Platform commission
A distinct payment, if provided for and authorised in the model.
Financing platforms and PSFP
Embed collection, payment accounts, commissions and payouts in your crowdfunding platform journey. Connect investors, operations and project owners to payment infrastructure designed to trace the flows.
Tractial supports the payment layer of your project. Your platform keeps the responsibilities tied to its crowdfunding activity.
- Investor
- Collection
- Closing
- Distribution and tracking
Identity and subscription · Payment identified and tied · Release conditions checked · Project owner, commissions, investor returns
In brief
A subscription is a commitment. Payment is a flow to follow.
A crowdfunding service provider, or PSFP, connects investors and project owners within the scope of its licence. Collection and the related movement of funds require a suitable payment arrangement.
Tractial provides the payment layer to connect to the platform: identification of settlements, payment accounts according to the chosen model, payouts, refunds and tracking data. Every movement must stay tied to an investor, a subscription and an operation.
CollectAllocatePay outRefundReconcileA subscription is a commitment. Payment is a flow to follow.
The funds circuit
From the investor to the project owner, then to return flows
The platform organises the subscription and the rules of the operation. The payment infrastructure processes the financial movements according to the authorised instructions and the agreed conditions.
PSFP platform
Subscriptions, operation conditions and authorised instructions
Investor
- Investor
01 · Collection
Tractial
Accounts, allocation and payment controls
- Accounts
- Allocation
- Controls
- Payouts
Payment.net
Project owner
- Project owner
03 · Subject to conditions
Cancellation or withdrawal
Return to the investor according to the payment status and the applicable terms.
Subsequent flows : Project owner → Tractial → Investors. Instalments or distributions, according to the applicable rights and the funds actually received.
Embedded journeys
Four journeys to connect to your product
The investor must be able to follow their payment. The project owner must know the funds actually received. Teams must be able to reconstruct operations and handle exceptions.
Tie the payment to the right subscription
Associate the settlement received with the investor, their subscription and the relevant operation. A payment received does not by itself mean that every subscription condition has been met.
Teaching example. Fictional data.
- Operation
- Projet P-024
- Subscription
- SUB-01842
- Amount
- €1,000.00
- Payment
- Received and identified
Tie closing to the payout conditions
After checking the agreed conditions, prepare the payout to the project owner and the handling of commissions. Payment authorisations and controls remain applicable.
Teaching example. Fictional data.
- Eligible collection
- €100,000.00
- Commission provided
- €3,000.00
- Net to project owner
- €97,000.00
- Instruction
- To authorise
Distinguish cancellation from repayment of a financing
A cancelled subscription leads to a return of funds according to the agreed arrangement. A financing instalment assumes funds actually received from the project owner before they are distributed.
Teaching example. Fictional data.
- Type of return
- Subscription cancellation
- Original reference
- SUB-01842
- Amount
- €1,000.00
- Handling
- To check
Keep a reliable reading of the movements
Connect the platform’s business statuses to payment statuses. References and amounts make it possible to handle gaps without confusing a subscription promise with collected funds.
Teaching example. Fictional data.
- Recorded commitments
- €101,000.00
- Payments received
- €100,000.00
- Gap to handle
- €1,000.00
- Operation
- Projet P-024
PSFP and payment institution
Two complementary roles, identified responsibilities
The PSFP licence frames the crowdfunding activity. It does not, on its own, confer the right to provide payment services. The arrangement must therefore specify who provides those services and under which framework.
The financing platform
- Organises and presents operations within the scope of its authorised activity.
- Performs due diligence on projects and project owners that fall under its obligations.
- Provides investor information and the applicable protections.
- Manages documentation, subscriptions and the tracking of operations.
- Transmits the data and instructions provided for in the contractual model.
- Takes on its governance, complaints and continuity obligations.
Tractial, payment institution
- Provides the payment services in the contracted perimeter.
- Performs the onboarding and monitoring controls that fall within its role.
- Organises the protection of funds received for payment services according to the applicable arrangement.
- Processes operations and authorised payment instructions.
- Returns the available references, events and tracking data.
- Provides the traceability and incident handling that fall within its perimeter.
Integrating Tractial is not a PSFP licence or a validation of an investment’s merit.
Onboarding
Verify investors and project owners in a readable journey
Onboarding has two strands to coordinate: the financing platform’s requirements and the checks needed for payment services. Information can be collected in an embedded experience, with defined responsibilities and access rights.
Define the profiles
Identify individual or legal-entity investor, project owner, representative and beneficial owners.
Collect the data
Present the information, documents, consents and contracts required for each role.
