Merchant
Business that sells goods/services.
Why it matters
Merchant matters because it affects financial interpretation, product decisions, and industry communication.
How it works
Merchant is commonly explained through its core definition and the practical example used in the glossary.
Risks and pitfalls
A common mistake is to use Merchant without understanding its operational and regulatory context.
Regional notes
Merchant may vary across payment rails, regulations, and market practices.
Related terms
3D Secure
Security protocol for online cards.
Account Updater
A service that refreshes expired or reissued card details for recurring billing merchants.
Acquirer
Bank processing payments for merchant.
AML
Anti Money Laundering.
Anti Money Laundering
Laws against clean dirty money.
Arbitrage
Profiting from price differences in markets.
Primary sources
Stripe
2026-03-15Stripe: Payment tokenization 101
Used for payment tokenization, network token, and account updater context.
Stripe
2026-03-15Stripe: Merchant of record
Primary source for merchant-of-record terminology.
Stripe
2026-03-15Stripe: What is a payment facilitator?
Primary source for payfac models and platform payments.
Reviewed
3/15/2026