NOWPayments
NOWPayments was founded in 2019 and is headquartered in Kingstown, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, with an office in Tallinn, Estonia. It comes from the team behind the ChangeNOW exchange service and serves merchants globally.
Its positioning is a non-custodial gateway with very broad asset coverage: more than 350 assets, about 150 iGaming partners and roughly 10 billion dollars processed since launch. A review notes that it holds no EMI, VASP or MiCA licence.
For operators
For casino and betting operators NOWPayments provides deposits and payouts in Bitcoin, Ethereum, USDT, Litecoin, Tron, Dogecoin, Ripple and Binance Pay among 350-plus assets, in a non-custodial model where funds go to the operator's own wallets. Around 150 iGaming partners indicate familiarity with gambling flows. Headline fees start at 0.5 to 1 percent, rising to 1.5 percent with conversion, with no setup fee.
Integration
NOWPayments publishes a REST API with IPN webhooks, JavaScript and PHP libraries, a Node SDK, plugins for WooCommerce and WHMCS, invoices and a white-label checkout. Fees start at 0.5 to 1 percent, 1.5 percent with conversion, and there is no setup fee.
Licences & compliance
No licences are published for NOWPayments, and a review states it holds no EMI, VASP or MiCA licence. Operators licensed in the EU or other regulated markets should assess whether an unlicensed non-custodial gateway is acceptable to their regulator and bank.
- Not published
Pros
- 350+ assets and around 150 iGaming partners
- Published fees from 0.5–1% with no setup fee
- Non-custodial model and extensive developer tooling
Cons
- No EMI, VASP or MiCA licence
- Offshore registration may be unacceptable to regulated operators
- Conversion raises the fee to 1.5%
Verdict
NOWPayments suits crypto-native and offshore-licensed operators that want maximum asset coverage, low published fees and control of their own wallets. EU-licensed and other regulated operators should prefer MiCA- or VASP-licensed processors.
Frequently asked questions
Is NOWPayments licensed?
No. Per a review it holds no EMI, VASP or MiCA licence and is registered in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
What are NOWPayments' fees?
Headline fees from 0.5 to 1 percent, 1.5 percent with conversion, and no setup fee.
What does non-custodial mean here?
NOWPayments does not hold merchant funds; payments settle to the operator's own wallets.