Verify identities
Carry out the KYC or KYB controls, representative checks and planned controls.
Handle the review
Manage supplements, restrictions and the onboarding decision by the competent actor.
Activate the perimeter
Open the relevant access and functions after the applicable conditions have been validated.
Maintain the file
Update data, follow statuses and handle alerts over time.
Payment KYC/KYB does not replace the knowledge assessment, warnings or other investor protections that the PSFP must implement.
Financing cycle
Organise collection before, during and after closing
The rules of the operation must be translated into events that product, operations and finance can understand. Financing tracking and payment tracking stay connected, with distinct states.
Subscription
An investment offer is recorded with its references and timestamp.
Payment
The settlement is received, identified and matched, or flagged as missing.
Prior conditions
The platform checks the operation’s conditions and the applicable protections.
Closing
The collection result and authorised instructions are consolidated.
Payout
Eligible funds are transmitted according to the model and payment controls.
Financing follow-up
Subsequent flows and incidents are tied to the original operation.
Accounts and protection of funds
Distinguish balance tracking, allocation and protection
A payment account, a project identifier and the arrangement that protects funds meet different needs. The map must specify who the funds belong to, how they are tracked and who may give instructions.
Accounts and holders
Define the required accounts, their holders and the associated rights. Do not infer that an individual bank account is opened for each project.
Allocation by operation
Tie the relevant movements and balances to investors, subscriptions and projects without losing their origin.
Protection of funds
Describe the mechanism that applies to funds received for payment services. Protection of those funds does not guarantee repayment of the investment.
Safeguarding must not be presented as a legal escrow or a capital guarantee.
Payment methods
Fit collection to investors and operations
The choice of payment method depends on profiles, amounts, countries, acceptance constraints and reconciliation needs. Availability and conditions are checked before a journey is retained.
Methods to examine during scoping
| Method | Intended use | Conditions to specify |
|---|---|---|
| SEPA transfer | Receive a settlement and match it to a subscription. | IBAN, references, payer account, countries and handling of unidentified transfers. |
| Card | Offer a payment embedded in the subscription journey. | Acceptance of the activity and amounts, authentication, refunds and chargeback risk. |
| Open banking | Assess a payment journey from the payer’s account. | Initiation provider, covered banks, authorisation journey and actual confirmation of funds. |
| Crypto-assets and stablecoins | Separately assess a possible conversion path to a euro flow. | No standard path is promised: feasibility, authorised parties, traceability, controls and the regulatory framework must be validated. |
A payment initiation is not confirmation that funds have been received. Crypto-asset flows are not treated as a SEPA collection and do not follow from a payment-institution licence alone.
Subscription traceability
Tie the promise, the payment and the allocation
The subscription identifier is the reading thread between the platform and the financial data. It must make it possible to find the investor, the project, the expected amount and the movements actually observed.
A stable business reference
Keep the links between investor, subscription, operation and payment references.
Separate states
Distinguish recorded subscription, payment pending, funds received, eligible amount and funds paid out.
Gaps that can be handled
Identify a partial settlement, duplicate, excess payment or payment without a reference and provide a resolution procedure.
Closing and exceptions
Define the triggers before releasing funds
Campaign closing and payout execution are two events to articulate. Teams must have the agreed conditions, validations and exception handling.
Situations to translate into the workflow
| Situation | Business handling | Payment handling |
|---|---|---|
| Successful collection | Check the operation’s conditions and the required authorisations. | Prepare the net to the project owner and the authorised commissions, then track execution. |
| Target not reached | Apply the operation’s cancellation rules. | Prepare refunds, check beneficiaries and track returns. |
| Investor withdrawal | Record the admissible withdrawal and adjust the subscription. | Cancel or refund according to the payment status and the applicable terms. |
| Review or incident | Handle missing elements and applicable restrictions. | Suspend the relevant processing when required; do not display execution as completed. |
Refunds and commissions
Track return funds and the platform’s remuneration
A subscription refund, a loan instalment, a distribution linked to a security and a recovered amount do not have the same meaning. Each flow must carry its nature and stay tied to the operation.
Subscription cancellation
Tie the return to the original payment and apply the agreed refund terms, with handling of failures.
Instalments and distributions
Match sums received from the project owner and apply the validated breakdown: principal, interest or another distribution according to the instrument.
Commissions and fees
Distinguish the platform commission from payment fees. Define the base, trigger, beneficiary and treatment in case of cancellation.
Distributions assume available funds and an established right to payment. Tractial does not guarantee yield, the project owner’s solvency, or recovery of amounts due.
