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Welcome to Paycrest

Paycrest is a decentralized payment routing 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.

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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:

Universal Access

Anyone can participate as a sender, provider, or developer

Decentralized Control

No central authority controls the flow of funds

Built-in Security

Transparency and security are built into every transaction

Global Integration

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.

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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

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The Solution

Paycrest addresses these challenges by introducing a decentralized payment routing 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 paid by Providers and optional sender fees for businesses

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

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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).
Performance: Most orders complete in under 30 seconds, with automatic refunds if not completed within 5 minutes.

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What is Paycrest?

Just as SWIFT operates as a financial messaging protocol without being a financial institution, Paycrest functions as a decentralized payment messaging protocol without being a payment processor. The Paycrest protocol doesn’t hold funds, process payments, or act as a financial intermediary. Instead, the protocol provides the infrastructure and messaging layer that enables:
  • Instant order routing between senders and providers
  • Secure message transmission with encrypted recipient data
  • Standardized payment instructions across different currencies and networks
  • Compliance integration with regulatory requirements
The key difference? Paycrest is faster, cheaper, and onchain - leveraging blockchain technology to eliminate the need for traditional banking intermediaries while maintaining the same reliability and security standards.

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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

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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:

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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

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Use Cases

Paycrest serves a wide range of industries and use cases:
Explore all use cases →

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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.

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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.

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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.