We build the payment stack for prop trading firms.
PSPs that underwrite the category. EU agent structure. Redundancy from day one. Prop trading is the vertical mainstream processors approve first and shut down second — we bring the PSPs that actually underwrite the category (including for brand-new firms with no history), the entity structure for the regions you serve, and redundancy from day one so a single shutdown can't end the business.
- PSPs that underwrite prop tradingChallenge-fee refund pattern disclosed
- Cold-start playbookBrand-new firms live in under 14 days
- EU payment agent structureCyprus entity for Tier 1 EU acquiring
- Redundancy from day one2-3 PSPs at launch, cascading configured
It's the model, not your firm. We've already built around it.
Acquiring banks treat prop firms as high-risk for three reasons. The challenge-fee model produces a refund pattern that doesn't look like normal e-commerce — traders pay to attempt a challenge, most don't pass, some request refunds, a smaller share chargeback. The vertical is young and underwriters haven't all built the muscle to evaluate it cleanly. And most firms operate from offshore entities (St. Lucia, UAE, BVI) that further constrain which PSPs will work with them. The broader category context is in our handbook article on what high risk payment processing means.
The compound effect: a clean, well-run prop firm gets rejected by mainstream processors, approved-then-terminated by automated platforms like Stripe, and stuck on whichever aggressive PSP said yes first — usually at terms that won't last. The fix isn't trying harder on direct applications. It's working with PSPs that have prop trading explicitly in their risk appetite, with full disclosure from day one — the discipline we cover in how to choose a high-risk PSP.
The four pieces a prop firm payment stack has to get right.
PSPs that actually underwrite prop trading
Mainstream processors don't. We bring PSPs that have prop trading in their explicit risk appetite — including the challenge-fee refund pattern. Full vertical disclosure during onboarding so there's no surprise compliance review six months in, no delayed termination, no scramble for replacements.
Cold-start playbook for new firms
Zero processing history doesn't kill the deal — direct applications kill the deal. We bring brand-new prop firms through existing PSP relationships, properly packaged, where the PSP trusts our standards. First PSP live in under two weeks, then a few months of clean history opens the door to additional Tier 1 acquirers.
EU payment agent structure
Offshore-only prop firms can't get Tier 1 EU acquiring directly. The fix is a payment agent entity in an EU jurisdiction (typically Cyprus) that contracts with PSPs on behalf of the operational entity. We handle the incorporation, the payment agent agreement, and the EU PSP onboarding that the structure unlocks.
Redundancy from day one
Single-PSP risk for a high-risk vertical is existential. We build with multiple acquirers from the first engagement — typically 2-3 PSPs at launch, scaling to 3-5 as volume grows. Cascading between them means a shutdown on any single rail routes to the others automatically. No region depends on one provider.
Cascading and routing intelligence sit on top of the rails through payment orchestration — every declined transaction gets a second chance on an alternative PSP before the trader sees a failure. The deeper handbook references for prop firms: what is a payment agent entity and why high-risk needs payment redundancy.
From brief to three Tier 1 PSPs, in three moves.
Brand-new prop firms have gone from zero PSPs to three Tier 1 acquirers in under six weeks using this sequence. The cold-start phase breaks the loop that kills most direct applications.
Audit your stack
Operating entity, customer geography mix, current PSPs (if any), and target regions. From the brief we can already tell if the cold-start path applies or if processing history exists to lean on, and what structure unlocks the acquirers you need.
- Entity + license fit check
- Customer-geography mapping
- Cold-start vs history-leveraged plan
First PSP live
For brand-new firms, the first acquirer is the hardest. We package the application properly and bring it through existing PSP relationships where prop trading is explicitly underwritten — so the application arrives pre-vetted and lands faster than cold submissions.
- Compliance + business model package
- Web audit against acquirer requirements
- Application via existing PSP relationships
EU agent + redundancy
Once first PSP is live, EU payment agent entity (where the customer mix warrants) unlocks Tier 1 EU acquiring. Two to three additional PSPs onboarded over the following weeks with cascading configured between them. Multi-PSP from day 60.
- EU payment agent + agreement
- Additional Tier 1 PSPs onboarded
- Cascading across the live stack
Two prop firms, two different problems, both solved with structure-first thinking.
40% → 80%+ approvals via EU payment agent structure
A St. Lucia-based prop firm with EU customers couldn't get EU acquiring. We set up the Cyprus payment agent, onboarded three Tier 1 PSPs, and doubled their approval rate.
Read the case study →Zero processing history to 3 Tier 1 PSPs in under 6 weeks
A brand-new UAE prop firm couldn't get accepted anywhere. We broke the cold-start loop, got them live in under 14 days, then added two more Tier 1 PSPs through an EU payment agent.
Read the case study →Score your prop firms stack
Nine questions, two minutes, anonymous. See where stacks like yours leak — fees, approvals, coverage, structure.
Prop firms are one vertical we build for. The full payments engagement is the same model.
PSPs negotiated, structure incorporated, routing configured, rails integrated — across every vertical we serve. The prop-firm-specific pieces above slot into the broader payments build.
Common questions from prop firms.
Get your prop firm stack built.
Tell us your entity, your customer mix, and where you're trying to grow. We come back with the PSPs that will say yes, the structure to unlock them, and the redundancy plan — and if you want us to build it, we start immediately.