Organisation of operations
Keep a view by investor and by project
An investor may take part in several operations; a project owner may run several projects. The reference structure must allow a cross-cutting reading without merging balances or rights that must stay distinct.
Investor view
Find each investor’s subscriptions, payments, refunds and distributions.
Operation view
Track commitments, settlements received, withdrawals, eligible amounts and payouts of a project.
Platform view
Consolidate flows and commissions while preserving detail and access rights by operation.
Operational tracking
Answer the question of where the funds stand
Teams must be able to move from a global view to proof of a movement. Available data can feed the platform’s back office and its reconciliation controls.
Fictional example of a tracking table
| Reference | Amount | State to follow |
|---|---|---|
| SUB-01842 / Projet P-024 | €1,000.00 | Payment received and identified; subscription conditions to follow. |
| OUT-00412 / Projet P-023 | €97,000.00 | Payout authorised; execution to confirm. |
| REF-00108 / Projet P-022 | €500.00 | Refund requested; payment return awaited. |
Building blocks
Assemble the services useful to your model
The starting point is the funds circuit and the first journey to launch. Services can be embedded progressively according to the validated perimeter.
Structure the flows and the rights of the users concerned.
Receive and identify transfers according to the chosen architecture.
Connect the accepted payment methods to the subscription journey.
Embed the controls needed for payment services.
Allocation
Tie movements to subscriptions and operations.
Track the remuneration provided for in the contractual model.
Process payments to authorised beneficiaries.
Handle returns and their matching to the original operations.
Organise flows received from the project owner towards the investors concerned.
Statuses
Return the available events in the back office.
Consolidate the data useful to teams and controls.
Synchronise the platform with payment events.
Integration
Connect your platform to the payment layer
Your product keeps its interfaces and its financing logic. Available APIs and events make it possible to connect payment actions to subscription data and to the tracking of operations.
Your financing platform
- Investors and project owners
- Operations and documentation
- Subscriptions and conditions
- Information journeys
- Back office and support
- Financing follow-up
API and webhooks
Tractial and Payment.net
- Accounts and IBANs
- Payments received
- Payment KYC and KYB
- Payouts and refunds
- References and statuses
- Reconciliation data
Grey label and agent
Choose the journey and characterise the platform’s role
The API describes a technical connection. Grey label organises an experience and a split of tasks. Agent status concerns taking part in the provision of payment services for an institution. These dimensions must be examined together.
Compare the implications for the PSFP
| Dimension | Grey-label offer | Payment institution agent |
|---|---|---|
| Principle | Rely on a journey and services operated according to an organisation defined with Tractial. | Provide payment services in the name and on behalf of Tractial within the limits of the mandate. |
| Go-to-market | Can make launch easier by reusing existing building blocks and processes. No timeline is guaranteed. | Requires scoping of the mandate, the control arrangement and the applicable formalities. |
| Product freedom | Journeys, interfaces, control rules and adaptation options potentially more constrained. | Intervention defined by the mandate; autonomy and customisation to be agreed, without unlimited freedom. |
| Responsibilities | Tasks and obligations remain defined by contract and by each party’s actual role. | Competence, fitness and propriety, procedures, training and controls to organise according to the perimeter. |
| Formalities | The grey-label name does not remove the need to analyse whether agent registration is required. | Registration required before carrying out the activities concerned; the process is carried by the institution. |
| Choice for the PSFP | Relevant if the proposed framework meets the need and the constraints are acceptable. | To assess if the desired role in payments justifies this arrangement and its requirements. |
The PSFP licence remains distinct from any agent role.
Product and operations
Reduce breaks in the financing cycle
Embedded infrastructure brings what the investor sees closer to what teams track. Benefits are measured on the journeys actually deployed.
A more continuous journey
Present the useful actions and statuses in the platform environment, with a clear identification of the payment service provider.
Fewer manual reconciliations
Connect identifiers and events to identify gaps and limit re-keying.
Explicit responsibilities
Plan the controls, permissions and incident procedures before scaling up.
Deployment
Start with a complete funds circuit
The first lot must cover a nominal journey and its essential exceptions. The calendar follows from product, technical, operational and regulatory prerequisites.
Map the flows
Who pays, who receives, in what capacity, when, in which countries and for which instrument?
Characterise the roles
Specify each party’s services, the PSFP framework and any agent role.
Define the journeys
Validate accounts, controls, payment methods, commissions and exit conditions.
Connect and configure
Embed the available interfaces, identifiers, rights and events.
Test the exceptions
Cover cancellation, withdrawal, failure, duplicate, refund and recovery after an incident.
