Emergent Payments

About Emergent Payments

Founded in 2007 by Andrew Schneider, Emergent Payments provides a payment gateway platform tailored for digital merchants aiming to expand into complex emerging markets. The company operates as a payment facilitator, enabling businesses to navigate the intricacies of local payment ecosystems across regions like Africa, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East through a single API integration. This approach grants merchants access to a variety of local payment methods, crucial for markets where traditional credit card penetration is low.

The firm's business model centers on providing both payment facilitation and gateway services, addressing key merchant concerns such as payment coverage, user experience, and conversion rates. It generates revenue by processing transactions and handling the associated complexities, including foreign exchange conversions and local tax facilitation. Emergent Payments serves a diverse client base, including large-scale digital merchants and organizations in sectors like education, remittances, and insurance. The company's technology is designed to deliver comprehensive transactional reporting and reconciliation, enhancing transparency and minimizing risk for its clients.

A significant milestone in the company's history was the acquisition of Interpay Africa in 2018, a move that significantly expanded its operational footprint in Africa. This acquisition was part of the "Africa 20-20-20" strategy, which aimed to extend services to 20 African countries by 2020. The company has also established local entities in key markets like India to better serve global businesses entering the region. The company's solutions include mobile and web payments, supporting collections from mobile money wallets and bank accounts through services like direct debit, personalized USSD codes, and electronic invoicing. Additionally, the firm develops customized payment applications tailored to specific business operations.