The processing of card payment transactions requires merchant acquiring. As part of the service supplied to a merchant, merchant acquiring is a set of services for payment execution and processing that include the usage of payment cards. In layman's terms, it's a service that allows retailers to accept credit card or debit card payments. Because there are several parts in the payment process (which will be discussed momentarily), it is common for one business to handle the entire process, including purchasing, providing a payment
gateway, processing, and so on.