The Problem: Growing Software Companies Need More Control Over Payments

BY Danielle

Software companies processing payments often start with a managed Payment Facilitator (PFAC) model, where a provider handles the complexities of payment operations. But as these companies grow—scaling from $50M to $250M in volume, and eventually into the billions—they may want to become a fully registered PFAC and take full control over underwriting, risk management, and payments operations.

Many providers talk about supporting this transition, but few actually do. The reality? Most software companies face painful migrations just to move from a managed PFAC model to full PFAC status.

The Solution: Full PFAC Control Without the Headaches

With Forward’s administrative portal, software platforms can fully manage their payments business on our platform—whether they operate as a managed PFAC or a registered PFAC.

Most importantly, we make upgrading seamless:

• Start in a managed PFAC model, where we handle compliance and operations
• When ready, become a registered PFAC—without switching technology, providers, or agreements
• Gain full control over underwriting, risk holds, user settings, and system configurations

The Impact: Scale Without Disruption

When software platforms grow, their payments strategy should evolve with them—without forcing them to rebuild their payments infrastructure.

With Forward, companies can scale from startup to publicly traded SaaS giant (think Toast, Mindbody, or ServiceTitan) without a single payments migration. And when they take full control, they keep 100% of their payment revenue, with Forward shifting to a pure SaaS provider.

No downtime. No disruption. Just growth, powered by the same technology from day one.