Why some payment partners say no (and others don’t)

NGOs often get ghosted or rejected by payment providers without explanation. We explain why and the alternatives.

Some banks and payment providers just don’t like working with NGOs.

They may not set out to deliberately exclude them. Yet working with charities, non-profits and NGOs isn’t their core business or core competence. Nor is it within their risk appetite.

So, by process of elimination, saying ‘no’ is their only option. We pull back the curtain on why and what this means for NGOs.

Why NGOs are excluded

International payments are not the focus for local or regional banks. They specialise in offering everyday products and services, such as deposit accounts, savings products and mortgages.

They’re not set up to be experts on other countries’ banking infrastructure, specific payment corridors or what’s need to move payments along. So, they can’t provide the true consultative service that NGOs desperately need.

NGOs typically make transfers to high-risk and/or difficult-to-reach countries. Not every bank is willing or able to support this. Imagine you’re a regional savings bank in Denmark or Germany. Do you really have the wherewithal or the connections to wire money to Kenya, Mali or Myanmar?

Understanding risk

Then there’s the issue of risk appetite. Banks and payment service providers (PSPs) may simply say ‘no’ to NGO business, if it costs too much to mitigate their risk – or perceived risk – exposure. It’s about the commercially viability of the relationship.

There’s also an overlap with ‘de-risking’ or ‘over-compliance’. Banks may not feel confident in assessing and managing the risks of working with NGOs, so they de-risk them altogether.

What documentation you’re asked for, and whether a provider can take you on, comes down to how they’ve calibrated their own risk model. It’s not a judgement of your mission. Understanding this helps NGOs come better prepared and find partners who are actually set up to serve them.

Non-bank payment providers like Inpay are emerging with the Specialisation, risk appetite and connections to link NGO destination and origin countries.

How specialisation drives performance

Being able to handle complex, individual payments with full transparency is where a fintech like Inpay makes a difference.

Inpay has the expertise around what’s needed to deliver a successful payment, including but not limited to:

• Specific payment corridors
• Documentation requirements
• Questions likely to be asked
• Quickest way to route payments to pre-empt problems

This is a different approach and skillset to a bank, who wouldn’t necessarily support and guide customers to that extent.

The appetite to serve NGOs

There is no single solution to risk management, but Inpay may hold a unique advantage through its origins, founder’s vision and appetite to serve the NGO sector.

The company began in 2008 after Danish entrepreneur Jacob Tackmann Thomsen experienced the inefficiency of international donations. Fees reduced the value of contributions and delays slowed delivery. So, he created Inpay to make cross-border payments as affordable, secure, fast and simple as local bank transfers.

Drawing on Thomsen’s expertise in Big Data and RegTech, GRC (governance, risk management and compliance) was embedded into Inpay from the outset. Today, Inpay is regulated and strong compliance and anti-financial crime controls are prerequisites of its license.

Global coverage

Alternative ways for moving money across national borders do exist. But the workarounds don’t always work. They are often partial or point-to-point solutions, meaning NGOs may have to source methods by country. Or maintain ‘back-up’ relationships with multiple suppliers, which is time-consuming and resource intensive.

Inpay’s proprietary network of global financial institutions makes it quicker, safer and more cost-effective for NGOs to send money internationally compared to SWIFT wire transfers, money service businesses and cash couriers.

Covering 70% of the top 17 countries receiving humanitarian aid via local bank transfer, and the remainder via international wire, Inpay helps the financial inclusion of societies otherwise cut off from the global economy.