Acquirer
An acquirer (also acquiring bank or Comerciante bank) is a financial institution that handles the technical and financial processing of card payments on behalf of the Comerciante. The acquirer establishes the connection between the Comerciante and the card networks (Visa, Mastercard).
In the payment process, the acquirer receives the authorisation 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 authorisation, the acquirer ensures that the transaction amount — minus the interchange fee and its own fee — is transferred to the Comerciante's account.
In Switzerland, companies such as Worldline (formerly SIX Payment Services), Nexi/Concardis and various PSPs act as acquirers. Some payment providers like Payrexx bundle acquiring in their service so that Comerciantes do not require 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 acquiring as part of its all-in-one service — the Comerciante does not need a separate contract.
For card payments in a shop, the acquirer forwards the transaction to Visa or Mastercard via the POS terminal.
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 agreement?
Not necessarily. Many PSPs (Payment Service Providers) bundle acquiring into their service. In this case, you enter into a single contract with the PSP, which takes care of 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. During 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 known as Comerciante Service Charge), which typically ranges between 0.20% and 0.50%. In addition, there 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.
