5 minutes Partner Onboarding
Overview
Welcome to SAPI's partner program! Whether you're a broker, marketplace, payment service provider, or fintech platform, partnering with SAPI allows you to offer your clients fast, flexible business financing while earning commission. This guide introduces our partnership model and benefits.
About SAPI
Mission:
Expand access to fair, flexible capital through payment-linked financing, delivered in partnership with payment companies to serve overlooked business owners.
What we offer:
Payment-linked advances from £10,000 to £500,000 for UK businesses processing card payments.
Track record:
£25m+ advanced to date, with 90% supporting immigrant-owned and women-owned businesses.
Values:
- Grit - We do hard things and finish well
- Ambition - We set a higher bar for outcomes and scale
- Integrity - We earn trust with transparency and discipline
- Empathy - We design for real people and real constraints
Types of Partnerships
Introducer Partners (Brokers, Marketplaces, ISOs)
What you do:
Refer businesses seeking financing to SAPI.
You earn:
Commission for each successful referral that funds.
Tech requirements:
Low to medium (email referrals or partner portal submission).
Best for:
- Business loan brokers
- Fintech marketplaces
- ISO networks
- Business advisory firms
Payment Partners (PSPs, Payfacs, Acquirers)
What you do:
Offer SAPI financing to your merchant base as an embedded financing option.
You earn:
Commission for funded referrals + potential revenue share on portfolio performance.
Tech requirements:
Medium (partner portal, data sharing agreements for payment data access).
Best for:
- Payment service providers (PSPs)
- Payment facilitators (Payfacs)
- Independent sales organizations (ISOs)
- Acquirers and banks with merchant portfolios
- Point-of-sale (POS) software providers
Benefits of Partnering with SAPI
For Introducer Partners
Revenue opportunity:
- Earn commission on every funded referral
- Recurring revenue as clients take top-ups or new advances
- No cost to join or maintain partnership
Value for your clients:
- Fast decisions (24-48 hours)
- High approval rates (especially for businesses banks decline)
- Flexible repayment aligned with revenue
- £10k-£500k available
Support from SAPI:
- Dedicated partner success manager
- Marketing materials and co-branding options
- Training on product and eligibility
- Portal access for tracking referrals and commission
For Payment Partners
Additional revenue stream:
- Commission on referrals
- Potential revenue share on portfolio
- Increased merchant retention (financing keeps clients with you)
Merchant value-add:
- Offer financing without taking on credit risk yourself
- Seamless integration into your merchant dashboard (API available)
- Enhance your merchant proposition
- Competitive differentiation
Strengthen merchant relationships:
- Become a capital provider, not just a payment processor
- Help merchants grow (which increases your payment processing volume)
- Reduce churn (merchants stay with you for integrated financing)
How the Partnership Works
Step 1: Apply to Partner
Contact: [email protected]
Provide:
- Company details
- Type of partnership (Introducer or Payment Partner)
- Referral volume expectations
- Integration preferences (manual, portal, API)
Step 2: Due Diligence and Agreement
SAPI conducts:
- Company verification
- Regulatory compliance check (FCA authorization if applicable)
- Anti-money laundering (AML) checks
- Reference checks (if new relationship)
Partnership agreement:
- Commission structure
- Referral process
- Compliance obligations
- Term and termination clauses
Timeline: 2-4 weeks from application to signed agreement
Step 3: Onboarding and Training
You receive:
- Partner portal access (for tracking referrals)
- Training on SAPI product and eligibility criteria
- Marketing materials and referral links
- Technical documentation (if needed)
- Dedicated partner success manager contact
Training includes:
- What is payment-linked financing?
- Who qualifies for SAPI advances?
- How to refer customers
- Commission structure and payment
- Compliance and regulatory requirements
Step 4: Start Referring
Referral methods:
- Email referrals to [email protected]
- Partner portal submission
SAPI handles:
- Underwriting and decisioning
- Customer communication
- Funding and servicing
- Collections
You receive:
- Referral status updates
- Commission payments (monthly or as agreed)
- Portfolio performance reports
Commission Structure
For Introducer Partners:
Percentage of advance amount or fixed fee per funded deal (structure varies by partnership type and volume).
Example:
- 3-5% of funded amount, or
- £300-1,000 fixed fee per deal
For Payment Partners:
Commission plus potential ongoing revenue share based on portfolio performance.
Payment frequency:
Monthly, typically 30 days after customer funding.
Partner Compliance Requirements
All partners must:
1. Be properly registered and licensed
UK company registration, FCA authorization (if applicable), appropriate licenses for your industry.
2. Comply with AML/KYC regulations
Know Your Customer checks on referred businesses, report suspicious activity, maintain AML procedures.
3. Treat customers fairly (TCF)
Don't mis-sell, provide clear information, ensure SAPI is suitable for the customer's needs.
4. Data protection compliance
GDPR-compliant data handling, secure transmission of customer information, data retention policies.
5. Transparent disclosure
Inform customers that you receive commission for referrals (transparency required).
Getting Started
Ready to partner with SAPI?
Step 1: Email [email protected] with subject "Partnership Inquiry - [Your Company Name]"
Include:
- Your company name and registration number
- Type of partnership (Introducer or Payment)
- Expected referral volume
- Integration preferences
- Any questions
Step 2: SAPI's partnerships team will contact you within 2-3 business days to discuss.
Step 3: Complete application and due diligence (2-4 weeks)
Step 4: Sign partnership agreement and begin onboarding
Step 5: Start referring and earning commission!
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is there a cost to become a partner?
A: No. SAPI's partner program is free to join. You earn commission on funded referrals.
Q: How much commission can I earn?
A: Commission structure varies by partnership type and volume. Contact [email protected] for details specific to your business model.
Q: Do I need FCA authorization to be a partner?
A: Depends on your role. If you're simply introducing businesses to SAPI (no advice), you likely don't need authorization. If you're providing regulated advice, you must be FCA-authorized. SAPI will advise during application.
Q: Can I be a partner if I'm outside the UK?
A: Yes, as long as you're referring UK-based businesses. You must comply with UK regulations when making introductions.
Q: How many referrals do I need to make?
A: No minimum. Refer one business or one hundred—earn commission on each funded deal.
Q: What if a customer I refer is declined?
A: You earn commission only on funded deals. Declines don't affect your partnership status, and you can continue referring other customers.
Need Help?
Become a partner: [email protected]
Partnership questions: [email protected]
Existing partner support: Contact your partner success manager or [email protected]
Need Help?
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +44 20 3868 4990
Business Hours: Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm GMT