[Money20/20 Europe 2025] Understanding the complexity of payments with DECTA

In this insightful conversation, Gabriel pulls back the curtain on the complexities behind launching issuing and acquiring services in the fintech world. While payments may seem straightforward to users, building the infrastructure behind them is anything but simple.

Top 3 challenges for fintechs entering issuing & acquiring

Scheme certification complexity

Gaining principal membership with card schemes like Visa or Mastercard is a significant hurdle. Despite efforts to simplify the process, it remains daunting, even with expert support from companies like DECTA.

Overconfidence in DIY tech solutions

Founders with successful track records often try to build their own tech stack, believing it’ll be better or cheaper. In reality, this often leads to delays, higher costs, and scalability issues, especially when mature, full-package solutions already exist.

The people factor

As with any venture, the right talent makes all the difference. Success depends heavily on assembling skilled teams across product, compliance, business development, and more.

Real-world pitfalls

Gabriel highlights examples where promising fintechs struggled despite having solid tech and vision:

• A top-notch gateway provider with robust orchestration failed to onboard clients due to regulatory hurdles.
• A 20-year veteran in SME FX services found itself overwhelmed when branching into issuing, mainly due to lack of IT staff.

DECTA's Fintech Fast Track Programme

To ease the path into payments, DECTA offers a quarterly programme that provides up to 100% discounts on implementation fees for one issuing and one acquiring client per quarter.

To qualify:

• Applicants should aim for principal scheme membership;
• Present a compelling business case;
• Ideally also participate in Visa or Mastercard’s own Fast Track programmes

By combining forces with global card schemes, DECTA helps emerging fintechs go to market faster, without compromising on infrastructure or compliance.

Bottomline

Issuing and acquiring is not plug-and-play. It demands strategic partnerships, regulatory expertise, and a readiness to invest in both people and tech. Programs like DECTA’s Fast Track are a much-needed accelerator for fintechs ready to scale responsibly.

About DECTA

DECTA is a certified provider of in-house payment infrastructure, offering acquirer and issuer processing, white-label gateway, and digital banking solutions. As a Mastercard, Visa, and UnionPay processor with PCI DSS, ISO 27001, and ISO 9001:2015 certifications, DECTA ensures secure, high-quality services. Trusted by 2,000+ PSPs and banks globally, DECTA builds its own tech and invests in R&D to deliver flexible, future-ready payment innovation.