Sikka · The decision layer for payments

Payment infrastructure answers: “How do I execute this?”

It doesn’t answer: “What should I execute?”

Behind one payment sits a branching set of options. Sikka runs the checks and collapses them into one decision.

Sikka answers that question.

THE DECISION API

Send context. Get a decision.

Change the merchant or the amount. Same inputs, same answer, every time.

MERCHANT

AMOUNT

POST /route · REQUEST

SIKKA

Resolving merchant descriptor...

Scoring 3 cards at verified rates...

Applying caps...

Decision complete ✓

200 OK · RESPONSECONTRACT: POST /route · AS SERVED LIVE

RESOLVES TO groceriesfueldiningtravelonline

RULEBOOK v2.0.0 · SAME INPUTS, SAME OUTPUT, BYTE FOR BYTE

ILLUSTRATIVE WALLET · SAME CONTRACT AS THE LIVE ENGINE · UNRESOLVED MERCHANTS ROUTE AT BASE, NEVER A GUESS

The real engine answers this exact contract in the browser: 16 verified cards, 7 issuers, 202 merchant patterns, 0 records stored.

Explore the decision engine

THE PAYMENT DECISION GRAPH

See how Sikka reaches a decision.

Sikka weighs merchant, options, issuers, rails and constraints, then picks the best eligible path.

RESOLVE CONTEXT · SCROLL TO STEP THROUGH THE DECISION

Complexity in. One explainable decision out.

Every decision traces back to the context and constraints that produced it.

DETERMINISTIC · TRACEABLE · REPRODUCIBLE · ABSTAIN OVER GUESS

No LLM dependency in the synchronous decision path.

INTEGRATION

Add decisioning. Don't rebuild the stack.

NO PAN. NO CVV.

STATELESS · 0 RECORDS STORED

DETERMINISTIC FALLBACK

EXECUTION UNCHANGED

One module in front. Nothing replaced.

Sikka adds a decision boundary upstream of execution. Not a gateway. Not a processor. Not payment execution.

SIKKA PROVIDES

The rulebook: versioned, freshness-checked
The merchant resolver: no model in the path
The engine: decision, delta, reason
Multi-issuer neutrality

YOU PROVIDE

The rails: BIN, scheme, PCI, tokenisation
The wallet: which cards are held
The surface: nudge, statement, product
The distribution to cardholders

FIRST DEPLOYMENT · NO PAYMENT-PATH CHANGE · YOUR PROCESSOR REMAINS AUTHORITATIVE

0 PAYMENT OUTCOMES CHANGED · EVERY DECISION RECORDED · DEMO ANIMATION, NOT PILOT DATA

Different buyers. Same engine.

The control point moves. The engine doesn't.

PROCESSINGauthorize · route · clear · settle

+ INTELLIGENCEdecide · optimize · explain · attribute

= DIFFERENTIATION

NEW REVENUE HIGHER RETENTION BETTER OUTCOMES

Turn payment volume into a business multiplier.

SAME PAYMENTS · CONCEPTUAL FLOW, NOT COMPANY METRICS

Same volume. More value per payment relationship.

Every decision turns into a compounding advantage.

DECISION → EXECUTION → OUTCOME → ATTRIBUTION

More decisions create more attributed outcomes.

More attributed outcomes enrich the graph. A richer graph decides better.

YOUR OUTCOME DATA STAYS YOURS · NO COUNTERS, NO IMPLIED TRACTION

Built for an authorization-adjacent path.

LOW LATENCY

~0.08ms p99

In-process engine. Local benchmark, not production latency.

bench: local · p99
live demo roundtrip: under 100ms
sla: pilot gate

AUDITABLE

EVERY DECISION

Every response carries the identifiers an auditor needs.

decision_id
reason_code
rulebook_version

DETERMINISTIC

202 PATTERNS

Deterministic merchant resolution over versioned rules.

merchant patterns: 202
rulebook: verified from published terms, signed off
output: predictable

RESILIENT

FAIL SAFE

Configured fallback and timeout. Execution never depends on us.

fallback: configured
timeout: bounded
execution: independent

The next payment user may not be human.

THE SAME GRAPH · A DIFFERENT ORIGINFUTURE

TODAY Sikka chooses between payment options. OVER TIME Sikka builds a richer Payment Decision Graph. FUTURE Humans and agents both decide with it.

The agent speaks intent. Sikka translates it into a payment decision.

Agents shouldn't need to know every payment rail. They need a decision layer that does.

Explore agentic architecture

PRICING

Infrastructure economics.

INDICATIVE STRUCTURE · ENTERPRISE TERMS SCOPED PER DEPLOYMENT

PLATFORM

ENTERPRISE DEPLOYMENT + DECISION INFRASTRUCTURE

USAGE

VOLUME-BASED · A BILLABLE DECISION IS ONE SCORED RECOMMENDATION RETURNED TO YOUR STACK

PILOT SHADOW DEPLOYMENT PRODUCTION PRICING · SHADOW SCORING RUNS ON THE PLATFORM FEE ALONE

Discuss deployment

Designed for the questions infrastructure teams ask first.

Is Sikka a payment gateway or a processor?

No. Sikka never authorizes, clears or settles. It returns a recommendation for the best eligible funding card; your payment processor stays authoritative.

What does Sikka need to make a decision?

Transaction context: merchant descriptor, MCC, amount, channel, time. Plus the eligible linked-card set. No PAN. No CVV. No credentials.

How does a pilot start?

In shadow mode. A copy of transaction context goes in, Sikka scores it, and the scores are compared against actual outcomes. Nothing returns to authorization, so no payment outcome changes.

How fast is a decision?

Core decision compute is about 0.08ms at P99 on a local benchmark. Production latency is validated in the pilot; the SLA is a pilot gate, not a marketing claim.

Can the engine explain its decisions?

Every recommendation carries a reason code, a ranked alternative set, and a rulebook version. Same inputs, same decision, every time. Low confidence abstains instead of guessing.

Who is Sikka for?

Payment processors run it as a decision layer on existing rails. Issuers and banks get top-of-wallet placement won on merit. End users get the best eligible card on every purchase.

Where can I see it working?

The live demo runs at usesikka.com/routing: real engine, real decisions, in the browser. Or book a 30-minute walkthrough.

Thirty minutes. Your flows, our engine.

Live decisions on representative context, the audit trace, and the shadow-pilot plan.

Book demo

RECEIVED

We'll reply from praneet@usesikka.com.

The decision layer for payments.