WeFlow: Stablecoin-based Global Crypto Payment Gateway Whitepaper

1. Project Introduction and Vision

Project Introduction and Vision: WeFlow is a stablecoin-based global crypto payment gateway platform designed to enable instant, low-cost, and borderless transactions for businesses and individuals. By leveraging fiat-pegged stablecoins on public blockchains, WeFlow aims to eliminate the volatility and inefficiencies traditionally associated with cryptocurrency payments. Our vision is to bridge the gap between traditional finance and digital assets, creating a world where sending money internationally is as fast and easy as sending an email. WeFlow’s platform empowers merchants to accept payments in major stablecoins (like USDC, USDT, etc.) with near-instant settlement and minimal fees, all while ensuring regulatory compliance and security. This aligns with the broader promise of stablecoins to provide borderless payments, real-time settlement, lower transaction costs, and high transparency. Ultimately, WeFlow strives to foster financial inclusion and global commerce by building an open, trusted payment network that anyone can use, anywhere and anytime.

2. Market Problems and Solution

Market Pain Points: Cross-border payments in the traditional financial system remain costly, slow, and fragmented. Businesses and individuals face high remittance fees (averaging \~6% globally) and transfers that take days to settle. Small merchants often cannot afford these fees, and consumers sending money to family overseas see a significant cut taken by intermediaries. Moreover, legacy payment networks have limited operating hours and involve multiple hops (correspondent banks), introducing delays and lack of transparency. Within the crypto space, accepting cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin or Ethereum poses a different challenge – price volatility. Merchants are reluctant to accept volatile crypto for payments because the value can fluctuate wildly, undermining its usefulness as a medium of exchange. There is a clear need for a solution that combines the speed and borderless nature of crypto with the stability of fiat money.

Solution – Stablecoin Payment Gateway: WeFlow addresses these pain points by providing a stablecoin payment gateway that leverages price-stable digital currencies (pegged 1:1 to fiat). Stablecoins like USDC or USDT maintain a stable value in USD terms, eliminating volatility risk for both merchants and customers. Transactions conducted via stablecoins on blockchain networks settle within minutes (if not seconds) and at a fraction of the cost of traditional remittances – for example, sending a stablecoin can cost mere fractions of a cent in network fees. WeFlow’s platform wraps this blockchain innovation into an easy-to-use gateway: merchants can accept payments 24/7 globally, without the need to worry about currency conversion or weekend/holiday bank closures. Our solution streamlines the payment flow, automatically handling the blockchain interactions and offering an API that integrates with existing merchant websites or apps. By using stablecoins, WeFlow bypasses costly intermediaries and FX fees, delivering fast settlement and significant cost savings to users. In summary, WeFlow’s stablecoin gateway solves the market’s pain points by offering faster, cheaper, and more predictable cross-border payments than both legacy systems and volatile crypto, all on a compliant and user-friendly platform.

3. System Architecture (with optional architecture diagram)

Architecture Overview: The WeFlow platform is built with a robust, modular architecture to ensure security, scalability, and seamless integration with both blockchain networks and traditional finance systems. At a high level, the system comprises the following core components:

Workflow Example: When a customer initiates a payment on a merchant’s site, the merchant’s backend calls WeFlow’s API to create a payment. The WeFlow system then generates a deposit address on the specified blockchain and returns it (or a payment URL/QR code) to the merchant. The customer sends the stablecoin (e.g., 100 USDC) to that address. The Blockchain Interaction Layer detects the incoming payment (after the required confirmations) and notifies the Application Server. The Risk Engine performs its checks in parallel. Once confirmed and approved, the Application Server marks the payment as complete and triggers a callback to the merchant’s system (or the merchant fetches the status via API). The funds are then securely held in WeFlow’s custodial wallet until settlement. Depending on the merchant’s preference, WeFlow can either immediately credit the merchant’s balance in stablecoins (which the merchant can withdraw on-chain or keep for later) or convert the stablecoins to fiat and initiate a bank transfer to the merchant’s bank account via integrated payout rails.

