Network Merchants, Inc. — abbreviated NMI — is a payment-technology company founded in 2001, headquartered in Schaumburg, Illinois. It operates a white-label payment gateway sold through ISOs, software vendors, and payment facilitators rather than directly to most merchants. "NMI" and "Network Merchants" are the same company; the abbreviation is simply the brand the company has used for years.
History
Network Merchants, Inc. was founded in 2001, in the early commercial-internet era when online card acceptance was becoming mainstream and merchants needed software to bridge their websites to the card networks. NMI positioned itself not as a merchant-facing brand but as the gateway technology that payment companies could resell. That choice — wholesale rather than retail — defined the company's trajectory and let it scale across thousands of partners.
The business model
NMI sells to the businesses that sell to merchants. ISOs and software platforms brand the gateway and own the customer relationship; NMI provides and maintains the platform. It is the same logic as a contract manufacturer that makes products sold under many retail brands — efficient, invisible to the end-customer, and built for scale.
The partner-led model is administered through the partner portal, where resellers provision merchants, set pricing, and track residuals.
People also ask about Network Merchants
Is NMI the same as Network Merchants?
Yes. NMI is the abbreviation of Network Merchants, Inc. The company markets its platform and identity as "NMI" but the legal name remains Network Merchants, Inc. Both refer to the same business.
Where is Network Merchants based?
Schaumburg, Illinois, in the Chicago metropolitan area, is its long-standing headquarters. As a platform serving partners across the United States and beyond, its reach extends well past its home base.
How does Network Merchants make money?
Through gateway fees collected via its reseller channel. Partners — ISOs, ISVs, PayFacs — resell the gateway to merchants and NMI earns platform and per-transaction fees. This indirect, partner-led model is the core of the business.
Acquisitions
NMI has grown through acquisition as well as organic partner growth. The most notable is USAePay (2021), which added a second well-known gateway brand with a strong developer following. Rather than fold USAePay into the NMI gateway, the company kept it as a separate brand with its own console and API — giving partners a choice of platform.
FAQ
Is NMI and Network Merchants the same?
Yes — NMI is the abbreviation of Network Merchants, Inc.
When was it founded?
2001, in Schaumburg, Illinois.
Did NMI buy USAePay?
Yes, in 2021 — kept as a separate brand with its own console.
How do I contact NMI?
Via nmi.com. If you're a merchant, your reseller is usually the faster support path. See our contact notes.