GPS: Global Payment Services – Premier Payment Gateway & Acquiring Provider

Overview of GPS

Founded in 2004 and headquartered in Manama, Bahrain, GPS (Global Payment Services) stands as a trusted third-party payment processor in the Middle East. Backed by the Central Bank of Bahrain and certified by major global payment schemes, including Visa, MasterCard, AMEX, JCB, and UPI and fully compliant with PCI‑DSS, GPS delivers an end-to-end ecosystem of acquiring and issuing solutions tailored for banks, financial institutions, and merchants.

Designed to support complex, large-scale payment operations, GPS empowers businesses with robust merchant acquiring, ATM/POS driving, card issuing, tokenization, fraud prevention, and innovative SoftPOS systems all supported by high‑tech infrastructure and regulatory credibility.

Key Features & Capabilities

1. Merchant Acquiring & ATM/POS Switching

GPS offers fully integrated merchant acquiring and transaction switching services for ATM and POS networks. This includes conventional terminals and state-of-the-art SoftPOS, enabling merchants to accept card payments through mobile devices without physical hardware.

Businesses enjoy:

• Seamless routing of payments across banks and acquirers

• Scalability for regional and cross-border acceptance

• Real‑time transaction monitoring and settlement

2. Card Issuing & Personalization

GPS supports credit, debit, and prepaid card issuing via HPS PowerCARD infrastructure, offering turnkey solutions for card management. Services include EMV card personalization, mass laser printing, mail-out, and secure packaging.

Ideal for issuers and fintech startups, GPS offers:

• Issuance of cards with EMV/chip and contactless

• Co-branded card programmes

• Efficient logistics (insertion, personalization, dispatch)

3. Advanced Fraud Management & Tokenization

GPS integrates comprehensive fraud detection systems and world-class tokenization services for mobile wallets like Apple Pay and Samsung Pay, protecting cardholder data while enabling secure mobile and e-commerce transactions.

Key benefits include:

• Lower chargebacks via real-time analytics

• End-to-end tokenization for online and mobile

• Compliance with PCI DSS and mobile security standards

4. SoftPOS Innovation

In partnership with PTS and Feitian Technologies, GPS launched FTPAY SoftPOS, enabling live contactless card acceptance via smartphones without additional hardware. This solution is compliant with PCI DSS, MPoC, Visa, and Mastercard specifications.

Benefits include:

• Rapid merchant onboarding

• Reduced hardware costs

• Secure, certified mobile acceptance.

Security & Compliance

In an era where security is non-negotiable, GPS not only complies with but is certified under PCI-DSS, validated by SISA. This level of certification is a substantial trust signal for banks, acquirers, and merchants working with GPS.

Moreover, GPS’s underlying backbone (PowerCARD by HPS) is globally recognized and maintained under rigorous standards, ensuring end-to-end encryption, tokenization, and secure authentication.

High-Performance, Scalable Technology

Enterprise Infrastructure

To match its rapid growth, GPS updated its core data centers using IBM Power Systems (POWER9) with virtualization through PowerVM. This robust hardware setup halved transaction processing times, slashed licensing costs, and achieved nearly zero downtime.

Reliability & Scalability

• Handles millions of ATM, POS, merchant, and card transactions daily

• Virtualized and isolated environments enabling multi-tenant support

• Modular infrastructure primed for regional expansion

Regional Strength & Global Reach

MENA Base with Regional Focus

GPS is deeply rooted in the MENA region, operating under the Central Bank of Bahrain. This makes it a trusted partner for regional banks and financial institutions.

Cross-Border Systems

Through Visa Direct (via Visa+), GPS has facilitated seamless cross-border remittances using only the recipient’s mobile – no IBAN required, highlighting capabilities in modern instant payouts.

Value Proposition for Businesses

Why businesses choose GPS:

1. Comprehensive Services – From card issuance to merchant acquiring and fraud solutions, all from one provider

2. Cost Efficiency – Outsourcing infrastructure avoids high CAPEX for banks and fintechs

3. Security & Compliance – High standards, low-risk transactions

4. Rapid Time-to-Market – Plug-and-play integration via PowerCARD

5. Scalable Architecture – Supports regional rollouts and peak transaction loads

6. Continuous Innovation – SoftPOS, tokenization, mobile remittances

Typical Use Cases

• Regional banks seeking to outsource card issuance and merchant acquiring

• Fintech startups launching turnkey payment programmes with minimal setup

• Merchants & resellers deploying SoftPOS solutions via smartphone

• Cross-border remittance providers seeking fast, tokenized payouts (e.g., Visa+) without IBAN dependency

• EMV-focused issuers needing large-scale card printing, encryption, and personalization.

Strategic Partners & Industry Presence

• HPS (Hightech Payment Systems) for PowerCARD infrastructure setup

• IBM/GBM partnerships ensure high‑performance data centers

• PTS & Feitian collaboration for SoftPOS innovation

GPS regularly participates in events like Seamless Middle East and Seamless Saudi, showcasing new fintech solutions and reinforcing its presence in the payments ecosystem.

Conclusion

GPS offers a uniquely powerful combination of payment issuing, acquiring, data security, and innovative mobile payment solutions, all under a single, compliant, and scalable platform. Companies listed on Bilixe will benefit from GPS’s centralized service portfolio, ideal for businesses expanding across the MENA region and beyond.