# SumUp

> Source: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/sumup
> research date 2026-06-01 · extracted at 2026-10-03
> Publisher: Barcoder — encyclopedia of QR, barcode and payment-code standards

Specifications:
- [SumUp — official](https://www.sumup.com/)

## Overview

**SumUp** is a **London-headquartered card-acquiring fintech** for **small + micro-merchants**, best known for its **portable Bluetooth/4G card readers** that pair with a smartphone and its **SoftPOS** ("Tap to Pay") products <sup>[1][1], [United Kingdom report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/GB)</sup>. SumUp targets the **long tail of SMBs and sole traders** — market stalls, cafes, tradespeople — that legacy acquirers historically underserved, competing directly with **[Square](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/square)** and **[Zettle](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/zettle)**.

By 2024 SumUp reported serving **4M+ merchants** across **36+ markets** in Europe, the Americas and beyond, and raised funding at a **~$8.5B valuation**.

## History

**2012 — SumUp founded** in Europe (Berlin/London roots) to bring affordable card acceptance to small merchants via a low-cost dongle reader <sup>[1][1]</sup>.

**2016 — Merger** of SumUp with rival Payleven (Rocket Internet-backed) consolidated the European mobile-POS market.

**2020-2022 — Expansion** into the US, Brazil and additional EU markets; acquisitions including Fivestars (US loyalty) broadened the merchant stack.

**2022 — €590M debt facility**; **2024 — funding round at ~$8.5B valuation** to fund continued growth <sup>[2][2]</sup>.

## Ownership & operator

**Operating entities**: **SumUp Limited / SumUp Payments Limited** (UK), with regulated subsidiaries across the EU.

**Status**: privately-held; backers have included Bain Capital Tech Opportunities, BlackRock, btov, Fin Capital, Goldman Sachs Growth, Centerbridge, Crestline and others.

**Regulators**: **FCA (UK)** as an e-money/payment institution + **BaFin (Germany)** + per-country EU regulators.

## Technical integration

| Layer | Description |
|---|---|
| **Channels** | Mobile card readers (Air, Solo, 3G) + SoftPOS Tap to Pay + online checkout + API/SDK |
| **Identifiers** | Card (chip + contactless) + NFC wallets (Apple Pay / Google Pay) + QR-based payment links |
| **Hardware** | Standalone Solo terminal (built-in connectivity + printer options) + reader-plus-phone model |
| **Merchant focus** | Micro + small merchants; no monthly fee, per-transaction pricing |
| **Stack** | Card acceptance + invoicing + business account + loyalty (Fivestars) |

## Implementations & partners

**Operator**: **SumUp Limited / SumUp Payments Limited**.

**Acquisitions**: Payleven (2016 merger), Fivestars (US loyalty), Goodtill / Tiller (EPOS).

**Card networks**: Visa, Mastercard, and local schemes; NFC wallet acceptance via Apple Pay + Google Pay.

**Competitors**: **[Square](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/square)** (Block Inc.), **[Zettle](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/zettle)** (PayPal), **[Yoco](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/yoco)** (South Africa), plus bank-owned mPOS offerings.

**Regulators**: **FCA + BaFin + per-country EU**.

## Status

**Active**, one of Europe's largest mobile-POS / SMB-acquiring fintechs <sup>[1][1], [2][2]</sup>:
- **4M+ merchants** across 36+ markets.
- **~$8.5B valuation** (2024 funding).
- Hardware + SoftPOS + business-account + invoicing stack.
- **FCA + BaFin + per-country EU regulated**.

## Sources

[1]: https://www.sumup.com/ "SumUp — official"
[2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SumUp "SumUp — Wikipedia"
[gb-cro]: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/GB

- [1] [SumUp — official][1]
- [2] [SumUp — Wikipedia][2]
- <sup>[United Kingdom report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/GB)</sup> In-corpus: see GB country report

## Source

Biography extracted from [sumup.md](https://docs.barcoder.ai/source/wallets/sumup). See `matrix.md` for standards-support matrix if present.