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Module 09 — Legal, Tax & Business Setup
Payment Processors by Region
30 min · text · Beginner
Stripe works in 47 countries. You are in one of the other 148? That does not mean you cannot sell globally — it means you need to know the alternatives. This lesson maps every viable payment processor by region, including the multi-currency accounts that let operators in India, Nigeria, or Brazil accept US dollars without losing 5% on each conversion.
The payment processor landscape in 2026
This is not a "just use Stripe" lesson. Stripe is the default for a reason — it is well-documented, integrates with everything, and has competitive fees. But if you are operating from a country where Stripe is not available, or if you need multi-currency receiving, or if Shopify Payments does not cover your region, you need a map.
This lesson provides that map.
This is not financial advice. Payment processor fees, availability, and terms change. Verify current rates and availability on each provider's website before committing.
Available everywhere: PayPal
PayPal works in 200+ countries and is the fallback for operators who cannot access Stripe. The trade-offs:
- Fees: 2.9% + fixed fee (varies by currency — $0.30 USD, A$0.30 AUD, £0.20 GBP)
- Holds: New sellers frequently have funds held for 21 days until shipping confirmation
- Disputes: Buyer-almost-always-wins dispute resolution. Chargeback rate tolerance is lower than Stripe.
- Pros: Universal recognition. Some demographics (45+) prefer PayPal checkout. Express checkout reduces friction.
- Cons: Account freezes are common for new high-volume sellers. Scaling past $50k/month on PayPal alone is risky — one dispute spike and your funds are frozen.
Recommendation: Accept PayPal as a secondary payment method (it will capture 8-15% of checkouts), but do not rely on it as your primary processor. The fund-hold risk is too high for a cash-flow-dependent business.
Stripe and alternatives by region
Tier 1 — Stripe available (47 countries)
US, Canada, UK, EU, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong, UAE (and 37 others).
If Stripe is available in your country, use it. Standard fees:
- US: 2.9% + $0.30
- UK: 1.4% + £0.20 (European cards), 2.9% + £0.20 (non-European)
- Australia: 1.75% + A$0.30 (domestic), 2.9% + A$0.30 (international)
- EU: 1.4% + €0.25 (European cards), 2.9% + €0.25 (non-European)
- Singapore: 3.4% + S$0.50
Stripe advantages: instant payouts (US, UK), Stripe Radar fraud detection included, direct Shopify integration, webhook-first architecture.
India — Stripe unavailable natively
Stripe is not directly available in India for domestic businesses. Options:
- Razorpay — India's Stripe equivalent. 2% per transaction (no fixed fee). Supports UPI, wallets, cards, net banking. Settlement: T+2 days. International payments: separate international card processing at 3%.
- Cashfree Payments — 1.9% per transaction. Faster settlement (T+1 available). Strong API. Good for subscriptions.
- PayU India — 2% per transaction. Older platform, wider bank integrations.
- Stripe Atlas route — Form a US LLC via Stripe Atlas ($500 one-time). You get a US bank account (Mercury or SVB) + Stripe US account. Sell globally as a US entity. This is the most common path for Indian operators selling to US/EU markets.
If selling to US/EU from India: Stripe Atlas + Mercury + Stripe US is the gold standard. Setup cost: ~$500 +