Lüt Announces Strategic Partnership with Safe Harbor to Expand Access to Compliant Closed-Loop Payments for Cannabis and Specialty Merchants

Lüt Joins Safe Harbor Advantage Partner Network as a Closed-Loop Payments Provider

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Lüt, a new financial ecosystem built for accessibility, reliability and growth with a first-of-its-kind closed-loop digital payments platform for cannabis and other high-risk industries, has announced its new partnership with leading financial services provider Safe Harbor to address one of the cannabis industry’s most persistent challenges: compliant and reliable payments. Through the collaboration, Lüt becomes a Safe Harbor Advantage Partner in closed-loop payment, expanding access to compliant, guaranteed-funds digital payments for cannabis and specialty merchants.

The partnership brings together Safe Harbor’s compliance-first banking solutions with Lüt's closed-loop payment technology, called Lüt Reserve, that operates outside of traditional card networks and ensures funds are authorized and held in advance.

As part of the Safe Harbor Advantage Partner Network, Lüt Reserve provides closed-loop payments that function outside of traditional payment networks. Through Lüt Reserve, funds are pre-authorized through a good-funds digital wallet model, reducing reliance on cash, eliminating NSF risk and protecting merchants from sudden card network payment shutdowns. Lüt supports retail, delivery, payroll, vendor payments and general expenses, plus e-commerce payments, while keeping transactions fully within the regulated banking system.

“We both share a compliance-first philosophy and a long-term view of building sustainable financial infrastructure for regulated industries,” said Michael Andrud, CEO of Lüt. “This partnership with Safe Harbor signals to the banking industry that compliant, guaranteed-funds digital payments for high-risk industries are operational, scalable, and built to support long-term growth for regulated industries.”

Ean Mullins, Safe Harbor’s SVP of Product Development and Strategic Alliances, said, “This partnership strengthens our suite of financial solutions and underscores Safe Harbor’s leadership in delivering safe and compliant financial services to the industry.”

For merchants, the partnership delivers guaranteed funds, reduced cash handling, and consistent access to digital payments across all sales channels. Consumers will benefit from a faster and more transparent checkout experience, real cashback rewards and increased trust in how transactions are processed.

Over the next year, Safe Harbor and Lüt are slated to focus on merchant onboarding, expanded payment channels and new loyalty and incentive features, continuing both companies’ shared missions to modernize financial infrastructure by pairing compliant banking with modern payment technology.

The collaboration also serves as a foundation for broader expansion, with plans to introduce additional service categories and financial institution partnerships as Lüt scales across regulated and specialty industries.

To learn more, please visit mylut.com and shfinancial.org.

About Lüt®

Lüt® is more than a payment platform app—it’s a new financial ecosystem built for accessibility, reliability and growth. Lüt modernizes payments by combining traditional card processing, real-time payments, and a secure, closed-loop mobile system. Its card and mobile transaction model keeps pace with evolving commerce, from online retail to emerging sectors like cannabis and iGaming. Built on the first proprietary payment rails created since 1986 and supported through a strategic partnership with First Federal Bank (FFB), Lüt delivers faster settlements, cash-back incentives for users and transparent pricing without relying on outdated intermediaries. Lüt's leadership team brings decades of experience in the fintech space to streamline the payment process for merchants and consumers alike with easy to use emerging real-time payments technology. Learn more at myLüt®.com.

About Safe Harbor

Safe Harbor is a cannabis-exclusive financial platform delivering smarter banking, lending, payments and business services tailored to how the cannabis industry actually operates. As one of the original pioneers of compliant cannabis banking in the U.S., Safe Harbor has facilitated more than $26 billion in cannabis-related transactions across 41 states and territories. Through its proprietary Cannabis Banking Solutions™ Platform and network of regulated financial institution partners, Safe Harbor empowers cannabis operators to gain clarity, control and confidence in their financial operations. From daily banking to long-term growth, Safe Harbor provides real solutions and personal support — built exclusively for cannabis. Safe Harbor is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services are provided by our partner financial institutions. For more information, visit shfinancial.org.