From October 2026, Visa wants to know exactly who is touching your account
Visa's Third Party Agent rules require acquirers to register and oversee the ISOs, agents and service providers involved in a merchant account. It is a good moment to find out how many parties are actually in yours.
Takes effect October 24, 2026
Visa’s Third Party Agent rules require acquirers to register and oversee the ISOs, agents and service providers that touch the payment chain, with changes taking effect 24 October 2026.
This is a rule aimed at acquirers rather than at merchants. It is still worth knowing about, because it puts a name to something most business owners have never been told: there are usually several companies between your terminal and your bank, and you have probably only met one of them.
The question it makes easy to ask
Most merchants can name the person who sold them the account. Fewer can name the ISO. Fewer still can name the acquirer, which is the entity that actually holds the account.
That matters when something goes wrong, because the party you call is often not the party who can fix it — and when a portfolio is sold, the relationship that moves is the one you never met.
What we would ask
- Who is your acquirer, as opposed to who sold you the account?
- Is there an ISO in between, and are they named anywhere on your agreement?
- If your provider were acquired tomorrow, whose terms would you be on?
We are in this chain too, and disclose where we sit. The point of the question is not that intermediaries are bad — it is that you should be able to name them.
Where this comes from
We link the source rather than asking you to take our word for it. If a source moves or turns out to be wrong, tell us and we will correct the note rather than quietly delete it.
Terms in this note
- Visa Third Party Agent RulesNetwork rules requiring acquirers to register and oversee the ISOs, agents and service providers that touch their merchants.
- ISO / MSPThe independent sales layer between you and the acquirer. ISO is Visa's term, MSP is Mastercard's, and they mean the same thing.
- Registered ISO vs Wholesale ISO vs AgentThree rungs of the sales ladder. They differ in who registers, who owns the merchant contract, and who eats the losses.
- AcquirerThe bank or company that holds your merchant account, takes on your risk, and deposits your money. Often not who sold you the account.
Not sure how this applies to you?
That is the sort of thing a review is for. It costs nothing and often ends with us saying nothing needs to change.
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