China-based Newland Payment Technology (NPT) has announced that its PayExplorer payment application has received Level 3 (L3) certification for processing on the Fiserv Rapid Connect to Nashville platform. The certification covers Newland's full Android-based payment terminal portfolio and is aimed at reducing deployment complexity for independent software vendors (ISVs), independent sales organisations (ISOs), and point-of-sale software providers operating in the US market.
L3 certification is a processor-level requirement in the US that validates a payment application's ability to handle transaction processing across specific acquiring infrastructure. In a market characterised by fragmented processor relationships and varied technical requirements, obtaining this certification independently can represent a significant time and resource commitment for software partners seeking to bring solutions to market.
Reducing deployment complexity for software partners
By achieving L3 certification at the payment application level, Newland NPT is positioning PayExplorer as a pre-certified foundation for semi-integrated deployments on Fiserv infrastructure. Under this model, ISVs and software providers can build on top of a certified payment layer without independently managing the processor certification process, allowing them to focus development resources on their own software functionality and user experience.
Semi-integrated architectures are widely used in the US point-of-sale market, where the payment terminal operates as a discrete component connected to a broader software environment rather than as a fully integrated system. Pre-certification at the application level is particularly relevant in this context, as it removes a potential bottleneck between development completion and live deployment.
The announcement notes that the certification applies across Newland's Android-based terminal portfolio, suggesting broad applicability for partners already using or evaluating Newland hardware.
Building out North American processor coverage
The Fiserv certification follows Newland NPT's TSYS certification announced in February 2026, and the company has described both milestones as part of a continued investment strategy in North America. Together, they represent coverage across two of the larger acquiring processor platforms in the US, incrementally broadening the range of deployments that partners can support using Newland's certified infrastructure.
Newland also noted its existing relationship with Fiserv as an integrated partner, suggesting that the L3 certification deepens a commercial relationship already in place rather than establishing an entirely new one.
No figures relating to the number of partners currently deploying on the PayExplorer platform, transaction volumes, or the scale of the North American terminal estate have been disclosed in connection with the announcement. The certification was completed and announced on 20 April 2026.