Figure: High-level architecture of the WeFlow payment platform. The diagram illustrates the payment flow from a customer’s crypto wallet through the WeFlow system to the merchant. WeFlow’s platform (center) comprises the API server, MPC/HSM-based custodial wallet, and compliance engine. A customer initiates a checkout on the merchant site, which calls the WeFlow API (step 1–2). WeFlow provides a deposit address and listens on the blockchain network for the customer’s stablecoin payment (steps 3–5). Upon confirmation, WeFlow notifies the merchant and either settles with the merchant in stablecoins or converts the payment to fiat via banking partners (steps 6–8). (图:WeFlow 支付平台的高层架构示意。该图展示了从客户的加密钱包,通过 WeFlow 系统再到商户的完整支付流程。WeFlow 平台(中部)包含 API 服务器、基于 MPC/HSM 的托管钱包和合规风控引擎。客户在商户网站发起结账(步骤1–2),商户后端调用 WeFlow API 创建支付请求。WeFlow 返回收款地址并在区块链网络上监听客户的稳定币付款(步骤3–5)。确认到账后,WeFlow 通知商户,随后按商户偏好以稳定币结算或通过银行合作伙伴将款项兑换为法币并汇至商户银行账户(步骤6–8))。

4. Supported Chains and Stablecoins

Multi-Chain & Multi-Stablecoin Support: WeFlow is designed to be chain-agnostic and currency-agnostic, supporting a range of blockchain networks and stablecoins to meet diverse business needs. Supporting multiple chains allows merchants and payers to choose the network that offers the best fees, speed, and regional accessibility for their transactions. Below is an overview of currently supported chains and stablecoins on the WeFlow platform:

This multi-chain, multi-currency support ensures that WeFlow can cater to various use cases – from e-commerce payments on Ethereum to remittances on low-cost networks. Merchants can configure which stablecoins and networks they wish to accept, and WeFlow handles the rest: routing payments to the appropriate infrastructure and abstracting away the differences between blockchains.

5. Payment Flow and API Overview (with brief code snippets)

Payment Flow: The process of accepting a payment via WeFlow can be summarized in a few steps, which the platform automates end-to-end:

  1. Merchant Initiates Payment Request: When a customer is ready to pay (for example, at checkout on an e-commerce site), the merchant’s server sends a request to WeFlow’s API to create a new payment. This request typically includes details like the amount (in a fiat currency or stablecoin), the desired stablecoin to receive, and optionally an order/reference ID and callback URL.
  2. WeFlow Provides Payment Details: WeFlow’s API responds with a unique payment identifier and a deposit address (or a payment link/QR code) for the customer to send the stablecoin. For instance, it might return an Ethereum address for USDC payment of \$100.
  3. Customer Sends Stablecoin: The customer uses their crypto wallet (scanning the QR or copying the address) to send the required stablecoin amount. WeFlow monitors the blockchain for this incoming payment to the specified address.
  4. Payment Confirmation: Once the transaction is detected and meets the required confirmations, WeFlow marks the payment as confirmed. The platform will then either POST a webhook callback to the merchant’s specified URL with the payment status or the merchant can query the payment status via API. The confirmation includes transaction details (amount, asset, sender address, blockchain transaction hash, timestamp, etc.).
  5. Settlement: WeFlow holds the received funds in custody on behalf of the merchant. Depending on the merchant’s configuration, the settlement can occur in two ways:

    • Crypto Settlement: The merchant may choose to receive the funds in the same stablecoin. In that case, the merchant can later withdraw the stablecoins from WeFlow to their own wallet, or reuse the balance for outgoing payments.
    • Fiat Settlement: Alternatively, WeFlow can automatically convert the stablecoins to fiat (e.g., USD) and initiate a transfer through integrated payout rails (such as bank transfer via ACH/SEPA or other payment corridors) to the merchant’s bank account. This gives merchants the convenience of getting local currency without dealing with crypto exchanges.
  6. Notification and Receipt: Both the merchant and the customer (if the merchant’s system provides receipts) get notified of the successful payment. WeFlow’s dashboard and API allow the merchant to view the payment details, and an email receipt can be triggered if configured.

Throughout this flow, error handling is in place – for example, if the customer sends an incorrect amount or a transaction times out, WeFlow will mark the payment as underpaid or expired and can provide APIs to handle exceptions (refunds or top-ups). The goal is to make the payment experience straightforward and reliable for all parties.

