Part 1 covered when to consider a local entity. Part 2 covered what setting one up actually takes. This is the worksheet — what to actually line up side by side before you make the call, and it's not just cost.

Most multinationals never formally decide between setting up a local entity and continuing to pay cross-border fees — they just keep absorbing the fees because nobody's put a number on what the status quo actually costs. Here's how to evaluate which is right for your company.

Some processors offer chargeback protection as an optional add-on. Others offer a Merchant of Record option instead. Both cost roughly 100 basis points plus a fixed fee, real money worth it for high exposure, often not worth it otherwise.

Two businesses can sell the exact same product and carry completely different legal, tax, and chargeback exposure, depending entirely on whether they process through a Merchant of Record or a standard merchant account.

Most subscription businesses inherited their billing setup instead of choosing it deliberately. This final post in our five-part series compares standard PSPs, subscription platforms, and Merchant of Record models for recurring billing infrastructure.