KYC

In India, RBI rules require payment aggregators to verify each merchant before live payments start. Expect to share a PAN, ID and address proof for the owner or signatory, a bank account in the business's name (or the owner's name for a sole proprietor), and business proof such as a GST certificate, a shop and establishment licence, a partnership deed or a certificate of incorporation, depending on the type of business.

Gateways also review what you sell and where: prohibited categories are refused, and the website or app usually needs visible terms, privacy, refund and contact pages, with prices that match what the customer pays. Test mode needs none of this, so integration can start on day one while the paperwork catches up.

Elsewhere the idea is the same under anti-money-laundering rules, and businesses that pay money out to their own users, such as marketplaces, may have to verify those users too.