​
Welcome to Paycrest

Paycrest is a decentralized liquidity protocol that democratizes global payments by enabling instant, secure, and zero-fee fiat-to-stablecoin and stablecoin-to-fiat exchange through a network of verified providers.

​
Our Mission

“To accelerate the creation of democratized payment systems of the future”

We believe that financial infrastructure should be accessible to everyone, everywhere. Paycrest is building the foundation for a more inclusive, transparent, and efficient global payment ecosystem where:

  • Anyone can participate as a sender, provider, or developer
  • No central authority controls the flow of funds
  • Transparency and security are built into every transaction
  • Local solutions work seamlessly with global networks

This mission drives every aspect of our protocol design, from the decentralized architecture to the developer-friendly APIs.

​
The Problem

Cross-border payments — especially in Africa and other emerging markets — remain globally expensive, slow, and fragmented. This is largely due to:

Legacy Infrastructure

  • Reliance on legacy intermediaries
  • Closed banking networks
  • Fragmented liquidity

Compliance Bottlenecks

  • Compliance bottlenecks
  • Informal exchange networks
  • Poor user experience

​
The Solution

Paycrest addresses these challenges by introducing a decentralized liquidity protocol that enables:

Instant Conversion

Near-instant fiat/stablecoin conversion via a decentralized network of Providers

Zero Sender Fees

Zero transaction fees for senders, with protocol fees borne by Providers

Embedded Compliance

Embedded compliance through user-friendly KYC and attestation flows

Crypto-Free UX

Streamlined crypto-free UX, enabling adoption without requiring users to understand wallets or chains

Multi-Chain Support

Multi-chain interoperability, beginning with support for Ethereum L2s and expanding to modular chains

​
How It Works

1

Create Order

A sender creates a payment order on the Gateway Smart Contract, specifying the amount, token, recipient details, and rate.

2

Aggregate

The aggregator node indexes the order and assigns it to one or more provision nodes run by liquidity providers.

3

Fulfill

The provisioning node automatically disburses funds to the recipient’s local bank account or mobile wallet via connections to payment service providers (PSPs).

​
Key Participants

Sender

KYC-verified entities that initiate fiat-to-stablecoin or stablecoin-to-fiat transactions

Recipient

The beneficiary who receives local fiat or stablecoins without interacting with the protocol

Provider

KYC-verified participants that supply fiat liquidity in exchange for stablecoins

Aggregator

KYC-verified entities that match orders with suitable Providers and coordinate fulfillment

​
Protocol Vision

Paycrest exists to bridge the gap between digital assets and real-world financial systems, especially in underbanked and high-friction economies. Our long-term vision includes:

​
Get Started

Ready to integrate with the Paycrest protocol? Choose your path:

For Senders

Learn how to create payment orders and integrate with the Paycrest API

For Providers

Set up a provider node to supply liquidity and earn fees

​
Use Cases

Paycrest serves a wide range of industries and use cases:

Explore all use cases →

​
Supported Currencies

Paycrest supports a growing list of currencies across multiple regions, with new currencies and delivery channels added regularly.

Fiat Currencies

  • African Markets: NGN 🇳🇬, KES 🇰🇪, UGX 🇺🇬, TZS 🇹🇿, MWK 🇲🇼, GHS 🇬🇭, XOF 🇧🇯🇨🇮
  • Asian Markets: BRL 🇧🇷, INR 🇮🇳
  • More Coming: We’re actively expanding to new markets and currencies

Stablecoins

  • USDT: Tether USDt (Multi-chain support)
  • USDC: USD Coin (Multi-chain support)
  • CUSD: Celo Dollar (Celo network only)
  • CNGN: Compliant Naira (Multi-chain support)

Our currency support is constantly growing. For the most up-to-date list of supported currencies and delivery channels, check our Supported Currencies page or use the GET /currencies API endpoint.

​
Security & Compliance

KYC/KYB Verification

All participants undergo identity verification

Smart Contract Security

Audited Gateway contracts with escrow functionality

Multi-Signature Governance

Protocol changes require multi-signature approval

Compliance Integration

Built-in support for regulatory requirements

Paycrest is designed for both Web3-native users and those who may never need to know they’re using crypto. The protocol abstracts away the complexity of blockchain technology while maintaining the benefits of decentralization.

​
Roadmap

Paycrest is evolving from a federated protocol to a fully decentralized, permissionless network. Here’s what’s live and what’s coming next:

1

Current: Offramp Protocol

  • Paycrest operates the only aggregator (federated model)
  • Providers pay protocol fees to the aggregator that assigned the order
  • Senders and providers must sign up and obtain API keys
2

Q3 2025: Onramp Launch

Support for onramp (fiat-to-stablecoin) flows

3

Onchain KYC (2025+)

  • Shareable, reusable KYC credentials across all Paycrest-integrated apps
  • Based on onchain identity standards
4

Full Decentralization & P2P Networking

  • Multiple aggregators, permissionless participation
  • Unified Paycrest node: aggregator, provision, and hybrid modes
  • Identities and communication via public key cryptography and P2P (e.g., libp2p)

Currently, Paycrest operates a single aggregator. In the future, the protocol will support multiple aggregators and full decentralization. See the Roadmap above for details.

