Overview

To keep payment processing safe and secure, merchants must follow set requirements when accepting and storing payment methods. These regulations come from card brands, governing bodies, payment processors, and private organizations. Not being compliant can result in fines, account holds, seizure of funds, and even legal action. As your payment processor, we want your business to be safe and successful, so we will do our best to make sure you understand these requirements and where to find help.

Government and regulatory compliance

Governing bodies often have regulations and financial sanctions in place that define how you can run your business and restrict who you can transact with. It is your responsibility to be aware of these requirements and operate accordingly.

If you are based in the US and you transact internationally, you should be familiar with the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the Department of the Treasury, which prohibits transactions with certain individuals and entities in other countries. Note that we have no control over these regulations, and compliance is required.

Bulgarian Lev (BGN) Currency Transition to Euro (EUR)

Effective January 1, 2026, Bulgaria will become a member of the Euro area, and the Euro (EUR) will replace the domestic currency of the Bulgarian Lev (BGN). From this date, authorization and settlement of BGN will change to EUR.

Merchant Account Requirements

If you have a BGN merchant account, from January 1, 2026, you should use an existing EUR merchant account. If you do not already have an EUR account, please contact us or reach out to your CSM (if applicable).

Currency Conversion

From January 1, 2026, BGN will be converted to the Euro at a fixed rate
Any transaction presented in BGN after December 31, 2025 23:59 CET will be rejected

Chargebacks

For chargebacks, if the original transaction was billed in BGN, then the dispute must be submitted in BGN.

Please also note that:

If the dispute is submitted on or after January 1, 2026, then BGN will be converted to EUR using the fixed exchange rate and settled in EUR
The dispute response would be submitted in EUR. The original amount will be BGN
The reconciliation amount will be EUR after the EUR migration, using the fixed exchange rate

Reporting

Reporting in the Braintree Control Panel will not be impacted
Historical BGN transactions will be displayed in BGN

Account Suspension

Braintree will suspend the BGN merchant account on December 15, 2025

Support

If you need to set up a new merchant account for EUR or have additional questions, please contact us or reach out to your CSM (if applicable).

Card brand compliance

The card brands that we work with – such as Visa and Mastercard – have requirements surrounding payment processing to ensure secure payment experiences for both cardholder and merchants. You can find more information on the requirements in our Network Compliance article.

In addition to network compliance, card brands have rules and regulations in place to prevent the sale of illegal goods, counterfeit items, and other restricted products and services. To help keep high-risk and illegal items out of the payments ecosystem, we are obligated to do our part to prevent illegal or contractually restricted transactions from taking place. Restricted goods and services can vary depending on your location and how you integrate with Braintree.

Read more about restrictions in your region in our Merchant Agreements and Acceptable Use Policy.

PCI compliance

The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is a set of industry-mandated requirements that apply to any business that handles, processes, or stores credit cards. Being PCI compliant requires annual action, and we have tools to help you complete these requirements.

Ecommerce website compliance

To comply with card brand rules around consumer protection and cardholder rights, certain business details and disclosures must be clearly visible on your website, mobile app, invoices, and contracts. We'll review all your platforms to make sure the necessary information is present.