Payment Industry Portal FAQ

Questions and answers

What is a payment institution?

A payment institution is a non-bank entity licensed by a financial regulator to provide payment or e-money services. Depending on the jurisdiction, it may be called a PSP, EMI, money transmitter, or payment license holder. The Payment Industry Portal is an independent directory and tool site, not a regulator.

How do I look up a payment license?

Search the Payment License Directory by legal name, short name, or license number. Open a record to see its jurisdiction, license list, status, and source links. For a final determination, verify the record against the original regulator publication.

What is the difference between a PSP, EMI, and fintech?

A PSP provides payment services, while an EMI is licensed to issue electronic money in jurisdictions that use that category. Fintech is a broad business description, not a license type. The directory keeps the regulatory classification separate from brand or marketing language.

What is PayFi?

PayFi generally means combining payments with on-chain settlement, stablecoins, or crypto on/off-ramps. It is not a separate regulatory license. This site does not estimate market size; it only offers verifiable directory filters: crypto-friendly, bank-account APIs (including BaaS / open banking), and card-issuing APIs. A capability is marked as supported only when it cites a public product page or document.

Does unknown capability mean an institution does not support it?

No. Unknown means that we did not find a citable public product page or document confirming the capability. We only mark a capability as yes or no when a public source supports the claim.

What is a crypto card?

A crypto card is a virtual or physical card funded with cryptocurrency or another supported balance. Availability, KYC, fees, and merchant acceptance vary by provider and region, so check the provider's current terms.

Is the Payment Industry Portal free?

Yes. Global regulatory licenses, payment institutions, crypto card comparison, SWIFT lookup, IBAN reference, and payment checker are available without registration, login, or a paywall.

Where does the data come from?

The directory compiles public regulatory lists including PBOC, US state money transmitter lists, FINTRAC, EBA PSD2, FCA subsets, MAS, HKMA, ASIC/AUSTRAC, JFSA, and BNM. Capability and finance fields follow separate verification rules described on the About page.

Can this checker guarantee an OpenAI / Claude payment will succeed?

No. It only ranks likely causes from browser-visible network signals and the error/card details you enter. It cannot see issuer authorization, 3DS outcomes, account history, or a platform's real risk rules. The merchant and card issuer have the final say.

Do you store my card number or IP?

No PAN/CVV/password/OTP is collected; the diagnosis stays in the current page. Network lookups may contact third-party IP/STUN providers that can see the public IP under their own policies. We do not write card numbers to our servers.

Why can this differ from the official decline?

This page sees one visit plus what you typed. A platform may combine account, payment method, billing, and history. Treat the result as a review order, not an official decision.

Will clearing cookies, switching browsers, or reinstalling the app fix a decline?

Usually no. Those steps only fix client/session issues. They cannot clear an issuer decline, merchant refusal, or account-side restriction. Check the error, billing address, and 3DS first; contact official support or the issuer if needed.

If the exit IP is mainland China, will payment always fail?

Not necessarily a card decline. Some AI subscriptions are unavailable there or the checkout page may not load even if a host probe looks reachable. Use the service's official support list. That is a different problem from an issuer decline.

Do the SWIFT / IBAN tools send money?

No. SWIFT pages are sourced routing/corridor records plus an ISO 9362 decoder, not a complete SWIFTRef directory. They look up or validate codes only and do not connect to banks or send money.

Where do market-cap and funding figures come from?

Only sourced public figures. Unverified fields stay empty; we do not invent numbers.

What if a virtual card or crypto card fails an AI subscription?

Check whether the error is region, 3DS, or an issuer decline; then whether the card allows cross-border/online use and whether billing country matches. The tool cannot complete 3DS or change BIN settings for you.