Imagine running a modern city’s transportation network on a century-old single-track railway.
That’s the reality many acquirers face today. Their legacy systems are unable to keep up with real-time digital commerce.
While everyone sees the tap, click, or swipe, few realise that the true enabler of speed, personalisation, and profitability in merchant acquiring is the software platform behind it.
Just as e-commerce relies on logistics networks, digital payments depend on invisible infrastructure.
Think of this ecosystem as a train network.
Card products and transactions are the trains, acceptance channels and hosts are the stations, and payment platforms like Way4 from OpenWay are the rails.
These rails don’t just move payments but rather, they determine how fast acquirers can onboard merchants, launch services, adapt pricing, and operate across omnichannel environments.
When the rail network is modern and orchestrated in real time, trains pass through every station fast and friction-free, all while helping acquirers compete and scale.
The Engine Room of Modern Payments
Old-fashioned rails make for a bumpy ride.
According to PwC’s Battle of the Rails, acquirers can’t afford to rely on systems never built for open-loop, omnichannel payments, real-time orchestration, or multi-scheme settlement.
Manual processes, legacy integrations, and rigid architecture lead to delays and errors, preventing acquirers from launching new experiences or adapting offerings.
PwC stated that 80% of financial institutions were planning to outsource platform infrastructure by 2025.
The rise of PayFacs, ISVs, embedded finance, and instant payments is redrawing the competitive landscape.
Acquirers who can’t adapt quickly risk losing both efficiency and market relevance.
What sets successful acquirers apart today is how they use their platforms to create competitive differentiation. Leaders are investing in infrastructure that enables:
- Dynamic pricing: boost margins by 4–8% and revenue by 5% (McKinsey) with event-based or tiered pricing models.
- Smart payment wallets: accept cards, wallets, CBDCs, and crypto via a unified interface.
- Value-added services: launch loyalty programs, merchant financing, and real-time FX in weeks.
- Verticalised offers: tailor onboarding flows and pricing for specific sectors like retail, mobility, and government.
OpenWay’s top-rated digital payments platform, Way4, enables all this and more. Not as isolated features, mind you, but as part of a well-integrated real-time core.
Below, we explore how these capabilities come together to deliver acquiring transformation at scale.
Four Ways Way4 Enables Acquiring Transformation
-
End-to-end digitisation with automation and smart integration
Way4 unifies the entire merchant lifecycle into a real-time digital core.
Its open REST APIs allow seamless integration with CRMs, KYC platforms, scoring engines, and other services, enabling fast onboarding and personalised journeys with strong security and high conversion rates.
The Smart Payment Wallet option lets merchants accept cards, wallets, CBDCs, and crypto through a single interface, a key differentiator in markets embracing digital currencies.
OpenWay client Nexi digitised and consolidated acquiring in just 9 months. It’s a part of a broader Tier 1 trend away from fragmented vendor stacks.
-
Fast time-to-market and high conversion thanks to deep personalisation
Way4 enables acquirers to launch new services in mere days. With 95% of product logic parameterised, teams can configure onboarding flows, pricing strategies, or merchant financing offers without coding. Plus, it enables you to adapt them in real time.
Finaro (now part of Shift4) accelerated merchant onboarding by 50x using APIs, geo-clustering, and rule-based automation, since then tripling its acquiring revenue.
-
Scalable, resilient infrastructure
Way4 powers large-scale acquiring worldwide. It supports daily volumes exceeding 15 million POS transactions for a European acquirer and scaled SmartPay in Vietnam to over 700,000 merchants in three years.
Network International, serving 130,000+ merchants in the Middle East and Africa, saw a 60% transaction increase, 50% more processed volume, and a 186% TPS boost after adopting Way4.
With 99.999% uptime and 4,000+ TPS, Way4 ensures uninterrupted performance, even during peak demand.
-
Trusted execution at global scale
OpenWay supports acquiring operations for payment leaders around the world. Its proven track record includes complex migrations, long-term partnerships, and analyst recognition from Gartner and Datos Insights.
In the 2025 Merchant Acquiring Software Platforms Matrix, Datos Insights named OpenWay “Best‑in‑Class” for overall product strength and innovation.
For over 10 years, the company has ranked among the leaders in the Datos (formerly Aite) Matrix.
With offices in 20+ countries, OpenWay combines global best practices with local expertise.
Its global approach and flexible implementation model ensure that each implementation aligns with local regulations, operational realities, and market needs, helping acquirers thrive in diverse environments.
Are Your Rails Still Carrying You Forward?
The shift to real-time, omnichannel, and cross-border payments is unstoppable.
Acquirers using Way4 have demonstrated that the right infrastructure enables sustained growth, innovation, and speed to market.
As acquiring becomes more competitive, commoditised and cross-border, scalable platforms like Way4 are no longer a luxury; they’re the foundation for profitability and speed.
Contact OpenWay to explore how Way4 can support your acquiring strategy today.
Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Middle East, based on images by OpenWay and yeven_popov via Freepik.
