What is an acquirer?

An acquirer is a bank or financial institution that offers business clients, such as retailers or online stores, the option to accept credit card or debit card payments. The acquirer ensures the processing of these payments and requires a license from card associations such as MasterCard, Visa and American Express for this. The acquirer plays a crucial role in payment traffic by facilitating transactions between the acceptors (merchants) and the issuing banks (issuers).