Why the Smart Money in Payments Is on Partnerships

Within the software as a service (SaaS), reseller, banking and payments space, strategic partnerships are emerging as the victor of the buy-build-partner dilemma.

While the old model of payments partnerships was often built on a singular objective, such as offloading payment functionality, the reality today is that partnerships are more strategic, customer experience-driven and deliver more control without adding excessive operational burden.

As FinTech players such as independent sales offices (ISOs), independent software vendors (ISVs) and financial institutions deliberate on the best way to modernize their payment offerings, one principle is gaining traction: sustainable success in payments is rooted not in transactional handshakes, but in strategic and transformative third-party collaborations, such as those with full-service payments providers that value their partners strategic vision, goals and ultimately offer payments technology that delivers both choice and control.

“You want to start with a conversation, not a contract,” Maverick Payments’ Vice President of Product Justin Downey told PYMNTS. “You want to co-define success, understand each other’s capabilities and limitations, and then commit to growing together.”

“We don’t think of ourselves as a processor. We think of ourselves as a partner ecosystem that enables others to scale [with control — control of their brand, their experience, their economics and their roadmap] securely and strategically,” Downey added.

Shift From Vendor to Value Partner

Today’s environment demands more from payments stakeholders. The payments ecosystem is complex, multilayered and regulated. End users expect seamlessness; regulators expect compliance; and fraudsters are more sophisticated than ever. In this context, a payment partner can no longer merely provide a service — they must extend capabilities, anticipate needs and co-create value.

When considering a partner, Maverick Payments looks for those who have a strong existing offering but could significantly enhance their value proposition by seamlessly integrating payments, Downey said. This often includes ISVs looking for a tech-forward solution that enables access to monetize payments, financial institutions that can benefit at either accessing a ready-to-go solution of offering payments to their business clients or those looking to adopt a larger acquiring strategy, and ISOs who want a full payment experience and platform under their own brand, rather than building it from scratch.

This means partners are empowered to control things that matter the most, such as delivering a superior user experience, building their brand, easily managing downstream sales distribution channels, delivering simplified onboarding or choosing processing options or other services that align with their business goals.

At the core of Maverick’s tech-forward vision, Downey said, is an application programming interface (API)-first philosophy that enables tailored integration for partners with different levels of technical maturity. The company supports two primary modes of engagement: a highly customized API experience for partners that want to own the UI and branding end-to-end, or a turnkey, out-of-the-box model where Maverick manages the front end but still allows for customization. Either way, the emphasis is on flexibility, speed and user experience.

“We see our API-first model as more than a technical framework — it’s a cultural one,” Downey said. “We’re building with the assumption that our partners want to move fast, think ahead, and have control. We’re enabling that without forcing them to reinvent the wheel.

“Partnerships don’t stand still. They evolve. The question is: Are you evolving together, or are you drifting apart?”

Meeting Compliance With Accelerated Motion

A key chokepoint in many partnerships is merchant onboarding. It’s a process fraught with friction — combining regulatory scrutiny, fraud risk and user impatience. Rather than treating onboarding as a one-time setup, leading providers are redesigning it as an ongoing, intelligent process. Maverick, for example, deploys a hybrid risk management model: automated systems flag high-risk applicants using dynamic scoring algorithms, while critical reviews are escalated to human experts.

“Boarding accounts is where things often break down,” Downey said. “You need precision, you need compliance, but you also need momentum. We’re solving for all three.”

In the background of all this partnership activity is a silent force shaping every decision: regulatory pressure. From PCI compliance to know-your-customer requirements and evolving fraud schemes, payment providers must build systems that are not only compliant today, but adaptable tomorrow. This requires investment in both technical infrastructure and human capital — two areas where many legacy providers fall short.

“Regulations don’t slow down,” Downey said. “So we can’t either. We’re designing systems where compliance isn’t a checkbox but a capability.”

With a focus on both technical infrastructure and human capital, Maverick’s in-house development ensures the continuous evolution of its platform, while its operational experts manage the complexities of BIN sponsorship, compliance and fraud mitigation. This allows partners to focus on their core strengths, whether that’s distribution, vertical specialization or customer experience.

Maverick looks for shared vision, complementary strengths and a commitment to long-term collaboration, Downey concluded, adding: ”[It’s about building something together that neither of us could do alone.]”