Expertise
Payments & Banking Infrastructure Advisory
Advisory on the infrastructure, counterparties and commercial terms that sit underneath a financial product.
The problem this work solves
Payment and banking infrastructure decisions are usually treated as technical. They are commercial. The choice of acquirer, payment service provider, banking partner or settlement model determines unit economics, cash flow, redundancy and how quickly a product can be launched in a new market.
Wernberg & Partners advises on those decisions with a view of both sides: what the infrastructure has to do, and what it costs commercially over time. That includes assessing partners, designing the stack, and running the negotiations that decide the terms.
Typical situations
When companies bring us in
A banking or acquiring relationship is being onboarded, renegotiated or at risk, and the business needs an assessment before committing.
Processing costs, settlement terms or reserve requirements are eroding margin and it is unclear which part of the stack is responsible.
A single acquirer or banking partner represents concentration risk and a second route is being considered.
A new market or product requires local payment methods, local settlement or a different banking structure.
A payments setup grew organically and now needs to be documented, rationalised and priced properly.
Scope
What we work on
Payment-stack design
How acquiring, gateways, orchestration, payment methods and payout rails fit together for the product, the geography and the risk profile.
Banking partners
Assessing banking partners and their appetite, structure, operational reality and commercial terms against what the business actually needs.
Acquiring and PSPs
Acquirer and payment service provider selection, multi-acquirer strategy, routing logic and the commercial and risk implications of each.
Settlement models
Settlement timing, currency handling, reserves, rolling holdbacks and the effect on working capital.
Treasury considerations
Flow of funds, account structure, liquidity and how funding and payout cycles interact with commercial commitments.
Partner assessment
Structured evaluation of counterparties across commercial terms, operational capability, risk posture and durability of the relationship.
Commercial negotiations
Preparing and running negotiations on pricing, terms, service levels and exit conditions, with the benchmarks that make the position credible.
Unit economics
Translating the stack into a per-transaction and per-customer economic picture that commercial and finance teams can plan against.
Engagement
How the engagement works
01
Current state
Mapping the existing stack, counterparties, terms and costs, including what is contractually committed.
02
Assessment
Where the setup is commercially weak, operationally fragile or over-concentrated, and what the alternatives realistically look like.
03
Execution
Partner sourcing, introductions where appropriate, negotiation support and structuring the transition.
04
Continued involvement
Support through onboarding and the first operating period, when most assumptions get tested.
Selected work
Engagements of this type
Structuring financial infrastructure
Assessing banking, acquiring, payments and digital-asset counterparties to create a commercially stronger and more resilient setup.
Entering a new market
Determining infrastructure partners, settlement and route to market before significant resources are committed.
This is the same ground covered daily at Crosswire, which builds financial infrastructure for complex and high-risk businesses across banking, payments, acquiring and digital assets. See selected involvement.
Related expertise
Digital assets advisory
When fiat infrastructure and banking access have to work for a digital-asset business.
Fintech commercial strategy and GTM advisory
When the stack is settled and pricing and distribution decide the outcome.
Who does the work
Advisory delivered personally
Engagements are led by Gustaf Hult, founder and senior advisor at Wernberg & Partners, who works directly with founders, executives and commercial teams across fintech, payments, banking and digital assets. Specialist expertise is brought in from the wider network where an engagement requires it.
Wernberg & Partners is an advisory firm. It does not provide regulated payment, banking or money transmission services.
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