A Netherlands-based payments and financial-technology group serving online merchants across emerging and high-growth markets.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
PayU is a Netherlands-based financial-technology and online-payments group that provides merchants with infrastructure for accepting, processing, securing, and reconciling digital transactions. Its services are designed for websites, mobile applications, marketplaces, and other businesses that need to connect customers with cards, bank transfers, wallets, local payment methods, and credit products. The company operates as part of Prosus, the international consumer-internet and technology investment group formerly associated with Naspers. PayU was founded in 2002 and developed through the consolidation of payment gateways established or acquired in different regions. Rather than growing solely as a single domestic processor, the group assembled locally adapted businesses and progressively placed them under a common PayU identity. In 2014, online-payment businesses owned by Naspers began operating under the PayU brand, giving the organization a more consistent international identity while retaining local payment capabilities and regulatory relationships. The business has historically maintained operations in India, Central and Eastern Europe, Latin America, Africa, and Turkey. Its geographic footprint has changed over time as the group entered new countries, integrated acquisitions, and later concentrated on selected core markets. Expansion included Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania, Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, Slovakia, and Hungary in Europe; Colombia, Brazil, Panama, Peru, and other Latin American markets; and South Africa and Nigeria in Africa. India became one of PayU's most important operating markets after the launch of its local payment gateway in 2011 and subsequent investments and acquisitions in payments, fraud prevention, and consumer finance. PayU's principal merchant offering is a payment gateway and processing stack that can be integrated with web and mobile applications. The platform supports multiple payment methods and is accompanied by payment authentication, transaction routing, settlement, risk controls, and fraud-management capabilities. The group has also operated as an online acquirer for Visa and Mastercard transactions and has offered credit and financing products for consumers and small and medium-sized businesses through selected market businesses and partners. Acquisitions and investments have been central to PayU's development. Examples include the acquisition of Romanian payments company GECAD ePayments, Israeli payment-application-programming-interface provider Zooz, India's Citrus Pay, US-based security technology company Wibmo, Turkish payments company iyzico, and Indian fintech company PaySense. PayU also invested in or funded companies such as Kreditech, Remitly, ZestMoney, and Creditas. These transactions broadened its capabilities beyond transaction acceptance into underwriting, remittances, merchant security, and consumer finance. The group has also pursued portfolio rationalization. In 2023, PayU sold its global payments operations outside core markets including India, Southeast Asia, and Turkey to Rapyd for a reported $610 million. The divestment reduced the breadth of the international portfolio and reflected a more focused strategy around markets where PayU had scale, local infrastructure, or strategic growth opportunities. In 2022, the company reportedly eliminated approximately 150 positions, equivalent to about 6% of its workforce, during a period of adjustment across the technology and financial-services sectors. PayU is a regulated financial institution in the jurisdictions where its businesses operate and relies on local licenses, central-bank permissions, and compliance frameworks. Its competitive position depends on the ability to combine global technology with country-specific payment methods, regulatory knowledge, merchant relationships, and fraud controls. The brand therefore represents a network of regional payment businesses rather than a completely uniform product in…
History
PayU originated in 2002 as a payments business serving online commerce and later became a group assembled from regional payment gateways. Its history is closely connected with Naspers and, subsequently, Prosus, whose portfolio-building approach enabled the company to enter markets through acquisitions, investments, and locally established operating businesses. A major stage of development took place in Europe. PayU S.A. was established in November 2006, with Polish payments company Platnosci.pl incorporated into the group. The company subsequently expanded into the Czech Republic in 2010 and Romania in 2011, followed by operations in Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, Slovakia, and Hungary in 2012. The European businesses gave PayU experience in adapting online-payment technology to markets with different banking systems, payment preferences, and regulatory requirements. PayU's Latin American presence developed from