Settle off the MCC blacklist — no reserve
Paymos settles stablecoin payments for licensed high-risk operators. There's no category code an acquirer can read and refuse, no reserve held back against your balance, and once a payment confirms on-chain it can't be reversed. The licence, age checks, and AML stay with the operator — Paymos is the payment rail, not a regulatory substitute.
Why the mainstream processor keeps saying no
Stripe and PayPal aren't assessing your business — they're declining the whole industry
Stripe's Restricted Businesses page lists a long roster of prohibited and restricted industries — adult, firearms, cannabis, pharma, debt collection, forex, money services and more — and PayPal's and Square's terms apply broadly similar exclusions, regardless of how licensed and clean your operation is. The specialist processors that do take these industries land closer to 4–7% all-in than to generic card pricing, hold a reserve for 90–180 days, and keep broad rights to drop you when the category gets hot. A stablecoin settlement removes the field the decision is made on: no category code for an acquirer to flag, no chargeback to reverse a paid order, no reserve, no payout hold. Onboarding is self-serve — an email and a wallet address, with a sandbox open immediately — while the industry licence, from an FFL to a state pharmacy board to FinCEN MSB registration, stays where the law puts it: with the operator.
What you get
Built for how licensed high-risk operators actually settle
One backend covers checkout, recurring top-ups, subscription billing for adult and dating platforms, and one-shot high-ticket purchases for firearms and pharmacy. Operator-side compliance stays operator-side; Paymos handles the payment infrastructure — it isn't a regulatory substitute.
A rail that won't ban you for your industry
Card networks gate restricted industries at the category-code layer; Paymos doesn't touch card rails, so there's no field for an acquirer to read and refuse. Onboarding is self-serve: an email and a wallet address, sandbox first if you want it. The licence your industry requires — an FFL for firearms, a state pharmacy board for Rx, a state license for cannabis, FinCEN MSB registration for money transmission, a state debt-collector license for collections — stays your obligation; Paymos doesn't collect it and doesn't rule on it. No multi-month underwriting, no held-back reserve, and no surprise category termination four months in.
Settles in minutes, no held-back reserve
A specialist high-risk acquirer typically parks a slice of every sale in a held-back reserve for 90 to 180 days, then releases the rest on a net cycle. Paymos credits your balance the moment the payment confirms — small tickets clear in seconds, larger ones wait for safe finality — and you withdraw to your Paymos balance on your own schedule. No reserve, no processor-controlled clearing account, no monthly carve-out sitting between you and your revenue.
Customers worldwide can pay
Specialist processors often stack geo-restrictions on top of the category decline — US-only, or US, EU and UK only. Paymos works wherever a stablecoin wallet works, so buyers who'd hit a decline elsewhere can pay. The operator stays responsible for jurisdictional licensing in each market served and for any geo-fencing the law requires; Paymos provides no geo-fencing layer and makes no claim of working in every country.
Recurring without a card on file
For licensed adult-content subscriptions, dating premium tiers, monthly supplement refills and CBD wellness autoship, each cycle your system issues a renewal invoice the customer pays from their wallet. No card on file and no standing pull — only a fresh invoice each period — so none of the expired-card churn or foreign-issuer step-up that quietly leaks recurring revenue on the card rail.
Pick your operator shape
Regulated industries we support today
Each industry has a different compliance perimeter — an FFL for firearms, FDA registration for Rx pharmacy, a state license for cannabis, FinCEN MSB for P2P. Pick the one closest to your operating model. This listing isn't legal advice; consult counsel for your jurisdiction.
Adult content
Subscription billing for licensed adult-content platforms — operator runs age verification.
Adult dating
Premium tiers and credit top-ups for adult dating apps — operator runs age and identity checks.
Nutra & supplements
Autoship refills for nutraceuticals and supplements — operator complies with FTC and FDA labelling rules.
CBD & cannabis
CBD (federally legal under the 2018 Farm Bill, under 0.3% THC) and state-legal cannabis — operator holds the state license.
Firearms & ammo
Licensed FFL dealers and ammunition retailers — operator runs ATF Form 4473 and background checks.
Tobacco & vape
Tobacco, vape and e-cigarette retail — operator complies with the PACT Act and state tobacco licensing.
Pharmaceuticals
Licensed online pharmacies and telehealth-Rx fulfilment — operator holds the state pharmacy-board license.
Pawn shops
Licensed pawn brokers and used-goods resellers — operator complies with state pawn-shop rules.
Debt collection
Licensed debt-collection agencies — operator complies with the FDCPA and state licensing.
MLM & network marketing
Network marketing and MLM operators — operator complies with FTC business-opportunity rules.
Forex & prop trading
Forex brokers and prop-trading firms — operator holds NFA, FCA or jurisdiction-equivalent registration.
P2P exchanges
P2P crypto exchanges — operator holds FinCEN MSB and state money-transmitter registrations.
Crypto loans
Crypto lending platforms — operator complies with applicable securities and lending rules.
What's inside
Operator responsibilities and Paymos infrastructure
Operator-side compliance
- Operator runs its own age verification (18+/21+ where required)
- Operator runs its own AML and KYC programme
- Operator holds the industry license (FFL, FDA, state cannabis, FinCEN MSB)
- Operator handles jurisdictional geo-fencing where required
Payment flows
- One-time checkout for firearms, pharmacy, electronics
- Renewal invoices for subscriptions and refills
- Payment links for invoiced B2B (collection settlements, MLM fees)
- Deposit and operator-initiated payout flows for exchanges and lenders
Supported assets
- USDT, USDC, USD1, DAI, XAUT
- 13 production blockchain networks, USDT on 11 and USDC on 10
- Customer picks the network at checkout
- Settle in the same token the customer paid — no auto-conversion
Paymos infrastructure
- HMAC-SHA256 signed webhooks
- Idempotent via external_order_id
- Sandbox identical to production
- MPC threshold signing on outbound transfers
Other categories
Explore other Paymos solutions
Pricing
1.0% per settled invoice. No reserve, no per-industry surcharge
The same rate applies to every industry — adult, firearms, pharmacy or money transmission — with acceptance gas covered inside the 1.0% and no second processing fee on the payout. Enterprise drops to 0.3% on request. Specialist high-risk card acquirers commonly run 4–7% all-in and hold a reserve for 90 to 180 days; other crypto gateways headline near 0.5% but settle closer to 1.5–2% once swap, transfer and merchant-paid network fees land.
See pricing