Ivy 101: A Simple Guide to Ivy’s Financial Infrastructure for Payments and Banking
The way money moves is changing. Customers expect instant payments. Businesses operate across borders. And stablecoins are reshaping how value is stored and transferred. Yet many companies still rely on fragmented legacy systems that weren’t built for the digital age.
That’s why we built Ivy, a financial infrastructure designed to move money at internet speed. With payments and banking unified in a single platform and stablecoins embedded at its core, Ivy enables every transaction to be instant by nature and borderless by design.
Whether you're scaling a fintech product, operating a crypto exchange, or building the next-generation marketplace, this guide aims to help you understand exactly how Ivy works, how you can leverage our ready-made solutions, and why modern businesses are choosing Ivy to power their financial stack.
Discover The Four use caseS ivy powers
Our financial infrastructure enables businesses to hold, convert, and move both fiat and stablecoins through a single API. The platform is designed to power four core use cases that can be mixed and matched to suit your specific business needs:
![](data:image/svg+xml,<svg display="block" role="presentation" viewBox="0 0 46 47" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><path d="M 1.984 28.428 C 3.079 28.428 3.967 29.316 3.968 30.411 L 3.968 36.371 C 3.968 36.736 4.264 37.032 4.629 37.032 L 36.371 37.032 C 36.736 37.032 37.032 36.736 37.032 36.371 L 37.032 30.411 C 37.032 29.315 37.92 28.427 39.016 28.427 C 40.112 28.427 41 29.315 41 30.411 L 41 36.371 C 41 38.928 38.928 41 36.371 41 L 4.629 41 C 2.072 41 0 38.928 0 36.371 L 0 30.411 C 0.001 29.316 0.889 28.428 1.984 28.428 Z M 21.034 0 C 22.13 0 23.018 0.888 23.018 1.984 L 23.018 23.373 C 23.018 24.469 22.13 25.357 21.034 25.357 C 19.938 25.357 19.05 24.469 19.05 23.373 L 19.05 1.983 C 19.05 1.457 19.26 0.952 19.632 0.58 C 20.004 0.209 20.509 0 21.035 0 Z" fill="rgb(29, 7, 104)" height="41px" id="Q8Zk6qHyk" transform="translate(2 4)" width="41px"/><path d="M 0.604 0.665 C 1.424 -0.173 2.768 -0.19 3.607 0.628 L 11.597 8.434 L 19.587 0.628 C 20.309 -0.099 21.447 -0.208 22.293 0.37 C 23.139 0.948 23.452 2.047 23.037 2.984 C 22.923 3.242 22.76 3.474 22.557 3.668 L 13.082 12.925 C 12.257 13.732 10.938 13.732 10.112 12.925 L 0.638 3.668 C -0.199 2.848 -0.215 1.504 0.604 0.665 Z" fill="rgb(29, 7, 104)" height="13.530266919152552px" id="OPSK1PfpM" transform="translate(13 18.5)" width="23.219701141179904px"/></svg>)
RECEIVE
Receive funds in fiat or stablecoins from your own bank account or your customers.
