01The difference
| Managed | Self-held | |
|---|---|---|
| Who holds the keys | The gateway, on your behalf | You |
| Where payments land | A wallet the gateway controls | A wallet you control directly |
| Withdrawals | You instruct the gateway to send | Not needed — you already hold the funds |
| You depend on | The provider's operations and controls | Your own key management and operations |
| Typical feel | A ledger and a balance | Payments straight to your address |
Neither is universally better. A managed gateway trades direct key control for operational convenience — crediting, sweeping, gas handling and withdrawals are managed for you. A self-held one trades that convenience for control, and puts key security on your team.
02How Payaries does it
Payaries holds the wallets for you, and says so plainly. Each merchant gets a dedicated wallet per chain, never pooled with other merchants' funds, and you can check its live on-chain balance against a public block explorer at any time. Your ledger is credited when an invoice confirms; the amount becomes withdrawable once the sweep to your wallet settles, and you can withdraw to any address on demand.
- Withdrawals from the dashboard require two-factor authentication.
- Withdrawals created by an API key execute immediately below an auto-approve threshold you set, and wait for your approval above it. An API key can never approve its own withdrawal or raise its own ceiling.
- In extreme cases only — to protect against fraud or a security threat — a hold can be placed on part or all of a balance. It is a bookkeeping hold, not an on-chain transfer, and is visible to you as a separate frozen figure. It is not part of routine review.
03Questions to ask any provider
- 01Who controls the private keys, and is each merchant's wallet separate or pooled?
- 02Can I verify my balance on a public block explorer, independently of your dashboard?
- 03What are the exact conditions under which funds can be held or frozen?
- 04How long from a confirmed payment to a withdrawable balance?
- 05Are there limits or an approval step on withdrawals, and who controls them?
- 06What protects withdrawals if an API key leaks?
Questions
- Does Payaries hold my funds, or do I hold my own keys?
- Payaries holds them for you. Each merchant has a dedicated Payaries wallet per chain, never pooled with other merchants' funds, which you can verify on a block explorer.
- What is the difference between a managed and self-held payment gateway?
- With a managed gateway the provider controls the wallets that receive payments and you withdraw from them; with a self-held one payments go to wallets whose keys you control directly.
- Can I verify my funds independently?
- Yes. Your Payaries wallet addresses are shown in the dashboard with their live on-chain balances, and you can check any of them on a public block explorer.
Keep reading
- How a crypto payment gateway works, from invoice to settlementHow a crypto payment gateway works, step by step: invoices, one-time deposit addresses, confirmations, settlement and withdrawals.
- What is cryptocurrency? A plain-English guideWhat cryptocurrency is, how it differs from bank money, how wallets and keys work, the main types (Bitcoin, Ethereum, stablecoins) and how businesses accept it.
- Accept USDT payments on Ethereum, BNB Smart Chain, Polygon, Arbitrum, Tron and moreAccept USDT on Ethereum, BNB Smart Chain, Polygon, Arbitrum and Tron — and more networks as they ship — through one API, with a locked fiat rate and on-demand withdrawals.
- Frequently asked questionsChains, wallets, withdrawals, security and pricing.
- Custom token payments: bring your own ERC-20, BEP-20 or TRC-20 tokenRequest your own ERC-20, BEP-20 or TRC-20 token on your Payaries account. How review works, and how invoices, fees and withdrawals work once it is approved.
- Open USD (OUSD): the stablecoin backed by 140 companies, explainedOpen USD (OUSD) is the shared stablecoin from 140+ partners incl. Visa, Mastercard, Stripe and BlackRock. How it works, what is undisclosed, and what it means for merchants.
- Forex trading regulations in India: what FEMA, the RBI and SEBI allowIs forex trading legal in India? What residents may trade under FEMA, RBI and SEBI rules, the RBI Alert List, penalties and how to check a broker. Not legal advice.