The Green Sheet Online Edition
August 24, 2026 • 26:08:02
Industry Update
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Payments companies make 2026 Inc. 5000
Five payments and financial technology companies announced their inclusion on the 2026 Inc. 5000, the annual ranking of the fastest-growing private companies in the United States. Companies are ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2022 through 2025.
FLEX Payment Solutions marked its sixth consecutive appearance, ranking No. 3,644 nationally and No. 40 among Missouri companies. The payment technology provider, which specializes in complex and highly regulated industries, processed more than $2.6 billion in payment volume in 2025.
LoanPro made the list for the fifth time since 2021 and second consecutive year, reporting 92 percent revenue growth during the three-year evaluation period. The lending and credit platform supports more than 500 lenders.
ParaScript also earned a spot on the list after achieving 41.4 percent revenue growth over three years. The AI-powered document processing company handles more than 100 billion documents annually, including more than 25 million checks each day, and provides document intelligence and fraud prevention technology.
Payzli ranked No. 1,183 after posting 297 percent revenue growth from 2022 to 2025, more than double the 130 percent median growth rate among this year's Inc. 5000 companies. Founded in 2020, the payments and fintech company serves ISOs and agents, software platforms and merchants through its acquiring, gateway and point-of-sale technology.
ValidiFI ranked No. 1,238, reporting 282 percent revenue growth during the evaluation period. The company provides alternative data and predictive analytics used by financial institutions, fintechs and payment providers for onboarding, underwriting, payments, fraud prevention and account management.
The 2026 Inc. 5000 companies collectively added more than 627,000 jobs to the U.S. economy over the past three years.
Ingenico secures $174 million for next-gen payment acceptance
Ingenico secured a €150 million (approximately $174 million) investment from a PIMCO-led group of global investors as part of an agreement to reset its capital structure and accelerate product innovation and customer support. CEO Floris de Kort said the strengthened balance sheet will help Ingenico advance next-generation payment acceptance technology and simplify payment operations. The company continues to expand its AXIUM family of Android payment devices and Ingenico 360 cloud platform, which combines device management, transaction services, applications and analytics. The investment will also support Ingenico's Customer Excellence team and global expansion, including new locations in London, San Francisco and Istanbul.
Nayax seeks Connecticut innovation bank charter
Nayax applied to the Connecticut Department of Banking to establish Nayax America Bank, a non-depository innovation bank that would expand its U.S. embedded financial services. If approved, the bank could offer corporate cards, controlled-spend programs, merchant cash advances and equipment financing through Nayax’s platform. Separately, Nayax launched Yellow Account, allowing SMB customers to receive settlement funds, hold balances and use linked business debit cards, with Adyen serving as sponsoring bank. The proposed Nayax bank would not accept deposits or serve consumers. Connecticut’s review, including a feasibility study and public hearing, is expected to take approximately six months.
PCI SSC names 30 to 2026-2028 assessor roundtable
The PCI Security Standards Council named 33 organizations to its 2026-2028 Global Executive Assessor Roundtable, an advisory board comprising senior executives from PCI SSC assessor companies. The roundtable, known as GEAR, provides a forum for assessor leadership to share perspectives with PCI SSC leaders on payment security issues. Executive Director Gina Gobeyn said discussions will help advance assessor capabilities, strengthen core competencies and reinforce the value assessors provide to the payments industry. PCI SSC trains and qualifies thousands of assessors annually to support implementation of its payment security standards and said strengthening the assessor community remains a priority. More information is available at pcisecuritystandards.org.
Utopaya becomes Straata
Utopaya relaunched as Straata, an AI-native payments service designed to help software platforms, ISOs and agents, banks, and processors increase payments revenue. Straata combines senior payments expertise with proprietary technology addressing commercial terms, commission verification, interchange optimization, merchant pricing and product gaps. The company said its benchmarks indicate businesses may be missing 30 percent to 50 percent of potential payments revenue, while about half of processor residual statements it audits contain errors. Built on nearly five years of Utopaya's advisory work, Straata also offers contract negotiation, vendor selection, due diligence and managed services. The company accepts no vendor referral fees.
