UK fintech selects Tribe for transaction processing and 3D Secure capabilities as it expands merchant services
London, UK — September 9, 2026. MADFIN, a UK-based fintech specializing in next-generation card acquiring, has formed a partnership with Tribe Payments, a global payments technology provider known for its issuer and acquirer processing solutions. Tribe will supply the transaction processing and 3D Secure infrastructure supporting MADFIN's expansion of merchant acquiring services throughout the UK.
MADFIN was launched in late 2024 by payments veterans Irina Litvinova and Kristina Sestaka with a mission to address persistent problems in the acquiring sector—among them, sluggish onboarding, disjointed compliance processes, and unreliable merchant support.
Under the new partnership, Tribe will deliver Processing Centre services along with Merchant Plug-In (MPI) technology for 3D Secure authentication, underpinning MADFIN's capabilities in transaction authorization, clearing, fraud prevention, and adherence to card scheme requirements.
From the start, MADFIN prioritized finding an infrastructure partner equipped to support a compliance-focused acquiring operation built for long-term scalability.
"Our goal was to build an acquiring business the right way—grounded in solid infrastructure, deep expertise in card schemes, and a real commitment to trust, compliance, and merchant support," said Kristina Sestaka, Director at MADFIN. "Tribe stood out right away, not only for their track record with Visa and Mastercard, but also for their reputation for delivering structured, professional onboarding."
She added: "Throughout the process, the Tribe team has been consistently responsive, knowledgeable, and collaborative, and that support has played a major role in helping us scale MADFIN across the UK."
Thanks to the partnership, MADFIN was able to launch its acquiring infrastructure rapidly—completing Mastercard integration in under two months, with Visa onboarding finalized within the first year. This pace marks a significant milestone for a newly launched acquirer breaking into the market.
Since going live, MADFIN reports that transaction volumes routed through Tribe's platform have increased by roughly 20% each month on average.
Robin Anderson, Head of Product at Tribe Payments, commented: "MADFIN embodies the new wave of acquirers entering the industry with compliance, merchant experience, and operational resilience embedded from the outset. We're proud to back their growth with infrastructure designed to scale alongside 3D Secure authentication, and we're excited to deepen this partnership as MADFIN continues to grow."
Looking ahead, the two companies expect to broaden their collaboration in the months to come, with MADFIN currently evaluating additional features—including Apple Pay and Google Pay integration—through Tribe's platform.
About MADFIN
MADFIN is a UK fintech focused on modern card acquiring, helping businesses accept payments through secure, compliant, and user-friendly processing solutions. Founded in 2024, the company combines deep payments expertise with a compliance-first approach to deliver reliable acquiring services for UK merchants.
About Tribe Payments
Founded in 2018 as an issuer and acquirer processor, Tribe Payments has evolved its payment platform to give customers the power to deliver frictionless, safe customer experiences at any and every point of the entire transaction flow, enabling merchants, banks, fintechs, issuers, and acquirers to easily access a full ecosystem of products, allowing them to build, customise, and launch innovative solutions quickly, without sacrificing quality.
Tribe is Europe’s only processor working with Mastercard, Visa, American Express, UnionPay International, Discover and JCB, offering unrivalled global connectivity through just one integration.
Tribe’s mission is to deliver payment technology that eliminates the trade-off between scale and speed, leveraging its modular, scalable, and secure cloud-based platform, which is PCI Level 1 compliant.
To find out more visit https://www.tribepayments.com
