How to Build a Successful Partner Program in the Payments Industry

Introduction

For this edition of the Greatest Minds in Partnerships series, we sat down with Grant Evans, Head of Partnerships at Nomupay, to explore the unique challenges and opportunities of building a partner program in the payments industry. 

With over 15 years of experience, Grant has witnessed firsthand how partnerships have evolved from being an afterthought to a crucial revenue driver in the payments sector.

In this conversation, he shares key insights on overcoming industry-specific challenges, structuring a successful partner program, and the role of technology in scaling partnerships effectively.

Navigating the Complex World of Payments Partnerships

Like many in the industry, Grant didn’t plan on a career in payments. He was introduced to the space by his brother at 20 years old and quickly saw the growth potential. While he started in direct sales, he often found himself generating new opportunities through partner channels. It was only a matter of time before he transitioned into a full-time partnership role.

However, unlike other industries, partnerships in payments come with unique hurdles—chief among them are forecasting and partner loyalty. Many payment partners, especially ISOs (Independent Sales Organizations), route referrals to multiple providers, making tracking and managing pipeline expectations difficult. 

“Many partners in the payments industry route referrals into multiple providers, especially in the ISO arena, so accurately managing pipeline can be extremely difficult if you know every application you receive may also be sat with a competitor…”

Onboarding speed has also become a critical differentiator. As Grant points out, Stripe set a new industry standard by demonstrating how quickly a customer could be activated on an online payment system. Since then, other providers have been working to close the gap and keep pace with these expectations. Those who lag behind risk losing partners to more efficient competitors.

What Makes a Payment Partner Program Successful?

Operating in a highly regulated industry, payment companies must offer partners more than just revenue opportunities. According to Grant, the most successful programs provide compliance and security assurances. He emphasizes that partners need to feel confident they won’t be liable for any security risks associated with a provider. 

“Being able to de-scope our integrated partners from one of our core industry standards called PCI DSS has always been very important. Partners need comfort that they aren’t going to be liable for any data breaches that their payments platform partner of choice may potentially have.”

Beyond compliance, seamless onboarding tools are essential. With so much competition in the payments space, any friction in the partner experience can lead to partners moving to a competitor. Grant has noticed a shift in partner priorities as well. 

“I have seen a pivot from pricing being the biggest driver over the last few years, with more partners interested in good relationship management, support, onboarding speeds, and a wide-ranging and up-to-date product stack.” 

Grant believes that today’s partners are more willing to spend more or earn less if it means working with a provider that helps them win more business.

Balancing Different Types of Partners in the Payments Space

Not all partnerships are created equal. In recent years, payment providers have aggressively targeted Integrated Software Vendors (ISVs) due to their ability to onboard large volumes of merchants quickly. Winning an ISV deal means securing a one-to-many partnership that can lead to exponential growth.

Resellers and ISOs remain critical as they take on a significant portion of the onboarding process and act as an extension of the provider’s sales team. Meanwhile, referral partners—from solo consultants to large enterprises—play a role but require minimal management.

Grant describes the competition among providers for ISVs as a “massive royal rumble,” with companies investing heavily in marketing to win these relationships. 

“The key reason is that ISVs generally represent the fastest route to high customer acquisition in the shortest space for payment providers.” 

However, resellers still play a significant role, often growing to become larger companies than the payment providers they resell for. For payment companies, prioritizing ISVs and resellers while maintaining a steady pipeline of referral partners is key to long-term success.

How Nomupay Drives Value for Its Partners

Nomupay’s mission is to simplify global payments, making it easier for businesses to process cross-border transactions. Their partnership approach reflects this goal by offering a broad geographic footprint, allowing partners to operate in multiple regions without needing multiple payment providers.

Grant and his team strongly emphasize industry expertise, ensuring they deeply understand their partners’ businesses. He believes that to truly support partners, they need to be as knowledgeable about their industries as they are about their own, allowing them to provide strategic guidance rather than just technical solutions.

Another key focus is self-service excellence. A well-designed partner portal allows partners to work efficiently without unnecessary back-and-forth communication. Grant highlights the importance of intuitive design, stating that a user-friendly interface, streamlined commission tracking, and well-structured support systems are essential for maintaining strong partner engagement. In his view, effective partner management tools are a major factor in keeping partners actively involved and satisfied.

Measuring Partnership Success in Payments

While revenue is the ultimate KPI, Grant emphasizes that engagement is just as important. Many partnerships in payments suffer from stagnation—deals trickling in without active optimization from either side. He believes that partnership teams should function as an extension of their partners' workforce, ensuring ongoing collaboration.

Grant emphasizes that his team should be viewed as a seamless extension of their partners' operations, just as they consider their partners an integral part of their own sales efforts. He also acknowledges that fostering strong relationships is key to building lasting loyalty.

“I have had team members that I know certain partners would potentially follow to their next company in a heartbeat because they have such strong working relationships.”

By prioritizing engagement, Nomupay ensures that its partnerships drive sustainable, long-term value rather than becoming passive revenue streams.

The Role of PRMs in Scaling Payment Partnerships

Despite the payments industry’s reliance on partnerships, adoption of Partner Relationship Management (PRM) platforms has been slow. Grant believes this stems from a lack of awareness; many payment executives still rely on CRM workflows built for direct sales, leaving partnership teams to manage complex relationships through outdated Excel spreadsheets.

Grant notes that, unfortunately, most executives in the payments industry are still unfamiliar with PRMs, with the majority unlikely to recognize their value. However, this is beginning to shift as PRMs improve partner onboarding, commission tracking, and forecasting. The growing ability to integrate these platforms with CRMs like HubSpot has also increased adoption.

“Partner management platforms are a game changer, not just for partnership teams to manage partners more effectively, but also to give our partners better service.”

The ability to eliminate clunky processes and run seamless campaigns has made these tools invaluable in modern partner management.

Advice for Building a Payment Partner Program from Scratch

Grant offers three key takeaways for launching or improving a payment partner program. First, speak to potential partners to understand their needs rather than make assumptions.

 “I think partner programs are often built on what we think partners need, but the best way to determine this is always to actually speak to the partners you plan to sell to.”

Second, define internal success metrics early. Partnerships take time to scale; without clear expectations, leadership teams may lose patience. Finally, invest in the right technology from the beginning. A strong partner portal and tracking system will set you apart in an industry that has been slow to adopt these tools.

Conclusion

Building a successful partner program in the payments industry requires more than just signing agreements. Speed, transparency, and technology adoption are now the key drivers of success. Companies that invest in strong relationship management, seamless onboarding, and data-driven engagement will win in an increasingly competitive market.

At Nomupay, Grant Evans and his team are proving that partnerships, when managed effectively, can become a core growth engine that extends far beyond simple referrals. Whether you’re starting from scratch or optimizing an existing program, one thing is clear: partnerships in payments are no longer an afterthought—they’re the future.