1. A method of processing a payment request in a payment broker system of a networked computer system, the method comprising: receiving from a sender at an arrived state an inbound request for a payment transaction by the payment broker system residing on a server in a computer network, wherein the payment broker system is in a hub-and-spoke configuration with the payment broker system being a central hub that stores a payment transaction request in a computer database and the spokes are one or more computer-based payment systems, the payment broker system further comprising a finite state machine model for depicting the payment process, the model having states interconnected by transitions and actions and the request residing in the database of the payment broker system, after arriving at the arrived state, mapping the transaction or failing to map the transaction, for a mapped transaction, transitioning the mapped transaction to a processing state or for a failed mapping transaction, transitioning the failed mapping transaction to a mapping failed state, for the mapped transaction after arriving at the processing state, completing the sender request or failing to complete sender request, and transitioning a completed sender request to a complete state or transitioning a failed sender request to a failed state.