Evolving Your Partner Model to Compete in a Changing Payments Landscape
By Elavon - U.S. Bank
As the global payments market is projected to grow from USD 2.57 trillion in 2023 to USD 4.31 trillion in 2028, competition is intensifying between acquiring banks, fintechs, and software providers. This Elavon whitepaper explains how different partner models such as referral relationships, agent programs, ISOs, and Payment Facilitators fit into a long-term payments strategy. It outlines how businesses can start with low-risk referral or agent structures to gain experience, then evolve into ISOs or PayFacs as they seek to “own” more of the customer experience and revenue stream. The paper also notes the growing role of ISVs embedding payments into their platforms and emphasizes the importance of infrastructure, compliance, and brand control as organizations progress through partner models.
What You'll Learn
- Key differences between referral, agent, ISO, and PayFac partner models in payments.
- How organizations can start with lower-risk models and progress toward greater ownership of the customer experience.
- Why infrastructure, compliance, and brand control become more important as you move up the partner-model ladder.
Who's This For?
- ISOs, agents, and ISVs exploring payments as a revenue stream
- Organizations evaluating ISO or PayFac models