Verifone

Verifone is a payment technology company best known for its card terminals. It was founded in Hawaii in 1981, is now based in New York, and has been owned by the private equity firm Francisco Partners since a US$3.4 billion buyout in 2018. Himanshu Patel is chief executive. The company says its products are used in more than 165 countries.

The hardware and software side covers Victa countertop and portable terminals, biometric devices, Verifone Tap for taking contactless payments on a phone, remote device and estate management, Commander systems for petrol forecourts and convenience stores, and EV charging. Most merchants get Verifone equipment through their bank or acquirer: the company cites connections to 160 acquirers and processors worldwide, and its gateway alone lists more than 75.

It also sells payment services directly. The gateway handles online and in-app payments through a hosted payment page or API, with 3-D Secure, network and processor tokens and fraud screening. Verifone describes itself as a regulated financial institution offering merchant acquiring, with Visa, Mastercard, American Express, UnionPay, Diners Club and Discover accepted, and its alternative methods page lists PayPal, Klarna, Affirm, Alipay and WeChat Pay. Recent press releases announce partnerships with Stripe, PayPal and FreedomPay. Online-only software sellers are served by 2Checkout, a Verifone business with its own listing.

Verifone suits retailers, restaurants, transport and ticketing operators, fuel retailers and hotels that need terminals across many sites, as well as smaller merchants buying through a reseller or acquirer. Pricing is by quote. Its pages do not name the licensed entities behind its acquiring or the countries where it acquires itself. Local sites exist for 24 countries, so ask whether acquiring is offered in yours or only the hardware.