High risk merchant processors are credit card processors which provide credit card services for high risk merchant accounts. Since these accounts are meant for highly risky commercial enterprises like gambling, pharmacy, adult content and travel-related, there are very few financial institutions which provide services for them and these institutions are referred to as high risk merchant processors.

High risk merchant processors are ideal for businesses which are not likely to receive approval from the standard financial institutions which are located within the country. This may occur due to two main reasons namely either the business is categorized under the heading of the high risk business or that it is located overseas in some other country.

There are a large variety of services which are offered by the high risk merchant processors out of which one of the main services is to offer a number of different processing sources to the merchant like banks located within the country, offshore banks, third-party processors and check processors. These alternatives are available to all merchants irrespective of whether the merchant has a single account or holds multiple accounts.

The high risk merchant processors are also responsible for getting the account of the merchant approved quickly because after the approval has been granted there is no restriction on the merchant in terms of the volume of the transaction or the number of transactions taking place in an account.

Having entailed the services of the high risk merchant processors, the merchant not only enjoys the benefit of a phenomenal increase in sales which is translated into profits but also experiences the advantages of functioning under relaxed regulations especially those concerning volumes and charge-backs. However, all these services would require the deposition of a certain amount of cash reserve or reference to rolling reserves as a form of security due to the nature of the commercial enterprise.

The high risk merchant processors are known for their rapid processing of inquiry as well as information due to which the merchant who is interested in opening a high risk account is contacted within 24 hours of the query being posed by different institutions which offer these services. After that the merchant is at a liberty to choose the specific processor which is most suitable for his individual requirements.

Since most of the high risk merchant processors enjoy an international presence, they offer processing services in multi-currencies as a result of which the merchant can choose to conduct dealings in the currency of his choice.