​
Welcome to Paycrest

Paycrest is a decentralized liquidity protocol that democratizes global payments by enabling instant, secure, and zero-fee fiat-to-stablecoin and stablecoin-to-fiat exchange through a network of verified providers.

​
Our Mission

“To accelerate the creation of democratized payment systems of the future”

We believe that financial infrastructure should be accessible to everyone, everywhere. Paycrest is building the foundation for a more inclusive, transparent, and efficient global payment ecosystem where:

  • Anyone can participate as a sender, provider, or developer
  • No central authority controls the flow of funds
  • Transparency and security are built into every transaction
  • Local solutions work seamlessly with global networks

This mission drives every aspect of our protocol design, from the decentralized architecture to the developer-friendly APIs.

​
The Problem

Cross-border payments — especially in Africa and other emerging markets — remain globally expensive, slow, and fragmented. This is largely due to:

Legacy Infrastructure

  • Reliance on legacy intermediaries
  • Closed banking networks
  • Fragmented liquidity

Compliance Bottlenecks

  • Compliance bottlenecks
  • Informal exchange networks
  • Poor user experience

​
The Solution

Paycrest addresses these challenges by introducing a decentralized liquidity protocol that enables:

Instant Conversion

Near-instant fiat/stablecoin conversion via a decentralized network of Providers

Zero Sender Fees

Zero transaction fees for senders, with protocol fees borne by Providers

Embedded Compliance

Embedded compliance through user-friendly KYC and attestation flows

Crypto-Free UX

Streamlined crypto-free UX, enabling adoption without requiring users to understand wallets or chains

Multi-Chain Support

Multi-chain interoperability, beginning with support for Ethereum L2s and expanding to modular chains

​
How It Works

1

Create Order

A sender creates a payment order on the Gateway Smart Contract, specifying the amount, token, recipient details, and rate.

2

Aggregate

The aggregator node indexes the order and assigns it to one or more provision nodes run by liquidity providers.

3

Fulfill

The provisioning node automatically disburses funds to the recipient’s local bank account or mobile wallet via connections to payment service providers (PSPs).

​
Key Participants

Sender

KYC-verified entities that initiate fiat-to-stablecoin or stablecoin-to-fiat transactions

Recipient

The beneficiary who receives local fiat or stablecoins without interacting with the protocol

Provider

KYC-verified participants that supply fiat liquidity in exchange for stablecoins

Aggregator

KYC-verified entities that match orders with suitable Providers and coordinate fulfillment

​
Protocol Vision

Paycrest exists to bridge the gap between digital assets and real-world financial systems, especially in underbanked and high-friction economies. Our long-term vision includes:

​
Get Started

Ready to integrate with the Paycrest protocol? Choose your path:

For Senders

Learn how to create payment orders and integrate with the Paycrest API

For Providers

Set up a provider node to supply liquidity and earn fees

​
Use Cases

Paycrest serves a wide range of industries and use cases:

Explore all use cases →

​
Supported Currencies

Paycrest supports a growing list of currencies across multiple regions, with new currencies and delivery channels added regularly.

Fiat Currencies

  • African Markets: NGN 🇳🇬, KES 🇰🇪, UGX 🇺🇬, TZS 🇹🇿, MWK 🇲🇼, GHS 🇬🇭, XOF 🇧🇯🇨🇮
  • Asian Markets: BRL 🇧🇷, INR 🇮🇳
  • More Coming: We’re actively expanding to new markets and currencies

Stablecoins

  • USDT: Tether USDt (Multi-chain support)
  • USDC: USD Coin (Multi-chain support)
  • CUSD: Celo Dollar (Celo network only)
  • CNGN: Compliant Naira (Multi-chain support)

Our currency support is constantly growing. For the most up-to-date list of supported currencies and delivery channels, check our Supported Currencies page or use the GET /currencies API endpoint.

​
Security & Compliance

KYC/KYB Verification

All participants undergo identity verification

Smart Contract Security

Audited Gateway contracts with escrow functionality

Multi-Signature Governance

Protocol changes require multi-signature approval

Compliance Integration

Built-in support for regulatory requirements

Paycrest is designed for both Web3-native users and those who may never need to know they’re using crypto. The protocol abstracts away the complexity of blockchain technology while maintaining the benefits of decentralization.

​
Roadmap

Paycrest is evolving from a federated protocol to a fully decentralized, permissionless network. Here’s what’s live and what’s coming next:

1

Current: Offramp Protocol

  • Paycrest operates the only aggregator (federated model)
  • Providers pay protocol fees to the aggregator that assigned the order
  • Senders and providers must sign up and obtain API keys
2

Q3 2025: Onramp Launch

Support for onramp (fiat-to-stablecoin) flows

3

Onchain KYC (2025+)

  • Shareable, reusable KYC credentials across all Paycrest-integrated apps
  • Based on onchain identity standards
4

Full Decentralization & P2P Networking

  • Multiple aggregators, permissionless participation
  • Unified Paycrest node: aggregator, provision, and hybrid modes
  • Identities and communication via public key cryptography and P2P (e.g., libp2p)

Currently, Paycrest operates a single aggregator. In the future, the protocol will support multiple aggregators and full decentralization. See the Roadmap above for details.