AML Compliance Services for Payment Processors
Processors sit between merchants and the wider payment system, and whether the rules actually reach you depends on precisely what you do with the funds. That question deserves a proper answer first.
- FINTRAC Registered
- Cross-Border Expertise
- Audit Ready
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Establishing Whether the Rules Reach You
Payment processing covers a wide range of arrangements, and they do not all carry the same regulatory consequences. A business that only passes instructions between parties sits differently from one that receives, holds, and disburses funds on behalf of merchants. That distinction determines whether you are a reporting entity, whether the retail payments regime applies, and what your obligations actually are.
Merchant risk is the other half of the picture. Your customers are businesses rather than individuals, and their customers are effectively your indirect exposure. A processor onboarding merchants without understanding what those merchants actually sell, and to whom, inherits problems it never chose. Merchant due diligence and ongoing transaction pattern review are where processing compliance genuinely lives.
Compliance Support for Processors
We deliver regulatory scope determinations, merchant due diligence frameworks, transaction pattern monitoring design, Bank of Canada and FINTRAC registration where applicable, program development, independent effectiveness reviews, and ongoing compliance support for payment processors.
PSP Registration
End-to-end PSP registration support under Canada's Retail Payment Activities Act framework.
MSB Licensing
Complete MSB licensing and FINTRAC registration for money services businesses nationwide.
Banking
Deliver secure banking compliance solutions supporting regulatory excellence and operational efficiency.
AML Compliance
Build robust AML frameworks ensuring regulatory compliance and effective financial crime prevention.
Regulatory Consulting
Receive strategic regulatory advice supporting sustainable growth and complete compliance confidence.
Transaction Monitoring
Ongoing transaction monitoring and screening to detect and report suspicious activity.
Why Processors Choose Our Support
We establish your regulatory position before building anything at all, because processors vary enormously in what they actually do with funds and obligations follow that rather than the job title.
Scope Determined First
We establish exactly which regimes reach your arrangement, since processors differ enormously in what they do with funds.
Merchant Risk Assessed
We build due diligence for the businesses you onboard, because their customers become your indirect exposure entirely.
Patterns Actively Monitored
We design monitoring for merchant transaction behaviour, since changes in pattern reveal problems long before complaints do.
Both Regimes Considered
We check retail payments and anti money laundering requirements together, because processors can fall under either or both.
Processors We Support Across Canada
We support payment processors in every single province and territory across Canada, from acquirers serving large national merchant portfolios through to specialist processors focused on particular sectors or specific transaction types.
What Our Clients Say
Canadian financial firms trust ABM Global Compliance to navigate complex regulation with clarity and care. From MSB licensing to ongoing AML support, our clients value our responsiveness, expertise, and genuine commitment to their long-term compliance success.
Let's Talk About Your Compliance Needs
Schedule a Free Consultation
Whether you’re starting a new MSB or need ongoing AML support, our team responds within one business day.
Payment Processing Questions
Clear answers to the questions payment processors ask most about whether Canadian anti money laundering obligations reach their particular arrangement.
Are we a reporting entity?
That depends on what you do with funds. Holding and disbursing money differs considerably from simply passing instructions between parties.
Why does merchant risk matter?
Because your merchants bring their own customers, and problems in a merchant portfolio become your exposure whether you chose them or not.
What merchant checks are needed?
Enough to understand what the business genuinely sells, to whom, and whether transaction patterns match what they described.
Does the payments regime apply?
Possibly. Retail payment activities bring Bank of Canada oversight, which is separate from any anti money laundering obligations you carry.
A merchant pattern changed sharply
That warrants examination. Sudden changes in volume, value, or geography frequently indicate the business is no longer what it was.