Beyond Certification: Building Resilient Merchant Portfolios in Regulated Industries
Corepay partnered with LegitScript to help high-risk healthcare merchants navigate complex regulations, achieve certification, and build lasting credibility. By prioritizing compliance, Corepay enables stable growth, stronger banking relationships, and long-term operational success. We spoke with Rob Bast, Chief Sales Officer at Corepay, to explore how the company supports healthcare merchants in regulated industries and helps them stand out in a competitive market.
About Corepay
Corepay is a leading full-service payment processor specializing in agile, tech-driven, customized payment solutions for merchants operating in complex industries. Recognizing the growing importance of transparency and regulatory compliance, Corepay became an enterprise LegitScript partner to better support their merchants in meeting industry standards, achieving certification and scaling sustainably. This partnership underscores their commitment to helping merchants operate both successfully and responsibly in today’s evolving regulatory landscape.
"Corepay is firmly embedded in the healthcare industry, both in compliance and with our embedded tech stack. This LegitScript partnership ultimately ensures a minimum standard of merchant profile, enhances portfolio stability and creates better outcomes for all parties involved."
Rob Bast, Chief Sales Officer (CSO) at Corepay
Q&A With Rob Bast
We sat down with Rob Bast, Chief Sales Officer (CSO) at Corepay, to learn more about how they’re helping healthcare merchants in high-risk areas stand out in competitive markets.
How does Corepay guide merchants through the process of obtaining LegitScript certification? What are the most common challenges they face?
Corepay offers end-to-end support for merchants seeking LegitScript certification. Our team provides a comprehensive consultation to assess readiness, assists with document preparation, policy updates, and identifies any compliance gaps early in the process. The most common challenges merchants face includes incomplete documentation, misunderstanding of advertising restrictions and operational inconsistencies. We proactively address these hurdles by offering detailed guidance and ongoing check-ins throughout the expedited, white-glove application process.
Which specific high-risk industries have you seen benefit most significantly from obtaining LegitScript certification, and why?
Industries such as telemedicine, online pharmacies, CBD, psychotherapy and addiction treatment have seen substantial benefits from LegitScript certification. In these sectors, regulatory scrutiny is particularly intense. Certification serves as a mark of credibility. It makes it significantly easier for merchants to establish banking relationships, secure reliable payment processing, and market their services more effectively— all while building trust with consumers and partners.
Can you walk us through a real-world success story where LegitScript certification played a pivotal role in a merchant’s growth or compliance journey?
One example involves a premier telemedicine provider that struggled to secure stable payment processing due to industry-specific regulatory hurdles. Oftentimes, these merchants are able to quickly launch on an aggregated solution like a Stripe and are fine for several months until something triggers a bank review. The space has matured to the point that this scenario has even happened to some large, brand name merchants in the telehealth/online pharmaceuticals industry. For one enterprise merchant, Corepay worked closely with them to achieve both an initial LegitScript certification and a second LegitScript classification that opened the doors to our multi-processor/acquirer approach by ensuring accuracy. Certification not only improved their operational stability but also helped minimize the potential for processing disruptions. The client is excited about their new long term growth opportunities by expanding into new markets with greater confidence.
How do you address concerns from merchants who may view certification as a hurdle rather than a business enabler?
We approach these conversations by reframing certification as an investment in the business's future. Certification not only opens doors to better banking relationships and reduces risk exposure, but it also increases consumer trust and competitive advantage. We emphasize that the initial effort required is outweighed by the long-term stability, scalability, and profitability that certification facilitates.
How does Corepay’s partnership with LegitScript enhance your value proposition to acquiring banks and payment service providers?
Our enterprise partnership with LegitScript signals to acquiring banks/processors that Corepay prioritizes regulatory compliance above all else. It strengthens our underwriting processes, reduces exposure to regulatory action and makes it easier for banks to trust the merchants we onboard. Many payment service providers only include the healthcare space as another industry they can quickly onboard. Corepay is firmly embedded in the healthcare industry, both in compliance and with our embedded tech stack. This LegitScript partnership ultimately ensures a minimum standard of merchant profile, enhances portfolio stability and creates better outcomes for all parties involved.
What role does ongoing, post-certification compliance play in the long-term success of high-risk merchants? How do you help support that?
Ongoing compliance after certification is essential for protecting merchant accounts, minimizing risk and ensuring uninterrupted payment processing. Corepay supports merchants with continuous compliance monitoring, proactive regulatory updates and hands-on assistance during audits or reviews. We view compliance not as a one-time milestone, but as a continuous commitment that enables merchants to operate securely, maintain payment acceptance and build lasting credibility within their industries.
Looking ahead, how do you see the relationship between acquiring banks, high-risk merchants, and certification bodies like LegitScript evolving? What trends are you keeping an eye on?
We foresee even closer collaboration between acquiring banks and high-risk merchants as the regulatory environment tightens globally. Banks increasingly demand third-party certifications to minimize risk, and merchants are recognizing certification as a strategic necessity. We're monitoring trends such as the Visa Acquirer Monitoring Program (VAMP), evolving data privacy regulations, the rise of AI-driven compliance tools and shifts in global payment regulations, all of which will further shape these relationships.
Are you an online pharmacy or telemedicine provider? Get certified!
Become a certified healthcare merchant and unlock the benefits of LegitScript Certification today, including the ability to participate in online advertising and payment processing programs. Many of the world’s leading companies require or recognize LegitScript Certification.