If you're building an AI startup with global customers, having a reliable way to accept payments from around the world is essential. Stripe has become the go-to platform for many developers thanks to its clean APIs and broad coverage of credit card networks. It's particularly good for digital businesses with customers paying via credit cards across different countries. However, Stripe isn’t always a fit—especially for startups operating in unsupported regions or in business categories restricted by Stripe's policies. Even if you’re eligible, relying solely on Stripe can be risky. AI startups often receive high volumes of small, frequent transactions from around the world, which can raise red flags. Stripe has been known to suspend accounts without warning due to perceived risk, which can abruptly cut you off from your customers—sometimes with no clear resolution timeline. The core issue lies in Stripe’s reliance on the traditional credit card network for acquiring. Because of increasing global fraud, banks are under pressure to reject risky-looking transactions—even if they’re legitimate. This results in a phenomenon known as “soft declines.” The worst part? Studies show that 47% of customers whose card is rejected won’t try another card. That means real lost revenue for your business. Stripe doesn’t offer a great way to address this because it doesn’t let you diversify your acquiring stack easily, and credit cards inherently carry high fraud risk. To increase payment reliability and reduce lost conversions, integrating multiple payment gateways—and even offering stablecoin payments—can make a significant difference.
Here are some strong alternatives to Stripe for global AI startups:
- Adyen — Unified platform for global online/offline acquiring.
- Checkout.com — Local acquiring in 55+ countries and support for 145+ currencies.
- Worldpay (Global Payments) — Broad global merchant base and deep acquiring expertise.
- Braintree (PayPal) — Developer-friendly with strong global currency support.
- Worldline — Leading European provider with omnichannel payment solutions.
- Nuvei — Supports 700+ payment methods and local acquiring in 50+ countries. If you're exploring crypto and stablecoin payments. Here are some key players:
- Mizu Financial - Unified fiat & stablecoin acquiring with built-in expense management
- Stripe Crypto — Native in Stripe, but for US merchants only
- Coinbase Commerce — On-chain crypto payments with instant USDC settlement.
- BitPay — Accepts crypto and auto-converts to fiat, used by many large brands.
Why Mizu Financial?
At Mizu Financial, we’re building a modern treasury stack for global AI companies—starting with multi-rail acquiring (both fiat and stablecoins), native expense management after receiving the stablecoin, and future-ready wealth tools. Unlike legacy PSPs, Mizu is designed from the ground up to reduce card declines, support stablecoins natively, and automate 90% of your financial workflows with AI.
Final Thoughts
As global AI startups scale, relying on a single payment processor—especially one tied exclusively to the credit card network—is becoming increasingly risky. By diversifying your acquiring channels and incorporating stablecoins into your stack, you can reduce rejection rates, lower costs, and serve a global customer base more reliably. Whether you're just starting or expanding into new markets, having a flexible payment infrastructure will be a strategic advantage. If you're building in this space and looking for a smarter, more resilient alternative to Stripe—Mizu Financial is here to help.
