The collaboration helps international CBD, nutraceutical and specialty e-commerce merchants prepare for U.S. expansion before Kadima designs, underwrites and manages the payment infrastructure required to support it.
10.11.2026 — Kadima Payments and WiseAlt have launched a joint Merchant Growth & Payments initiative designed to help eligible international merchants prepare more effectively for U.S. card processing and build a payment setup aligned with how their business actually operates and plans to grow.
The initiative addresses a common problem for international businesses entering the United States: payments are often treated as a checkout or integration task that can be solved near the end of a market launch.
In practice, the decisions start much earlier.
Entity structure, ownership, product eligibility, expected processing volumes, fulfillment, refund policies, recurring billing, customer geography and risk profile can all affect how a merchant should be underwritten and which payment architecture is appropriate.
The Kadima–WiseAlt collaboration creates a more structured path through that process.
WiseAlt helps international merchants become commercially and operationally ready for U.S. expansion. Kadima then owns the U.S. payment relationship — including underwriting, merchant-account structure, payment architecture, integrations and ongoing processing support.
Preparing the merchant before designing the payment infrastructure
Before an international merchant reaches the technical integration stage, WiseAlt can help organize the information needed to present the business clearly to Kadima.
That preparation may cover:
- website and business model;
- entity jurisdiction and ownership;
- product categories and target U.S. markets;
- existing processing history;
- expected monthly processing volume and average transaction size;
- fulfillment model;
- refund and cancellation policies;
- subscription or recurring-billing structure; and
- other commercial and operational information relevant to the proposed U.S. launch.
Through its work on international merchant readiness for U.S. expansion, WiseAlt helps prospective merchants identify gaps, organize the relevant commercial information and coordinate the preparation process before Kadima begins designing and underwriting the U.S. payment setup.
This division of responsibilities is deliberate. WiseAlt does not act as the processor, acquiring bank or underwriting authority. Its role is to help international merchants reach Kadima better prepared for the decisions that determine how their U.S. processing relationship should be structured.
Kadima starts with underwriting — not integration
For Kadima, the process begins by understanding the underlying business before a merchant invests heavily in technical implementation.
That upfront underwriting approach is particularly important in high-risk payment processing, where apparently similar businesses may require very different account structures depending on their products, ownership, billing practices, transaction profile and operating model.
Kadima provides dedicated merchant accounts with processing structures tailored to the individual business. Once a merchant has been evaluated, Kadima works with the business on the appropriate merchant-account structure, payment architecture and integrations, and continues supporting the merchant after processing goes live.
This creates a different starting point from simply connecting a gateway and addressing underwriting questions later.
For international businesses evaluating U.S. merchant accounts, the distinction can be important. Foreign-owned U.S. entities and certain international structures may be eligible for processing, but eligibility depends on factors including acquiring-bank requirements, ownership, banking arrangements, jurisdiction and underwriting.
There is no single structure that applies to every international merchant.
A more disciplined route for CBD and specialty merchants
The same principle applies to CBD payment processing, nutraceuticals, supplements and other specialty e-commerce categories.
A merchant being broadly described as a CBD or supplement business is not enough to determine processing eligibility.
Kadima evaluates the actual business, including the product category and formulation, marketing claims, sales geography, fulfillment model, subscription structure and the requirements of the applicable acquiring program.
Where a merchant qualifies, Kadima can structure dedicated CBD merchant accounts and the related processing environment based on the specific business being underwritten.
For the merchant, early preparation can prevent a costly sequence in which a company builds a U.S. storefront, commits resources to fulfillment and integration, and only later discovers that important elements of its business model require changes before processing can be approved.
The joint initiative is intended to bring those questions forward.
From payment readiness to a payment architecture built around the business
The collaboration is also designed to extend beyond obtaining an initial approval.
A growing merchant may need to consider recurring billing, transaction monitoring, fraud controls, chargeback management, gateway configuration and the operational implications of higher processing volumes.
Kadima manages those payment-infrastructure and processing requirements as the merchant develops.
WiseAlt’s role remains on the international merchant side: helping businesses prepare for market entry, coordinate commercial and operational information and arrive at Kadima with a clearer picture of what they are launching and how they expect it to grow.
“International merchants often approach U.S. payments as an integration problem, when the real challenge starts much earlier with underwriting and account structure. Working with WiseAlt helps merchants come to us better prepared, allowing Kadima to focus on building the right processing architecture for how the business actually operates and plans to grow.”
Moshe Maghboule
Kadima Payments
The result is a clearer division of expertise around a shared merchant objective:
WiseAlt helps international merchants prepare for U.S. expansion. Kadima designs, underwrites and manages the payment infrastructure that enables them to execute it.
Who the initiative is for
The Merchant Growth & Payments initiative is intended for international e-commerce businesses considering or preparing for U.S. expansion, particularly companies whose industry, product structure, subscription model or transaction profile requires more deliberate payment planning.
This includes eligible CBD and hemp merchants, nutraceutical and supplement businesses, subscription-based e-commerce companies and other specialty merchants requiring dedicated U.S. card processing rather than a generic checkout solution.
Merchants do not need to have every payment decision finalized before starting the conversation. In fact, the purpose of the preparation stage is to identify the commercial and operational information Kadima will need before the payment architecture is finalized.
Planning U.S. expansion? Start a U.S. payment readiness and architecture review with WiseAlt and Kadima Payments.
This allows WiseAlt and Kadima to determine the appropriate next steps without assuming that every international structure, product or business model will qualify for the same processing program.
About Kadima Payments
Kadima Payments is a U.S. payments company providing merchant accounts and payment infrastructure for e-commerce, subscription and specialty businesses. Kadima’s approach emphasizes upfront underwriting, dedicated merchant accounts, hands-on payment architecture and integrations, and ongoing merchant support throughout the processing relationship.
Its capabilities include card processing, gateway integrations, recurring-payment infrastructure, fraud and risk tools, and support for businesses operating in categories that require more specialized underwriting.
About WiseAlt
WiseAlt is an international payment solutions partner helping merchants prepare for market expansion and coordinate payment opportunities across different providers and geographies.
Within the Kadima relationship, WiseAlt focuses on international merchant readiness, market-entry planning, merchant-side preparation and coordination — helping prospective merchants organize the commercial and operational information Kadima needs to evaluate, design and underwrite the appropriate U.S. payment setup.
WiseAlt does not act as an acquiring bank, payment processor or underwriting authority.
Merchant eligibility, merchant-account structure, supported products and jurisdictions, pricing, reserves, processing limits, settlement arrangements and other commercial terms remain subject to Kadima Payments’ underwriting, applicable acquiring-bank requirements and relevant legal and program requirements.