![](data:image/svg+xml,<svg display="block" role="presentation" viewBox="0 0 46 46" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><path d="M 15.66 0.69 C 15.443 0.471 15.185 0.298 14.901 0.179 C 14.617 0.061 14.312 0 14.005 0 C 13.697 0 13.392 0.061 13.108 0.179 C 12.824 0.298 12.566 0.471 12.349 0.69 L 0.69 12.345 C 0.471 12.562 0.298 12.82 0.179 13.104 C 0.061 13.388 0 13.692 0 14 C 0 14.308 0.061 14.612 0.179 14.896 C 0.298 15.18 0.471 15.438 0.69 15.655 L 12.349 27.31 C 12.566 27.529 12.824 27.702 13.108 27.821 C 13.392 27.939 13.697 28 14.005 28 C 14.312 28 14.617 27.939 14.901 27.821 C 15.185 27.702 15.443 27.529 15.66 27.31 C 15.879 27.094 16.052 26.836 16.171 26.552 C 16.289 26.268 16.35 25.963 16.35 25.655 C 16.35 25.348 16.289 25.043 16.171 24.759 C 16.052 24.475 15.879 24.217 15.66 24 L 5.633 14 L 15.66 4 C 15.879 3.783 16.052 3.525 16.171 3.241 C 16.289 2.957 16.35 2.652 16.35 2.345 C 16.35 2.037 16.289 1.732 16.171 1.448 C 16.052 1.164 15.879 0.906 15.66 0.69 Z M 41.31 12.345 L 29.651 0.69 C 29.434 0.472 29.176 0.3 28.892 0.182 C 28.607 0.065 28.303 0.004 27.996 0.004 C 27.375 0.004 26.779 0.251 26.34 0.69 C 26.123 0.907 25.95 1.165 25.832 1.449 C 25.715 1.733 25.654 2.037 25.654 2.345 C 25.654 2.965 25.901 3.561 26.34 4 L 36.367 14 L 26.34 24 C 26.121 24.217 25.948 24.475 25.83 24.759 C 25.711 25.043 25.65 25.348 25.65 25.655 C 25.65 25.963 25.711 26.268 25.83 26.552 C 25.948 26.836 26.121 27.094 26.34 27.311 C 26.557 27.529 26.815 27.702 27.099 27.821 C 27.383 27.939 27.688 28 27.996 28 C 28.303 28 28.608 27.939 28.892 27.821 C 29.176 27.702 29.434 27.529 29.651 27.311 L 41.31 15.655 C 41.529 15.438 41.702 15.181 41.821 14.897 C 41.939 14.612 42 14.308 42 14 C 42 13.692 41.939 13.388 41.821 13.104 C 41.702 12.82 41.529 12.562 41.31 12.345 Z" fill="rgb(29, 7, 104)" height="28px" id="WW86GE8u7" transform="translate(2 9)" width="42.00000070800782px"/></svg>)
HOLD
Hold a balance in fiat or stablecoins with built-in access to modern payment rails and leading blockchains.
![](data:image/svg+xml,<svg display="block" role="presentation" viewBox="0 0 46 46" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><path d="M 1.984 0 C 2.51 0 3.015 0.209 3.387 0.581 C 3.759 0.953 3.968 1.458 3.968 1.984 L 3.968 7.944 C 3.968 8.309 4.264 8.605 4.629 8.605 L 36.371 8.605 C 36.546 8.605 36.715 8.535 36.839 8.411 C 36.963 8.287 37.032 8.119 37.032 7.944 L 37.032 1.984 C 37.032 1.458 37.241 0.953 37.613 0.581 C 37.985 0.209 38.49 0 39.016 0 C 39.542 0 40.047 0.209 40.419 0.581 C 40.791 0.953 41 1.458 41 1.984 L 41 7.944 C 41 9.171 40.512 10.349 39.644 11.217 C 38.776 12.085 37.599 12.573 36.371 12.573 L 4.629 12.573 C 3.401 12.573 2.224 12.085 1.356 11.217 C 0.488 10.349 0 9.171 0 7.944 L 0 1.984 C 0 1.458 0.209 0.953 0.581 0.581 C 0.953 0.209 1.458 0 1.984 0 Z" fill="rgb(29, 7, 104)" height="12.572899999999997px" id="VJV1wzXVD" transform="translate(2.688 30.427)" width="41px"/><path d="M 1.984 0 C 2.51 0 3.015 0.209 3.387 0.581 C 3.759 0.953 3.968 1.458 3.968 1.984 L 3.968 23.374 C 3.968 23.9 3.759 24.404 3.387 24.776 C 3.015 25.148 2.51 25.358 1.984 25.358 C 1.458 25.358 0.953 25.148 0.581 