The onboarding platform built for PayFacs

Your team underwrites, boards, and monitors merchants from a single workflow tool. No re-keying. No retrofitted ISO tools.

One merchant record.
Six modules. Zero re-entry.

PayFacs using Gratify replace 30 minutes of manual boarding with 1-click connections and daily compliance screening across their full sub-merchant portfolio.

60-Second Risk Assessment
Daily Compliance Screening
1-Click Evidence Packs
BC

Bloom Coffee Co.

MCC 5814 · Portland, OR
Ready for review
Generated in 47 seconds
Risk score
82
Low risk
Avg. monthly volume
$127,400
Recommended reserve
5% · $6,370
KYC / KYB verification Passed
PEP & Sanctions Clear
OFAC check Clear
BC

Bloom Coffee Co.

Boarding · Fiserv
Boarded
Application submitted 10:41 AM
Underwriting approved 10:42 AM
Processor API submitted 10:42 AM
MID assigned 10:43 AM
MID
4482-7190-3301
Total time
2 min 14 sec
Terminal configured & ready
Merchant can begin processing

Your merchant onboarding wasn't built for PayFac liability

ISO tools retrofitted for PayFacs create gaps

Most onboarding platforms were designed for ISOs that pass risk to a sponsor bank. They treat underwriting as a flat approve-or-decline, check compliance once at application, and leave your team rekeying data over and over. That model doesn't work when the risk stays with you.

Gratify was built for the PayFac model from the start.

  • Compliance checks stop after day one, but your liability doesn't
  • Underwriting output is a spreadsheet, not a scored risk package with reserve recommendations
  • Boarding still takes 30 minutes of manual entry per merchant, every merchant
This is how you grow

AI Tools Built For Payments

Automated KYC verification for ISOs on Gratify
Merchant Statement Analysis

The best merchants shop around and want proof they're getting competitive rates. Keep deals moving fast with statement analysis in under a minute.

  • Consistent analysis
  • Branded proposals
  • Competitor Intelligence
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Gratify partner portal for independent sales organizations
SmartMPA Forms

Auto-populate from trusted sources for low-risk merchants. Apply your underwriting requirements early to avoid wasted effort and confusion. And make incomplete MPAs a thing of the past.

  • Only receive complete applications
  • Better completion rates with intelligent friction
  • Leverage data you already have
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SO merchant approval process with Gratify platform
Onboarding Automation

Scale your underwriting team with automation. Get instant approval recommendations with complete evidence documentation to reduce pends.

  • Collate evidence automatically
  • Score and grade consistently
  • 1-Click evidence pack
See It Now
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Key facts

Statistical Insights

Boarding Speed
1 click

Approved sub-merchants board at the processor in one click instead of 30 minutes of manual data entry. At 200 merchants a month, that's 100 hours your team gets back.

Underwriting Speed
60 sec

Your underwriter reviews a complete risk package with reserve recommendation in 60 seconds. No assembling documents from three systems. No calculating exposure in a spreadsheet.

Compliance Coverage
Daily

PEP and Sanctions screening runs daily across your full sub-merchant portfolio. Not once at onboarding. Every day, every merchant, every flag surfaced the next morning.

Our Blogs

Articles & Resource

FAQ’s

Frequently Asked Questions

01
What is PayFac onboarding?

PayFac onboarding is the process a payment facilitator uses to underwrite, verify, and board sub-merchants onto its master merchant account. Because the PayFac carries the liability for every sub-merchant it boards, the process includes KYC/KYB verification, risk scoring, reserve calculations, and ongoing compliance monitoring. It requires deeper checks than ISO onboarding because the risk stays with the PayFac.

02
How do PayFacs underwrite sub-merchants?

PayFacs evaluate each sub-merchant's average monthly volume, chargeback history, delayed delivery risk, and industry risk before setting a reserve and approving the account. Gratify automates this into a 60-second risk package so the underwriter reviews a complete picture instead of assembling raw documents manually.

03
What compliance does a PayFac need for merchant onboarding?

At minimum, a PayFac needs KYC and KYB verification, Ultimate Business Ownership identification, and PEP and Sanctions screening. These checks should run at onboarding and on an ongoing basis. Gratify runs PEP and Sanctions screening daily across the full sub-merchant portfolio, not just at application.

04
How long does PayFac merchant onboarding take?

With manual processes, PayFac onboarding typically takes 2-5 business days per sub-merchant. With Gratify, the process from application to processor boarding can be completed in minutes. The statement analysis takes 60 seconds, the application is pre-filled, underwriting produces a finished risk package automatically, and boarding is a single click.

05
What is the difference between PayFac and ISO onboarding?

The core difference is risk ownership. ISOs pass underwriting liability to a sponsor bank. PayFacs retain it on their master merchant account. That means PayFac onboarding requires deeper risk scoring, reserve calculations, and ongoing compliance monitoring that ISO onboarding does not. PayFac compliance automation needs to run continuously, not just at the point of application.

06
Can Gratify handle both PayFac and ISO onboarding?

Yes. Gratify was built for both models from the start, not retrofitted from one to the other. The platform supports ISO workflows like merchant onboarding automation alongside PayFac-specific requirements like daily sub-merchant screening, reserve calculations, and ongoing risk monitoring under a single merchant record.

Level up your Onboarding game with Gratify

Everyday we talk to experts in payments, underwriting and merchant onboarding. They share their insights with us, and we want to share them with you.

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