Checkout.com has updated its terms of business to explicitly ban payments for “mail-order spouse” services, after Sifted revealed details of a lawsuit spotlighting the billion-dollar fintech’s links to the adult entertainment industry.
Founded by Guillaume Pousaz in 2012, Checkout makes money by processing payments and has previously worked with clients such as OnlyFans and Pornhub.
It has since sought to distance itself from the adult industry, telling Sifted at the beginning of this year it’s now a “very minuscule part” of its overall portfolio.
Checkout’s policy
In March, Sifted revealed how a lawsuit against Checkout had linked the company to Renderwison, a Cypriot entity historically listed on a mail-order bride website.
The lawsuit alleged that Checkout worked with Renderwison up until 2023. There is no evidence that Checkout processed payments that facilitated mail-order bride services.
At the time, Checkout’s business policy didn’t explicitly state whether it would work with mail-order bride businesses or not, though it did prohibit processing payments for “pornography and obscene materials.”
The company has now updated its terms and policies page to explicitly prohibit “mail-order spouse and global matchmaking services.”
Checkout told Sifted that the page was “updated to fix an omission and confirm that the company does not process payments for mail order spouses.” The company said another legal document on its website already prohibited it from working with the sector.
The update to Checkout’s terms and conditions brings its public business policy in line with its competitors. Dutch payments company Adyen, for instance, prohibits “Mail order spouse or international match-making services”, while US payments processor Stripe also lists mail-order brides under prohibited activities.
Renderwison
In March, Sifted reported on the lawsuit brought against Checkout by Israeli fintech Uswipe. It alleged that Checkout worked with an entity called Renderwison, something Checkout has not denied.
Renderwison was named as the “contact” on a website for a company called Hitwe. The website was removed in February but, when it was online, it listed “mail-order brides” from over 30 countries. Women were described via their age, height, weight, ethnicity and zodiac sign.
Several links on the website did not appear to work. A company connected to Renderwison said the “Hitwe project” had closed in 2017.
Checkout told Sifted it could not comment on legal matters, or disclose specifics on client relationships. The fintech said it had strict requirements for clients, in line with both its “risk appetite and obligations as a financial institution.”
