Don’t take network robustness for granted

When it comes to financial transactions, trust is everything. Users need to know that their money will get where it needs to go—quickly, reliably, and without any hiccups. For a payments service, this trust isn't built on brand promises alone; it's built on the strength of its disbursement network. This is the hidden infrastructure that ensures every payment is handled with precision.

A robust disbursement network is defined by three critical pillars: speed, uptime, and the ability to handle all circumstances and edge cases. Without these, even a seemingly minor failure can erode user confidence and send them looking for a more reliable solution.

The problem is, many payment providers rely on a single payment processor to manage their network. This might seem like a straightforward approach, and they may even claim to have full coverage. For example, a provider might say they accept all QRPh QR codes in the Philippines. However, in reality, our quality assurance testing has shown that this is far from true in practice. When a system is built on a single point of failure, it can't guarantee a smooth experience for every user, every time. A transaction might fail due to a processor's downtime, a specific merchant's account settings, or a momentary glitch in the system. These are the "edge cases" that a one-dimensional network simply can't handle.

At Ripe, we believe that true reliability comes from a network of payment service providers (PSPs). We don't just rely on one partner; we aggregate multiple processors in each country we operate in. This redundancy is a non-negotiable part of our infrastructure, providing the robustness necessary to a disbursement network.

Our approach is built on two key principles:

1. Multiple payment partners: By working with a network of local payment partners, we ensure that if one fails, we can reroute transactions through another. This multi-processor approach is essential for maintaining uptime and speed, especially for applications that operate in multiple countries.

2. Rigorous edge-to-edge testing: We don't just connect to a partner and hope for the best. Our team conducts rigorous quality assurance testing to ensure transactions are routed for optimal, edge-to-edge handling. This means we actively test for and account for the specific circumstances and edge cases that other providers might miss.

For users, this means a consistent and reliable experience. For our partners—including crypto wallets and neobanks—it means they can confidently offer a seamless service without the operational burden of managing complex, and fragile, payment networks. This is how we build a payment platform that earns and keeps user trust.