Bulgaria Plans Tighter Rules for Affiliates and Online Payments to Target the Offshore Market

Bulgaria is preparing to tighten rules around affiliates and online payments as part of a push against the offshore market. For high-risk PSPs, the point is straightforward: when regulators go after acquisition and payment flows, the pressure rarely stays theoretical for long.

1. The proposed move focuses on affiliates and online payments, two channels that can be used to steer traffic and move money into offshore gambling and other high-risk operations.
2. The stated goal is to fight the offshore market, which means the policy direction is not just about licensing on paper but about the actual mechanics of customer acquisition and payment acceptance.
3. For PSPs, acquirers, and banks servicing high-risk merchants, this kind of change usually translates into tighter due diligence on traffic sources, merchant relationships, and payment flows connected to Bulgaria.