RESEARCH
POS technology central to merchant operations
Analysis from Castles Technology found POS technology is becoming increasingly central to UK merchant operations, extending beyond payment acceptance to inventory, customer insights and other business functions. Around 90 percent of UK merchants support mobile wallets, while removal of the country’s fixed £100 contactless limit is expanding opportunities for higher-value transactions. Castles identified reliability, ease of use, payment flexibility, business-system integration, and transparent pricing and support as key drivers of merchant satisfaction. The shift is also affecting ISOs, which increasingly compete through integrated POS solutions, analytics, deployment, device management and ongoing support rather than payment terminals alone.
Interpolitan identifies shifts reshaping cross-border finance
Interpolitan Money found growing complexity in international business is widening the gap between companies’ financial needs and traditional banking infrastructure. The firm reported a 44.8 percent increase over the past year in corporate clients operating across three or more jurisdictions. Its outlook for the second half of 2026 identifies six shifts reshaping cross-border finance, including migration from traditional banks, growth of the UAE as an international financial hub, changing legal-sector client-money requirements, increasingly mainstream cross-border wealth structures, AI adoption and demand for flexible payment infrastructure. Interpolitan CEO Rishi Patel said legacy institutions often mistake structural complexity for risk, prompting businesses to seek alternative providers.
NielsenIQ tracks global spread of China’s commerce models
Research from NIQ found commerce models pioneered in China, including live, social and quick commerce, are increasingly influencing consumer shopping behavior worldwide. China’s live-commerce market reached approximately $900 billion in 2025, while Asia Pacific accounts for about 55 percent of global ecommerce revenue. NIQ found 59 percent of consumers across the region purchase through social platforms and projects China’s social-commerce market will reach $1.8 trillion by 2030. The report, The Commerce Revolution: Where East Meets West, examines the convergence of Eastern and Western commerce models and emphasizes the growing integration of content, media, payments, fulfillment and consumer data.
Payment outages strain convenience retailers
Vontier researchers reported that payment outages, fragmented systems and certification requirements are creating significant operational risks and costs for convenience retailers. Among 615 operators surveyed, 88 percent experienced at least one payment outage during the past year, while 36 percent reported three or more. More than one-third of outages lasted one to four hours. Sixty-eight percent of respondents use multiple processors, and half manage at least four terminal models. Compliance costs can reach $1 million annually for larger operators. Despite cost pressures, 89 percent would invest in payment modernization within two years if a clear return on investment were demonstrated.
PARTNERSHIPS
CONCRYT integrates gateway with PaymentIQ platform
CONCRYT integrated its payment gateway with PaymentIQ, allowing merchants using the payment orchestration platform to route deposits, payouts and refunds through CONCRYT without building a separate connection. PaymentIQ said it connects merchants with more than 400 payment service providers through a single integration and provides tools for managing and routing payment flows. Merchants can now configure CONCRYT as a provider, direct selected transaction volumes through its gateway and compare performance across markets and transaction types. The companies said the integration can help merchants add payment providers more quickly, adjust routing as requirements change, and build more flexible and resilient payment operations.
Elavon and Sage renew their partnership
Elavon and Sage renewed their long-standing partnership to continue providing integrated payment solutions to Sage customers in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Sage 50 and Sage 200 customers will have access to Elavon’s acquiring and gateway capabilities, designed to simplify payment acceptance and support businesses as they grow. The companies said the partnership will help customers expand payment options and pursue additional revenue channels without increasing operational complexity. Elavon’s solutions include embedded payment capabilities as well as fraud prevention and security features. Both companies emphasized their shared commitment to simplifying payments and helping businesses navigate an increasingly complex payments environment.
Findustry AI, Maverick automate chargeback management
Findustry AI and Maverick Payments partnered to integrate Findustry’s Chargeback Agent into Maverick’s payments platform, giving partners an automated chargeback management offering for merchants. The AI-powered technology collects evidence from merchant systems, interprets card network requirements, prepares rebuttals and submits responses automatically. Findustry said customers have more than tripled recovered dollars while reducing time spent managing disputes. The companies cited growing chargeback volumes, particularly for high-risk merchants, as driving demand for automation. Maverick said the integration can help its ISOs, ISVs and other partners strengthen merchant relationships while creating new recurring revenue opportunities.
