What is a Forex Merchant Account?
Foreign Exchange is abbreviated as Forex. Foreign currencies are bought, traded, swapped, and speculated on in the forex market, which is a global over-the-counter market. Forex is the world’s largest and most liquid trading market, with daily transactions exceeding $5 trillion. The Forex market is open 24 hours a day, including most US holidays, from 5:00 p.m. ET on Sunday to 5:00 p.m. ET on Friday.
The Forex market is divided into two tiers. The first is the interbank market, which is where large banks trade currencies. The second is the over-the-counter market, where individuals trade through brokers or online trading platforms.
The first model includes currency trading between banks on the interbank market. Individuals that trade currencies on the over-the-counter market using brokers or trading platforms fall into the second category.
In light of this, a Forex merchant account is for Forex traders, Forex educational services, and Forex trading platforms.
Forex traders, Forex trading platforms, and Forex informational services all have merchant accounts. Accounts for forex credit card processing allow you to accept debit and credit cards from traders, as well as use various payment methods if you have a Forex merchant account and use Forex payment processing. Forex payment processing services might also include the provision of alternative payment options.
The Advantages of Forex Payment Processing
Our goal is to provide you with the finest Forex merchant account rates, approvals, and terms possible. You can accept payments with ease thanks to the high volume processing capacity.
A large bank network- Diversify your processes by using a variety of acquiring banks. Reduce your reliance on a single banking institution to reduce the danger of Forex payment processing.
Processing at a High Volume – Get the processing power you need to run and develop your company.
Ticket processing speed is high- Easily accommodate your VIP merchants.
Multicurrency Processing – It is a term that refers to the processing of multiple currencies. Forex is a platform for trading on a global scale. Payments and settlements in all major international currencies are possible with a forex merchant account.
Payments can be made in a variety of ways- All major credit card brands are accepted. Add other payment methods that are popular in different countries.
Tools for detecting and preventing fraud- Customizable fraud protection tools ensure that processing is secure.
Multi-Channel Payments – These are a type of payments that can be made in a variety of ways Accept payments via the internet. For MOTO transactions, you have an unlimited number of virtual terminals. Accept payments via mobile device. Alternatively, you can submit large processing files for quick processing.
Gateway for Credit Card Processing in Forex- Major shopping carts, CRM, and accounting systems are all integrated. Productivity is boosted by the rapid interchange of processing data.
Why are Forex firms considered high-risk?
Forex merchant accounts are classified as high risk by acquiring banks. The foreign exchange market (Forex) is a global trading platform. No country has authority over the currency of another. Although the majority of trustworthy Forex trading platforms are regulated, others are not. Banks are concerned about the absence of regulation, so they define Forex payment processing as a high-risk business.
Another reason for the high-risk rating for Forex payment processing is the possibility of chargebacks from disgruntled investors as well as the possibility of fraud. Traders who have lost money can file a chargeback to challenge the transaction. Furthermore, money laundering worries have caused several acquiring banks to avoid the market.
During the underwriting of your Forex merchant account, several of these concerns can be addressed. Account approval is aided by having relevant licencing in place. Strong anti-money laundering and know-your-customer rules are also important.
Because your Forex business is considered “high risk,” many banks and financial institutions will refuse to open a merchant account for you. It’s easy to discover credit card processing companies that will set up this type of account for astronomically high fees. Some corporations refuse to cooperate with all types of Forex businesses, such as those involved in trading and only permit those offering educational programmes, software, and the like. Furthermore, if there are other issues with the merchant, the matter may get even more problematic. They could include things like a poor credit score, issues with the prior card processing firm, and so on.
What You’ll Need to Get Started with a Forex Merchant Account
- The standards that must be satisfied in order to become a Forex merchant differ depending on where you are located.
- If you’re a European Forex trader, for example, you’ll need to have a physical presence in Europe as well as be a registered foreign exchange.
- You should then offer your income earnings to the acquiring bank you’ll be working with once you’ve established legal and corporate headquarters.
- You’ll need 3 to 6 months of processing history and a low overall chargeback rate to impress the acquiring bank.
- If you don’t have any processing history to show, you can help your bank relax by incorporating 2-step authentication, such as 3-D Secure, into your checkout process. This will add an extra layer of payment protection.
- Two-step permission methods, on the other hand, can be a true conversion killer. So, when looking for a payment processor for your Forex firm, investigate if one offers a more conversion-friendly version of this feature.
- Some providers, for example, offer more subtle, non-invasive versions of 3-D Secure, so customers don’t have to deal with unpleasant pop-ups or redirections (as the authentication is displayed as an overlay).
- This type of verification system can help you keep your chargeback rate low while also increasing your conversion rate.
- Fraud and chargebacks are a regular concern for high-risk industries, and the Forex market is no exception.
