciao Pay earns revenue through transaction-based processing fees on payments routed via Adyen, hardware sales of V400m terminals, and integration/development services for clients with multi-store or split-settlement requirements. Pricing is custom and quote-based, billed monthly, with no public fee schedule. The company is founder-led (Jonathan Barnes, Founder and CEO) with a small team of roughly four named members plus additional staff, operates as a direct sales organization in the UK only, and has no disclosed institutional funding or parent entity as of the input data.

Name

CIAO PAY LIMITED

Legal name

CIAO PAY LIMITED

Website

https://ciao-pay.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Ciao Pay Limited is a UK-based payment solutions provider that sells wireless V400m terminals and a real-time analytics dashboard, layered on Adyen's infrastructure, to mid-sized retail, hospitality, travel, and F&B merchants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Glasgow

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Payment Processing Services: Transaction-based payment processing fees charged to merchants for processing card and mobile wallet payments. Next-day settlement ensures consistent cash flow for the business.
2. Terminal Hardware Sales: Sale of V400m wireless payment terminals to merchants. Terminals are delivered pre-configured and ready to use with full onboarding support.
3. Integration and Development Services: Tailored onboarding and ongoing support services, including multi-store account structures, split settlements, and enhanced security protocols for enterprise clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Ciao Pay provides merchant payment terminals (V400m wireless terminals) and cloud-based payment processing services for mid-sized and scaling businesses in retail, hospitality, travel, and food and beverage sectors. The company delivers multi-channel payment acceptance (in-store, online, mobile), real-time analytics dashboards, next-day settlement, and PCI-DSS compliant security. Underlying processing is powered by Adyen's global payment infrastructure, with Ciao Pay acting as a UK-based local partner providing tailored onboarding, vertical-specific tools, and ongoing support.

Product overview

Ciao-Pay offers a unified payment solution combining the V400m wireless terminal hardware with a cloud-based analytics platform. The V400m is a portable payment terminal designed for fast-paced, customer-focused environments, accepting all major cards and mobile wallets with multiple connectivity options. The software platform provides real-time insights, intelligent reporting dashboards, and analytics tools that allow merchants to track performance by site, staff member, time of day, or payment type, enabling data-driven decisions for operational optimization and growth.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• V400m Wireless Terminal A portable wireless payment terminal with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and 4G connectivity that accepts all major cards and mobile wallets including Apple Pay and Google Pay. Features a crystal-clear touchscreen, built-in thermal printer, PCI-DSS compliant end-to-end encryption, and up to 12 hours of battery life. Delivered pre-configured and ready to use with full onboarding support. Targeted at fast-paced, customer-focused businesses such as coffee shops, restaurants, bakeries, retail chains, and boutique hotels.
• Merchant Payment Processing & Analytics Platform Cloud-based payment processing service powered by Adyen's global payment infrastructure, supporting in-store, online, and mobile payment acceptance with multi-store account structures, split settlements, and a real-time analytics dashboard. The dashboard breaks down performance by site, staff member, time of day, and payment type, and includes next-day settlement of funds to merchant accounts. Offered to mid-sized and scaling UK merchants in retail, hospitality, travel, and food and beverage.

Quantifiable outcome

• Next-day fund settlements (next working day) versus multi-day delays from legacy providers

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• AdyencoreTechnology or IntegrationCiao Pay aligns with Adyen, a globally trusted and fully compliant payment platform. This partnership enables Ciao Pay to offer the reach and reliability of a global provider combined with local expertise and tailored support. By leveraging Adyen's infrastructure, Ciao Pay provides merchants with access to multi-channel payment processing, multi-store account structures, split settlements, and enhanced security protocols without building payments infrastructure from scratch.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• takepayments: UK-focused independent sales organization and payment processor serving SMBs and mid-market merchants with terminals and card processing. Direct competitor for the same UK merchant base.
• SumUp: European-headquartered payment terminal and merchant acquiring provider targeting SMBs across retail, hospitality, and F&B. Closely comparable in product (wireless terminals + processing fees), customer segment, and business model.
• Cardstream: UK payment services provider enabling ISOs and merchants to access acquiring and processing infrastructure. Comparable UK footprint and reseller-of-infrastructure model analogous to Ciao Pay's Adyen-aligned positioning.
• Zettle by PayPal: PayPal-owned SMB payment terminal and merchant processing brand operating across the UK and Europe. Comparable product (portable terminals + software) and customer base (small and growing merchants).
• Square (Block): Global provider of payment terminals paired with a real-time analytics dashboard for SMBs and mid-market merchants. Direct overlap with Ciao Pay's combined hardware-plus-insights offering and SMB/mid-market target customer.
• Dojo: UK-based payment processor acquired Paymentsense; targets SMBs and mid-market merchants with card terminals, faster settlement, and analytics. Highly comparable geography, vertical focus, and product bundle.
• Paymentsense: Long-established UK card payment processor for SMBs and mid-market merchants (now part of the Dojo group). Highly comparable in geography, product, and target segment.
• Tyl by NatWest: UK-focused card payment processor and terminal provider, subsidiary of NatWest, serving SMBs and mid-market merchants. Directly comparable UK market and customer profile.

Broad incumbents

• Stripe: Global payments platform increasingly expanding into in-person payments (Stripe Terminal) with bundled hardware, software, and analytics for SMBs through enterprise. Broad incumbent competing for the same modern merchant segment.
• Worldpay: One of the largest UK and global merchant acquirers offering terminals, processing, and analytics across enterprise and SMB segments. Overlaps with Ciao Pay's mid-market focus but operates at vastly greater scale and breadth.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 CIAO PAY LIMITED