Payment Facilitators

In Iran, the term pardakht-yar identifies a payment-facilitation model rather than simply any website displaying a payment button. TechRasa Insight’s industry report places these companies between merchants and payment service providers, commonly abbreviated as PSPs. It describes their role as making access to electronic-payment services easier and identifies contractual relationships with PSPs and Shaparak as part of the framework. These are the report’s descriptions; the current regulator-issued documents were not independently retrieved for this draft. s1

The report also warns that inconsistent market-share information prevented a defensible ranking of participants. Its company map should therefore not be read as a league table. That limitation matters in a sector where a provider’s visibility or advertising does not establish its share of transactions. s1

ZarinPal describes itself as a payment facilitator and advertises connections to multiple PSP gateways, routing, plugins, and developer documentation. These materials illustrate how a facilitator can package merchant integration and gateway access into a single service. They establish what this company offers publicly, rather than independently measured improvements in sales, reliability, or approval rates. s2

A merchant-facing service and a national payment network are different parts of the arrangement. A facilitator’s checkout branding therefore does not, on its own, explain the full processing chain or establish that funds have reached the merchant. This distinction is especially useful when comparing a provider’s commercial description with its technical documentation. s1 s2

ZarinPal’s connection guide describes a request containing a merchant identifier, amount, description, and return address. After receiving a payment-request reference, the merchant redirects the buyer to checkout. The buyer subsequently returns to the merchant’s specified callback address. This is an example of one provider’s documented integration, not a universal contract for Iranian facilitators. s3

Verification is a separate concern. ZarinPal documents both automatic verification and merchant-initiated verification with the PSP. Its explanation also addresses situations where a buyer does not reach the callback page. Accordingly, a return-page visit and confirmation of payment are different events in this documented workflow. Settlement into the merchant’s account requires separate evidence. s4

A provider-documented checkout sequence

The diagram separates browser navigation from PSP verification. Verification may be automatic or merchant initiated; the arrows do not depict settlement or a complete national network architecture.

This page does not certify any company’s current regulatory standing. A complete account requires the authoritative participant register, effective rules, and applicable settlement documentation. The available material supports an explanation of the intermediary model and an example integration, while leaving those current legal and operational questions open.