Payment Options taps Tribe Payments for acquirer processing across Asia-Pacific

Singapore-based Payment Options has chosen Tribe Payments to power payment processing for its acquiring business as the company expands direct Visa and Mastercard acquiring in Asia-Pacific and CEMEA. The rollout starts in Mauritius, where Payment Options is now a principal member of both card schemes.

Why it matters: - Payment Options is moving deeper into card acquiring, and the Tribe partnership gives the company processing infrastructure to support that shift. - The deal helps Payment Options expand direct Visa and Mastercard acquiring across Asia-Pacific and CEMEA without building its own processing platform first. - The move also signals growing merchant acquiring activity in the region as payment firms step up from referral and gateway roles to principal membership and direct acquiring.

What happened: - Payment Options, a Singapore-headquartered payment service provider, partnered with Tribe Payments for payment processing technology and connectivity for its acquiring business. - The rollout begins in Mauritius, with a phased expansion planned into other markets as Payment Options grows. - Payment Options is now a principal member of Visa and Mastercard in Mauritius. - Tribe Payments is a global issuer and acquirer processor.

The details: - Payment Options was founded in Singapore in 2012. - The company started as a reseller and referral agent for acquirers before building its own payment gateway. - Payment Options later became a payment service provider and payment facilitator. - The company now operates in Singapore, Mauritius, Hong Kong, Japan and Malaysia. - Payment Options considered three options for card processing: build, buy or partner. - The company chose to partner after evaluating several providers. - Tribe will provide acquirer processing for Payment Options. - The partnership is intended to support Payment Options' direct acquiring businesses in Asia-Pacific and CEMEA. - Aaron Yip, managing director of Payment Options, said the company wanted genuine payments expertise and market knowledge. - Yip said Tribe’s technical expertise and prior experience with card schemes gave Payment Options confidence and could save time. - Yip also said the implementation team showed flexibility and willingness to go the extra mile. - Matt Weir, general manager for Asia-Pacific at Tribe Payments, said Payment Options' path from referral partner to payment facilitator to principal member and acquirer reflects broader growth in Asia-Pacific merchant acquiring. - Weir said Tribe will provide the processing backbone for Payment Options as it expands merchant acquiring across the region.

Between the lines: - Payment Options' decision to outsource processing suggests speed to market mattered as much as control over infrastructure. - Principal membership can open direct acquiring economics, but it also raises the operational bar for compliance, scheme connectivity and processing reliability. - Tribe appears to be using the deal to deepen its footprint in Asia-Pacific, where regional acquiring demand is growing. - Payment Options has already referred several of its own partners to Tribe, which may broaden the relationship beyond a single processing contract.

What's next: - Payment Options plans a phased rollout into more markets beyond Mauritius. - The company is also exploring additional Tribe products, including SoftPOS. - Tribe and Payment Options said they expect to explore further payment solutions as the partnership grows.

The bottom line: - Payment Options has chosen a partner-led path for its acquiring expansion, using Tribe Payments to accelerate direct card processing while it scales across new markets.

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