> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.rc.cleverhub.co/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Clever Connect vs. a Standard Account

> How a Clever Connect account differs from a standard Hello Clever merchant account: who collects the money, how balances are separated, who controls onboarding, and who sets the fees.

Hello Clever accounts come in two shapes. A **standard merchant account** is for a business collecting payments for itself. A **Clever Connect account** is for a platform collecting payments on behalf of many merchants, where money from multiple merchants and markets lands in the same place.

The distinction matters because it is decided at onboarding and shapes how you reconcile, who you can onboard, and whether you can charge your own fees.

<Note>
  If you sell your own goods or services, a standard account is what you want. Clever Connect is for platforms with merchants underneath them.
</Note>

***

## Which one do you need?

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Standard merchant account" icon="store">
    You collect payments for your own business. Funds land in your [Payments Accounts](/platform-overview/clever-concepts/payments-accounts), you settle them to your own bank account, and Hello Clever prices the payment processing to you.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Clever Connect account" icon="diagram-project">
    You run a platform. Merchants transact through you, each one needs its own balance and its own reporting, and you want to control onboarding and set your own fees.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

<Tip>
  A simple test: if the answer to "whose money is this?" is ever "someone else's", you need Clever Connect.
</Tip>

***

## Side by side

|                              | **Standard account**                                                                               | **Clever Connect account**                                                             |
| ---------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Who the money belongs to** | Your business                                                                                      | Your merchants, held and tracked separately                                            |
| **Account structure**        | One merchant, with one or more Payments Accounts                                                   | A platform, with a dedicated account per merchant and revenue stream                   |
| **Balance model**            | [Aggregated or Dedicated](/platform-overview/clever-concepts/balance-models), chosen at onboarding | Dedicated, so every merchant balance stays separate                                    |
| **Reconciliation**           | At the merchant level, or per account under Dedicated Balance                                      | Per merchant and per revenue stream, without manual splitting                          |
| **Currencies for balances**  | Payins and payouts across supported markets                                                        | Dedicated balances across 25+ currencies                                               |
| **Treasury Accounts**        | Available to hold and move settled funds                                                           | Available per merchant, so merchants hold settled funds without their own bank account |
| **Who onboards merchants**   | You sign up directly with Hello Clever                                                             | You do, on your own terms, including what you collect and when a merchant activates    |
| **Fees**                     | Hello Clever pricing applies to your business                                                      | You set and collect your own fees from merchants on top of processing                  |
| **Dashboard**                | Your own [Merchant Portal](/portal/overview)                                                       | One dashboard covering every merchant account and balance across markets               |
| **Compliance posture**       | Your own KYC and AML/CTF obligations                                                               | Per-merchant segregated accounts that support your reporting obligations               |

***

## What Clever Connect adds

Traditional payment infrastructure was built for a single merchant. Clever Connect is built for platforms, where the operational complexity grows with every merchant you add.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Dedicated balances" icon="grip">
    An individual balance for each merchant and each revenue stream, in 25+ currencies. Funds land in the right place on the way in, so there is no manual reconciliation on the way out.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Treasury Accounts" icon="building-columns">
    Merchants hold settled funds locally without needing a traditional bank account of their own. See [Treasury Accounts](/platform-overview/clever-concepts/treasury-accounts).
  </Card>

  <Card title="Merchant onboarding you control" icon="user-plus">
    You own the full onboarding experience: what information you collect, how it is presented, and when a merchant is activated.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Platform revenue" icon="percent">
    Set and collect your own fees from merchants for payment processing, turning payment volume into a revenue stream rather than a cost line.
  </Card>

  <Card title="One merchant dashboard" icon="gauge-high">
    Manage accounts and balances across every market from a single place, alongside growth and loyalty tools.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Compliance support" icon="shield-halved">
    Per-merchant segregated accounts give you the audit trail your obligations depend on.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

<Note>
  Treasury Accounts are currently available in **AUD**. JPY and USD support is planned. For the current position, see [supported currencies](/platform-overview/clever-concepts/treasury-accounts#supported-currencies).
</Note>

***

## Built for these platforms

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Marketplaces" icon="cart-shopping">
    Many sellers, one checkout, and funds that need to reach the right seller.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Franchise networks" icon="buildings">
    Head office visibility across every location, with each location keeping its own balance.
  </Card>

  <Card title="SaaS platforms" icon="cloud">
    Payments embedded in the product your customers already use to run their business.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Gig platforms" icon="users">
    High volumes of payouts to individual earners, tracked separately.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Payment service providers" icon="network-wired">
    A merchant portfolio to onboard, price, and settle under your own brand.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

***

## Compliance and reporting

Because every merchant sits in its own segregated account, the record of who received what is kept at the source rather than reconstructed afterwards. That supports:

* **AML/CTF monitoring**, with per-merchant activity that can be monitored and reported on individually.
* **ATO reporting in Australia**, where platform operators have reporting obligations for the sellers they facilitate.
* **Japan's Instalment Sales Act requirements**, which apply to platforms handling instalment-based transactions.

<Warning>
  Clever Connect gives you the account structure and records that support these obligations. It does not remove them. You remain responsible for meeting the regulatory requirements that apply to your platform. See [KYC](/platform-overview/compliance/kyc) and [AML/CTF](/platform-overview/compliance/aml-ctf).
</Warning>

***

## What stays the same

Moving to Clever Connect does not change the payment rails underneath. You still get the same real-time bank payments, cards, and [Multi-Currency](/platform-overview/payment-concepts/multi-currency-payins-payouts) coverage, the same [integration options](/integrations/choosing-integration), and the same API.

If your account was created before the Clever Connect launch, nothing changes for you. You continue on the Aggregated Balance model with no balance migration, no historical transaction migration, and no impact on existing settlements or withdrawals. See [existing merchants](/platform-overview/clever-concepts/balance-management-guide#existing-merchants).

***

## Getting a Clever Connect account

Clever Connect is set up with the Hello Clever team rather than through self-serve sign-up, because your balance model and merchant structure are configured during onboarding.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Talk to the team">
    Contact Hello Clever to discuss your platform, the markets you operate in, and how you want merchants structured. See [Create a Merchant Account](/create-merchant-account) for the ways to get in touch.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm your balance model">
    Clever Connect platforms use the Dedicated Balance model so each merchant keeps its own funds. Your model is set once and cannot be changed after activation, so confirm it before you go live. See [balance models](/platform-overview/clever-concepts/balance-models).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Design your merchant onboarding">
    Decide what you collect from merchants and when you activate them, then build that flow into your product.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set your fees">
    Define what you charge merchants for processing on top of Hello Clever's pricing to you.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Go live">
    Connect your integration, onboard your first merchants, and manage every balance from the [Merchant Portal](/portal/overview).
  </Step>
</Steps>

***

## Where to go next

* [Clever Connect overview](/platform-overview/clever-concepts/overview): the concepts behind accounts, balances, and money movement
* [Balance models](/platform-overview/clever-concepts/balance-models): Aggregated and Dedicated in full
* [Payments Accounts](/platform-overview/clever-concepts/payments-accounts): the sub-accounts that receive payment activity
* [Treasury Accounts](/platform-overview/clever-concepts/treasury-accounts): holding and moving settled funds
* [Clever Connect FAQ](/platform-overview/clever-concepts/faq): quick answers on models, settlements, and testing


## Related topics

- [Clever Connect Overview](/platform-overview/clever-concepts/overview.md)
- [Balance Models: Aggregated vs. Dedicated](/platform-overview/clever-concepts/balance-models.md)
- [Account Transfer and Direct Debit in Japan](/platform-overview/payment-concepts/account-transfer.md)