Acquiring as a Service

    Become an acquirer.
    We provide the infrastructure.

    The only cloud-native Acquirer-as-a-Service in LATAM with direct connections to Visa and Mastercard. What used to take years and millions of dollars is now available as a service.

    < 0 daysTo launch your acquiring operation
    0 countriesColombia, Brazil, Peru, Guatemala, Uruguay, Argentina
    0.000%Contractually guaranteed uptime
    < 0 daysTo launch a new country from scratch

    The problem we solve

    Getting an acquirer license takes years and costs millions.

    For many banks, fintechs, and platforms, becoming a direct acquirer was simply impossible. The regulatory, technical, and capital barriers were insurmountable. Akua removes them.

    2–4 years of regulatory process

    Negotiation with Visa/MC, license acquisition, PCI audits — with no guarantee of success.

    US$5–20M initial investment

    Infrastructure, certifications, technical and legal team — all before processing the first transaction.

    High regulatory risk

    Without a track record as an acquirer, regulators impose additional restrictions.

    Build in-house vs. Akua AaaS

    Dimension

    In-house

    Time to launch

    2–4 years

    < 90 days

    Initial investment

    US$5–20M

    No initial CAPEX

    Team required

    50–100+ people

    5–15 people

    PCI certifications

    12–18 months + audit

    Inherited from Akua

    Visa/MC connections

    Direct negotiation 1–2 years

    Included from day 1

    Regulatory risk

    High (no track record)

    Covered by Akua

    Three models

    Choose the level of control

    From pure technology to the full stack with license included — Akua adapts to your regulatory, technical, and business situation.

    Weeks to launch

    License Enabler

    Operate as an acquirer with your brand on our license

    You have the brand and the business — we provide the acquiring license, direct Visa/Mastercard connections, and all the infrastructure. Time-to-market in weeks, not years.

    Your brand upfront, our license in the back
    Direct Visa and Mastercard connections included
    Native ISO 8583 and PCI DSS 4.0 certifications
    Merchant management under your branding
    White-label reporting and analytics
    Regulatory compliance included
    Flexible revenue sharing model
    Dedicated 24/7 technical support
    Financial cooperatives
    Compensation funds
    Banks with new licenses
    Regulated fintechs
    High-volume retail networks
    All inclusive

    Full Stack AaaS

    Complete infrastructure: processing + settlement + compliance

    Complete Acquiring as a Service: technology + license + risk management. Akua operates as the acquirer and you offer the service to your merchants under your brand.

    Acquiring license included
    Full processing stack
    Automated settlement & clearing
    Fraud and risk management included
    White-label dashboard and reporting
    AI Agents for operations
    Multi-country regulatory compliance
    24/7 operational support
    Technology companies
    Vertical platforms
    Launching neobanks
    ISOs and sales agents
    Maximum control

    Cloud Native Processor

    Akua's processing core on your AWS infrastructure

    The most modern cloud-native payment processor in LATAM, deployed on AWS. Active-active architecture, automatic scaling, 99.999% guaranteed uptime.

    Native AWS deployment (your account)
    Active-active across multiple AZs
    Automatic traffic-based scaling
    99.999% contractual uptime SLA
    PCI DSS 4.0 certified
    ISO 8583 + modern REST APIs
    Monitoring and observability included
    Dedicated implementation support
    Tier 1 banks with own license
    Processors migrating to cloud
    Established acquirers
    Use cases

    Who uses Akua AaaS?

    From banks looking to modernize to fintechs launching their first acquiring operation.

    New banks

    Launch your acquiring operation without building infrastructure from scratch.

      Fintechs

      Become an acquirer for your customer base using our infrastructure and license.

        Retail networks

        Accept payments under your own brand at all your points of sale without depending on third parties.

          Existing PSPs

          Modernize your acquiring infrastructure to cloud-native without replacing your operation.

            What everyone

            How long does it take to launch with License Enabler?

            On average 60–90 days from contract signing. The process includes technical integration, merchant boarding setup, and production testing.

            Do I need my own acquirer license?

            Not for the License Enabler and Full Stack AaaS models. You operate under Akua's license. Only Cloud Native Processor requires your own license.

            How does the cost structure work?

            Revenue sharing model for License Enabler and Full Stack AaaS. Cloud Native Processor has volume-based pricing. The partnerships team delivers a customized financial model.

            In which countries is it available?

            Colombia, Peru, Guatemala, Mexico, Uruguay, and Argentina. Active expansion to Brazil and Chile in 2026.

            What about chargeback and fraud risk?

            For License Enabler and Full Stack AaaS, Akua manages the risk. For Cloud Native Processor, risk belongs to the client with support from our AI Agents.

            Which model is
            right for you?

            Our partnerships team helps you choose the AaaS model that best fits your situation — no commitment required.