As payments become central to customer experience and monetization, many large retailers and emerging fintechs are exploring ways to take control of their payment infrastructure. One strategic option is using white-labeled payment gateways-as-a-service (PGaaS). These solutions allow businesses to offer branded, secure, and scalablepayment services—without building from scratch. Whether you’re a SaaS platform looking to add payment capabilities or a global retailerRetailer retailer A merchant that sells goods or services directly to consumers. aiming to reduce transaction fees, white-labeled gateways can help you leapfrog traditional infrastructure constraints.
What Are White-Labeled Payment Gateways?
A white-labeled payment gatewayGateway gateway A service that authorizes and processes card payments for online merchants. Examples include Stripe, Adyen, and PayPal. is a turnkey payment platform offered by a backend provider that a business can brand and use as its own. These are fully developed, PCI-compliant systems with customizable APIs, merchantMerchant merchant An individual or business that accepts payments in exchange for goods or services. onboarding, acquirerAcquirer acquirer A financial institution or payment processor that manages the merchant account, enabling businesses to accept card payments. Acquirers receive all transactions from the merchant and route them to the appropriate issuing bank. connectivity, and fraudFraud fraud Criminal deception involving unauthorized payments or use of financial credentials. prevention built in. By using a white-label approach, companies bypass the heavy lifting of regulatory compliance, technical development, and banking integrations.
Key Components Include:
- Hosted checkoutHosted Checkout hosted-checkout A secure, third-party payment page where transactions are processed, helping merchants comply with PCI DSS. pages / SDKs / APIs
- Vaulting, tokenization
- Merchant KYC/KYB and onboarding
- Acquirer and scheme connectivity
- Reporting, reconciliation, and settlements
- Branded merchant portals
- Multi-currency and multi-acquirer routing
- Built-in fraud scoring and risk decisioning
Why Use White-Labeled PGaaS?
| Use Case | Who Benefits | Strategic Advantage |
|---|---|---|
| Large Retailers | e.g., IKEA, Booking.com | Control checkout UX, reduce cost, leverage data |
| SaaS/ISVs | POS, marketplaces | Monetize payments, increase stickiness, reduce churn |
| FintechFintech fintech Short for financial technology, refers to tech-enabled innovation in financial services. Startups | Neobanks, FX, walletsWallets wallets See Digital Wallets. | Launch acquiring fast, own full stack, stay asset-light |
| Marketplaces | Travel, gig economy, ecommerceeCommerce ecommerce Commercial transactions conducted electronically on the internet. Includes digital payments, shopping carts, and fraud prevention. | Control merchant onboarding and payout orchestration |
These benefits make white-labeled gateways especially appealing to companies looking to expand their value chain and generate recurring revenue from payments.
Typical Architecture
[Retailer/Platform]
⬇️ White-Labeled UI/API
[Gateway Service Provider]
⬇️
[Acquirers/Card Networks/Banks]This layered model separates branding and user experience (controlled by the retailer or fintech) from infrastructure (maintained by the provider). It provides flexibility, control, and speed—all while shielding the platform from operational burdens such as chargebackChargeback chargeback A dispute raised by the cardholder that results in reversal of a transaction. Can lead to penalties for merchants. handling, PCI DSS, and scheme compliance.
Top White-Label Payment Gateway Providers
| Provider | Ideal For | Website |
| Payrix | SaaS platforms, ISVs | payrix.com |
| Finix | Platforms becoming PSPs | finixpayments.com |
| SolidGate | Cross-border merchants | solidgate.com |
| Corefy | Gateways, aggregators | corefy.com |
| Cardstream | EU/UK PSPs, acquirers | cardstream.com |
| Zotapay | Alt payments, FX markets | zotapay.com |
| Inai | Embedded finance orchestration | inai.io |
| Radar Payments (RS2) | Banks and global PSPs | radarpayments.com |
Some of these providers even offer hybrid models that allow you to migrate from white-label to full PSP status as your scale and licensing maturity grows.
Build vs Buy: A Strategic Comparison
| Factor | Build In-House | Use White-Labeled PGaaS |
| Speed to Market | 6–18 months | Weeks |
| Regulatory Burden | High (PCI, licensing) | Lower (outsourced) |
| Customization | High | Medium |
| Cost Structure | High upfront, low variable | Low upfront, rev-share |
| Operational Overhead | High | Low |
| Scheme Certification | Required | Included |
| Scalability | Slower | Instant across markets |
A white-labeled approach is particularly useful for companies looking to validate payment monetization strategies before investing in a full-stack build.
Real-World Use Cases
- Booking.com started with a white-labeled gateway (Adyen) before building its own PSP, Booking.com Payments.
- Amazon built its own stack (Amazon Pay) but continues to integrate third-party PSPs for compliance and redundancy.
- Decathlon, operating in dozens of countries, may opt for white-label or co-branded models to standardize the experience across markets while staying compliant with local acquiring laws.
- SaaS platforms like Shopify, Lightspeed, and Toast offer embedded payments through a white-labeled acquiring layer powered by providers like Stripe or Adyen, driving new revenue streams.
Conclusion
White-labeled PGaaS is an ideal bridge for businesses seeking payment control and revenue without the regulatory and engineering complexity of going solo. Whether you’re a platform monetizing payments or a retailer optimizing checkout, the buy-vs-build decision depends on your timeline, regulatory comfort, and strategic goals.
In markets where licensing takes time or where flexibility and scale are needed immediately, PGaaS becomes a competitive edge. Businesses that start white-label often graduate to building their own stack—but they use these tools to learn, test, and scale fast without losing control of the experience.
Vibhu Arya is a fintech and payments expert with 15+ years of experience simplifying how money moves across digital and retail ecosystems. He’s led strategy and partnerships at Citibank, Adyen, and IKEA, and helped scale fintech startups (Snapdeal, iPaylinks) to $1B+ valuations. Vibhu’s expertise spans cards, crypto, cross-border, and real-time payments. He is the founder of PaymentsPedia.com, where he writes about the future of payments.
📧 vibhu@paymentspedia.com | LinkedIn