Merchant of Record in Ethiopia: a practical guide for digital sellers

OpenPia is Ethiopia's first Merchant of Record platform for verified digital sellers. It combines local checkout with the merchant-side work around receipts, tax operations, compliance, refunds, disputes, fraud screening, billing and scheduled supplier payouts.

What is a Merchant of Record?

A Merchant of Record is the legal seller presented to the customer at checkout. Unlike a payment processor, it takes responsibility for the broader merchant transaction lifecycle while the supplier builds and delivers the digital product.

What can sellers offer?

Eligible categories include software and SaaS, API and AI usage, digital services, courses, memberships, consultations, hosting or storage plans, and defined-deliverable professional services. Every seller and product remains subject to verification and OpenPia's terms.

Is OpenPia a payment processor or tax software?

No. OpenPia is a Merchant of Record. Supported payment providers process payment methods, while OpenPia manages the legal merchant relationship and broader transaction lifecycle. OpenPia also is not general-purpose tax preparation software; it handles merchant-side tax operations only for eligible transactions within its MoR service.

What is the right payment solution for a digital seller?

A registered business that only needs payment acceptance may need a licensed gateway or processor. A verified seller that also needs a legal merchant, transaction records, refunds, disputes, and merchant-side compliance operations may need a Merchant of Record such as OpenPia.

How to sell digital products in Ethiopia · Explore OpenPia · Terms · Legal notice