API Overview: WeFlow offers a developer-friendly API for integration. Below is an example of how a merchant server might create a payment request using the WeFlow API:

curl -X POST https://api.weflow.cc/v1/payments \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <API_KEY>" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "amount": "100.00",
    "currency": "USD",
    "stablecoin": "USDC",
    "network": "ETH",
    "order_id": "ORDER12345",
    "ipn_callback_url": "https://yourdomain.com/weflow-webhook"
  }'

In this example, the merchant requests to accept a payment of \$100 (USD) in USDC on Ethereum ("network": "ETH"). The API would respond with a JSON object containing at least a payment_id and the address to which the customer should send USDC. For instance, a response might look like:

{
  "payment_id": "pm_abc123def456",
  "address": "0x12a34bcdef56...7890",
  "stablecoin": "USDC",
  "network": "ETH",
  "amount": "100.00",
  "status": "pending",
  "created_at": "2025-08-04T12:00:00Z"
}

After the customer sends the USDC, the status will transition to "confirmed" (and settled if moved to payout) which the merchant can obtain via webhook or by querying GET /v1/payments/{payment_id}. WeFlow’s API also provides endpoints for managing payouts, checking exchange rates (if needed for conversion), and listing past transactions. The API is secured with REST conventions and uses standard HTTP response codes to indicate errors (for example, 400 for bad requests, 401 for authentication issues, etc.). SDKs and comprehensive documentation are provided to assist developers in quickly integrating WeFlow into their systems.

6. Security Mechanisms (MPC, HSM, transaction risk controls)

Key Management Security: Security is paramount in payment processing, especially when handling crypto assets. WeFlow employs industry-leading practices for private key management. Central to this is Multi-Party Computation (MPC) for key custody: rather than holding a complete private key in one place, the cryptographic keys controlling stablecoin wallets are split into multiple encrypted “shares” held by independent parties or servers. No single party ever has access to the full key, and a transaction signature can only be produced through a distributed computation involving all key shares. This approach greatly reduces the risk of a single-point compromise—an attacker would need to breach multiple secure systems simultaneously to get any usable key material. Additionally, WeFlow utilizes Hardware Security Modules (HSMs) to store key shares and perform signing operations in a tamper-resistant hardware environment. The HSMs ensure that private keys (or their MPC shares) never leave the secure hardware and are invulnerable to software-level attacks. By combining MPC and HSM technology, WeFlow’s wallet infrastructure achieves a high level of security comparable to top-tier crypto custodians.

Operational Security and Access Controls: WeFlow’s internal operations follow strict security protocols. Administrative access to systems (for example, to authorize large transfers or update configurations) is protected with multi-factor authentication (MFA) and role-based access control (RBAC). All sensitive actions require multiple approvals – akin to a “four-eyes” principle – to prevent insider threats. Audit logs are maintained for all system activities, and regular audits are conducted. Smart contract addresses and wallet software used by WeFlow are regularly reviewed and audited for vulnerabilities, ensuring that the stablecoin handling code is secure.

Transaction Risk Controls: Beyond safeguarding keys, WeFlow implements comprehensive transaction risk controls to protect against fraud and abuse:

Through these mechanisms, WeFlow provides a secure environment for processing stablecoin transactions. Both merchants and customers can trust that their funds and data are protected by multiple layers of security, aligning with the best practices of the fintech and crypto industry. Security is not a one-time effort but an ongoing commitment – WeFlow continually updates its security measures to address emerging threats and follows frameworks such as ISO 27001 and CryptoCurrency Security Standard (CCSS) for guidance.

7. Compliance Strategy (KYC/AML)

KYC (Know Your Customer): Compliance with financial regulations is a foundational aspect of WeFlow’s operations. WeFlow implements rigorous KYC procedures to verify the identities of its users and partners, primarily focusing on merchant onboarding. When a business or individual registers to use WeFlow’s services (e.g., to become a merchant accepting payments), they must undergo an identity verification process. This process, facilitated by our partner Onfido, involves submitting government-issued identification documents, proof of address, and other necessary information. Onfido’s advanced AI-based identity verification, combined with human review, ensures that fake or stolen IDs are detected – it provides secure, scalable identity checks trusted in the fintech industry. For corporate clients, WeFlow also performs KYB (Know Your Business), collecting and verifying business registration documents, information on directors/beneficial owners, and assessing the nature of the business to ensure it’s legitimate and low-risk.

AML and Transaction Monitoring: Alongside KYC/KYB, WeFlow has a robust Anti-Money Laundering (AML) program. All transactions flowing through the platform are continuously monitored for signs of money laundering, terrorist financing, or other illicit financial activity. Through Chainalysis KYT (Know Your Transaction) integration, WeFlow automatically screens crypto transactions in real-time. Chainalysis’s blockchain intelligence tools assess the risk level of incoming and outgoing transfers by tracing the source and destination of funds and checking against typologies of illicit behavior. If a transaction or an address is flagged (for example, linked to darknet markets, ransomware, or sanctioned wallets), the system will generate alerts and can freeze the funds pending investigation. WeFlow’s compliance team receives detailed reports from the Chainalysis dashboard, helping them investigate and file any necessary Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) to regulators.