PayRange, Electrolux Professional sign licensing agreement
PayRange signed a non-exclusive licensing agreement allowing Electrolux Professional to incorporate PayRange’s patented mobile payment technology into payment solutions for commercial laundry equipment. The arrangement will enable app-based payments to be integrated directly into machines, reducing the need for external hardware or aftermarket retrofits. Electrolux Professional serves laundromats, multi-housing properties, universities and other commercial laundry environments. The companies said integrated mobile payments can simplify deployment for operators while giving consumers faster, coin- and card-free payment options. PayRange holds nearly 100 patents related to its unattended retail payment technology. Financial and other terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Tribe, EWPN partner to support women in payments
Tribe Payments entered a year-long partnership with the European Women Payments Network to support diversity and career advancement across payments and fintech. Tribe will serve as a Silver sponsor of EWPN’s November annual conference. The company is also represented in EWPN’s Country Ambassador network by Rūta Kairytė, Tribe’s commercial director for Northern Europe, who became Lithuania’s ambassador in 2026. Kairytė, a payments and fintech veteran with more than 15 years of experience, leads Tribe’s commercial activity across the Baltics and Nordics. The partnership will support networking, mentoring and professional development opportunities for women across the European payments industry.
ACQUISITIONS
Stripe, Advent continue PayPal acquisition talks
Stripe and private equity firm Advent International are reportedly continuing discussions to acquire PayPal Holdings after an earlier offer was deemed too low. The companies proposed paying $60.50 per share in July 2026, valuing PayPal at more than $53 billion, according to reports. Negotiations have continued over a potentially higher price, although no agreement has been reached and a transaction remains uncertain. PayPal CEO Enrique Lores, who took the helm in March, is pursuing a turnaround that includes cost reductions, restructuring and increased use of artificial intelligence. PayPal has not publicly confirmed the acquisition discussions.
Western Union, Intermex regulatory approvals mixed
Western Union and International Money Express (Intermex) provided an update on regulatory approvals for Western Union’s pending acquisition of Intermex. The New York State Department of Financial Services approved the transaction, subject to certain Western Union commitments concerning remittance services and locations in New York. Meanwhile, the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation suspended an approval extension granted July 31, 2026, citing the need for further review and examination of the transaction’s impact on California operations. The companies plan to address the regulator’s questions and seek reinstatement. Both remain committed to completing the acquisition once remaining conditions are satisfied or waived.
APPOINTMENTS
SRM selects Jeffrey Bray
Jeffrey Bray joined SRM as technology practice leader, responsible for setting growth strategy and advising bank and credit union executives on technology road maps, core conversions, digital transformation, cloud migration, AI adoption and vendor consolidation. Bray brings more than 30 years of financial services technology, operations and transformation experience to his new role. His background includes more than 35 M&A integrations and over 50 enterprise transformations involving digital banking, lending, payments and risk management. Most recently, he served as senior managing director at Harbor Light Advisory, where he advised financial institutions and investors on technology transformation, M&A and risk management.
Michael Johnson promoted at TNS
Michael Johnson was named global managing director for Transaction Network Services’ Payments Market business, responsible for strategy and growth across its global payments portfolio. Johnson joined TNS in 2017 as vice president of APAC operations and became managing director for Asia Pacific Payments in 2018, later assuming responsibility for ADVAM solutions. A payments industry veteran, he previously spent 15 years with First Data Australia and New Zealand, advancing to vice president of global service delivery. Johnson also served as CEO of PAX Technology Australia. Originally from New Zealand, he began his career with Centrica Telecommunications in London before relocating to Sydney.
Deluxe appoints Kevin Jones
Deluxe appointed Kevin Jones president of its Merchant Services division following its acquisition of Celero Commerce, which Jones founded in 2018. Celero processes more than $28 billion annually across 175 banking partners and 55,000 small business customers. Deluxe said the acquisition positions its Merchant Services business as a top-10 non-bank merchant acquirer. Jones previously led First American Payment Systems' strategic partner channel and founded Anovia Payments. Deluxe CEO Barry McCarthy cited Jones' experience building payments ventures and delivering customer value. Jones said the combined companies' scale, distribution channels, processing platforms and service capabilities create opportunities for accelerated growth.
Marcell King moves up at Nuuvia
Marcell King was named CEO of Nuuvia after serving 18 months as president and COO, a period in which the youth banking technology provider more than doubled its customer base and contracted annual recurring revenue. King also expanded strategic channel partnerships and strengthened the company’s leadership team. He brings more than 30 years of leadership experience in digital banking and financial services to the role. As CEO, King will focus on expanding Nuuvia’s market reach and advancing its product strategy. He will also lead efforts to help community banks and credit unions attract and build relationships with Gen Z and Gen Alpha consumers. 
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