Get a dedicated CBD merchant account built for hemp and CBD businesses that traditional banks often decline. Cleffo works directly with acquiring banks, without intermediaries, helping eligible merchants secure reliable payment processing with transparent pricing, fast onboarding, and support for global transactions.
The CBD and hemp industry continues to grow across the United States, the Netherlands, Europe, and Canada, with increasing demand for oils, tinctures, edibles, topicals, and wellness products. Despite this growth, banks and payment providers still classify many CBD businesses as high risk because of changing regulations, chargeback concerns, and compliance requirements.
Getting approved for a CBD merchant account or CBD payment gateway can be difficult through conventional providers. Cleffo specializes as a hemp payment processor and cannabis payment processing provider, helping compliant CBD businesses access dedicated payment solutions designed specifically for the industry.
Setting up with Cleffo as a payment processor that allows CBD is a straightforward process, even for high-risk businesses such as hemp.
Submit your CBD merchant account application along with basic information about your business. Our team reviews CBD and hemp applications carefully and understands the specific requirements for approval.
Once your application is approved, your merchant account will be connected to the payment gateway, allowing you to accept payments in more than 10 countries and 5 currencies.
Begin accepting payments for CBD products such as oils, tinctures, edibles, and topicals. Eligible merchants can receive payouts as fast as the next business day.
As your CBD business grows, Cleffo provides ongoing support with payment processing, banking relationships, and compliance requirements to help keep your business running smoothly.
Payment solutions for CBD oils, tinctures, and hemp extracts used in wellness products, health supplements, and lifestyle brands.
Merchant accounts for hemp flower businesses selling premium hemp buds, pre-rolls, and compliant smokable hemp products.
Payment processing for CBD gummies, capsules, beverages, chocolates, and other infused edible wellness products.
Secure payment gateways for CBD creams, balms, lotions, serums, and skincare products designed for topical wellness applications.
Merchant accounts for licensed cannabis businesses operating in compliant European markets, supporting medical and regulated cannabis products.
Payment solutions for Canadian mushroom supplement businesses offering functional mushroom extracts, capsules, powders, and wellness formulations.
CBD and hemp regulations frequently change between countries, states, and regions, making compliance challenging for merchants and payment providers alike. How Cleffo Solves It: Cleffo monitors regulatory changes across the markets it supports and works directly with acquiring banks to keep your payment setup aligned with current compliance requirements, without relying on third-party providers or intermediaries.
Many traditional financial institutions avoid CBD businesses because they classify the industry as high risk, making it difficult to obtain a CBD merchant account. How Cleffo Solves It: Cleffo works directly with acquiring banks that support compliant CBD businesses, providing merchant accounts and payment gateways without unnecessary middlemen between your business and the bank.
CBD merchants often experience higher chargeback rates because of subscription billing, customer disputes, and product-related misunderstandings. How Cleffo Solves It: Cleffo's underwriting process considers CBD-specific chargeback risks from the beginning and provides payment solutions designed to manage these risks without unnecessary account interruptions.
Although hemp-derived CBD is non-psychoactive and legal in many markets, some banks still associate it with broader cannabis restrictions. How Cleffo Solves It: Cleffo reviews every business individually based on its compliance, products, and operating history instead of applying blanket cannabis-related rejection policies.
Unsupported medical or therapeutic claims can increase compliance risks and make payment approval more difficult. How Cleffo Solves It: During onboarding, Cleffo reviews your website, marketing materials, and product labeling to identify potential compliance issues before payment processing begins.
Some financial institutions avoid CBD merchants because of perceived legal and reputational concerns, even when the business operates compliantly. How Cleffo Solves It: CBD and hemp businesses are a core focus for Cleffo. By working directly with specialized banking partners, merchants receive dedicated payment solutions without unnecessary intermediaries.
Many CBD businesses are rejected by mainstream payment providers before their applications are fully reviewed. Traditional processors such as Stripe, PayPal, and similar providers often have stricter risk policies for CBD merchants.
CBD laws differ by country, state, and region, making compliance difficult for general payment providers.
Differences in local regulations lead many banks to reject CBD applications as a precaution.
Many processors automatically decline CBD businesses instead of evaluating each merchant individually.
Banks and processors limit their exposure to high-risk industries to comply with card network requirements.
Unsupported health claims made by some CBD sellers have increased scrutiny across the entire industry.
Chargebacks and regulatory complexity make many banks unwilling to approve CBD merchants, even when the business is compliant.
