- Founded
- 2017-01-01 in France
- Headquarters
- Puteaux, France
Silkpay is a French fintech company founded in 2017 that provides omnichannel payment solutions enabling merchants to accept a broad spectrum of international and local payment methods through a single integration. Headquartered in Puteaux, France, the company serves merchants across Europe and the United States, offering both in-store and online payment acceptance. Its platform supports over 30 payment methods, including global card networks such as Visa, Mastercard, and UnionPay, as well as major Asian e-wallets like Alipay, WeChat Pay, and the 16+ wallets accessible through the Alipay+ network. Silkpay’s in-store product line includes POS terminals, SoftPOS (turning a smartphone into a payment terminal), QR code payments, cashier software integration, and a dedicated mobile app. For e-commerce, the company provides an API gateway, ready-to-use plugins for Prestashop and WooCommerce, and a pay-by-link feature. The company is privately held with approximately 11 employees and is licensed as a payment institution by the French regulator ACPR, focusing on bridging Western merchants with Asian payment ecosystems.
Detailed Review
History and Founding
Silkpay was founded in 2017 by Annie Guo in France, with the goal of simplifying cross-border payments between Western merchants and Asian consumers. The company identified a gap in the market: European and American retailers lacked easy access to the diverse payment methods used by Asian tourists and online shoppers. By aggregating multiple Asian e-wallets under a single integration, Silkpay aimed to remove the complexity of managing separate contracts with each payment provider.
Products and Platforms
Silkpay offers a comprehensive suite of payment acceptance tools for both physical and online stores. For brick-and-mortar retail, merchants can use traditional POS terminals, a SoftPOS solution that turns any NFC-enabled smartphone into a payment terminal, static or dynamic QR codes, and integration with existing cashier software. The Silkpay mobile app specifically supports WeChat Pay, UnionPay QR codes, and the over 20 e-wallets available through the Alipay+ network. On the e-commerce side, Silkpay provides a RESTful API for custom integration, pre-built plugins for Prestashop and WooCommerce, and a pay-by-link service that generates secure payment URLs for sharing via email, SMS, or social media. The omnichannel approach allows merchants to manage both in-store and online transactions through a single back-office system, streamlining reconciliation.
Market Position and Licensing
Silkpay positions itself as a specialised payment gateway for merchants serving Asian customers, particularly in tourism-heavy sectors like retail, hospitality, and luxury goods. While the company’s scale is small compared to global payment gateways, its deep integration with the Alipay+ network gives merchants access to over 1.6 billion consumers across the Asia-Pacific region. Silkpay is a licensed payment institution in France, regulated by the ACPR (Autorité de Contrôle Prudentiel et de Résolution), which adds credibility for European merchants. The company operates primarily in Europe and the United States, with a relatively limited geographic footprint but a strong niche value proposition.
Key Products
Silkpay POS Terminals
Physical point‑of‑sale machines that accept contactless cards, mobile wallets, and QR codes.
SoftPOS
A solution that turns a merchant’s NFC‑enabled smartphone into a secure payment terminal for contactless card transactions.
QR Code Payments
Enables customers to scan a displayed QR code to pay via Alipay, WeChat Pay, or UnionPay.
Silkpay App (Mobile POS)
A dedicated merchant app for iOS and Android that accepts QR‑based payments from Alipay+, WeChat Pay, and UnionPay, and can send PaybyLink requests.
Online Payment Gateway
A REST API integration for e‑commerce websites that supports cards, digital wallets, and direct debits.
PrestaShop & WooCommerce Plugins
Ready‑to‑install modules that add Silkpay’s payment methods to these e‑commerce platforms.
PaybyLink
A service that generates secure payment links which merchants can share via email, SMS, or social media for remote collection.
Cashier Software Integration
An API‑based integration with existing POS or cashier systems for unified inventory and sales management.
Cashier System Integration
Connects Silkpay to existing retail cashier or ERP systems for seamless in-store payment processing.
Silkpay App
Mobile application for merchants to accept WeChat Pay, UnionPay QR code, and 16+ Asian e-wallets through Alipay+.
Silkpay Omnichannel Payment Platform
Unified API and dashboard to accept over 30 payment methods across online, in-store, and mobile channels.
POS Machines
Physical terminals for card and contactless payments.
API Integration
Developer-friendly API for custom checkout flows on merchant websites or apps.
E-commerce Plugins
Ready-made plugins for Prestashop and WooCommerce to quickly add Silkpay payment options.
Alipay+ Integration
Single integration reaching over 20 e-wallets across Asia Pacific, targeting 1.6 billion consumers.
POS Machine
Physical terminal for accepting credit/debit cards, contactless payments, and mobile wallets.
Plugins (Prestashop & WooCommerce)
Ready-to-use e-commerce plugins for two popular open-source platforms.
Offices & Headcount
11 employees (approx.)
Key Persons
- Annie Guo
Co‑founder & CEO