Acquirer
An acquirer is a financial institution that processes card payments on behalf of the Comerciante and transfers the transaction amount to the Comerciante account.
Acquirer
An acquirer (also known as an acquiring bank or merchant bank) is a financial institution that handles the technical and financial processing of card payments on behalf of the merchant. The acquirer establishes the connection between the merchant and the card networks (Visa, Mastercard).
In the payment process, the acquirer receives the authorization request from the payment gateway, forwards it to the card network, and receives the approval or rejection from the issuer (the cardholder's bank). After successful authorization, the acquirer ensures that the transaction amount — minus the interchange fee and its own fee — is transferred to the merchant's account.
In Switzerland, companies including Worldline (formerly SIX Payment Services), Nexi/Concardis, and various PSPs act as acquirers. Some payment providers like Payrexx bundle acquiring into their service, so merchants do not need a separate acquirer contract.
Acquirer Examples
An online shop concludes an acquiring contract in order to be able to accept Visa and Mastercard payments directly.
A PSP like Payrexx handles the acquiring as part of its all-in-one service — the Comerciante does not need a separate contract.
In the case of a card payment in a store, the acquirer forwards the transaction via the POS terminal to Visa or Mastercard.
Acquirer FAQ
What is an acquirer in payment processing?
An acquirer is a financial institution that processes card payments on behalf of the Comerciante. It establishes the connection to the card networks (Visa, Mastercard) and ensures that the transaction amount is transferred to the Comerciante account.
Do I as a comerciante need my own acquirer contract?
Not necessarily. Many PSPs (Payment Service Providers) bundle acquiring in their service. In this case, you enter into a single contract with the PSP, which takes over the acquiring for you.
What is the difference between an acquirer and an issuer?
The Acquirer processes the payment on the Comerciante side. The Issuer is the bank that issued the card to the cardholder. In a card payment, the Acquirer and Issuer communicate with each other via the card network.
What fees does an acquirer charge?
The acquirer charges an acquirer margin (also Comerciante Service Charge), which typically ranges between 0.20% and 0.50%. Added to this is the interchange fee, which goes to the issuer, and the scheme fee to the card network.
Who are the largest acquirers in Switzerland?
The largest acquirers in Switzerland include Worldline (formerly SIX Payment Services), Nexi/Concardis and Adyen. In addition, PSPs such as Payrexx, Stripe and Datatrans offer integrated acquiring.
