Mikro Odeme | 3pay
Micropayments service provider offering mobile payment, credit card payment, and prepaid cards services.
| Date | Investors | Amount | Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| investor | €0.0 | round | |
N/A | Acquisition | ||
| Total Funding | 000k | ||
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Mikro Odeme, operating under the brand name 3pay, was established on July 17, 2008, by Alper Akcan to address the complexities of processing small-value transactions. Recognizing that mobile phones were the most suitable channel for such payments, the company pioneered direct carrier billing in Turkey, enabling users to make purchases without needing a credit card. Akcan, who served as CEO, later co-founded another fintech venture, Maslak Teknoloji AŞ, focusing on open banking.
The firm positioned itself as a pivotal micropayment service provider for Turkey and the Middle East, growing to serve over 1,000 active clients. Its client roster included all major Turkish mobile network operators—Turkcell, Vodafone, and Turk Telekom—as well as international companies like Facebook, Nokia, Visa, and Mubi. This extensive network cemented its position as a dominant force in the Turkish mobile payment market. In January 2012, the company secured a private equity investment from Mediterra Capital, which fueled its expansion.
Mikro Odeme's core service is a direct carrier billing solution that allows consumers to purchase digital goods and services by charging the cost directly to their monthly mobile phone bill or deducting it from their prepaid balance. This model simplifies the checkout process to a simple confirmation via SMS. Beyond mobile payments, the company's offerings also included credit card processing and the distribution of prepaid cards, notably launching prepaid game cards in 2012 through a partnership with Peak Games.
A significant milestone occurred in September 2014 when the German payment processing giant Wirecard AG acquired Mikro Odeme for a total consideration of up to €26 million. The acquisition marked Wirecard's entry into the Turkish market with plans to leverage the company's established infrastructure for further expansion into the Middle East and North Africa. Following the transaction, Alper Akcan and the existing management team remained with the company to steer its next phase of growth under the new ownership.
Keywords: mobile payments, direct carrier billing, micropayments, fintech, Turkey, payment service provider, 3pay, Alper Akcan, Wirecard, Mediterra Capital, digital payments, carrier billing, mobile commerce, online payments, prepaid cards, payment gateway, e-commerce payments, digital content payments, gaming payments, mobile operator billing