businesses including Pagosonline in Colombia and DineroMail. Pagosonline was founded in 2002 by José Vélez, Martín Schrimpff, and Santiago Spinel. Buscapé, then part of the Naspers group, acquired a majority interest in 2010, while Naspers acquired a majority interest in DineroMail in 2011 and the remaining shares in 2013. Pagosonline and DineroMail were progressively combined and placed under the PayU Latam identity. The regional platform expanded into markets including Panama and Peru. In Brazil, Bcash and PayU were brought together under the PayU brand in 2016. In Africa, PayJar was established in South Africa in 2010 within the Naspers group to help affiliated companies process online payments. It was rebranded PayU in 2011, and the business expanded into Nigeria in 2015. India became a central market after Ibibo, together with Nitin Gupta, Narendra Nandal, and Shailaz Nag, launched PayU's Indian payment gateway in 2011. The service allowed online businesses to integrate payment acceptance into websites and applications. PayU subsequently expanded its Indian capabilities through acquisitions and investments, including Citrus Pay, PaySense, and exposure to consumer-finance businesses such as ZestMoney. Its broader portfolio also included fraud-prevention technology, merchant security, and credit underwriting. The group's acquisition program included GECAD ePayments in Romania, Zooz in Israel, Wibmo in the United States, and iyzico in Turkey. PayU also made investments in Kreditech, Remitly, ZestMoney, PaySense, and Creditas, extending its reach into underwriting, remittances, consumer lending, and financial services. These moves reflected a strategy of building an ecosystem around payment acceptance rather than limiting the brand to a gateway product. PayU consolidated its brand architecture in 2014, when online-payment companies owned by Naspers began operating under the PayU name. The unified identity supported cross-market technology development while individual operations continued to address local payment methods and regulatory conditions. The company later moved toward a more selective geographic strategy. In 2022, it reportedly dismissed approximately 150 employees, or around 6% of its workforce. In 2023, PayU sold its global payments business outside core markets such as India, Southeast Asia, and Turkey to Rapyd for a reported $610 million. The divestment marked a significant reduction in the group's international footprint and emphasized markets where PayU retained stronger scale and strategic relevance. In 2025, PayU acquired a 43.5% stake in Mumbai-based Mindgate Solutions, reinforcing its investment in India's payments infrastructure. PayU remains an active Prosus-owned payments and fintech group, with operations shaped by local licenses, merchant relationships, and market-specific digital-payment behavior.
- 2025
Investment in Mindgate Solutions
[1]PayU acquires a 43.5% stake in Mumbai-based payments company Mindgate Solutions.
- 2023
Payments portfolio is sold to Rapyd
[1]PayU sells payment operations outside selected core markets to Rapyd for a reported $610 million.
- 2022
Workforce reduction
[1]PayU reportedly cuts approximately 150 positions, representing about 6% of its workforce.
- 2016
Bcash and PayU are combined in Brazil
[1]The Brazilian Bcash and PayU operations are brought together under the PayU brand.
- 2014
Naspers payment businesses adopt the PayU brand
[1]Online-payment companies within the Naspers portfolio begin operating under the PayU identity.
- 2011
PayU launches in India
[1]Ibibo and its co-founders launch an Indian PayU payment gateway for website and e-commerce integrations.
- 2006
PayU S.A. is established in Europe
[1]PayU S.A. is established and Polish payments company Platnosci.pl is incorporated into the group.
- 2002
PayU is founded
[1]PayU begins as an online-payments business serving internet merchants.
Products and positioning
A regulated, merchant-focused payments and fintech infrastructure provider combining international technology with locally adapted payment methods and financial services.
Payment gateway
PayU Payment Gateway
A merchant-facing gateway that enables online businesses to connect websites and mobile applications with card payments, bank-based methods, wallets, and other locally relevant payment options. Depending on the market, the service can include checkout integration, transaction routing, authentication, settlement support, and reporting.
Payment processing
PayU Payment Processing and Acquiring
Processing and acquiring services support the authorization and completion of digital transactions for merchants. PayU has operated online Visa and Mastercard acquiring capabilities and combines processing with local payment-method access, compliance controls, reconciliation, and merchant settlement.
Payment security
PayU Fraud and Risk Solutions
PayU's risk stack is intended to help merchants identify suspicious transactions, reduce payment fraud, and manage authentication and security requirements. The group strengthened this area through technology investments and acquisitions, including Wibmo and Zooz-related capabilities.
