--- title: "Partner Journey Overview" slug: "to-publish-partner-journey-overview" updated: 2026-07-08T19:35:17Z published: 2026-07-08T19:35:17Z canonical: "www.documentation.paynetics.digital/to-publish-partner-journey-overview" --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://www.documentation.paynetics.digital/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Partner Journey Overview This article gives a high-level map of the full partner lifecycle at Paynetics — from first conversation through to an active live Program. The journey is consistent across all products (Embedded Finance, Acquiring, Digital Wallet), though the specific workstreams within each phase differ by product. Each phase below links to the **detailed published articles** that cover it in full. Use this article as a navigation guide; use the linked articles for the step-by-step detail. --- ## The Four Phases ```plaintext Initial Sales & Pre-Vetting → Implementation → Go-Live → Post-Live Operations ``` --- ## Phase 1: Initial Sales & Pre-Vetting **Owner: Sales, Risk & Compliance, Legal, Product** This phase covers everything from the first meeting to a signed agreement. It has two parts: ### Initial Sales - Sales vetting and standard presales process - NDA signing (allow ~2 weeks) - Commercial proposal and indicative pricing - Letter of Intent (LOI) signing (allow ~30 days) - Agreement template distribution requires Legal and Management alignment before sharing See: [**Paynetics Initial Process**](https://www.documentation.paynetics.digital/public/docs/en/paynetics-initial-sales-process) ### Pre-Vetting A cross-functional team reviews the partner's business model before onboarding proceeds. This involves Risk & Monitoring, Compliance, Underwriting, Legal, Finance, Product, and Engineering. Key steps: - 8-page pre-vetting questionnaire (7-day target) - Risk and Control Assessment using the Distributor Risk and Control Assessment Template - Risk Committee decision (1–20 days) - Statement of Work (SOW) preparation and signing (can take 1–3 months) See: [**Due Diligence Phase**](https://www.documentation.paynetics.digital/public/docs/en/due-diligence-kycky-onboarding-phase) --- ## Phase 2: Implementation **Owner: Project Management, Engineering, Risk & Compliance, Legal, CardOps, Finance** The implementation phase runs across five parallel workstreams. It typically takes **6–12 weeks** depending on product complexity. ### Technical A Sandbox Instance is provisioned for your team to build and test against. You integrate with the relevant Paynetics APIs and run through a mandatory set of test cases before production access is granted. See: [**Technical Integration Phase**](https://www.documentation.paynetics.digital/public/docs/en/technical-integration-phase) ### KYC / KYB Review Your customer onboarding process and KYC/KYB vendors are reviewed and approved by Paynetics Compliance. Both Paynetics Managed and Partner Managed modes are agreed and configured here. See: [**KYC and KYB Review**](https://www.documentation.paynetics.digital/public/docs/en/kyc-and-kyb) and [**Partner Managed KYC and KYB**](https://www.documentation.paynetics.digital/public/docs/en/partner-managed-kyc) ### Risk & Monitoring Transaction monitoring rules, fraud thresholds, and AML controls are configured for your Program. A risk profile is established for your customer base. See: [**Risk and Monitoring Onboarding Phase**](https://www.documentation.paynetics.digital/public/docs/en/risk-and-monitoring-onboarding-phase) ### Legal Master Service Agreement (MSA), product schedules, Data Processing Agreement (DPA), and any regulatory agent registration paperwork are completed. For Bulgarian National Bank (BNB) registration, allow 20–40 days for document collection and processing. See: [**BNB Application**](https://www.documentation.paynetics.digital/public/docs/en/legal-onboarding-phase) ### Card & Finance Setup Card programs, fee structures, limits, and pricing are configured in the platform. Settlement accounts, funding accounts, and billing preferences are established. See: [**Card Set-up Phase**](https://www.documentation.paynetics.digital/public/docs/en/card-set-up-phase) and [**Finance Set-up**](https://www.documentation.paynetics.digital/public/docs/en/finance-set-up) --- ## Phase 3: Go-Live **Owner: Project Management, all workstream leads** Go-live is a controlled milestone — not a switch flip. All implementation workstreams must sign off before production access is granted. ### Pre-Go-Live Validation - Production credentials issued and test transactions validated - Regulatory notifications filed (BNB: 15-day notice period; FCA for UK operations: 3–5 days) - Website compliance checks (footer, Terms & Conditions, Privacy Policy) - AML monitoring rules configured in production - Card scheme registrations confirmed by CardOps - End-to-end KYC/KYB review of any test customers onboarded in production See: [**Pre-Go Live Preparation**](https://www.documentation.paynetics.digital/public/docs/en/pre-go-live-preparation) ### Go-Live Letter Paynetics issues a formal Go-Live Letter once all checks are complete. Only after this should you begin processing live customer transactions. For the full readiness checklist, see: [**Go-Live Checklist**](/docs/05%20-%20Go-Live%20Checklist.md) --- ## Phase 4: Post-Live Operations **Owner: Account Management, Support, Risk, Finance** The first 30 days post-launch are monitored closely with regular check-ins. After 30 days, you are handed over to the ongoing Account Management team. Ongoing operational activities include: | Area | What it covers | | --- | --- | | **Technical Support** | API questions, integration changes, incident escalation | | **Billing & Reporting** | Monthly invoices, transaction reports, SFTP reconciliation files | | **Risk & Monitoring** | Ongoing transaction monitoring, AML reviews, fraud alerts | | **KYC/KYB Audit** | Annual audit of your KYC/KYB process and vendor capability | | **SCA Audits** | Annual SCA penetration test review (Embedded Finance) | | **Program Changes** | Adding products, adjusting fee structures, new geographies — requires SOW update | | **Marketing Campaigns** | Prior approval required if Paynetics or card scheme branding is involved | --- ## Roles and Responsibilities Summary | Activity | Paynetics | Partner | | --- | --- | --- | | API integration | Provides docs, sandbox, test cases | Builds and tests integration | | Customer KYC/KYB | Manages verification (or reviews your process) | Provides customer data | | Program configuration | Configures in platform | Defines business requirements | | Legal agreements | Drafts and negotiates | Reviews and signs | | Regulatory filing | Files with BNB/FCA | Cooperates and provides info | | End-customer support | Escalation (second line) | First-line support | | Ongoing compliance | Regulatory owner | Cooperates; reports anomalies | --- ## Related Detailed Articles **Phase 1:** - [Paynetics Initial Process](https://www.documentation.paynetics.digital/public/docs/en/paynetics-initial-sales-process) - [Due Diligence Phase](https://www.documentation.paynetics.digital/public/docs/en/due-diligence-kycky-onboarding-phase) **Phase 2:** - [Technical Integration Phase](https://www.documentation.paynetics.digital/public/docs/en/technical-integration-phase) - [KYC and KYB Review](https://www.documentation.paynetics.digital/public/docs/en/kyc-and-kyb) - [Partner Managed KYC and KYB](https://www.documentation.paynetics.digital/public/docs/en/partner-managed-kyc) - [Risk and Monitoring Onboarding Phase](https://www.documentation.paynetics.digital/public/docs/en/risk-and-monitoring-onboarding-phase) - [BNB Application](https://www.documentation.paynetics.digital/public/docs/en/legal-onboarding-phase) - [Card Set-up Phase](https://www.documentation.paynetics.digital/public/docs/en/card-set-up-phase) - [Finance Set-up](https://www.documentation.paynetics.digital/public/docs/en/finance-set-up) **Phase 3:** - [Pre-Go Live Preparation](https://www.documentation.paynetics.digital/public/docs/en/pre-go-live-preparation) - [Go-Live Checklist](/docs/05%20-%20Go-Live%20Checklist.md) A **Program** defines the configuration under which accounts and cards operate. Programs specify: - supported currencies - account and IBAN generation rules - availability of virtual and physical cards - default card behaviour such as limits, fees, usage controls, and wallet enablement Each account is created under a specific program and references it via a **program code**, which is provided during **partner onboarding**. Programs establish default behaviour at both account level and card level. These defaults can be refined later through API configuration where applicable. An **Instance** is a logically separated environment within the Paynetics platform. Each partner operates within a dedicated instance. An instance contains all configuration and data related to that partner, including programs, users, merchants, accounts, cards, and transactions. API credentials issued to a partner are always associated with a specific instance. During **partner onboarding**, Paynetics provisions: - a **Sandbox instance** for implementation and testing - a **Production instance** for live operation once partner onboarding is completed and the solution is validated All objects created within the platform belong to exactly one instance. A **Partner** is the entity that integrates Paynetics’ services and offers them to end customers. Partners operate within their own instance and manage users, merchants, applications, and programs. They define fees, user flows, and configurations within the limits of their contractual agreement and may be responsible for KYC or KYB processing. The partner is the primary integrator and owner of the end-to-end solution built on Paynetics. Anti-Money Laundering. A set of laws, regulations, and procedures designed to detect and prevent criminals from disguising illegally obtained funds as legitimate income. Financial institutions must maintain AML programmes including transaction monitoring, suspicious-activity reporting, and sanctions screening. The actual transfer of funds between financial institutions to complete a card transaction or a batch of transactions. In the BIN Sponsorship context, settlement refers to the daily funding movement from the Programme Manager to Paynetics to cover net scheme obligations. Financial Conduct Authority. The financial regulatory body in the United Kingdom responsible for authorising and supervising financial services firms, including Electronic Money Institutions. Paynetics UK Ltd is authorised by the FCA. A **Card** is a payment instrument linked to an account or a virtual account. Cards can be issued as virtual or physical and can be configured for consumer or business use. Each card is associated with a single account and uses the balance of that account for transactions. Card behaviour, including limits, fees, usage permissions, and wallet enablement, is defined by the program and card-level configuration. Know Your Customer. The regulatory and risk-management process of verifying the identity of individual customers before onboarding them to a financial service. KYC obligations fall on the entity holding the customer relationship. An **Account** is a payment or e-money account used to hold funds and execute transactions. Accounts are created under a specific instance and program and are associated with either a user or a merchant. They provide the logical structure under which balances, cards, and transactions are organised. Common account purposes include: - executing card payments and transfers - holding settlement funds - pre-funding services such as OCT An account acts as a container for balances rather than holding funds directly. Know Your Business. The regulatory and risk-management process of verifying the identity, ownership structure, and legitimacy of business entities before onboarding them as customers. Strong Customer Authentication. A regulatory requirement under PSD2 mandating that electronic payments are authenticated using at least two independent factors: something the user knows, something the user has, and something the user is. SCA is enforced at checkout via 3DS for card payments.