Launch progressively
Activate a validated perimeter, track gaps and extend after feedback.
FAQ
What is a PSFP?
A crowdfunding service provider is a licensed actor authorised to provide crowdfunding services within the scope of the European regulation. It may in particular operate on loans or investments in securities, according to the authorised services. Not every collection platform automatically falls under this status.
Does the PSFP licence allow the provision of payment services?
The PSFP licence is not enough on its own. The arrangement must provide for an authorised payment service provider or another organisation that complies with the applicable framework. The platform’s role in payments must be characterised separately.
What is the difference between the PSFP and Tractial?
The PSFP organises the crowdfunding service and assumes the obligations tied to that activity. Tractial acts on the payment services in its contractual perimeter. The partnership does not remove either party’s own obligations.
How do you tie a payment to a subscription?
The model associates an investor reference, a subscription reference and an operation reference with the available payment data. It also provides for the rules to handle an incomplete, excess or unidentified payment.
Which payment methods can be offered?
SEPA transfer, card or an open-banking journey can be assessed according to the project. Availability depends on the activity, amounts, countries, partners and controls. Confirmation of initiation must remain distinct from actual receipt of funds.
How are investors and project owners verified?
Payment KYC or KYB journeys are defined according to the profile, representatives, beneficial owners and the applicable framework. They sit alongside the due diligence and investor protections that belong to the financing platform.
When are funds paid out to the project owner?
The payout takes place according to the operation’s conditions, authorised instructions, controls and applicable payment timelines. The commercial success of a collection does not by itself trigger an immediate payout.
What happens if the collection fails?
The platform applies the operation’s cancellation rules. Payments received are handled according to the agreed terms, keeping the link between subscription, payment and refund. Failed returns must remain trackable.
How should the non-sophisticated investor’s reflection period be handled?
When the European regime requires it, the prospective non-sophisticated investor has four calendar days from their investment offer or expression of interest. The platform must organise the withdrawal and coordinate its consequences on the payment flows.
Can the platform’s commission be taken at closing?
A commission can be built into the payment circuit if its base, trigger, beneficiary and treatment in case of cancellation are defined and authorised. Payment fees remain identified separately.
How are instalments and distributions to investors handled?
The arrangement matches funds received from the project owner with the relevant instalment or distribution, then prepares the payments according to the validated rights and breakdown. It does not create funds and does not guarantee settlement by the project owner.
Does safeguarding guarantee repayment of the investment?
No.
Protection of funds received for payment services and investment risk are two distinct topics. It is neither a guarantee of invested capital nor insurance against the project owner’s default.
Is it necessary to become a payment institution agent?
That depends on the platform’s actual role in providing payment services. Agent status may be required for the envisaged perimeter; it does not result from choosing an API or from the grey-label name. The activity concerned requires the applicable formalities and validations.
What does the grey-label offer change for a PSFP?
Grey label makes it possible to assess a launch that relies on existing building blocks and processes. It can place more constraints on journeys, controls and customisation. Implementation gain and constraints are assessed for the project; no regulatory exemption or launch date follows automatically.
Is collection in crypto-assets or stablecoins available?
It must be the subject of a separate study.
The possible conversion, authorised parties, settlement accounts and controls must be defined. Availability of this journey is to be confirmed for your project. A payment-institution licence is not enough for all of these services.
How do you start with Tractial?
Prepare the flow map, the type of financing, investor and project-owner profiles, countries, envisaged volumes and commission rules. These elements make it possible to scope the first journey, its responsibilities and its prerequisites.
Go further on the building blocks of your project
Payment accounts and IBANs
Structure the flows and identify transfers according to the chosen architecture.
See the pageIncoming and outgoing payments
Connect collection, payouts and refunds to the subscription journey.
See the pageKYC, KYB and compliance
Embed the controls needed for payment services.
See the pageWhite label and grey label
Choose the journey and characterise the platform’s role.
See the pagePayment institution agent
Examine the mandate, the formalities and the responsibilities.
See the pageAPI and integrations
Synchronise the platform with payment events.
See the pagePayment.net
The backbone that orchestrates accounts, flows, statuses and reporting.
See the pageLicences and regulatory framework
What the payment-institution licence covers, and what it does not.
See the pageFinancing platform and payments
Let’s structure your platform’s flows
Show us your model, your investors, your project owners and your collection rules. We will assess the payment journey, the integration terms and each party’s responsibilities.
Tractial, payment institution licensed by the ACPR, CIB 16748. Services subject to eligibility, compliance validation, contracting, technical availability and the applicable framework.