Regulatory Compliance and Licensing: WeFlow is committed to operating within the legal frameworks of the jurisdictions in which it operates. This means obtaining and maintaining appropriate licenses or registrations as a money service business (MSB) or equivalent (such as virtual asset service provider, VASP, licenses) in relevant countries. The compliance strategy includes:

Customer Transparency and Cooperation: WeFlow believes in maintaining transparency with our users regarding compliance. Our terms of service clearly outline that users must comply with KYC requests and that certain transactions may be delayed or blocked for compliance reasons. WeFlow’s support and compliance team works closely with merchants to help them understand any requirements (for example, if a payout is held for review, the merchant will be informed promptly and asked for any additional information needed). By fostering this cooperative approach, WeFlow not only meets its legal obligations but also helps build trust with clients and regulators.

In summary, WeFlow’s compliance strategy ensures that while the platform enables cutting-edge, fast payments with stablecoins, it does so in a responsible and lawful manner. Through strong KYC/KYB processes, continuous AML monitoring, and adherence to global regulatory standards, WeFlow mitigates the risks associated with crypto payments and contributes to the long-term sustainability and legitimacy of the crypto-finance industry.

8. Partnerships and Integrations (Onfido, Chainalysis, payout rails)

Strategic Partnerships: WeFlow has established key partnerships to augment its platform capabilities in areas of identity verification, blockchain analytics, and fiat payout integration. By integrating best-in-class third-party services, WeFlow is able to focus on its core platform while leveraging specialized providers for certain functionalities:

Technology Integrations: On the technical side, WeFlow’s system is built with an open integration mindset:

Each partnership is chosen to strengthen a part of WeFlow’s value chain: compliance, user experience, or bridging to fiat. By collaborating with established players like Onfido and Chainalysis, WeFlow demonstrates a commitment to high standards of compliance and security. Meanwhile, banking and payout partnerships ensure that our clients can seamlessly move between crypto and fiat worlds. These integrations collectively make WeFlow a comprehensive solution, combining in-house innovation with external expertise.

9. Product Roadmap

Roadmap and Future Plans: WeFlow has a clear roadmap that outlines the platform’s growth, new feature releases, and geographic expansion. Our phased plan ensures that we continue to enhance the product while adhering to safety and compliance at each step. Key milestones in our product roadmap include:

This roadmap is subject to refinement as the market evolves, but it demonstrates WeFlow’s commitment to continuous improvement and expansion. We prioritize building trust and reliability, so each phase of growth is accompanied by strengthening our infrastructure, customer support, and compliance measures. Ultimately, our goal is that by executing this roadmap, WeFlow becomes the go-to global solution for stablecoin payments, powering transactions for thousands of businesses and millions of end-users worldwide.

10. Team and Contact

Our Team: WeFlow is backed by a diverse team of professionals with deep expertise in fintech, payments, blockchain technology, and regulatory compliance. The founding team brings together experience from leading financial institutions and successful tech startups. For example, our leadership includes experts who have previously worked at global payment companies and cryptocurrency platforms, giving WeFlow a balanced perspective of both traditional finance and cutting-edge crypto innovation. Our team’s skill set spans secure software development, blockchain engineering, risk management, and user experience design – all crucial for building a reliable payment gateway. We foster a culture of integrity and agility: every team member is committed to WeFlow’s mission of simplifying global payments through stablecoins while upholding the highest standards of security and compliance. As the company grows, we continue to onboard talent who share this vision and can drive innovation in areas like cryptography, distributed systems, and financial operations.

Advisors and Partners: In addition to our core team, WeFlow is advised by seasoned industry veterans. Our advisory board includes former executives from the payments industry and compliance experts (including advisors with backgrounds in AML enforcement and fintech law) who guide our strategy in navigating the complex global regulatory environment. We also work closely with our strategic partners (such as Onfido and Chainalysis) not only at a product integration level but also exchanging best practices in identity verification, security, and compliance. This network of advisors and partners amplifies WeFlow’s capabilities and credibility in the market.

Contact Information: WeFlow is headquartered [Location Placeholder] and is rapidly expanding its global presence. We encourage interested merchants, developers, and partners to reach out and learn more:

WeFlow values open communication and transparency. Whether you are a small business looking to modernize your payment options, a developer interested in integrating stablecoin payments, or an investor/partner exploring collaboration, we welcome you to contact us. Our team is ready to assist and provide demonstrations or more information as needed. Together with our clients and partners, WeFlow is excited to drive the future of global payments.