Finergizer routing a payment request to specific providers such as Adyen or Stripe

What Is Payment Orchestration (And Why Is It a Game Changer)?

Payment Orchestration describes the mechanism of integrating and handling different payment service providers, acquirers and banks on a single, unified software layer. The Payment Orchestration software executes and manages the complete end-to-end payment process. That includes payment authentication, multi-PSP transaction routing, settlement, and much more. Also, Payment Orchestration encompasses processes such as risk management, secure customer data storing, Know-Your-Customer and Anti-Money-Laundering procedures, and the like. 

A Payment Orchestration Layer (POL) – sometimes also called a Payment Orchestration Platform (POP) or a Payment Orchestrator – is the technological framework that manages user and merchant accounts, acquirers, payment providers, fraud detection services, etc., initiating, validating, routing and processing transactions involving those parties. In addition, a Payment Orchestration Layer handles payment processes such as reconciliation, billing and settlement, payouts and reporting. 

A Payment Orchestration Layer (POL) is the entry point to and the heart of a payment system, streamlining payment automation. With POL, e-commerce platforms and online service providers don’t need to integrate every PSP and every acquirer separately. Instead, they can consume the unified API of the payment orchestration layer, benefiting from a reduced integration complexity. Moreover, a POL simplifies system maintenance and development for platform owners and merchants and streamlines interaction with third-party service providers. 

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A golden credit card, representing credit card payments and PCI DSS compliance

How to Achieve PCI DSS Compliance as an E-Commerce Business

There are two important truths about PCI DSS in e-commerce environments: It’s easy to reach compliance. But it’s hard to maintain it. 

Well, in comparison, at least. Setting up a PCI DSS-compliant environment for credit card payments is never exactly “easy”. But many e-commerce companies will experience the upholding and the monitoring of measures to secure credit card data as a challenge – especially as the requirements evolve over time. In different phases of business development, e-commerce companies may find themselves struggling with: 

  • Putting up a profound strategy to uphold PCI DSS compliance over time. 
  • Analyzing the effectiveness of PCI security measures put in place. 
  • Discovering deviations from the standard required by PCI DSS. 
  • Educating their teams in putting the specifications into ongoing action. 

As an online retail business, this article may help you understand the requirements of PCI DSS, the challenges those requirements entail and possible actions to become compliant. It will: 

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A globe with pins all over it, representing local payment methods used in different countries

A Voyage Through the World of Payment Methods: How Your Customers Pay

In e-commerce and online services, local payment methods grow in importance in many nations around the globe. On an international scale, the global credit card schemes have dominated online payments for a long time. But currently, they are in decline: Estimations state that in 2026, only around 16% of online payments will be conducted via credit cards.  At the same time, payment solutions by BigTech companies like Apple, Tencent and Amazon grow in favor. They are popular and well-known all over the globe. In addition, digital financing like Buy Now, Pay Later find widespread adoption on platforms. Customers flock to such payment options as they guarantee them greater financial flexibility in the face of high inflation and times of economic downturn. 

In any case, local payment methods are gaining steam: Some purely digital, some including offline interactions. Many such local payment methods have limited reach, only seeing adoption in specific regions or nations. However, sometimes a local payment method is able to expand beyond the confines of its region and become an international player. Today’s BigTech payment titans belong to this category.

Alternative payment methods encompass a variety of options, including: 

  • Bank Transfers 
  • Cash-on-Delivery
  • Direct Debit
  • Electronic Wallets
  • Voucher Payments 
  • And more…

The Payment Options Line-Up Reflects Local Payment Preferences  

Irrespective of their form, these alternative methods shape a country’s payment culture, which can vary greatly even between neighboring nations. Therefore, businesses looking to expand into new markets must consider local payment preferences. It’s estimated that up to 77% of transactions are made via alternative payment methods in some counties. 

This article is intended to assist companies in understanding the payment cultures of regional markets. It provides an overview and aims to offer businesses a starting point for their own in-depth research. The article will cover the following regions: 

  • Europe
  • Africa and the Middle-East
  • Asia and the Pacific
  • North America
  • South America

What payment methods do people in these parts of the world prefer? Let’s spin the globe a bit and have a look. 

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A person with a credit card sitting at a laptop, which symbolized online e-commerce payments

The Payment Construction: A Guide to Custom Solutions for E-Commerce Companies 

In the realm of e-commerce, companies have to keep a fast pace and deliver on their target groups’ preferences. As customers demand frictionless payments, success is often defined by the smoothness and ease of transactions. Getting such payments on the road is a crucial challenge faced by many businesses. In pursuing this ideal, secure, custom payment solution often encounter roadblocks that hinder growth and efficiency. 

The good news is: Your e-commerce company doesn’t have to face such obstacles on its own. We are thrilled to announce a collaboration that will support you in optimizing payments, from start to finish. trimplement, EPAM, and CORE SE have united their experience in business consulting, payment domain knowledge, and payment software development. Doing so, we have created a free guide, we help you identify contemporary payment challenges and possible solutions. 

Let’s start right away.   

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Second Hand Clothing representing payment systems in online fashion resale

How to Get Top Payments for Online Fashion Resale 

Selling secondhand fashion online is as old as the web itself. 

