How long does it take to add a new provider?

It depends on whether the provider is already connected. A connected provider is activated by configuration for the merchants concerned. A new one has to be integrated first, which on NORBr is done on request, and the operator also needs its commercial agreement and onboarding with that provider.

Connected or not

If the provider is already part of the global payment network, adding it for an operator or a merchant is configuration: credentials, activation per merchant, routing rules. That takes days, mostly spent on the provider's own onboarding and credential delivery. If the provider is new to the network, it has to be integrated, certified and mapped first.

What an integration involves

• Mapping the provider's API to the platform's transaction model, including decline codes and settlement files.
• Testing every flow against the provider's sandbox: authorization, capture, refund, void, dispute events.
• Certification where the provider or scheme requires it.
• Fallback and error handling.

What the operator does in parallel

Signs the commercial agreement with the provider, completes the provider's onboarding and compliance review, and obtains production credentials. Those steps often take longer than the technical integration. On NORBr, new providers are integrated on request and then made available to every operator on the platform, so the second operator that needs the same provider waits only for its own commercial onboarding. Operators planning a market entry should start the provider agreement early, since it is usually the critical path.