The process of applying for a merchant account leads to the assignment of two core attributes from the acquirer: the MID (Merchant ID) and MCC (Merchant Category Code).

Merchant risk isn’t always a question of trust, it’s a question of exposure. Some business models, by design, introduce higher levels of financial liability for acquirers and processors.

Merchant accounts don’t freeze because of one event. They freeze because risk signals build quietly and go unaddressed… Too often, merchants cross red-flag thresholds without realising it, until the account is terminated with little to no warning.