Crypto infrastructure, in plain English
The terms behind exchanges, payments and cards — what they mean, why they matter, and what to look for when you evaluate a platform.
Crypto liquidity provider
A firm or service that supplies buy and sell orders to an exchange so traders always get filled at tight prices, even when the exchange is new or small.
Read definitionCrypto payment gateway
A service that lets merchants accept cryptocurrency payments and optionally settle in fiat, handling addresses, confirmation tracking and conversion.
Read definitionCrypto settlement
The step where a crypto payment becomes money the merchant can actually use — confirmed on-chain, converted if desired, and delivered as crypto, stablecoins or fiat.
Read definitionCustodial wallet
A crypto wallet where a service holds the private keys on the user's behalf — the model behind exchange balances, payment platforms and most consumer crypto apps.
Read definitionFiat off-ramp
A service that converts cryptocurrency back into traditional money and delivers it to a bank account or card — the exit side of crypto that businesses and users both depend on.
Read definitionFiat on-ramp
Any service that lets users convert traditional money — card payments, bank transfers — into cryptocurrency. The entry point of every retail crypto product.
Read definitionKYC (Know Your Customer)
The identity-verification process crypto businesses run before serving a customer — document checks, sanctions screening and risk scoring required by AML regulation.
Read definitionWhite-label crypto exchange
A ready-made cryptocurrency exchange platform that a business rebrands and operates as its own, without building the technology from scratch.
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