# Platforms overview

> Build a marketplace or SaaS platform on VINR — onboard sub-merchants, route payments, and manage payouts at scale.

VINR Platforms lets you run a multi-party payment flow: your platform sits between buyers and a network of sub-merchants (sellers, service providers, or independent businesses), collecting payments and distributing funds minus your commission.

## What you can build

- **Marketplaces** — peer-to-peer commerce, on-demand services, freelance platforms, crowdfunding
- **SaaS platforms** — software that enables merchants to accept payments under your platform's processing agreement (PayFac model)
- **Omnichannel platforms** — combine online and in-person payment acceptance for your sub-merchants

## How it works

1. You sign a platform agreement with VINR and are issued a platform account.
2. You onboard sub-merchants through a hosted, embedded, or API-driven flow. VINR verifies their identity and registers them as sub-merchants under your platform.
3. When a buyer pays, you create a split that distributes funds between the sub-merchant's balance account and your platform account (your commission).
4. Sub-merchants receive scheduled or on-demand payouts to their bank accounts. You control the timing.

## Choose your path

| I want to…                                        | Start here                                             |
| ------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------ |
| Understand which platform model fits my business  | [Platform models](/docs/platforms/platform-models)     |
| Onboard my first sub-merchant                     | [Sub-merchant onboarding](/docs/platforms/onboarding)  |
| Split a payment between sub-merchant and platform | [Split payments](/docs/platforms/split-payments)       |
| Control when sub-merchants get paid               | [Payouts](/docs/platforms/payouts)                     |
| Understand KYC/KYB requirements                   | [Verification & KYC/KYB](/docs/platforms/verification) |