Acquiring Desk / Questions and answers
Questions and answers · Acquiring Desk
What people ask Acquiring Desk before a quote: the authority, the capital, the fees, the file and what happens after the licence.
The application
How do I get a quote?
Ask for a quote on this site or book a free 20-minute call. After the scoping call we send a firm written quote, before anything is signed.
How are the fees paid?
Once the quote is signed, an invoice is issued and paid by bank transfer or in USDT on the TRON network (TRC20).
Do you guarantee the licence?
No. The licence is granted by the authority after its own review. Our commitment is the quality of the file, its filing and its follow-up until the decision.
What does the authority examine?
A description of the card programme or of the acquiring activity, the card schemes and the partners involved. The licence or registration the activity requires, or the principal member that sponsors it. Merchant or cardholder onboarding, with risk scoring and monitoring. Anti-money-laundering controls and fraud prevention. The security of card data and of the payment systems. Safeguarding of funds and the settlement flows.
What should be settled before the call?
Issuing, acquiring, or both? Which merchants or cardholders, in which countries? Do you already work with a processor or a sponsor? What volumes and what average transaction do you expect? Who manages risk and compliance?
What continues after the licence is granted?
The card schemes' rules and their reviews. Card data security assessments, as the schemes require. Monitoring of chargeback and fraud ratios. Regulatory reporting and an annual audit. Notice of changes in the programme.
What should I know before applying?
Principal membership of a card scheme depends on eligibility the scheme decides. Sponsors and processors run their own due diligence. No time to approval is announced: each decision belongs to the authority, the scheme or the sponsor.
Can I talk to someone before ordering?
Yes. Book a free 20-minute call on this site, at a time shown in your own time zone. You receive a confirmation and a video link by email.
The licences
Merchant acquiring permission — EU / EEA / United Kingdom: where, what capital, what fees?
EU / EEA / United Kingdom. Capital: PI/EMI capital according to scope. From €87,390, excluding VAT. Renewal: No expiry. Preparation of the merchant acquiring permission file: merchant acceptance and risk monitoring policy, chargeback handling, safeguarding of client funds, filing with the competent authority and follow-up until its decision.
Payment gateway regulatory structure — Selected jurisdiction: where, what capital, what fees?
Selected jurisdiction. Capital: According to flows and holding of funds. From €40,000, excluding VAT. Renewal: null. Regulatory qualification of the payment gateway service according to how funds flow and are held, drafting of contracts with merchants and service providers, design of the flow architecture and, where the activity requires it, preparation of the filings with the competent authority.
Card issuing programme — Europe / United Kingdom: where, what capital, what fees?
Europe / United Kingdom. Capital: According to sponsor and holding of funds. From €74,990, excluding VAT. Renewal: null. Structuring of the programme: selection and coordination of the issuer and processor, customer identification procedures, dispute handling, drafting of programme rules and preparation of the file submitted for the issuer's acceptance.
BIN sponsorship file — Europe / United Kingdom: where, what capital, what fees?
Europe / United Kingdom. Capital: Guarantee/reserve according to sponsor. From €29,990, excluding VAT. Renewal: null. Drafting of the request for proposal sent to sponsoring issuers, assembly of the due diligence file required by the sponsor, answers to its compliance questions and coordination of the technical integration; the arrangement remains subject to the sponsor's acceptance.
Principal Visa / Mastercard membership — if eligible: where, what capital, what fees?
According to eligibility. Capital: Collateral and scheme requirements. From €49,990, excluding VAT. Renewal: null. Assessment of eligibility for principal membership, preparation and submission of the application to the card scheme: corporate and financial documents, business plan, compliance framework, answers to the scheme's questions and follow-up until its decision.
Sponsor bank search and onboarding — Selected jurisdiction: where, what capital, what fees?
Selected jurisdiction. Capital: Deposit/reserve according to partner. From €17,790, excluding VAT. Renewal: null. Shortlisting of sponsor banks, set-up of the data room, presentation of the file, negotiation of operational terms and follow-up of the onboarding process; onboarding remains subject to the bank's acceptance.
Indirect SEPA / sponsor onboarding — EU / EEA: where, what capital, what fees?
EU / EEA. Capital: Liquidity and guarantees according to sponsor. From €25,990, excluding VAT. Renewal: null. Preparation of the file for indirect access to the SEPA schemes through a sponsoring institution, depending on eligibility: credit transfers, instant credit transfers and direct debits, compliance documents, answers to the sponsor's questions and follow-up of onboarding, which remains subject to the sponsor's acceptance.
BIC and SWIFT onboarding — International: where, what capital, what fees?
International. Capital: Guarantees according to model and bank. From €25,990, excluding VAT. Renewal: Annual confirmation. Application for the BIC code, preparation of the organisational membership file for the interbank financial messaging network, technical coordination of the connection and testing, and follow-up of the membership process.
White-label Banking-as-a-Service programme — Europe / UK: where, what capital, what fees?
Europe / United Kingdom. Capital: Reserve and minimums according to provider. From €12,190, excluding VAT. Renewal: null. Selection of the banking services provider, assembly of the due diligence file, negotiation and review of contracts, set-up of distribution and compliance controls for the programme; launch remains subject to the provider's acceptance.
Payment orchestration architecture — International: where, what capital, what fees?
International. Capital: According to providers. From €39,990, excluding VAT. Renewal: null. Design of the payment orchestration architecture: routing rules across acquirers, fraud prevention set-up, reconciliation processes and drafting of the contractual framework with each provider, all delivered in a single architecture file.
Merchant of Record set-up — International: where, what capital, what fees?
International. Capital: Reserve according to risk and acquirers. From €49,990, excluding VAT. Renewal: null. Qualification of the merchant of record model, analysis of indirect tax obligations, organisation of payment acquiring, refunds and chargebacks, and drafting of contractual terms and operating procedures.
Processor / core banking / ledger RFP — International: where, what capital, what fees?
International. Capital: Not applicable. From €20,990, excluding VAT. Renewal: null. Drafting of the functional and technical specifications, consultation of processor, core banking and ledger vendors, scoring grid for the responses, comparative summary and support with the commercial negotiation.
About Acquiring Desk
Who operates Acquiring Desk?
Acquiring Desk is a service of AquaSands Trading AG, a Swiss stock corporation (Aktiengesellschaft, AG), c/o Kaurum GmbH, Hasenbüelweg 32, 6300 Zug, Switzerland. Orders, invoices and contracts are with AquaSands Trading AG.