Receiving payments in cryptocurrencies is the new way to do business, regardless of the products or services you offer. For the average user, the payment process is as simple as selecting the preferred virtual coin and inserting the amount to send money. On the back side of things, it gets more complicated as the sender’s wallet, gateway, blockchain, and merchant account interact with each other to fulfil the transaction.
One important piece in this puzzle is the API. For example, if your customers want to pay using BTCs, your website must have a Bitcoin payment API to initiate the transaction.
Before getting too technical about integrating a crypto payment gateway API, let’s introduce some key terms and review the best Bitcoin payment service providers and how to use their services.
Understanding APIs
Application programming interfaces (APIs) are communication protocols that lead to data exchange between servers. They integrate with websites to increase their usability or provide certain functions, such as live market news, local times, and real-time stock price changes in trading platforms.
Different APIs serve different utilities. They can be used to broadcast newsfeeds, weather forecasts, currency exchange rates, payment processing, etc.
Depending on the type of service you are receiving using APIs, the provider assigns you unique API credentials that define your website and the features you have opted in for. This ensures smooth data updates without refreshing the page or switching between websites.
What is Bitcoin Payment API?
In the trading world, this technology is highly crucial because it links your brokerage platform to servers like marketplaces, liquidity providers, payment gateways, execution bridges and other utilities that compliment the brokerage crypto payment system.
These are high-volume servers that involve transmitting a huge dataset that must be accurate and timely, to serve your clients better.
A BTC transaction API defines the data exchange between your website and a Bitcoin-dedicated server, allowing you to accept crypto payments. This involves supporting BTC-compatible wallets, blockchain applications, exchange ramps, and merchant accounts.
This is important, especially in crypto trading software, where order execution must be fulfilled on time, considering the high market volatility.
Therefore, when you integrate a Bitcoin payment API provider, you must ensure they use protocols that shorten the transaction pending time and execute at the best BTC/USD rate if you implement on-ramp exchanges.
Crypto Payment Gateways
Another crucial concept that works closely with APIs is the payment gateway, which is the interface that prompts your customers to initiate the transaction.
The gateway is what your clients see when they hit “purchase” or on the checkout page. A traditional payment gateway will instruct the user to insert their credit card details, while a crypto gateway will require scanning the wallet QR code to initiate the payment or linking the web 3.0 wallet to the merchant page who takes Bitcoin as payment to your account.
Businesses of different types are increasingly using crypto gateways to increase their payment methods and give their customers more options to buy their products or services.
Similarly, you can add a BTC gateway to your brokerage platform to start receiving payments in cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Ethereum and other blockchain-based coins and tokens.
This approach appeals to many users, especially those who prefer to preserve their identity from association with particular websites or want to send money faster.
How Do Crypto Payment APIs Work?
Payment API operations are pretty much automated and straightforward, and the complexity of operations depends on the provider. Generally, after you find a reliable Bitcoin payment API provider and create an account, you will receive API credentials or keys that you add to the payment gateway’s code.
These keys are used when you create a payment link or QR code. Customers can scan the QR code to send money from their Bitcoin wallet or click on the payment URL, where the following operation starts:
- Customers click on the “Pay with Bitcoin” or any other prompt that indicates paying with cryptocurrency on your checkout page.
- The payment gateway is triggered, converting the item price from fiat to BTC and generating a unique payment URL or QR code that directs the transaction to the merchant’s wallet/account.
- Users select the transaction amount after linking their crypto wallets or scanning the QR code.
- Once the transfer is initiated, the API interacts with the blockchain to trigger smart contracts to register the operation in the public ledger and create a receipt with the unique transaction hash.
This process happens online within seconds, and high-level security must be ensured because hackers target these instances to manipulate transactions and divert them their way.
Adding Bitcoin Payment Gateway API
Payment APIs have been used for many years now, powering traditional transaction methods. Stripe is a prime example of equipping online stores and websites with credit/debit cards and bank payments.
PayPal is another payment gateway that uses API to initiate digital wallet transactions for individuals and businesses.
Adding a Bitcoin payment API increases the transacting options on your platform, making it more suitable for more users. Customers are becoming more aware of data security issues of conventional methods and are increasingly using cryptocurrencies to send their money safely and quickly.
In fact, doing business with cryptocurrencies can save you more money than credit card payments because of bank fees and commissions.
Finding a Bitcoin Payment Provider
The process of adding API for Bitcoin payment can be tedious because you need to find a reliable gateway API provider that suits your business needs and your customers’ expectations.
You can find tens of intermediaries in a simple search. Therefore, you can find the best alternative by following these steps.
- Ensure reliability by inspecting regulatory framework license, reputation, customer reviews, and testimonials.
- Review the supported cryptocurrencies and ensure they offer major coins and the ones that suit your objectives.
- Check out the execution process and blockchain technology used to assess the transaction speed and price stability.
- Analyse the security level and protocols used by the payment gateway to safeguard your clients’ money.
Integrating API for Bitcoin Payment
Once you find a suitable solution to receive Bitcoin payment, you can start the integration process using the API keys provided once you register your business account with the provider.
For example, when you choose B2BinPay Bitcoin payments, you will receive your unique API credentials to add them to your webpage’s code for the B2BinPay server to recognise you and facilitate BTC transactions.
You can choose a pre-built gateway option that you can plug and go, or you can build your method using a white-label payment solution that allows you to customise your offerings and tweak the built-in features and functionalities.
Bitcoin Payment Method vs Traditional Payments
Not only do Bitcoin payments offer a diversified way to send money and purchase products and services, but they are also faster and safer, which is the main reason many centralised financial institutions are becoming more lenient towards blockchain-based currencies.
