Where do my funds go?

Directly to your wallet. Smart contracts route every payment from customer to your wallet address. Zateway never holds, touches, or has access to your funds.

Which tokens and chains are supported?

USDT and USDC on Polygon, Solana, Base, BNB Chain, Arbitrum, and Optimism. Customers can pay from any compatible wallet including MetaMask, Phantom, and WalletConnect.

How fast is settlement?

Settlement happens as soon as the transaction is confirmed on-chain — typically seconds to a few minutes depending on the chain and network conditions. There is no batching, no holding period, no payout schedule.

What does Zateway charge?

1% flat fee per transaction, enforced by smart contract. No monthly fees, no setup costs, no withdrawal fees, no hidden charges.

Can the fee ever increase?

No. The fee is enforced by an immutable smart contract. It cannot be changed, by us or anyone else.

Is there a sandbox for testing?

Yes. Zateway includes a separate test mode with zate_test_* keys and sandbox-tagged sessions so you can exercise checkout and webhook flows on testnet without mixing them with live traffic.

Basic verification may be required for higher transaction volumes. You can sign up and explore the dashboard immediately, but KYC verification ensures full access to all features.

How do I integrate Zateway?

Three ways: no-code payment links from the dashboard, REST API for custom integrations, or Shopify/WooCommerce plugins. Most developers ship in under an hour.

What is the best alternative to Coinbase Commerce?

Zateway is a leading non-custodial alternative to Coinbase Commerce. It allows merchants to accept crypto directly to their own wallets without intermediary holding periods, custody risks, or arbitrary account suspensions.

Can I accept USDT and USDC payments without high gas fees?

Yes. Zateway supports 6 Layer-2 and high-performance blockchains including Polygon, Solana, Base, BNB Chain, Arbitrum, and Optimism, ensuring sub-cent transaction fees for stablecoin payments.

What is a non-custodial crypto payment gateway?

A non-custodial payment gateway routes customer payments directly to the merchant's own wallet. Unlike custodial solutions like Coinbase Commerce or BitPay, your funds are never held by a third party — reducing counterparty risk to zero.

Is Zateway a good Stripe alternative for crypto?

Yes. While Stripe handles fiat card payments at 2.9% + 30c per transaction, Zateway handles stablecoin payments at just 1% flat with zero chargebacks and direct on-chain settlement. Many merchants use both side-by-side.

How do I send a crypto invoice to my client?

From your Zateway dashboard, create a Payment Link with the invoice amount, description, and optional expiry date. Share the unique link with your client — they see a branded checkout page and can pay in USDT or USDC from any wallet.

Can I add crypto checkout to my Shopify or WooCommerce store?

Yes. Zateway offers hosted checkout flows plus plugins for Shopify and WooCommerce. Crypto checkout appears alongside your existing payment methods with no changes to your store's workflow.

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Education 9 min readMarch 15, 2026

Stablecoin Payment Processor: The Ultimate Business Guide

Stablecoins now settle $10+ trillion per year — more than Visa. Here's everything a business needs to know about using a stablecoin payment processor.

A stablecoin payment processor lets businesses accept USDC, USDT, and other dollar-pegged crypto tokens as payment. Unlike Bitcoin, stablecoins don't fluctuate — $1 in equals $1 out. For merchants, that solves crypto's biggest historical problem: volatility.

Why Stablecoins Now Beat Traditional Rails

Traditional payment processors charge 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. International wires take 3–5 days and cost $25–50. Credit card chargebacks cost US merchants $125B per year. Stablecoins eliminate all three — at 1% fees, 2-second settlement, and zero chargebacks.

Custodial vs Non-Custodial Processors

This is the most important decision. Custodial processors (Coinbase Commerce, BitPay) hold your funds and pay you out on a schedule — exposing you to counterparty risk and delaying your cash flow. Non-custodial processors (Zateway) route payments directly to your wallet — you control your funds at all times.

What to Look For

Multi-chain support: Your customers use different wallets on different chains. A good processor supports at least Polygon, Solana, Base, and BSC.

Flat, transparent pricing: Avoid processors with tiered pricing or hidden FX spreads. 1% flat is the benchmark.

Real-time webhooks: You need direct notification when a payment confirms so you can fulfill the order.

Low buyer friction: One of crypto's biggest advantages is wallet-native checkout. If your processor forces extra hosted signup or verification steps during payment, conversion usually suffers.

Developer toolkit: A solid server SDK plus clear frontend integration guides save you weeks of work.

How It Works (Under the Hood)

A stablecoin payment processor creates a unique payment session (amount, expiry, metadata) and gives your customer a checkout URL or QR code. When they send payment, the processor's on-chain listener detects the transaction, verifies the amount matches, waits for the required confirmations, and fires a webhook to your app. In non-custodial setups, funds settle directly to your wallet — the processor never touches them.

Compliance & Regulation

Stablecoin processors still need merchant-side compliance controls. In practice that usually means sanctions checks, wallet screening, and business verification workflows that sit around the payment rail while the customer experience stays wallet-native.

Who It's For

SaaS companies (recurring stablecoin subscriptions), global freelancers (direct cross-border pay), e-commerce stores (reduce fees + eliminate chargebacks), marketplaces (split payments on-chain), and any business with international customers.