Glossary
A
Account
A registered entity on the BVNK platform that holds wallets, processes payments, and manages API credentials. In the Direct model, an account represents the business that contracts directly with BVNK. See Select your delivery model.
Address
Also, blockchain address or crypto address. A unique identifier on a specific blockchain network where digital assets can be sent or received. See Integrate Channels.
Associate
A person linked to a business customer during onboarding, such as a director, ultimate beneficial owner (UBO), or authorized representative. At least one representative, UBO, and director must be specified when onboarding a business customer. See Business requirements.
B
Balance
The amount of funds available in a wallet. A balance includes the currency code and the current value. Each wallet maintains its own balance, which is updated as transactions are processed. See List Wallet Balances.
Beneficiary
The entity that receives the transaction. Can be an individual or a business. See Verify Beneficiary's Name.
Blockchain address
The destination of a crypto payout. A blockchain address is a unique identifier on a specific blockchain network where digital assets can be sent. See Initiate Payout.
C
Card
A virtual stablecoin-backed card linked to wallet balances, enabling spend. Cards are available as part of the Embedded Express model and are issued to customers by default. See Enable Express wallets for customers.
CDD
Customer due diligence. The process of collecting and verifying customer information during onboarding, including employment status, source of funds, intended use of account, and politically exposed person (PEP) status. See Individual requirements.
Channel
A dedicated permanent and unique address that can receive crypto funds at any time. Opposed to a temporary address that can be used for a single transaction. See Integrate Channels and Create Channel.
Crypto
A cryptocurrency is a digital or virtual currency that uses cryptography for security. It is decentralized and operates independently of a central bank. See Currencies.
Crypto gateway
BVNK's crypto payment processing service that handles the creation and management of crypto payments through Payment Links. It supports pay-ins, payouts, and currency conversions between fiat and crypto. See Create Payment.
Customer
Also, legacy terms: nested or underlying customer. An individual or business that uses BVNK's services either directly or through a partner. See Create a customer.
Customer fee
An optional markup fee that a partner can add to customer transactions. Customer fees are separate from the transaction amount and BVNK processing fees, and are collected from the customer's wallet and transferred to the partner's designated fee wallet. See Charge customer fees.
D
Digital asset
A cryptocurrency asset or a stablecoin. See Currencies.
Direct model
A delivery model where BVNK has a direct relationship with the customer. See Select your delivery model.
E
Embedded custom
A delivery model with full API integration where the partner builds the UI and controls flows. Embedded custom offers the highest flexibility and feature depth, with longer implementation time and greater oversight requirements. See Select your delivery model.
Embedded express
A BVNK-hosted, co-branded wallet experience delivered via link or SDK. BVNK owns the regulated user flows, and partners get rapid rollout with limited customization and no write actions on user accounts. See Enable Express wallets for customers.
Embedded model
A delivery model where BVNK embeds its services into partner's platform. See Select your delivery model.
Partner
Formerly, Embedded Partner or EP. Anyway, that's... you for BVNK.
Business that embeds BVNK's services into their platform for themselves or their customers. See Add customers.
Customer
Formerly, Embedded Partner Customer or EPC.
An individual or business that uses BVNK's services via a partner. See Add customers.
Endpoint
Also, API endpoint. A URL that allows you to send requests to BVNK's servers. See API overview.
F
Fiat
Government-issued currency that is not backed by a physical commodity, such as USD, EUR, or GBP. BVNK supports fiat currencies for pay-ins, payouts, and conversions to and from crypto. See Currencies.
H
Hosted payments page
Or Hosted page. A hosted checkout experience embedded in your platform interface. See Integrate Payment Links.
I
Idempotency
A property of certain API endpoints that allows you to safely retry requests without duplicating actions. To use idempotency, include a unique X-Idempotency-Key header (or Idempotency-Key for v2 endpoints) in your request. Only successful requests are cached; failed requests can be retried without risk of conflict. See Idempotency.
K
KYC/KYB
Know your customer (KYC) and know your business (KYB). Verification processes that BVNK performs to confirm the identity and legitimacy of individual and business customers during onboarding. These checks are a regulatory requirement and a critical component of the risk management process. See Individual requirements and Business requirements.
M
Mass payouts
A feature that allows you to upload a CSV file to trigger multiple payouts in a single batch operation.
Merchant
The legacy term for a customer that uses BVNK's services directly. Same as Account. See Create Merchant ID.
