High-risk businesses will likely experience large trading volumes. Therefore, it is important to accurately forecast the sales volume you expect to generate in future. You can use historical performance or forecasted sales growth to help you do this. Be realistic, though. Overstating your volume may cause merchant processors to flag your account.

Merchant accounts with high risk are not available for all types of business. However, there are specialist providers who can help you. These companies have extensive knowledge in high-risk sectors and are familiar with the pitfalls. They have also built up a network with card payment processors and acquiring banks.

High-risk merchants often have difficulty getting accepted by processors. This can result in delayed approvals, frozen accounts and placement on the Terminated Merchant Files (MATCH List). This could lead to disqualification, which can prevent you from obtaining a merchant account for more than five years. If you are launching a high-risk business, it is important to avoid such situations.

The approval process may take up to seven days depending on which high risk merchant account you are applying for. To ensure your application is approved quickly, it is crucial to provide all necessary documents. It is also a good idea for the person signing the account to have a high personal credit score.

Traditional financial institutions view high-risk industries as high-risk. These industries include those with high transaction volumes and strict regulations. These businesses also have high processing fees.