The misconception worth clearing up first
A lot of PSPs come into conversations about crypto payments, assuming it means ripping out the card stack and replacing it with something blockchain-native. It doesn't.
Stablecoin and wallet-based payments are additional payment methods. They sit in the checkout flow the same way Apple Pay or a local bank transfer does: the customer picks the option, the payment goes through, and the merchant gets paid. The underlying card infrastructure, the terminal configurations, and the reconciliation flows, none of that changes.
What does change: merchants get a new option that costs less to process, settles faster, and reaches a user base that currently can't spend with them because nowhere accepts crypto where they shop. That's not a rebuild. That's an extension.
What PSPs are actually integrating
WalletConnect Pay sits as a connectivity and payment layer between digital wallets, merchants, and PSPs. The PSP integrates it once via API. Everything underneath, the wallet connections, gas handling, chain routing, compliance screening, off-ramp to fiat, is abstracted away.
From the PSP's perspective:
- One integration unlocks 700+ wallets and 500 million+ reachable users across 125+ chains
- No changes to existing settlement, reconciliation, or accounting systems
- Compliance (Travel Rule, sanctions screening, blockchain analytics) runs at the infrastructure level
- PSPs configure their own margin on top of WalletConnect Pay's base rate of 0.5 to 1.0%
- Merchants choose to settle in fiat or hold stablecoins. The PSP doesn't have to make that decision
Nobody in the payment chain needs to know WalletConnect is powering it. The merchant sees a payment confirmed. The customer sees a transaction approved. The PSP sees a settlement. Everything else happens underneath.
How the payment actually moves
There are three modes depending on where the customer is paying from.
Online checkout. WalletConnect Pay shows up as a payment option alongside cards and PayPal. The customer clicks it, selects their wallet (MetaMask, Binance Wallet, Trust Wallet, or any of 700+ supported wallets), and approves the payment. No card details. No redirects. Checkout done in seconds.
In-store QR. The POS terminal generates a QR code. The customer opens their wallet app, scans, sees the merchant name and amount, and approves. Payment settles on-chain instantly. Same feel as scanning for any mobile payment.
NFC tap. The customer taps their phone or hardware wallet to the terminal. Biometric confirmation. Instant settlement. The experience is identical to a contactless card.
In all three cases, WalletConnect Pay locks the payment intent before the transaction is broadcast. The asset, chain, and amount are fixed upfront. No user error. No mid-payment fee surprises. No failed transactions from wrong chain selections.
Getting WalletConnect Pay live: step by step
Step 1: Start the commercial conversation
Get in touch with the WalletConnect Pay team at https://walletconnect.com/. The commercial discussion covers fee structure (base rate plus your configured margin), settlement preferences, and which compliance components you're bringing yourself versus using from WalletConnect Pay.
This is also where you decide how deep to go at launch. Most PSPs start by offering WalletConnect Pay as an alternative payment method only and expand from there.
Step 2: Pick your integration path
WalletConnect Pay gives PSPs three options depending on your stack and what you already have in place:
Option A: Use WalletConnect Pay's full compliance stack. Travel Rule, sanctions screening, blockchain analytics, and off-ramp are all included. This is the fastest route to live.
Option B: Bring your own off-ramp or compliance layer. If you already have a preferred KYC provider, transaction monitoring tool, or fiat off-ramp partner, you can plug those in. WalletConnect Pay handles the crypto-native pieces (Travel Rule data collection, wallet verification, gas) while your existing tools handle identity and risk.
Option C: White-label the checkout experience. You control how WalletConnect Pay appears to merchants and customers, under your brand, within your checkout flow.
Most PSPs end up somewhere between A and B: using WalletConnect Pay's compliance infrastructure and bringing their own off-ramp partner.
Step 3: Connect via API
WalletConnect Pay integrates via a standard API. Your engineering team connects your payment processing system to the WalletConnect Pay endpoint. The core flow is:
- Your system creates a payment intent via the API (amount, accepted currencies, merchant details)
- WalletConnect Pay generates the checkout experience (QR code, wallet connection modal, or NFC trigger)
- The customer connects their wallet and approves
- WalletConnect Pay handles routing, gas, Travel Rule screening, and settlement
- Your system receives a payment confirmation with a reference ID for reconciliation
The payment intent step matters most: it locks the asset, chain, and amount before anything goes onchain. That removes user error and fee surprises from the equation entirely.
Step 4: Configure merchant settings
Once the API integration is live, you set which options your merchants can access:
- Which stablecoins to accept (USDC, USDT, or broader asset support)
- Which chains to enable (most PSPs start with Ethereum mainnet and add Base or Solana over time)
- Whether merchants settle in fiat or stablecoins
- Your margin on top of the WalletConnect Pay base rate
These settings can be updated at any time. There's no need to get them perfect on day one.