Metadata
Additional information about a transaction included in a request or response. See Metadata.
{
"metadata": {
"orderId": "PO-2025-001",
"internalUserId": "user-456",
"reason": "Customer withdrawal"
}
}
N
Network
A blockchain protocol used to process crypto transactions. BVNK supports multiple networks, including Ethereum, Tron, Solana, Bitcoin, and others. The network determines transaction speed, fees, and confirmation requirements. See Currencies.
O
Onboarding
The process of setting up a customer to use BVNK's services. The onboarding process typically involves a collaborative review by BVNK's Compliance and Onboarding teams to ensure full adherence to Know Your Business (KYB) standards. See Gather compliance data for onboarding.
On-ramp
A service that allows you to buy crypto with fiat currency. See Convert funds (on-ramp).
Originator
The entity that initiates the transaction. For example, a customer that wants to buy crypto with fiat currency. See Provide additional party information.
P
Pay-in
A request to move fiat funds from a customer to your wallet. See Receive payments.
Payout
A request to move crypto funds from your wallet to the beneficiary. See Send stablecoin payments and Initiate Payout.
Payment link
A link created and shared via BVNK API to collect crypto pay‑ins and process payouts. See Integrate Payment Links and Create Payment.
Payments API
BVNK's API for integrating crypto and fiat payments into a partner's platform. The Payments API supports pay-ins, payouts, conversions, and channels. See API overview.
Peg
Also, pegged. A fixed value relationship between a stablecoin and a fiat currency, where the stablecoin maintains a stable exchange rate relative to the fiat currency. For example, USDC is pegged to USD at a 1:1 ratio.
Processing fee
A fee charged by BVNK for processing the transaction.
Q
Quote
A price estimate for converting currency between wallets. A quote includes the exchange rate, the amount to be converted, and an expiry time. You can create an estimate quote to preview the conversion, or create and accept a quote to execute the conversion. See Create Quote.
R
Rewards
A built-in ability for wallet balances to automatically accrue yield. Rewards are enabled by default for all Embedded Express wallets and require no additional setup. Partners can configure how reward income is shared with their customers. See Enable Express wallets for customers.
Refund
A refund is a request to reverse a payment. It is initiated by the originator and is processed by the beneficiary. See Refund payments and Refund Pay-in.
Reference
A unique identifier for a transaction. BVNK may use the following fields to reference a transaction:
paymentReference: Actual description of the payment. The reference text is propagated along with the transfer so beneficiary could see it.customerReference: Unique identifier of the customer. If underlying customer is provided, this field would containcustomerIdcalledcustomerReferenceon the BVNK side.transactionReference: Unique transaction ID generated by BVNK.
S
Stablecoin
A cryptocurrency that is pegged to a fiat currency or a commodity. For example, USDC, USDT, etc. See Currencies.
T
Transaction
A record of a financial operation processed through BVNK, such as a pay-in, payout, fee, internal transfer, or channel deposit. Each transaction includes an amount, currency, status, and a unique identifier. See Reconcile transactions and List Transactions.
Transfer
Also, internal transfer. A transfer between two wallets within the same account. See Create internal transfer and Create Internal Transfer.
Travel rule
A regulatory requirement under the EU's MiCA regulation that extends traditional payment information-sharing standards to crypto and stablecoin transactions. The travel rule requires collecting and sharing information about the parties involved in a transaction, such as originator and beneficiary details. See Provide additional party information.
V
Virtual Account
A BVNK-managed payment account that includes a virtual IBAN (vIBAN) and a wallet. Virtual accounts are used to send, hold, and receive funds in one place. See Virtual accounts overview.
Verification of Payee (VoP)
VoP is a SEPA (Single Euro Payments Area) service that verifies a beneficiary's name against their IBAN to prevent fraud and errors. See Send fiat payments.
W
Wallet
A container that stores value and maintains balances in either fiat or crypto. You can connect various payment instruments, such as crypto addresses, to a wallet. Wallets are the core building block for processing payments, conversions, and transfers in BVNK. See Create a wallet and Create Wallet.
Wallet profile
A configuration that defines the currency codes and payment methods available for a wallet. Wallet profiles are assigned when creating a wallet and determine which payment rails the wallet can use. See Assign a wallet profile and List Wallet Profiles.
Webhook
A URL that allows you to receive notifications from BVNK. See Create webhook listener for more information.