Eftsure Acquires US AI Vendor Data Specialist Relish to Secure Global Payments

Eftsure has acquired US-based AI vendor data specialist Relish to integrate automated invoice validation with real-time bank detail verification. For fintech professionals, this consolidation highlights the growing necessity of multi-layered fraud prevention as AI-driven automation increases the complexity and volume of corporate payment flows across global supply chains.

What was announced

The acquisition, announced on Thursday, September 3rd at 14:00 BST, sees Eftsure take ownership of Relish to create a unified platform for payment integrity. The system works by combining Relish’s AI-driven vendor data validation with Eftsure’s established method of performing independent, real-time checks on bank details before any transaction is finalized. This dual-layer defense is specifically designed for corporate finance teams who are increasingly adopting automated workflows and facing more sophisticated digital threats.

The scale of the deal is reflected in the combined entity’s operational metrics:

• Customer Base: Serving a global portfolio of more than 4,000 corporate customers.
• Payment Protection: Securing an estimated US$288 billion in annual payment volume.
• Vendor Network: Monitoring 11 million vendors across 190 countries and territories.
• Global Footprint: Operational teams located across North America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region.

By integrating these capabilities, the companies aim to provide a more robust control environment against the rising tide of AI-enhanced fraud and the persistent risk of manual payment errors within complex global supply chains. The move addresses the specific need for stronger controls as AI drives greater automation across corporate finance departments, where traditional manual verification methods are becoming a bottleneck.

The companies involved

Eftsure is a payment verification company that operates the website eftsure.co.za. Under the leadership of Jon Soldan, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), the firm has focused on securing the "last mile" of the payment process. This acquisition follows a period of rapid expansion; in June 2025, Eftsure joined forces with Sis ID to strengthen its global position. Sis ID, which maintains the website sis-id.com, is a key partner in this ecosystem. Patrice Bouexel at Sis ID has been involved as the company expanded its anti-fraud solutions to cover 211 countries, significantly broadening the data pool available for payment verification.

Relish, the subject of this acquisition, is a US-based specialist in AI-powered vendor data management. Operating at relishiq.com, Relish is associated with Ryan Walicki and provides the machine-learning capabilities necessary to parse and validate massive supplier datasets. The merger of these two entities creates a market leader with a presence in North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. This corporate structure allows the group to provide comprehensive coverage for international enterprises, leveraging a combined database of 11 million vendors to ensure payment accuracy and fraud prevention on a global scale.

What FF News has reported before

FF News has tracked the evolution of this partnership and the broader fraud prevention market extensively. In June 2025, we reported on the initial consolidation in Eftsure and Sis ID Join Forces to Create a Global Leader and Redefine Payment Protection. This was followed in September 2025 by news that Sis ID Expands Its Anti-Fraud Solution With Coverage Across 211 Countries, a development that directly supports the current global vendor monitoring capabilities.

Our coverage has also addressed the regulatory environment, notably in iPiD Publishes Essential Guide for Payment Service Providers: “Verification of Payee: The Race to Compliance”, which details the industry-wide shift toward mandatory payee verification. For businesses looking for immediate defensive strategies, we previously published Payment fraud: Steps to take if your business gets scammed, outlining essential steps for recovery and future prevention.

What this means

The acquisition of Relish highlights a critical inflection point in B2B fintech: the transition from reactive fraud detection to proactive, AI-integrated data validation. As corporate finance departments automate, the surface area for sophisticated payment fraud expands, making traditional manual checks insufficient. This move puts significant pressure on legacy ERP and procurement software providers that do not offer native, real-time verification of external bank data. The market is clearly moving toward a "networked" approach to trust, where vendor identities are verified against global datasets rather than siloed internal records. This consolidation suggests that standalone verification tools may soon struggle to compete against integrated, multi-layered security platforms.