Step 5: Add it to checkout
WalletConnect Pay gets presented to customers alongside existing payment options. Typically, a "Pay with crypto wallet" option sits next to cards and digital wallets.
If you're white-labelling, it can appear entirely under your product identity. The WalletConnect name doesn't have to be visible to the end customer at all.
Step 6: Test before you go live
Before flipping to production, run a set of test transactions across the payment modes you're enabling. Check that:
- Payment intents generate correctly with the right amount and currency
- Wallet connections work across the main wallets (MetaMask, Binance Wallet, Trust Wallet, Phantom)
- Settlement references come through correctly for reconciliation
- Fiat off-ramp to merchant bank accounts works end-to-end
WalletConnect Pay's test environment runs against all supported chains without touching live funds.
Step 7: Launch and iterate
Once testing is clean, go live. WalletConnect Pay processes transactions in real time, with settlement data feeding into your existing reporting flows.
From there, the main levers are:
- Rolling out to more merchants
- Adjusting your margin as transaction volume builds
- Adding chain or asset support as demand warrants
- Unlocking volume-based discounts as monthly throughput grows
The whole process from API integration to live typically takes a few weeks, not months.
What PSPs control vs. what WalletConnect Pay handles
PSP controls:
- Margin configuration on top of the base rate
- Which merchants get access and when
- Whether to white-label the checkout experience
- Which off-ramp partner handles fiat conversion
- Which stablecoins and chains to enable
- Whether to use WalletConnect Pay's compliance tools or bring your own
WalletConnect Pay handles:
- Wallet connectivity across 700+ providers
- Gas sponsorship (so customers don't see unexpected fees)
- Swap and bridging where assets need to be converted
- Compliance screening: Travel Rule, sanctions, blockchain analytics
- Settlement and reconciliation reference data
- Chain routing and payment intent locking
Nothing in the WalletConnect Pay column requires the PSP to own crypto infrastructure, manage wallets, or take custody of any asset. The PSP's role is the same as with any other payment method: offer it to merchants, receive settlement data, and generate revenue per transaction.
The revenue model
WalletConnect Pay charges a base rate of 0.5 to 1.0% per transaction. PSPs configure their own margin on top. The economics across the full chain:
- Users pay no transaction fee and get cashback rewards in WCT tokens
- Merchants pay 0.5 to 1.0% (vs. 2.5 to 3.5% for cards), with near-instant settlement and no chargebacks
- PSPs earn revenue on every transaction without owning any infrastructure
Volume-based discounts are available as throughput grows. Every participant in the payment chain ends up better off than on card rails, which is why merchant uptake tends to be strong once the option is live.
Frequently asked questions
Does adding WalletConnect Pay affect existing card processing?
No. It runs in parallel as a separate payment method. Card transactions continue exactly as before, with no changes to existing flows or reporting.
Do PSPs need to take custody of crypto at any point?
No. WalletConnect Pay handles on-chain settlement. The PSP receives a payment confirmation and settlement reference, the same as any other payment method. If merchants settle in fiat, conversion happens at the infrastructure level.
What if a merchant only wants to accept USDC on certain chains?
Fully configurable. Merchants specify which tokens and chains they accept, and WalletConnect Pay handles presenting those options to customers and routing accordingly.
How does reconciliation work?
Each transaction generates a reference ID that maps to the on-chain transaction. It integrates with existing reconciliation flows the same way any other payment method does. No separate blockchain tooling needed.
What happens if a transaction fails?
Because WalletConnect Pay locks the payment intent before anything goes on-chain, most failure modes that affect other crypto flows (wrong chain, wrong token, fee spike) don't apply. For genuine network failures, the customer sees a clear error and the transaction is not broadcast. No stuck or lost payments.
Can PSPs offer WalletConnect Pay to some merchants but not others?
Yes. The rollout is entirely PSP-controlled. Enable it for specific merchant categories, geographies, or individual accounts and expand from there.
Is this available globally?
WalletConnect's network is active in 195 countries. Regulatory availability varies by jurisdiction, and the WalletConnect Pay team works through market-specific compliance requirements with each PSP.
A new payment method, not a new stack
Adding crypto wallet payments doesn't mean rethinking your entire infrastructure. It means adding a payment method with better economics, a large and growing user base, and infrastructure designed to sit cleanly alongside what you already run.
WalletConnect Pay handles the hard parts: wallet connectivity, compliance, gas, routing, and settlement. PSPs configure their margin, decide which merchants get access, and generate revenue on a new payment flow without taking on the complexity of the underlying blockchain infrastructure.
The integration takes weeks. The revenue starts from day one. Card rails keep running exactly as they did before.