How it works
Customer select payment
Payment processed via gateway
Transaction routed through infrastructure
Vertex manages reconciliation
Merchant receives settlement
A simple view of how transactions move through the Vertex ecosystem.
A vetted Network, Not an Open Directory
EPay does not operate an open sign-up portal where anyone can register as a merchant and begin transacting immediately. Every merchant on the EPay network is introduced by a verified agent who is already an active, accountable participant in the system.
This referral-based onboarding is the foundation of our merchant trust model. Before a merchant ever processes a single transaction, a named agent has personally vouched for them, completed their introduction into the platform, and assumed a degree of accountability for their conduct on the network.
The onboarding process:
- Agent introduction – A verified EPay agent initiates the merchant’s registration. No merchant account can be created without a valid agent referral linked to it.
- Identity verification – Merchant onboarding includes identity and business verification in line with FICA (Financial Intelligence Centre Act) requirements.
- Merchant profile creation – Once verified, the merchant is issued a unique merchant profile, a dedicated portal login, and a merchant wallet on the EPay platform.
- Terminal or API provisioning – The merchant is then provisioned with their preferred acceptance method – web based terminal, Speedpoint POS device, NFC wristband system, API integration into their existing checkout.
- Ongoing monitoring – All merchant activity is logged and visible to both the merchant and the EPay back office from day one.
The agent who onboards a merchant has a direct financial stake in that merchant’s success and behaviour – their commissions are tied to merchant performance. This is accountability by design.
The Four-Tier Agent Structure
Merchant onboarding sits inside a four-tier distribution network. Each tier earns a commission percentage on transactions flowing through merchants they have introduced, creating a chain of vested interest in merchant quality at ever level:
Tier 1 - National / Platform Level
Commission share - Top level accountability for network integrity.
Tier 2 - Regional Distributor
Commission share - Responsible for agent recruitment and oversight.
Tier 3 - Area Agent
Commission share - Directly responsible for merchant onboarding in their area.
Tier 4 - Venue / Sub Agent
Commission share - Frontline merchant relationship holder.
This means a merchant on the EPay network is not an anonymous account. They are a known entity with a named agent above them, a regional distributor above that, and an auditable referral chain all the the way to the platform level.