Digital credit
PayU Credit
PayU's credit-related activities have included consumer financing and merchant or small-business financing in selected markets. These activities have been supported by investments and acquisitions involving underwriting, online consumer finance, and lending platforms rather than representing a single identical product in every country.
Brand decisions
2023
Sale of non-core global payments operations to RapydM&ABackground
PayU sought to concentrate its payments strategy on core markets, including India, Southeast Asia, and Turkey.
Action taken
PayU sold its global payments business outside those core markets to Rapyd for a reported $610 million.
Aftermath
The transaction reduced PayU's geographic breadth and left the group more focused on selected strategic markets.
Reported transaction value. $610 million (2023)
2014
Unification of Naspers payment businesses under PayUStrategyBackground
Naspers owned or controlled payment businesses across several regions, but their separate identities limited the visibility of a common international platform.
Action taken
The businesses began operating under the PayU brand while continuing to serve local markets and payment systems.
Aftermath
The move created a more consistent global brand architecture and supported the presentation of PayU as a multinational payments group.
Recent events
Reported
PayU launches PayU Token Hub[3]
PayU announced the launch of PayU Token Hub, a tokenisation solution built by PayU and Wibmo with card networks and issuing banks. It supports network and issuer tokens through a single hub and is available to merchants, including PayU merchants and issuers supported by Wibmo.
Reported
Google Pay becomes available in Romania through PayU[4]
Google Pay became available in Romania through a partnership between PayU and Google, enabling online shoppers to pay using the service.
Reported
PayU partners with WooCommerce in India[5]
PayU partnered with WooCommerce to provide WooCommerce merchants with digital payments infrastructure and support digitalization of business processes. The partnership includes transaction pricing and contactless payment solutions.
Reported
DotPe raises $27.5 million in Series A funding[6]
DotPe raised $27.5 million in Series A funding. PayU led the round and increased its existing stake, Info Edge Ventures increased its shareholding, and Google joined as a new investor.
PayU and Twisto extend deferred-payment cooperation to Poland[7]
PayU and Twisto announced an extension of their cooperation to Poland, adding Twisto's deferred-payment option to the PayU Pay Later platform for online retailers using PayU. The article says the offering would become available to partner merchants in the coming weeks.
Reported
Remitly secures $85 million in funding[8]
Remitly announced that it secured $85 million in an investment round led by Prosus's PayU, at a $1.5 billion valuation. Other participating investors included Generation Investment Management, Owl Rock Capital, Stripes, DN Capital, Top Tier, Princeville Global and Threshold Ventures.
Reported
PayU announces UPI AutoPay integration for merchants[9]
PayU announced integration of UPI AutoPay for merchants, enabling them to automate recurring customer payments of up to Rs 2,000 per transaction.
PayU acquires PaySense[10]
PayU India said it acquired digital credit startup PaySense for $185 million and acquired all of its assets.
Reported
Shopmatic partners with PayU[11]
Shopmatic signed a strategic partnership with PayU. The integration enables Shopmatic merchants to accept payments through multiple channels and modes on a single platform, and provides access to transaction and refund-management tools.
Sources14 sources
- 1PayUen.wikipedia.org
- 2PayU official websitepayu.in
- 3PayU推出PayU Token Hubbusiness-standard.com
- 4Google Pay通过PayU在罗马尼亚上线business-review.eu
- 5PayU与WooCommerce在印度建立合作aninews.in
- 6DotPe完成2,750万美元A轮融资timesofindia.indiatimes.com
- 7PayU与Twisto将延期付款合作拓展至波兰financialit.net
- 8Remitly获得8500万美元融资crowdfundinsider.com
- 9PayU 宣布为商户接入 UPI AutoPayaninews.in
- 10PayU收购PaySensemoneycontrol.com
- 11Shopmatic与PayU达成合作retail.economictimes.indiatimes.com
- 12PayU launches 'PayU Token Hub' to help businesses comply with RBI normsbusiness-standard.com
- 13PayU launches unique tokenisation solution PayU Token Hubsmetimes.in
- 14Shopmatic partners with PayU | Shopmatic partners with PayUdeccanchronicle.com
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