The Albany Gazette - Ecrypt: Creators Are Becoming Merchants, and Payments Infrastructure Must Evolve with Them

AGOURA HILLS, CA / ACCESS Newswire / October 8, 2026 / Ecrypt Inc., a payments and agentic technology company, is rethinking how it serves the fast-evolving creator economy as more creators move beyond sponsored content and platform payouts to operate as direct-to-consumer businesses.

In a new perspective from Ecrypt CFO Felix Danciu, "Creator Commerce 2.0" will continue to grow: creators are no longer simply producing content for someone else's platform, but are increasingly selling subscriptions, memberships, virtual events, films, intellectual property, merchandise, courses, consulting, software and other products directly to their audiences.

"The creator economy is already a meaningful part of our U.S. small-business economy," Danciu said. "But most of the financial tools built for creators were designed for pay-per-engagement. Once you start selling your own products and services, you're then taking customer payments, handling fulfillment, and dealing with customer service. The necessary tools to manage direct-to-consumer sales are going to matter more and more as creators need to maintain their focus on developing their community of followers and spend less time on corporate administration. Partnering with payment providers that understand these complexities is crucial."

The creator economy is already at commercial scale. The Interactive Advertising Bureau projected U.S. creator advertising spending would reach $37 billion in 2025, up 26% from the prior year and growing roughly four times faster than the overall media industry. Deloitte also found that 56% of surveyed Gen Z consumers considered social media content more relevant than traditional television programs and movies, while 63% said social media advertising or product reviews were the most influential form of advertising in their purchasing decisions.

As creators build direct customer relationships, Danciu argues that many need the same infrastructure as other merchants, including payment acceptance across channels and geographies, recurring and one-time billing, fraud and chargeback management, customer authentication, refund and cancellation workflows, transaction reporting, tax and reconciliation support, and reliable access to earned funds.

Visa's 2025 creator study found that 68% of surveyed creators already considered themselves small-business owners. Yet 26% said payment delays had affected their ability to produce content, and 30% wanted financial products that provided faster access to money they had earned.

"These are not influencer inconveniences; they are working-capital and business-continuity problems," Danciu said. "Payments are no longer the final administrative step. They are an important part of each creator's operating model."

Ecrypt emphasizes that any "creator" should not be treated as a single risk category, because each platform can range from low-risk digital products and professional services to activities that require enhanced identity controls, age verification, content oversight, or closer compliance monitoring. The appropriate approach, according to Danciu, is more precise underwriting based on what is actually being sold, how it is delivered, how customers are acquired, what refund terms apply, whether the transaction description accurately reflects the service, and more. This requires a distinct understanding of a creator's platform with personalized underwriting.

Rather than defaulting to rejection when conventional underwriting signals do not fit, payment providers can combine initial verification with ongoing monitoring of public presence, transaction patterns, customer complaints, chargebacks, subscription behavior, and fulfillment history. Limits and reserves can then be calibrated to actual risk and adjusted as the merchant establishes a track record.

The creator economy also presents a tradeoff between convenience and control. Platforms and merchant-of-record arrangements can simplify checkout, payment processing, taxes, refunds, and compliance, but creators may sacrifice access to customer information, payment flexibility, and control over renewal, pricing, and disputes. More established creators may increasingly seek direct merchant accounts, portable customer relationships, and payment infrastructure that works across multiple channels.

"The next generation of creator tools for payments must evolve to help them run sustainable businesses," Danciu said. "By promoting safe ways to accept payments, establish trust, demonstrate compliance, and retain greater control over their commercial relationships, each creator can then spend more time focusing on producing more content and attracting larger audiences."

Key implications for payments providers

• Treat established creators as merchants, once their business model accepts direct customer payments.
• Underwrite the underlying activity rather than relying on "creator" as a broad risk label.
• Pair initial verification with ongoing monitoring and risk controls calibrated to actual merchant behavior.
• Give legitimate creators clear guidance on the business practices and documentation needed to become approvable, and how to continue deploying best practices.
• Support a range of commerce models, from all-in-one platforms and merchant-of-record arrangements to direct merchant accounts and portable customer relationships.

About Ecrypt Inc.
Ecrypt Inc. is a payment technology company building the infrastructure for the next generation of digital commerce. Ecrypt's platform helps merchants securely accept payments, verify identities, manage risk, and support increasingly automated payment interactions. Built on a PCI Level 1 payments platform, Ecrypt combines payment processing, AI-driven operational tools, fraud prevention, agentic commerce capabilities, and patented age-verification technology through AgeChecker.net. Founded in 2004 and based in Agoura Hills, California, Ecrypt serves merchants and technology partners across the United States.

Press Contact:
Sara Trujillo | Trujillo Public Relations
917-295-5491 | [email protected]

SOURCE: Ecrypt Inc.

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

(T.Martin--TAG)