What is ZarinPal?
ZarinPal (زرینپال) is Iran's leading online payment gateway, founded in 2012. It processes approximately 3 million transactions per month and is used by a large proportion of Iranian e-commerce merchants, SaaS companies, and online services to accept digital payments.
ZarinPal operates as a gateway layer connecting merchants to Iran's domestic Shaparak inter-bank payment network — the infrastructure run by the Central Bank of Iran through which all Iranian card-based digital transactions are routed. Because Iran is excluded from international card networks (Visa, Mastercard) and SWIFT, ZarinPal and its peers form the entirety of Iran's merchant payment acceptance infrastructure.
ZarinPal differentiates through developer-friendly APIs, a reputation for reliable uptime, fast merchant onboarding, and widespread adoption across Iran's startup ecosystem. It functions as the de facto payment layer for a significant portion of Iran's digital commerce.
How Iranian Payments Work
Understanding ZarinPal requires understanding Iran's payments infrastructure:
| Layer | Role | Operator |
|---|---|---|
| Shaparak | Inter-bank payment network; clearing and settlement | Central Bank of Iran |
| Bank card networks | Domestic card issuing (Shetab network) | Iranian commercial banks |
| Payment gateways | Merchant-facing APIs & hosted payment pages | ZarinPal, SEP, IDPay, others |
| Wallets / PSPs | Consumer-facing digital wallets (Digipay, etc.) | Various operators |
All transactions are Rial-denominated. Iran has no domestic equivalent of Visa/Mastercard — the Shetab network, operated collectively by Iranian banks, handles inter-bank card routing.
Scale and Metrics
Payment Gateway Landscape
| Company | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| ZarinPal | Independent gateway | Leading among startups and SMEs |
| Saman Electronic Payment (SEP) | Bank-backed gateway | Saman Bank's payment arm |
| IDPay | Independent gateway | Second-tier startup focus |
| NextPay | Independent gateway | Newer entrant, developer community |
| Parsian Payment | Bank-backed gateway | Parsian Bank's arm |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is ZarinPal?
ZarinPal (زرینپال) is Iran's leading online payment gateway, processing approximately 3 million transactions per month. It connects merchants to Iran's Shaparak inter-bank network and is widely used across Iran's e-commerce and startup ecosystem.
How does payment processing work in Iran?
All Iranian digital payments flow through Shaparak, the Central Bank of Iran's inter-bank network. Payment gateways like ZarinPal sit in front of Shaparak providing merchant APIs. Because Iran is excluded from Visa, Mastercard, and SWIFT, all digital transactions are Rial-denominated and entirely domestic.
Can foreign companies accept payments from Iran?
Accepting payments from Iran requires navigating sanctions compliance carefully. Iranian users cannot use Visa or Mastercard, and cannot use PayPal or Stripe. Any cross-border payment arrangement must be structured with legal guidance specific to the relevant jurisdictions. IDEI can support market entry assessments for companies evaluating the Iran opportunity.