We could argue that eBay was the first successful online marketplace to exist. 25 years later, pre-owned clothing is all the rage again with buyers and sellers. With new verve, fashion retailers have pushed into the resale market. A market which is projected to become a very lucrative one.

Brands like Dior, Chanel and Gucci have already adopted the practice of so-called branded resale. Many of their competitors are following suit. Some companies have run their online recommerce programs for a while now. A survey by statista proves them right: When it comes to digital features by luxury brands, customers look forward to resale programs above all else. For regular-income customers, the market is also in full swing. Fashion businesses in the mid-price segment have started resale programs, too. This includes those often labeled fast fashion. H&M, Shein and Zara are well on board. Even sports apparel brands adopt the practice – think Lululemon, Adidas, Nike or Decathlon.

But moving from e-commerce to recommerce comes with challenges for businesses – many of which relate to payment. This article will provide insights into the matter, discussing:

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A bottling jar with money in it, representing customer financing in fashion e-commerce

How to Tailor Consumer Financing in Online Fashion Retail? 

As e-commerce continues to grow, online retailers are constantly looking for ways to increase their customer base and improve customer satisfaction. One way they are achieving this is by offering customer financing options. In this article, we will delve into: 

So, let’s get to it.

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Banknotes from different nations, symbolizing local / alternative payment methods

Why Shooting For Alternative Payment Methods Is Half the Game

Around 200 different payment methods exist around the globe – every single one has its fans. That’s not surprising: Our local payment culture influences which payment methods (or payment service providers) we prefer. Factors such as perceived payment trends, word-to-mouth, and genuine economic and regulatory conditions all shape our preference for one way of payment or the other.

For every company aiming for a new market, it’s crucial to understand the local payment customs inside out. And that’s just the preliminary: Integrating local payment methods and providers can be complex and costly on the technical side. This article will help companies without a payment software background navigate the playing field. How to set up a custom payment system that simplifies payment method integration?

The article details: 

  • The benefits and challenges of local payment methods 
  • Why a custom payment system makes alternative payment method integration easier
  • How to set up a global payment system with CoreWallet, featuring an orchestration layer for local payment methods 

Let’s begin… 

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A computer besides a wallet, symbolizing payment gateways, online payment and ewallets

E-Wallets or Payment Gateways – A Comparison

When we compare e-wallets or payment gateways to payment with card or cash, we often evaluate the former as more convenient. That might be a bit of an overstatement, really. Holding your credit card in front of a card reader does not exactly sound like much work, does it?

No, what really makes modern digital payment methods so powerful is their feature-richness and flexibility. For example, you can simply conduct cross-border payments or transfer tiny amounts of money with digital payment methods. And even if you are bound to our own four walls (for some reason), you can pay for goods and commodities with just a few clicks. 

But payment does not equal payment. Behind the scenes of your checkout page, in the technical profundities of the software, it makes a huge difference whether the payment happens via an e-wallet balance or a digital bank or credit card transfer, facilitated by a payment gateway. 

Payment Gateways vs. E-Wallets? Not Quite!

However, make no mistake and don’t take “Payment gateways or e-wallets” literally. The two are not exact opposites: You need PGs to process a transaction no matter what. The real question is: How exactly does using e-wallets vs. regular payment providers influence the payment process, especially regarding user experience? 

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A person holding a credit card facing an online marketplace, symbolizing online payment and the payment gateways in charge of the transfer

How to Tell Payment Gateways from Payment Service Providers (And Which One to Choose)

Digital platforms are the go-to spots for e-commerce – and terminals for countless payment transactions. 

Whatever platform a customer uses (be it Amazon, Etsy, a niche marketplace for specific goods like Chewy or a “meta-marketplace” like Check24), they will have to pay for their order at some point. That’s when Payment Service Providers and Payment Gateways make their appearance. It’s their job to detect fraud and validate the purchasing agreement. And ultimately, to debit accounts and move money.

But what exactly is a marketplace payment system and what is the difference between a Payment Gateway and a Payment Service Provider? This article will provide: 

  • A definition of Payment Gateways in contrast to Payment Service Providers
  • An overview of the parties involved in online marketplace transactions
  • Next steps for building your own Payment Gateway
  • Access to a Free White Paper About Payment Gateways

Let’s start. 

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A credit card used for payment on an online platform

How Online Card-Based Payments Function

On today’s online platforms, we face an extensive choice of (digital) payment methods, some of them fairly non-traditional (like blockchain-based payments), some having been around for a while (like credit card, direct debit, vouchers and gift codes). In some countries, payment methods that bridge the online and offline spheres of web shopping remain popular, too, such as cash-on-delivery. In others, BNPL and e-wallet-based payment flows are popular. This article will take a deep look into one specific form of online payment, though:

Card-Based Online Payments

These include all manners of payment cards such as Credit Cards, Debit Cards and Prepaid Cards. They may exist in purely digital form or have a physical equivalent. In any case, local banks issue the cards and they operate on the rails of international or domestic Payment Card Schemes.

In the following paragraphs, we will focus on credit card-based payment systems, presenting their basic flows and involved parties (like issuer, acquirer and so on). This article will examine in detail:

And go! 

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