Rapyd – The Global Fintech-as-a-Service Network Powering Borderless Payments
Company Location, Country, and Offices
Rapyd (Rapyd) is an international payments and fintech-as-a-service provider headquartered in London. With major operational offices in Tel Aviv, San Francisco, Dubai, Singapore, Mexico City, and Amsterdam, the company maintains a global footprint designed to support payment processing, compliance, engineering, and regional acquiring capabilities. Rapyd’s infrastructure is optimized for cross-border commerce, enabling local payments, disbursements, and wallet solutions across more than 100 countries.
History, Founders Profiles, and Directors
Rapyd was founded by Arik Shtilman, Arkady Karpman, and Omer Priel. Arik Shtilman, a seasoned entrepreneur with a strong background in cloud infrastructure and global technology operations, conceived Rapyd as a response to the fragmentation of local payment systems worldwide. His vision was to build a unified fintech platform capable of handling local payments at global scale.
Arkady Karpman and Omer Priel brought deep technical expertise and operational knowledge, helping architect Rapyd’s unified cloud infrastructure. The leadership team focuses on creating a “fintech layer” for the world, enabling companies to integrate payment acceptance, disbursements, FX, card issuing, and compliance tools with a single API. Rapyd’s board includes executives with backgrounds in finance, cybersecurity, and high-growth technology, supporting global expansion and regulatory conformity.
Financial Licenses, Schemes, and Market Authorizations
Rapyd operates under a broad set of financial licenses that enable payments, issuing, and e-money services across multiple jurisdictions. In Europe, Rapyd holds an Electronic Money Institution (EMI) license, enabling IBAN issuing, SEPA payments, stored value, and card issuing capabilities. In the UK, it operates under a regulated EMI structure with FCA oversight.
Rapyd holds acquiring licenses with Visa and Mastercard, enabling global card processing. In the United States, it operates under money transmitter licenses across numerous states. In APAC and LATAM regions, Rapyd holds local money service licenses and partners with regulated entities to ensure compliance with local payment rules. Rapyd’s regulatory infrastructure includes advanced AML controls, KYC/KYB onboarding, sanctions screening, and transaction monitoring built to support high-volume cross-border operations.
Products and Fintech-as-a-Service Capabilities
Rapyd’s wide-ranging product ecosystem includes:
– Global acquiring supporting cards and local payment methods
– E-wallet creation and management
– Virtual accounts and IBAN issuing
– SEPA, SEPA Instant, SWIFT, ACH, and local bank transfers
– FX conversion and treasury management
– Mass payouts to bank accounts, cards, and wallets
– Virtual and physical card issuing for businesses and platforms
– Identity verification, KYC/KYB onboarding, and compliance tools
– Tokenized payment methods and secure card vaulting
– Marketplace payment flows including split payments
– APIs for embedding fintech capabilities into platforms
– Webhooks, sandbox environments, and partner dashboards
Rapyd supports more than 900 local payment types globally, including e-wallets, bank transfers, vouchers, cash payments, and instant bank rails. Its API-first infrastructure allows merchants, SaaS companies, marketplace platforms, and fintechs to integrate payment acceptance, payouts, and issuance through a single integration.
Positioning, Competitors, and Financials
Rapyd is positioned as one of the leading global fintech infrastructure providers, competing with Stripe, Checkout.com, Airwallex, Payoneer, and Adyen in various segments. While many competitors focus on card acquiring, Rapyd differentiates itself with an expansive global network of local payment rails and wallet capabilities.
Financially, Rapyd generates revenue from transaction fees, FX markups, payout fees, issuing margins, and enterprise contracts for embedded finance. It has raised substantial capital, enabling aggressive expansion into LATAM, APAC, and Africa. Rapyd’s strategic acquisitions have strengthened its acquiring, issuing, and local payment coverage, positioning it as a major player in global financial infrastructure.
Reputation
Rapyd has built a strong reputation as a reliable and innovative payments infrastructure provider. Enterprise clients appreciate its global coverage, reliability, and ability to integrate complex payment flows with minimal technical overhead. The platform is widely praised for supporting high-risk and high-volume global businesses that require strong compliance tools and robust payout capabilities.
Some businesses operating in ultra-high-risk sectors may face additional onboarding scrutiny, as Rapyd maintains a balanced risk appetite aligned with its regulated obligations. Recent developments include partnerships with global e-commerce providers, new local payment integrations, and enhancements to its issuing and treasury tools.
Overall rating: ★★★★☆
Interview – Rapyd Q&A on Licensing, Products, Compliance, and Roadmap
What financial licenses does Rapyd hold in Europe?
Rapyd holds an EMI license enabling IBAN issuing, e-money services, SEPA payments, and card issuing.
Does Rapyd issue IBANs?
Yes, Rapyd provides virtual accounts and IBANs for businesses operating in Europe.
Does Rapyd support SEPA Instant?
Yes, SEPA Instant is supported through Rapyd’s European infrastructure and banking partners.
Does Rapyd offer Open Banking?
Yes, Rapyd provides bank payment initiation and account verification in PSD2 markets.
Does Rapyd issue cards?
Rapyd issues both virtual and physical cards for corporate spend, payouts, and embedded finance use cases.
Does Rapyd provide acquiring?
Yes, Rapyd is a global acquirer with coverage for cards and hundreds of local payment methods.
What industries does Rapyd target?
Marketplaces, SaaS platforms, travel companies, crypto VASPs, gaming, digital goods, and international merchants.
Does Rapyd support crypto companies?
Yes, Rapyd onboards regulated crypto clients with enhanced KYB/KYC and AML oversight.
What is required for onboarding?
Business registration documents, UBO verification, business model details, compliance policies, and processing forecasts.
How long does onboarding take?
Standard onboarding takes several days; complex or high‑risk cases may take longer.
What fraud tools does Rapyd provide?
Behavioural analytics, AML monitoring, sanctions screening, transaction scoring, and customizable rule sets.
Does Rapyd offer payouts?
Yes, Rapyd supports mass payouts to bank accounts, cards, e-wallets, and cash networks.
Does Rapyd support FX?
Yes, Rapyd provides FX conversion, multi-currency management, and treasury optimization.
Does Rapyd offer APIs?
Rapyd provides API endpoints for payments, payouts, issuing, compliance, wallet creation, FX, and more.
Does Rapyd support account tokenization?
Yes, Rapyd offers secure tokenized payment methods for recurring billing and platform integrations.
Is Rapyd suitable for marketplaces?
Yes, with built-in split payments, escrow flows, onboarding tools, and payouts.
What recent updates has Rapyd released?
New local payment rails, expanded issuing capabilities, and additional payout corridors.
How does Rapyd compare to competitors?
Rapyd excels in global coverage, local payment rails, and fintech-as-a-service capabilities.
What is Rapyd’s roadmap?
Expansion into new markets, deeper Open Banking tools, enhanced FX infrastructure, and improved issuing.
Who benefits most from Rapyd?
Businesses requiring global payment acceptance and complex multi-rail payout networks.
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