Accepting crypto payments in your business

Why businesses accept crypto payments

The reasons are rarely ideological. A foreign client prefers to pay in stablecoins, a shop wants to attract customers who already pay in crypto, an online business is looking for faster collection than an international bank transfer. In each case, the useful question is not “should we do it?” but “for which flow, with which solution, and with which rules?”.

For a retailer, accepting crypto in store usually takes the form of a QR code or a payment link. For a service company, it is more often an invoice payable in crypto. For an online shop, it is a payment module added to the checkout. These three situations do not have the same constraints.

What the law allows, and what it does not say

In France, the euro remains legal tender: a customer therefore cannot force you to accept payment in crypto, and you remain free to accept it or not. Accepting a payment in crypto-assets in exchange for your goods or services is not, as such, one of the crypto-asset services listed by the European MiCA regulation^[1]. Anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing obligations do, however, continue to apply to your business, as with any other means of payment.

The situation is different if you hold, exchange or transfer crypto-assets on behalf of third parties: this is then a regulated service, which requires a prior legal assessment. Our guide on MiCA and PSCAs (formerly PSANs) explains where this line lies.

The main approaches to collecting payments

• A provider that converts into euros. The customer pays in crypto, you receive euros. This is the simplest solution for accounting, but you depend on the provider. Check that it is on the AMF white list^[2].
• A business wallet. You receive the tokens directly and keep the keys. You control the tool, but you bear full responsibility for security (see our support for crypto security in business).
• A mixed solution. Part converted immediately, part held according to a written rule.

Si0x consulting, and the Si0x Pay product

Two distinct things:

• The consulting support. Si0x helps you decide whether accepting a crypto payment makes sense for your activity, compare the options, then roll them out: invoicing, reconciliation, internal rules and training for your teams.
• Si0x Pay. A non-custodial USDC and EURC payment solution on Solana. Funds arrive directly in the company’s wallet. Si0x holds neither the keys nor the funds. A pilot offer is available, with the first month free. See the Si0x Pay pilot offer.

Invoice, reconcile, document

What most often causes problems is not the payment itself, but what comes after:

• an invoice denominated in euros, showing the token, the network, the amount to be paid and how long the conversion remains valid;
• a reconciliation between each payment received (transaction identifier, date, amount) and the corresponding invoice;
• an accounting and tax treatment validated beforehand with your accountant, as it depends on your situation;
• an internal procedure: who creates the addresses, who checks incoming payments, what to do in the event of a network error.

Our practical guide accepting stablecoin payments sets out this method in six steps.

Depending on your business

• Local shop. A QR code or a compatible terminal, a clear display of the payment methods accepted, and a simple rule for refunds.
• E-commerce website. A payment module integrated into the checkout, with automatic order confirmation and traceability of each transaction.
• Service provider or B2B. An invoice payable in crypto, a clear payment term and tracking of payments in your invoicing tool.
• International business. Often the most relevant case: see our support for stablecoins, international payments and treasury.

In all cases, we start with a trial limited to one specific flow. This lets you learn without committing the whole business, and then decide whether to expand or stop.

Mistakes to avoid

• Starting to accept payments without deciding who will handle it, and who will stand in for them.
• Forgetting to state the network on the invoice: a transfer on the wrong network may be unrecoverable.
• Leaving the keys in a single personal account.
• Not making a small first test payment.