“Can a UK card acquirer and EMI become the embedded payments infrastructure layer — via Licensing as a Service — that lets software platforms acquire and settle payments without obtaining their own licences?”
Founded in 2010 as a UK card acquirer and gateway for SMEs, Cashflows is FCA-authorised as an Electronic Money Institution and holds Principal Membership of both Visa Europe and Mastercard Europe. Owned by Pollen Street Capital since 2016, the company has evolved beyond pure acquiring toward a 'Licensing as a Service' model, aiming to help software platforms and payment facilitators access acquiring and licensing infrastructure without building it themselves. The Brexit-driven loss of EEA passporting in 2021 narrowed its geographic focus to the UK, pushing the company to compete on product depth — Anytime Settlement, Network Tokens, Account Updater — and now partner-channel distribution via Cardstream.