Transaction Process
Classic bank transfers involve multiple intermediaries, such as rate exchanges, third-party security systems, card issuers, and local financial institutions in cross-border transactions. This makes payments prone to more delays. Let alone the fact that most banks conduct settlements during the working week.
However, cryptocurrencies are automated and involve a minimum human factor in verifying and settling transactions. Once a payment is initiated, blockchain technology validates and finalises it faster than bank money transfers.
This process minimises the exchange rate effect because a single Bitcoin or Ethereum price is almost the same everywhere.
Supported Currencies
Sending bank transfers across the world is usually simple using major currencies, such as USD, EUR, GBP and JPY. However, when it comes to handling others like the Turkish Lira, South African Rand or Brazilian Real, it can be more complicated because only selected institutions deal with these currencies, resulting in elevated fees and processing times.
On the other hand, there are over 20,000 cryptocurrencies, spanning virtual coins, tokens and digital assets. This gives users a plethora of options when it comes to sending and receiving money.
Although most websites offer up to five or ten supported currencies, exchange platforms usually provide hundreds of coins, each with unique valuation traits and volatility characteristics.
Fee System
Banks are commercial entities whose objectives revolve around making profits. Most of these gains come from collecting service fees from transactions or other banking services, such as deposits, account creations and other complimentary features.
Moreover, sending money globally via banks is subject to additional currency conversion fees and other intermediaries.
On the other hand, blockchain is not a profitable entity and does not collect revenues to grow its own wealth. The only crypto-related fee is the gas fee, which is used to reward validators/miners for their work in processing transactions and developing the blockchain.
Thus, blockchain fees are used to keep the network running and ensure transactions are settled in a timely and safe manner.
Security
Creating a banking account requires submitting contact information and personal details, such as address, employment status, and estimated income, along with hefty background checks and KYC procedures.
These details are stored in the bank’s database, and there are no guarantees on how they are used and with whom they are shared while conducting transactions.
On the other hand, the blockchain does not ask for personal or contact information and only requires digital wallet information associated with each transaction to validate funds and operations.
However, exchange platforms and brokerage platforms usually conduct background checks for KYC and AML protocols to ensure not signing up any financial criminals or blacklisted personnel.
Top Bitcoin Payment Processing API Providers
Integrating a Bitcoin payment system API requires finding a provider company where you can create a wallet and connect your merchant account to facilitate crypto transactions and receive money in the virtual coin of your choice.
Whether you want to simply receive BTC or manage a brokerage firm that includes Bitcoin, you are more likely to encounter one of these top crypto payment providers.
B2BinPay
B2BinPay is a leading crypto payment provider, allowing users to transact and operate using over 300 virtual coins and tokens. B2BinPay supports fiat-to-crypto payment gateway APIs, which are assigned after registration, expanding brokers’ and exchanges’ choice of currencies.
B2BinPay also supports layer-2 blockchain networks to process transactions, such as Polygon and Avalanche, as leading subchains to conduct on-chain and off-chain transactions at higher interoperability and security levels.
BitPay
BitPay offers non-custodial crypto wallets that individuals and businesses can use to send and receive money. BitPay provides plastic cards to quickly pay using Bitcoin and a dedicated app to manage funds and wallets.
BitPay supports hundreds of cryptocurrencies, with multiple offerings for businesses, such as crypto recurring payments and payrolls.
Stripe
Stripe is renowned for its association with conventional payment methods. It supports Visa and Mastercard and powers e-commerce, applications, and stores that receive payments online.
Recent investments in decentralised finance expanded Stripe’s offerings to Bitcoin, Ethereum, and hundreds of other virtual coins and tokens. Stripe uses a safe Bitcoin payment API to safeguard users and the platform’s funds.
Coinbase
Coinbase is the most famous crypto exchange platform. It supports hundreds of virtual coins, tokens, and digital assets and allows users to conduct fiat-crypto exchanges and transactions.
Coinbase Commerce offers multiple services for businesses, such as wallets, payment gateway APIs, crypto settlements, and expanded support for cryptocurrencies.
Coingate
Coingate is a popular cryptocurrency payment processor that integrates multiple online stores and e-commerce websites with secure APIs to send and receive Bitcoin payments.
Coingate offers an expansive range of services, such as customer support, refund policy and subscription programs, equipping businesses with more means to serve their clients.
Why You Should Consider Bitcoin Payments
After understanding Bitcoin payments and how they work, should you add them to your website? Are they the better option for conducting your business and receiving money? Here’s what you can expect when integrating a Bitcoin payment API.
- Faster Transactions: Quick Bitcoin payments allow you to deliver services faster and shorten the settlement time.
- Elevated Security: Blockchain protocols evolve to become safer and more secure against cyber threats. Most importantly, they help secure user data and business transactions.
- Global Reach: Transacting with Bitcoin overcomes the fiat currency challenge when sending money across borders because 1 BTC is globally available with a unified price.
- Minimised Costs: Crypto transactions involve fewer intermediaries, currency converters and financial institutions, making it a more cost-effective solution.
Conclusion
Business and financial institutions around the world are becoming more crypto-friendly, adopting solutions to accept payments and trade with Bitcoin. These services are only viable after integrating Bitcoin payment API into a website to create a connection with other service providers and servers.
APIs serve as messengers between platforms that require data exchange and information representation from one site to another. Bitcoin APIs are used to facilitate BTC transactions and initiate communication with blockchain and digital wallets.
APIs are integrated after finding a reliable provider, registering for their services and receiving distinguished API keys added to your checkout process to receive BTC payments.