- Unfortunately, high amounts of fraud and chargebacks make acquiring banks wary of working with you, as they fear you’ll become a liability down the road – this is also why your Forex merchant account is labelled high risk.
- With this in mind, it’s critical to swiftly and effectively resolve any revenue-threatening difficulties that arise.
- Find a payment processor that specialises in high-risk merchant accounts to help you do so most effectively. They’ll be able to understand the specific Forex-related challenges you’re facing and will be able to help you resolve them faster than if you worked with a processor who doesn’t understand your business model.
Legal Requirements for Forex Merchants
Trading in foreign currencies is permitted in the United States and Europe. In terms of compliance and legal obligations, the latter is preferable.
The National Futures Association, for example, requires an American broker to have $20 million in locked capital – a demand so stringent that there are presently just 5 fully licenced Forex merchants working in the market.
(which, by the way, is the biggest of them all).
A European broker, on the other hand, just needs between $100,000 and $500,000 USD to operate legally.
That’s a significant difference — and a good explanation for why Europe has more Forex merchant accounts than the United States. When it comes to cryptocurrency trading, the United States is currently tighter than Europe. Both regions are cautious in this sense.
Processing of Foreign Exchange Payments
Tectonic technical advancements have advanced payment processing methods around the world over the last decade.
It wasn’t long ago when bank wires, checks, local deposits, and other almost-obsolete payment methods were commonplace.
Due to the global and demanding nature of Forex trading, technology has played a significant part in propelling this sector to the forefront.
Today, however, these antiquated transaction methods have mostly been replaced by debit and credit cards, as well as anonymity-preserving e-wallets.
These new payment mechanisms excel at handling real-time transactions, which are critical in high-risk businesses like Forex.
Processing in Multiple Currencies
Because of the rise of blockchain, Bitcoin, and other cryptocurrencies, cross-border transactions have become increasingly common.
When your organisation accepts credit card payments from customers in a variety of foreign currencies, it is called multicurrency transaction processing.
If your Forex merchant account accepts investments from individuals from other nations who make investments in their national currency, for example, you’re employing multicurrency transaction processing.
Multicurrency processing can be difficult to set up because it involves many different international currencies. For example, if your Forex firm serves consumers that invest in EUR, USD, CAD, GBP, AUD, and other currencies, you’ll need a particular Forex merchant account that can handle big quantities of global transactions quickly.
Look for a payment processor whose merchant account and the payment gateway will support a variety of currencies and languages to give your consumers the greatest possible experience.
Payment solutions from some providers are designed specifically for foreign customers, allowing them to accept payments in over 160 different currencies and offer a configurable checkout that can be displayed in up to 24 different languages.
The Benefits of Using Credit Cards
Credit cards and e-wallets are the most popular payment options among Forex traders since they allow them to make any deposits in a short period of time.
Especially when compared to wire transfers, which need your clients to complete out a slew of superfluous physical or digital papers merely to make a deposit — unquestionably an inconvenient process.
Because forex trading is such a fast-paced and demanding business, you’ll want to find a payment processor that can offer you a high-risk merchant account with one-click payments.
Using one-click payments enhances the user experience for your customers while also boosting their customer lifetime value.
This feature allows Forex traders to undertake many transactions quickly and efficiently without having to fill out their credit card information every time they want to make a purchase.
If you’re looking for a payment solution that goes above and beyond in this area, look for one that combines one-click payments with tokenization technology to protect customers’ sensitive data for maximum transactional security.
Why should you use PayStudio to process your forex payments?
The key to successful Forex trading is the ability to accept payments. PayStudio was chosen by binary options and Forex merchants for a variety of reasons.
- Multiple acquiring banks help you limit processing risk.
- Level 1 PCI-DSS security ensures that your processing is compliant and secures your organisation.
- Accounts with a high volume of processing Get the processing volume you need to develop your business
- Multi-currency processing is a feature that allows you to process multiple currencies at the same time You can accept payments in 160 different currencies. Receive settlement funds in 25 different currencies.
- Processing of large-ticket VIP payments
- To keep your business safe, we use fraud-prevention tools.
- Chargeback mitigation programmes aid in the prevention of chargebacks.
- Rates that are competitive
- Technical assistance is provided at no cost.
- Excellent 24*7 customer service
- Increase sales by using alternate payment methods that are specific to your area.
- Receive settlement Funds from processing in BTC without any delay
Conclusion
Despite the fact that the Forex market has been around for decades, many acquiring banks still consider it high risk, making you a high-risk merchant.
Prior to and during the initial phases of setting up your Forex merchant account, you should concentrate on the user experience, ease, and security of payments.
Look for a merchant account provider and payment processor whose solution is innovative and futureproof, as Forex shows no signs of slowing down, to ensure you can deliver great services to your worldwide and demanding clientele.
Drop us an email at sales@paystudio.vip or call us at (+44) 0 (800) 887 0291 for any further queries.