Banks drop CBD and hemp merchants over shifting state laws and “prohibited product” policies. Structure approves CBD brands — tinctures, edibles, topicals and flower — with gateways built for the category that won’t cut you off.
Hemp-derived CBD has been federally legal since the 2018 Farm Bill, yet most banks still treat the whole category as off-limits. State rules differ, the regulatory picture keeps moving, and mainstream processors would rather exclude CBD than keep up with it.
Structure Payments underwrites CBD and hemp merchants deliberately, with banking relationships that understand the products and gateways that stay open instead of freezing the first time a risk algorithm sees the word hemp.
If it is hemp-derived and lawful to sell, we can almost certainly underwrite it.
The reasons banks decline CBD have little to do with your business.
Hemp-derived CBD is federally legal, but state laws vary and keep changing. Banks read that uncertainty as risk and exclude the category rather than track it.
Many acquirers keep CBD on a blanket prohibited list regardless of compliance, which is why a compliant, profitable brand still gets declined.
Subscriptions, samples and first-time buyers all raise dispute rates, and ordinary processors close accounts rather than manage them.
Age checks, lab testing and labeling rules apply to the category, and the payment stack has to support that rather than ignore it.
CBD merchants are routinely approved by a mainstream processor and shut off weeks later. Underwriting the category up front is what prevents that.
No drawn-out underwriting theatre. A real person, a real timeline, a real approval.
One short form and a quick document upload. Your dedicated rep reviews it the same day — no call-center runaround.
We match you to the right banking relationship and gateway for your industry, chargeback history and volume.
Credentials, gateway and cart integration go live. You're accepting cards — usually within about 48 hours of applying.
Yes. Hemp-derived CBD businesses can be approved through a high-risk processor that underwrites the category. Structure Payments approves CBD brands, online and retail, usually within about 48 hours.
Hemp-derived CBD with no more than 0.3% THC has been federally legal since the 2018 Farm Bill, though state rules vary. A high-risk processor underwrites CBD within those rules, where mainstream banks exclude it outright.
Mostly because of the shifting legal picture and blanket product policies, not the health of the individual business. A specialist underwriter approves compliant CBD merchants that mainstream banks turn away.
We do everything possible to get you approved, and most merchants are processing within about 48 hours. No obligation to see your real rate.