What Is CoinGate?
CryptoCoinGate is an EU-based cryptocurrency payment gateway headquartered in Vilnius, Lithuania. It supports 70+ cryptocurrencies with fiat settlement in EUR, USD, and GBP, and is notable for offering crypto-based Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) — a unique feature in the crypto payments space.
How It Works
1. **Merchant creates order**: The merchant creates a payment order through the CoinGate dashboard, API, or e-commerce plugin, specifying the amount in fiat or crypto. 2. **Customer selects cryptocurrency**: The customer chooses from 70+ supported cryptocurrencies (including Lightning Network for Bitcoin). 3. **Payment page displayed**: CoinGate generates a payment page with the crypto amount, wallet address, QR code, and a countdown timer for the exchange rate lock. 4. **Customer sends payment**: The customer sends the exact amount from their wallet. CoinGate monitors the blockchain for confirmation. 5. **Conversion and settlement**: CoinGate confirms the payment and converts the cryptocurrency to the merchant's chosen fiat currency (EUR, USD, or GBP) or crypto. 6. **Payout**: Fiat is deposited to the merchant's bank account within 1-2 business days, or crypto is sent to the merchant's wallet.
Key Details
Varies
1% processing fee
No standard limit (enterprise plans available)
69 countries
Pros & Cons
- EU-regulated — licensed in Lithuania under EU financial regulations, providing regulatory compliance and trust for European merchants and their customers.
- Fiat settlement in EUR, USD, and GBP — European merchants can receive settlement directly in euros without unnecessary currency conversion, a key advantage over US-centric competitors.
- Crypto BNPL — the only major crypto processor offering Buy Now, Pay Later for cryptocurrency payments, letting customers pay in installments while merchants receive full payment upfront.
- Lightning Network support — Bitcoin Lightning payments enable instant, near-zero-fee transactions, essential for small-value Bitcoin purchases.
- Smaller merchant base — CoinGate has less brand recognition and a smaller merchant network than BitPay or Coinbase Commerce, which may affect customer trust.
- Fewer cryptocurrencies than NOWPayments — 70+ supported coins is solid but significantly less than NOWPayments' 300+, potentially missing niche crypto communities.
- KYC required — CoinGate requires merchant identity verification due to EU regulatory requirements, which adds onboarding friction compared to Coinbase Commerce's no-KYC model.
- No self-custody option — CoinGate is a custodial processor, meaning it handles funds on the merchant's behalf, introducing counterparty risk.
Use Cases
- European e-commerce — EU-based online merchants who need a compliant, regulated crypto payment solution with direct EUR settlement to their European bank account.
- Crypto BNPL merchants — businesses wanting to offer their crypto customers installment payment options to increase conversion rates and average order values.
- Multi-currency settlement — international merchants who need fiat settlement in EUR, USD, or GBP depending on their operating region.
- Lightning-first Bitcoin payments — merchants focused on fast, cheap Bitcoin acceptance using the Lightning Network for point-of-sale and micro-transactions.
- B2B crypto invoicing — businesses sending crypto-payable invoices to international clients through CoinGate's invoicing tools with fiat settlement.
CoinGate is a cryptocurrency payment platform founded in 2014 and headquartered in Vilnius, Lithuania. As one of the few EU-based crypto payment processors, CoinGate operates under Lithuanian financial regulations and holds a virtual currency exchange operator license, providing a level of regulatory standing that appeals to European merchants and businesses concerned about compliance.
## EU-Regulated Crypto Payments
CoinGate's European base is a significant differentiator. While BitPay is US-centric and many crypto processors operate from loosely regulated jurisdictions, CoinGate is subject to EU regulations including anti-money laundering (AML) requirements. This makes it particularly attractive to European merchants who need a compliant crypto payment solution and prefer working with an EU-domiciled company.
Fiat settlement is available in EUR, USD, and GBP — a broader currency selection than many competitors that only settle in USD. European merchants can receive settlement directly in euros to their EU bank accounts, avoiding unnecessary EUR-USD conversion costs.
## Supported Cryptocurrencies
CoinGate supports over 70 cryptocurrencies for merchant payments, including Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Litecoin (LTC), Ripple (XRP), Tron (TRX), stablecoins (USDT, USDC, DAI), and many popular altcoins. While not as extensive as NOWPayments' 300+ coins, 70+ covers the vast majority of crypto holders and is significantly more than BitPay's 16+ or Coinbase Commerce's roughly 10.
The platform supports Bitcoin Lightning Network payments for instant, low-cost BTC transactions, which is essential for merchants accepting small-value Bitcoin payments where on-chain fees would be prohibitive.
## Crypto Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL)
CoinGate's most distinctive feature is its crypto BNPL offering, which allows customers to pay for purchases using cryptocurrency in installments. This mirrors the traditional BNPL model popularized by Klarna, Afterpay, and Affirm but applies it to crypto payments. Customers can split their crypto payment into multiple installments while the merchant receives the full payment upfront — the installment risk is borne by CoinGate, not the merchant.
This is a unique offering in the crypto payment space. No other major crypto processor offers BNPL functionality, making CoinGate the only option for merchants who want to offer their crypto-paying customers flexible payment terms.
## Pricing and Settlement
CoinGate charges a 1% processing fee on all transactions, in line with industry standards (BitPay and Coinbase Commerce also charge 1%). Fiat settlement to bank accounts is available in EUR, USD, and GBP, with payouts processed within 1-2 business days. Merchants can also choose to receive settlement in cryptocurrency.
For high-volume merchants, CoinGate offers custom enterprise pricing. The platform also provides a trader payout option where the merchant can maintain a balance and withdraw on their own schedule, rather than receiving automatic payouts.
## Integrations
CoinGate provides plugins for WooCommerce, Magento, PrestaShop, OpenCart, WHMCS, and other platforms. A REST API is available for custom integrations, with comprehensive documentation and sandbox environment for testing. CoinGate also offers a payment button generator for simple website integration and an invoicing tool for B2B billing.
## CoinGate vs Competitors
CoinGate occupies a middle ground in the crypto payment processor landscape. It offers more cryptocurrencies than BitPay but fewer than NOWPayments. Its EU regulatory standing is stronger than most competitors. The crypto BNPL feature is unique. Fiat settlement in EUR is smoother than with US-based competitors. For European merchants, CoinGate is often the most practical choice, combining regulatory compliance, multi-currency settlement, and broad crypto support.