Strategies for Scaling Businesses in Regulated Industries

Scaling a business is hard. Scaling a business in a highly regulated sector is even harder.

If you sell CBD, run a forex platform, online gaming…ANY business that falls into a “high risk” category banks define. You know the struggle.

Processors put your money on hold. Banks deny you left and right. Expansion seems hopeless.

Here’s the good news:

There is a smarter way to scale.

This guide will cover the techniques currently employed by regulated businesses to scale internationally — accepting payments in multiple currencies among the top providers.

Let’s jump in!

Table of Contents

Here’s what’s inside:

Why Regulated Industries Struggle to Scale
The Power Of Multi-Currency Payment Acceptance
5x Smart Strategies For Scaling Your Regulated Business
Top 5 High-Risk Merchant Account Providers Ranked

Why Regulated Industries Struggle to Scale

Operating in a regulated sector means dealing with three big challenges:

Stricter compliance requirements
Higher chargeback ratios
Limited access to standard payment processors

Traditional processors (Stripe, PayPal) don’t want to touch it. They blacklist, hold your money, close stores with no notice.

But the demand for these products and services is huge.

Cross-border ecommerce is booming, digital payments spend increased from $1.7 trillion globally in 2014 to $18.7 trillion in 2024. That’s an almost eleven-fold increase in ten years.

Growing like this requires infrastructure that can scale with regulated businesses. Cross-border payments, multiple currencies, compliance built in from day one.

That’s where a dedicated high-risk payment service can help. They know how to accept multi-currency payments, handle chargebacks and navigate regulatory challenges that regulated businesses encounter daily. They tailor payment infrastructure built specifically for your industry from day one.

The Power Of Multi-Currency Payment Acceptance

Multi-currency payment acceptance is no longer optional.

It’s what separates a scalable business from a business that can only stay local.

Here’s why it matters:

Customers like to pay with their own currency. Prices displayed in local currency build brand trust, convert better, and increase spend.

Did you know that actually 93% of consumers say that having products displayed in their local currency affects their buying decisions. That is massive number you can’t ignore.

For regulated businesses, multi-currency support brings extra benefits:

Reduced cart abandonment: Customers don’t bail at checkout because of unfamiliar pricing.
Better approval rates: Local currency processing means transactions go through local acquiring banks.
Save on FX costs: You hedge risk instead of losing margin to FX conversion fees.
Wider market access: Enter new countries without setting up new legal entities.

Pretty cool, right?

5x Smart Strategies For Scaling Your Regulated Business

Okay, now for the good stuff. Below are strategies smart operators are using to scale in their regulated businesses TODAY. Read through them all, choose a few that sound good, and implement them until you see results.

Build A Payment Stack With Redundancy

Never rely on a single processor. Ever.

If one processor freezes your account, you are done. Period. Savvy operators in regulated industries diversify risk by using:

Multiple high-risk merchant accounts
Backup processors in different jurisdictions
Alternative payment methods like ACH and crypto

See, this way.. if one processor crashes/funds freeze up, your money continues to come in through the others.

Bake Compliance In From Day One

Compliance is not a “later” problem. It’s a “right now” problem.

Regulated businesses must make compliance part of your core. That’s KYC, AML and chargeback systems up and running before you scale — not in response to your first regulator complaint.

The good news? Modern high-risk payment providers handle most of this work for you.

Expand Into Multi-Currency Early

Don’t wait until you’re “ready” to go global.

Accept multiple currencies from day one. You can experiment with new markets without risk and discover where your best customers reside. Then scale-up where the wins occur.

Optimise Your Chargeback Ratio

Chargebacks kill regulated businesses faster than anything else.

You will get bounced from your merchant account if your chargeback ratio exceeds 1%. To maintain good health:

Use clear billing descriptors
Send real-time order confirmations
Have a friendly, fast refund policy
Use chargeback alerts and dispute tools

Most high-risk processors include these tools as standard. Use them!

Pick The Right Payment Partner

This is the most important strategy of all.

A poor payment partner will drive your business into the ground. The right one will let you scale internationally without breaking a sweat.

So how do you pick the right one? Let’s take a look…

Top 5 High-Risk Merchant Account Providers Ranked

Here are the best high-risk merchant account providers for regulated businesses right now.

1. 2Accept

2Accept is the #1 choice for businesses in highly regulated sectors.

Their niche is industries that most processors won’t service — gaming, forex, CBD, nutraceuticals, adult, travel etc. They differentiate themselves by accepting multiple currencies for payment, quick onboarding and having extensive experience working with cross border transactions.

You also receive a human compliance team. They really GET compliance. Along with chargeback tools, fraud prevention & global acquiring, all in one place.

2. PaymentCloud

PaymentCloud is one of the most sought-after processors for ecommerce merchants that have been declined elsewhere. Features include white glove onboarding, and access to a large network of acquiring banks.

Good for newer high-risk businesses still finding their feet.

3. Durango Merchant Services

Durango is an old school player. They do complicated placements quite well. Multi-currency processing / ACH are supported, and they have some international merchant experience.

A reliable second option.

4. Soar Payments

Soar provides fast approvals and transparent pricing. Soar partners with firearms dealers as well as subscription & continuity merchants.

Less focus on multi-currency, but solid for US-only operations.

5. Easy Pay Direct

Easy Pay Direct operates under a “load balancing” model. Transactions are dispersed among several processors. This minimizes your chances of being shut down.

A smart choice for built-in redundancy from day one.

Final Thoughts

Scaling a business in a regulated sector is tough… But it isn’t impossible.

Winning businesses focus on payment infrastructure early. They leverage multi-currency payment acceptance to access global demand. They diversify risk across processors. And choose payment partners that understand their vertical.

To quickly recap: