Crypto payment gateway

A gateway sits between the buyer's wallet and the merchant's accounts. At checkout it creates an invoice with a fixed crypto amount and a time limit, shows an address or QR code, watches the blockchain for the payment and confirms the order once it arrives. It then either passes the coins to the merchant or converts them at the locked rate and pays out euros or dollars to a bank account.

Gateways connect to e-commerce platforms through plugins and APIs, and many also offer payment links, point-of-sale apps and payouts to suppliers. Well-known providers range from long-running bitcoin processors to large companies offering stablecoin settlement, and some card networks and payment firms now let merchants receive stablecoins directly.

For merchants the main benefits are access to crypto holders worldwide and protection from price swings when conversion is instant. The trade-offs include processing fees, compliance checks that may require identity verification, handling of underpayments and overpayments, and dependence on a third party that could freeze funds or shut down. Self-hosted options exist but require running infrastructure.