24.776 C 0.209 24.404 0 23.9 0 23.374 L 0 1.987 C 0 1.46 0.209 0.956 0.581 0.584 C 0.953 0.212 1.458 0 1.984 0 Z" fill="rgb(29, 7, 104)" height="25.3575px" id="uie1xjZkW" transform="translate(21.738 5.517)" width="3.9677000000000007px"/><path d="M 9.461 0.565 C 9.832 0.203 10.329 0 10.847 0 C 11.365 0 11.863 0.203 12.234 0.565 L 21.079 9.204 C 21.448 9.573 21.656 10.073 21.659 10.595 C 21.661 11.116 21.459 11.618 21.094 11.992 C 20.729 12.365 20.233 12.58 19.711 12.589 C 19.189 12.599 18.685 12.402 18.307 12.042 L 10.847 4.757 L 3.388 12.042 C 3.203 12.228 2.982 12.375 2.739 12.476 C 2.496 12.575 2.236 12.626 1.973 12.625 C 1.711 12.623 1.451 12.57 1.209 12.467 C 0.967 12.365 0.748 12.215 0.565 12.027 C 0.381 11.839 0.237 11.617 0.14 11.372 C 0.043 11.128 -0.004 10.867 0 10.605 C 0.005 10.342 0.062 10.083 0.168 9.843 C 0.273 9.602 0.426 9.385 0.616 9.204 Z" fill="rgb(29, 7, 104)" height="12.62482816839958px" id="vcqKkAVY4" transform="translate(12.874 2)" width="21.658646832478908px"/></svg>)
SEND
Send funds in fiat or stablecoins to your own bank account or your customers.
![](data:image/svg+xml,<svg display="block" role="presentation" viewBox="0 0 46 46" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><path d="M 8 8 L 8 0 L 0 0" fill="transparent" height="8px" id="AbHM0RbsC" stroke-dasharray="" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" stroke-width="4" stroke="rgb(29, 7, 104)" transform="translate(32 29)" width="8px"/><path d="M 0 0 C 0.505 3.527 2.19 6.795 4.797 9.301 C 7.403 11.806 10.785 13.411 14.423 13.867 C 18.061 14.322 21.753 13.604 24.929 11.823 C 28.105 10.041 30.589 7.296 32 4.009" fill="transparent" height="14.000005533518546px" id="hSlJi3woR" stroke-dasharray="" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" stroke-width="4" stroke="rgb(29, 7, 104)" transform="translate(7 25)" width="32px"/><path d="M 0 0 L 0 8 L 8 8" fill="transparent" height="8px" id="Yl7D_MnAe" stroke-dasharray="" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" stroke-width="4" stroke="rgb(29, 7, 104)" transform="translate(7 9)" width="8px"/><path d="M 31 15 C 30.511 11.221 28.878 7.719 26.353 5.035 C 23.828 2.35 20.552 0.631 17.027 0.143 C 13.503 -0.345 9.927 0.424 6.85 2.333 C 3.774 4.241 1.367 7.183 0 10.705" fill="transparent" height="15.000000249137011px" id="mF2bqs2D6" stroke-dasharray="" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" stroke-width="4" stroke="rgb(29, 7, 104)" transform="translate(9 6)" width="31px"/></svg>)
Convert
Convert between currencies and seamlessly on- or off-ramp, all within one platform.
To serve these use cases, funds can arrive in the Ivy platform in two ways:
Payments: Funds are moved into the Ivy platform directly from your customers’ bank accounts, whether it’s individuals or businesses, via Ivy's Open Banking or Manual Bank Transfer flows.
Deposits: Funds are moved into the Ivy platform from your own business bank account as transfers to your Ivy IBAN or Ivy Wallet address.
The flow of funds powered by Ivy’s financial infrastructure.
Read on to discover what market leaders use our plug-and-play API for and explore real-world applications.