Cleffo specializes in CBD merchant account solutions designed specifically for CBD and hemp businesses. While several payment providers support high-risk industries, their experience, underwriting approach, and CBD focus can vary.
| Feature | Cleffo | PaymentCloud | PayKings | Durango Merchant Services | Host Merchant Services |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CBD & Hemp Focus | Dedicated CBD and hemp payment solutions | Supports CBD as part of its high-risk portfolio | Supports CBD businesses | Supports CBD alongside other high-risk industries | Supports federally compliant CBD businesses |
| Underwriting Approach | Industry-specific underwriting for CBD merchants | General high-risk underwriting | High-risk underwriting | High-risk and offshore underwriting | Standard merchant underwriting |
| International Processing | Available | Available | Available | Available | Limited |
| Direct Acquiring Relationships | Yes | No | No | Yes | No |
| Approval Timeline | 2–3 business days | 48 hours average | 24 hours average | 3 business days average | 24 hours average |
| Best Suited For | CBD & hemp businesses seeking dedicated payment solutions | General high-risk merchants | CBD merchants | International and offshore merchants | Lower-risk compliant CBD merchants |
CBD and hemp regulations vary across countries, and in many cases, they also differ between states, provinces, or regions. Cleffo takes these regulatory differences into account when underwriting CBD merchant accounts, helping businesses access payment solutions that align with local compliance requirements.
Hemp-derived CBD regulations vary by state, particularly regarding product sales, marketing, and THC limits. Cleffo underwrites merchant accounts based on applicable federal and state requirements.
CBD businesses must comply with UK regulations, including Novel Food requirements and applicable THC limits. Cleffo supports compliant merchants operating within these guidelines.
The Netherlands remains an important CBD market, with businesses required to comply with Dutch regulations as well as applicable European requirements. Cleffo provides payment solutions tailored to these compliance standards.
CBD regulations differ across EU member states, including rules relating to THC content, labeling, and Novel Food legislation. Cleffo's underwriting process reflects these regional differences.
CBD is regulated under the Cannabis Act, but many financial institutions still classify the industry as high risk. Cleffo supports compliant Canadian CBD businesses with payment solutions designed for these banking requirements.
Cleffo supports compliant CBD businesses across 60+ countries and 5+ currencies, with payment solutions adapted to regional regulations.
Business Days Approval Time
Quick onboarding for eligible CBD merchants.
Currencies Supported
Accept payments in multiple currencies through a single payment gateway.
Countries Served
Expand your CBD business with international payment support.
Day Speed Payouts
Eligible merchants can receive payouts as fast as the next business day.
Companies Integrated
Trusted by CBD and other high-risk businesses across multiple industries.
Daily Transactions
Reliable payment infrastructure built to support high transaction volumes.
Obtaining a CBD merchant account with Cleffo is quicker than the majority of other high-risk processors, however, a little preparation helps significantly.
Be prepared with business registration, bank statements, and list of products you are selling, especially CBD products with detailed lists of ingredients or certificates of analysis (COA).
Check whether your website and labeling of your products do not contain any health claims that are not backed by research and whether your CBD products are below the legal THC levels in all regions where you are selling them.
Fill in your application form on our site with all required documents. We have special underwriters that process CBD merchant accounts so you won't need to guess what we require.
Within 24 hours after applying for a CBD merchant account you will receive the approval.
Setup payment gateway, link it to your existing store and begin processing payments, which will be deposited to your account on the next day.
Every CBD merchant account and payment gateway from Cleffo is purpose-built for the CBD and hemp industry, rather than being added as just another category within a broader high-risk portfolio. This industry-focused approach allows businesses to access payment solutions designed around their unique operational and compliance requirements. Here's what Cleffo offers:
Quick approvals within 2-3 days, helping eligible businesses begin accepting payments without unnecessary delays.
Once approved, merchants can receive payouts as fast as the next business day, supporting healthy cash flow and day-to-day operations.
Accept payments in more than 10 countries and 5 currencies, with dedicated support for compliant CBD businesses across the UK, Canada, Europe, and the United States.
The onboarding process requires only the essential business and compliance documents, making it easier to apply without unnecessary administrative burden.
With more than 50 integrated businesses and over 30,000 transactions processed daily, Cleffo's infrastructure is built to support merchants as their payment volumes grow.
Approval is only the beginning. Cleffo continues to support merchants by adapting to evolving regulations and helping businesses maintain long-term payment processing stability.