Shift4
- Company role:
- Online payment gateway
The former Smartpay Australia, rebranding to Shift4 after acquisition. An acquirer in New Zealand, but Cuscal-sponsored in Australia — do not carry the status across the Tasman.
About Shift4
Shift4 acquired Smartpay for around $180 million, and Smartpay is being rebranded to Shift4 — its own site says it will be taking on the Shift4 name over the coming weeks. Smartpay Holdings’ former NZX and ASX listing has ended through the takeover, and the listed parent is now Shift4 Payments on the NYSE. Smartpay should no longer be treated as an independent Australasian company.
The licensing position is asymmetric across the Tasman and is the thing to get right: Smartpay is an acquirer in New Zealand, but in Australia its own site states that payment services are settled via its licensed partner Cuscal Limited, AFSL 244116. So in Australia it is a sponsored facilitator, not a principal acquirer.
Its Australian market position has historically been small-merchant and hospitality-focused, competing on terminal-inclusive pricing. Australian head office and founding year could not be verified and are left blank.
Shift4 products
Reseller or PayFac
Merchant facility
Shift4 sells a merchant facility under somebody else’s acquiring licence rather than holding one of its own. That is not a knock on it — it is usually quicker to get started on — but it is worth knowing which you are signing.
Payment gateway
Shift4
The former Smartpay Australia under a new name — and an acquiring status that changes at the New Zealand border.
Official site: shift4-au.com.au
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