PayFuture

Company History

Payfuture was founded in 2019 by Manpreet Haer and a team of payments industry veterans, with the aim of simplifying cross-border commerce in emerging markets. The company quickly built a unified API that aggregates dozens of local payment methods, allowing merchants to expand into regions that are often difficult to navigate due to fragmented payment landscapes and regulatory complexities. Within a few years, Payfuture onboarded over 250 merchants and grew its team to more than 120 employees from over 20 nationalities, operating from offices in London and other global hubs.

Business Model

Payfuture operates as a payment gateway and cross‑border settlement infrastructure provider. It generates revenue primarily through transaction fees on pay‑ins and pay‑outs, as well as through value‑added services like conversion optimisation and routing analytics. The company’s single‑API approach eliminates the need for merchants to negotiate separate agreements with each local acquirer, reducing time‑to‑market and operational overhead. Payfuture claims to offer high approval rates by dynamically routing transactions to the most suitable local processor, and it provides tools to recover failed payments, thereby increasing merchant revenue in challenging markets.

Core Products and Platforms

Payfuture’s main product is its Payment Gateway, a single API connector that gives merchants access to a basket of local payment methods, including bank transfers, mobile wallets, cash payments, and local card networks. The platform covers both pay‑in (customer‑to‑merchant) and pay‑out (merchant‑to‑customer) flows, enabling use cases such as e‑commerce checkout, salary disbursements, and supplier payments. Additionally, the Cross‑Border Settlement Engine moves funds in and out of emerging economies efficiently, while Conversion Optimisation Tools use analytics and routing logic to boost approval rates and reduce transaction failures. These tools together form a comprehensive solution for merchants targeting high‑growth regions.

Market Position and Competitors

Payfuture competes with other emerging‑market focused payment gateways such as DLocal, PayU, and Nium. However, it differentiates itself by emphasising a single‑API approach that simplifies market entry for merchants, and by concentrating on “tier‑2” markets within larger economies where local payment preferences are particularly fragmented. The company’s focus on underbanked regions aligns with broader trends of government initiatives to reduce cash dependency and encourage digital payments, providing strong tailwinds for growth. Payfuture has recently expanded its network through strategic partnerships, such as with Atlantic Partners Asia (APA) to strengthen cross‑border payment access into Asia, and with Profee to enable INR‑denominated payouts to India.

Leadership and Organisation

The company is privately held and led by co‑founder and CEO Manpreet Haer, who previously founded Pro‑Opp and held senior roles at SafeCharge. The executive team includes CTO Jon Bowman, CRO Sid Gautam, and COO Saaly Temirkanov, all drawn from fintech, payments, and global banking backgrounds. Payfuture operates as a technology‑first organisation with a flat structure that encourages rapid innovation. The company does not publicly disclose revenue or funding figures, but its steady merchant growth and partnership announcements suggest a healthy trajectory in the competitive payments infrastructure space.

Recent Developments and Strategic Direction

In 2024, Payfuture announced partnerships aimed at expanding its footprint in Asia and improving payout capabilities to India. The company continues to invest in its conversion optimisation technology, adding machine learning‑based routing to further increase approval rates in markets with high transaction failure rates. With emerging markets driving a global shift toward digital payments, Payfuture is well‑positioned to capitalise on the growing demand for localised payment solutions. The company’s long‑term vision is to become the foremost enabler of commerce in emerging markets, fostering financial inclusion and economic growth by removing traditional barriers to cross‑border transactions.