MADFIN Secures Visa Principal Membership to Accelerate UK Card Acquiring Growth

MADFIN has secured Principal Membership with Visa, completing a dual-scheme direct membership alongside its existing Mastercard status. For fintech professionals, this move signals a rapid institutional maturation for the 2024-founded EMI, removing intermediary layers in card acquiring and providing direct access to the world’s two largest payment networks within its first two years of operation.

What was announced

MADFIN, an electronic money institution (EMI) regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the United Kingdom, has officially achieved Principal Member status with Visa. This accreditation follows a rigorous review process involving extensive documentation and compliance checks conducted by Visa representatives. By gaining direct membership, MADFIN is now positioned to accept Visa card payments directly, bypassing third-party sponsors to offer its clients a more robust and scalable acquiring infrastructure.

The company, which was established in 2024, has reached this milestone shortly after securing a similar Principal Membership with Mastercard. Holding direct status with both major card schemes is a rare achievement for an institution of this age. In addition to the Visa membership, MADFIN has integrated Apple Pay and Google Pay into its stack, providing a modern user experience for both merchants and their customers. This technical expansion is designed to facilitate faster, more seamless transaction flows across its ecosystem.

The development was supported by Tribe, whose expertise and guidance were cited as integral to the company's growth. MADFIN is currently focusing on deepening its institutional partnerships and investing in its proprietary technology, team, and infrastructure. These efforts are aimed at strengthening its position within the United Kingdom’s card acquiring market as the firm moves into its next phase of growth.

"In a little over a year, MADFIN has secured Principal Membership with both Mastercard and Visa. That is not a coincidence, it is the result of an unrelenting focus on doing things properly," said Kristina Sestaka, Director of MADFIN. "We are deeply grateful to Visa for their guidance and for making this process a seamless one. We strongly believe this cooperation will bring lasting value to our clients and to all parties involved."

Kristina Sestaka, Director of MADFIN.

The companies involved

MADFIN is a London-based electronic money institution that has rapidly scaled its regulatory and operational footprint since its founding in 2024. Under the leadership of Director Kristina Sestaka and Head of Marketing Svjatoslavs Kotovs, the firm has focused on building a comprehensive payments offering that includes direct scheme access and modern wallet integrations. As an FCA-regulated entity, it operates within the strict compliance framework of the UK financial services sector.

Visa is a global leader in digital payments, facilitating transactions between consumers, merchants, financial institutions, and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories. It operates one of the world's most advanced processing networks, capable of handling thousands of transactions per second. Mastercard, the other primary scheme in MADFIN’s portfolio, is a global technology company in the payments industry that connects millions of users and businesses worldwide. Both Visa and Mastercard are dominant forces in the UK market. The dual-membership status allows MADFIN to operate with a high degree of independence in the card acquiring space, a sector traditionally dominated by legacy banks and established fintech giants.

What FF News has reported before

FF News has extensively covered the evolving roles of the major card schemes in the global fintech ecosystem. Recently, we reported on how Mastercard and Backbase Launch Agentic Banking Solutions for 120+ Global Banks, highlighting the shift toward AI-driven financial services. Additionally, we explored the intersection of social commerce and payments in Mastercard and Flowcart Launch In-Chat Payments to Transform Social Commerce in Africa. The scale of the market MADFIN is entering is further underscored by our coverage of a report where Mastercard Predicts £370 Billion AI Shopping Shift, which details the massive economic transitions currently facing the payments industry.

What this means

Securing dual principal membership with Visa and Mastercard within a year of founding is a significant power move in the UK acquiring market. It places MADFIN in a competitive tier usually reserved for much older, more capital-heavy institutions. This announcement puts pressure on mid-tier EMIs that still rely on "renting" licenses from larger sponsors, as direct membership typically offers better margins and more control over the payment flow. However, the real test for the sector remains whether these lean, direct-access players can provide the same level of fraud protection and merchant support as the legacy incumbents. The industry is watching to see if direct scheme access alone is enough to disrupt the established hierarchy in UK merchant services.