A growing number of legitimate businesses operating in regulated industries like CBD, kratom, and legal hemp products are finding themselves locked out of basic financial services, forcing many to operate on a cash-only basis or face closure. One financial services company is changing that narrative by building payment processing and funding solutions specifically for these underserved sectors.
Green Financial Service, founded in 2016 by Jesse Cretaro, has positioned itself as a lifeline for businesses that traditional banks and payment processors routinely reject based solely on industry classification. The company serves a diverse range of verticals including all Farm Bill-compliant hemp products including THCA, kratom and kava businesses, online gaming, adult businesses including streaming, licensed cannabis operators, and alternative wellness businesses such as nutraceuticals and peptides.
“If your business is legal and real, we’re here for you,” says Cretaro. “You don’t have to apologize for what you sell. You just need a partner that knows how to make it work.”
The challenge facing these industries extends beyond simple payment processing. Many businesses in restricted categories struggle to secure basic financial infrastructure needed to operate and grow, from payment processing to flexible lines of credit to equipment financing. Traditional financial institutions often categorize entire industries as too risky, regardless of individual business compliance or legitimacy.
Green Financial Service addresses this gap through an extensive suite of offerings that goes well beyond basic typical high-risk merchant account services. The company provides cost-effective, fast-funding merchant accounts for retail, mobile, ecommerce, and virtual terminal merchants, along with ACH and alternative payment solutions. Their funding options include unsecured lines of credit, term loans, accounts receivable financing, purchase order financing, and equipment financing.
For businesses looking to expand their physical footprint, the company also offers commercial real estate loans for purchase, expansion, or refinancing – a service particularly valuable for both hemp businesses and cannabis dispensaries and grow facilities that often struggle to secure property financing through conventional channels.
One of the company’s most innovative offerings is Adrodex, an in-house Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) payment option built specifically for high-risk merchants. This technology allows businesses in restricted categories to offer flexible payment terms to their customers, a feature typically unavailable to them through other B2B “Buy Now, Pay Later” providers.
The specialized financial services provider maintains numerous relationships with acquiring banks and funding sources willing to work with regulated industries. This network, combined with their understanding of compliance requirements specific to each vertical, has resulted in what the company describes as a nearly 100% approval rate for legal businesses.
Beyond core financial services, Green Financial provides access to compliant marketing tools through strategic partnerships, addressing another common pain point for restricted industries that face advertising limitations on major platforms. The company also offers integrations with popular business tools including Shopify, WooCommerce, Clickfunnels, QuickBooks, CRM and ERP solutions like Salesforce, Odoo, and Zoho, and inventory management systems like Fishbowl.
The impact of these services extends beyond individual businesses to entire communities. When hemp/CBD companies avoid shutdowns due to banking changes, kava bars, smoke shops, and other botanical businesses secure funding for expansion, or cannabis businesses access real estate capital, it enables job creation and economic growth in sectors that might otherwise remain stunted by lack of financial access.
As regulatory landscapes continue to evolve around products like hemp-derived cannabinoids and alternative botanicals, the need for specialized financial partners becomes increasingly critical. For business owners who have faced repeated rejections from traditional institutions, companies like Green Financial represent more than service providers – they offer a path to legitimacy and growth in industries that, while legal, remain marginalized by mainstream finance.
The company’s comprehensive approach reflects a broader shift in how financial services adapt to emerging industries. Rather than waiting for traditional banks to change their risk assessments, specialized providers are building parallel financial infrastructure that allows legal businesses to operate, scale, and contribute to their local economies regardless of industry classification.