High-risk payment gateway
The payment gateway built for high-risk businesses.
Everyone built walls. We built a gate — and it's open.
Closed by a mainstream processor, or never accepted in the first place? OpenGate connects high-risk merchants to card acquiring, local payment methods and stable settlement. A human underwriter reads your file, and every rate, reserve and limit is in writing before you sign.
Free to apply. A human answer within 1 business day.
- PCI DSS Level 1 infrastructure
- Cards, local methods, crypto settlement
- Registered in Singapore
- 27 high-risk industries underwritten
- high-risk verticals, each with its own underwriting page
- 27
- steps from first file to first settlement, all documented
- 4
- business day to a human answer on your file
- 1
- languages our underwriters read files in
- 9
Why OpenGate
Declined is a policy. It is not a verdict on your business.
Mainstream processors refuse entire industries by rule, whatever the file shows. OpenGate was built for those industries, on three commitments.
We read the file, not the label
Your business model, your documents and your compliance discipline decide the offer. The name of your industry never decides alone.
Everything in writing, before you sign
Rates, reserve, release schedule, limits and fees arrive in one written offer. If a number is not in the offer, it does not exist.
Built to stay open
A merchant account that closes after three months is worse than none. Your file goes to the acquirer, reserve and limits that fit it from day one, and ratios are monitored so problems surface early.
The difference
Mainstream processor or high-risk gateway?
Both move card payments. They treat a high-risk file in opposite ways.
| Criteria | Mainstream processor | OpenGate |
|---|---|---|
| High-risk industries | Declined by policy, whatever the file shows | Underwritten file by file, across 27 verticals |
| Who reviews you | An automated risk model | A human underwriter, within 1 business day |
| Your terms | Standard terms accepted at signup | Rates, reserve and limits in writing before you sign |
| Reserve | Can be imposed after you start processing | Structured up front, with a written release schedule |
| When risk rises | Funds can be held and accounts closed at short notice | You see your ratios and receive warnings, and account actions follow a written process |
Industries
27 high-risk verticals. One gate.
From CBD to iGaming, from nutraceuticals to adult platforms. Each vertical has its own page: why mainstream processors refuse it, which documents the file needs and which payment methods fit.
Gambling & gaming
3 verticalsFinancial & trading
3 verticalsWellness & pharma
7 verticalsDigital services
3 verticalsAdult & dating
2 verticalsTravel & lifestyle
3 verticalsCapabilities
The full toolkit behind the gate.
One integration covers acceptance, authentication, fraud control, disputes and payouts, tuned to your vertical during onboarding.
Card acquiring
Visa and Mastercard through acquirers that accept your vertical and your jurisdiction.
3DS2 routing
Authentication that lifts approval rates and shifts liability on disputed transactions.
Fraud scoring
Transaction rules and velocity checks tuned per vertical, not borrowed from retail.
Local payment methods
Pix, iDEAL, SEPA and the methods your customers already trust.
Chargeback toolkit
Scheme alerts, representment templates and ratio monitoring against Visa and Mastercard thresholds.
Payouts and settlement
Scheduled or API payouts in the currencies you need, with crypto settlement where the model allows.
Process
Four steps. Nothing hidden.
You always know where your application stands and which document is expected next.
- 01
File
Describe your business and send the documents we list.
- 02
Analysis
An underwriter reads the file and prepares it for the acquiring banks.
- 03
Offer
Rates, reserve and limits arrive in writing. You decide.
- 04
Go-live
Integration, test transactions and your first settlement.
The gateway contract
What we are. What we are not.
High-risk merchants hear a lot of promises. This is the plain version of what OpenGate does and what stays with you.
We are
A payment gateway
Card acquiring connections, 3DS2 routing, fraud scoring, payouts and dispute handling, built for high-risk business models.
A transparent underwriter
You know the documents expected, the reserve structure and the limits before you sign anything.
Registered and compliant
A Singapore-registered company (UEN 138678831) running PCI DSS Level 1 compliant infrastructure.
We are not
A licensing service
Gaming licenses, pharmacy permits and other regulatory authorizations are yours to obtain. We list the ones acquirers expect before you spend money.
A marketing agency
Your ads, landing pages and terms are yours to write. Misleading funnels are the fastest route to a closed account, so your funnel is reviewed during underwriting.
An always-on call center
Fraud monitoring runs around the clock because machines do that well. A human underwriter answers within 1 business day. That is the honest version.
Pricing
No public price list. Here is why.
A high-risk quote is built from three numbers: interchange, reserve and sector risk. A fixed public rate would be a guess. We show the mechanics, then quote your real number after underwriting.
Interchange and scheme fees
The floor of every quote. Visa and Mastercard set interchange by card type, region and transaction context. High-risk sectors rarely qualify for the cheapest tiers, so the floor itself is higher.
Reserve and rolling funds
Acquirers hold a percentage of volume against future chargebacks and refunds. The reserve is not a fee, but it ties up cash, and its size is part of the real cost of your account.
Sector risk
The acquirer's margin for your vertical. Sectors with stable dispute ratios and mature regulation pay less. Sectors with volatile chargebacks and fragmented regulation pay more.
Guides
Field notes from the underwriting desk.
Chargeback math, MATCH removal, rolling reserves, EU versus offshore acquiring. Long-form guides written for operators.
3DS2 and SCA for High-Risk Merchants
What 3DS2 and Strong Customer Authentication actually do, how the liability shift works, which exemptions apply, and how high-risk merchants should route authentication.
Compliance & securityGuide10 min readWhat Is a High-Risk Merchant Account? The Complete Guide
A plain-language walkthrough of high-risk merchant accounts: the classification, the account structure, the application, and the habits that keep it open.
Getting approvedHow-to11 min readHow to Reduce Your Chargeback Ratio: The Full Prevention Playbook
The arithmetic of chargeback ratios, why Visa and Mastercard watch them, and the operational playbook that keeps your account below the line.
ChargebacksWhat is a high-risk payment gateway?
What makes a business high-risk for a payment processor?
Stripe or PayPal rejected me. Can OpenGate help?
Do you work with businesses outside Singapore?
How long does onboarding take?
Do you charge to review a file?
Your move
Open your gate.
Send your file today. An underwriter reads it within 1 business day and replies with a real answer: an offer, a list of missing documents, or an honest no.
Free to apply. Your file stays confidential.