NMIBlogger

Independent analysis of payment gateway platforms

PARTNERS / NMI

NMI Partners: ISO, ISV, and white-label programs

NMI's business is built almost entirely on distribution partners. The company reports work with thousands of technology partners and support for ISOs, ISVs, PayFacs, banks, and software platforms across its gateway.

Partner models NMI supports

NMI works with all of the standard distribution shapes: ISOs registered with the card networks who resell merchant accounts and carry liability; resellers operating underneath a registered ISO; ISVs embedding the gateway into their own software; and white-label partners who rebrand the entire platform under their own name, with merchants seeing that partner's brand rather than NMI's. NMI also supports PayFac and semi-PayFac configurations for partners who want to streamline sub-merchant onboarding with faster, more automated approval, even though NMI itself is a gateway rather than a registered payment facilitator.

How pricing works for partners

NMI partners are quoted a buy rate — the cost NMI charges for gateway services — and can mark up fees above that rate on the gateway side; the margin above the buy rate belongs to the partner. On the processing side, revenue-share arrangements split the spread between the partner's underlying costs and what's charged to the merchant, with the exact split depending on the partner agreement and volume tier. Partner enrollment itself goes through a lighter vetting process than merchant underwriting: individual merchants are underwritten separately by whichever acquirer they're placed with, since they're the ones assuming transaction risk. See our pricing guide for how buy rates and revenue share typically show up on a statement.

Technology and integration partners

Beyond distribution partners, NMI maintains a large roster of technology integrations — shopping carts, POS systems, CRMs, and vertical software — that plug into the gateway through its APIs and SDKs. For an ISV, this ecosystem is often as relevant as the acquirer list: it determines how much pre-built integration work you inherit versus build from scratch.

What to ask before becoming an NMI partner

  • What's the buy rate at your expected volume tier, and how is it reviewed as volume grows?
  • Which of the 200+ acquirer connections are actually live and certified for your target vertical?
  • Does your model call for full ISO registration, a reseller arrangement under an existing ISO, or a PayFac-style build?
  • What device and EMV certifications does your hardware need, and are they already certified on NMI's platform?
Partner terms, buy rates, and revenue-share structures are negotiated individually and are not published by NMI. This page describes the general program structure based on public information; confirm exact terms directly with NMI.