Ivy’s four use cases can be combined to support a wide range of financial workflows. We’ve bundled them into three ready-to-use solutions designed to solve key challenges for global businesses:
Receive instant payments
send instant payouts
get stablecoin access
Whether you’re a crypto exchange, onramp, broker, fintech, or payments service provider, these solutions give you a fast track to launch. They help streamline operations, reduce costs, and unlock instant access to modern financial rails. Let’s explore how each solution works and how your business can benefit.
1. RECEIVE instant payments
IN A NUTSHELL
Enable your customers to instantly pay by bank via Open Banking, with manual bank transfer as a reliable fallback option.
To learn more, download our
Instant Payments One Pager.
WHO IT’S FOR
Ideal for crypto exchanges, onramps, PSPs, retail brokers, and global marketplaces that want to collect customer funds in real time while reducing transaction costs.
Why it matters
Real-Time Access: Funds settle instantly into your Ivy account by leveraging real-time payment rails like SEPA Instant or Faster Payments - boosting cash flow and improving operational agility.
Lower Transaction Costs: Payments are sent directly from the customer’s bank account, bypassing cards, wallets, and intermediaries - reducing fees and eliminating chargebacks.
Enhanced Security & Compliance: Transactions are authenticated directly by the customer’s bank using PSD2-compliant flows - reducing fraud and ensuring regulatory compliance.
Seamless User Experience: Customers pay directly from their bank with just a few taps, no need to enter card details or create new accounts - increasing conversion and user satisfaction.
HOW IT WORKS
1. Receive
Receive funds instantly via Open Banking or manual bank transfer.
2. HOLD
Hold funds in your Ivy Account in 5+ different fiat currencies.
3. Send
Send funds to your customers or settle funds in your own bank account.
The flow of funds for an instant payment.
CUSTOMER STORY
Guardarian Teams up with Ivy to Power Instant Payments
That Are as Fast and Borderless as Crypto Itself
The Challenge
As Guardarian expanded its global crypto platform, legacy payment methods became a bottleneck for crypto users. Customers using traditional bank payments often faced a fragmented checkout experience - manually entering bank details and waiting through slow SEPA settlement times.
In a fast-moving environment like crypto, which is borderless and instant by nature, that kind of friction doesn’t work. Guardarian needed a payment partner that not only offered better infrastructure than legacy players, but also understood the unique needs of crypto companies.
The Solution
After evaluating several providers, Ivy stood out as the de facto payment and banking infrastructure for crypto companies in Europe. Unlike traditional providers, Ivy is crypto-native at its core, already trusted by leading players in the space.
“Being crypto-native themselves, they understood our users and our business from day one. Beyond offering a product tailored to crypto companies like ours, their team brought deep industry expertise, a high level of professionalism, and hands-on support in both strategic decisions and day-to-day operations.
Among all the providers we considered, Ivy stood out with the best coverage, frictionless flows, and high conversion rates.”
Petr Sergeev
CEO of Guardarian
The Result
Faster checkout: Users can now pay instantly via Open Banking, directly from their bank account - no manual data entry or settlement delays.
Higher success rates: Guardarian benefits from uninterrupted payment flows, powered by Ivy’s smart routing through a resilient API network connected to 5,000+ banks.
Lower costs: By removing unnecessary intermediaries and card schemes, Ivy’s infrastructure significantly reduces processing fees and eliminates chargeback costs.
2. Send Instant Payouts
IN A NUTSHELL
Make Instant Payouts to your customers, whether they are businesses or individuals.
To learn more, download our
Instant Payouts One Pager.
Our solution enables seamless real-time payouts and refunds, with support for both closed-loop and open-loop payouts to meet diverse customer needs:
Closed-loop payouts
Closed-loop payouts are ideal when you regularly accept and send payments from and to the same customers. Here, a payout is sent to a customer who has already made a payment to your merchant account, enabling quick setup and ensuring greater security since you can re-use the authorized payment details. They are especially useful for businesses like crypto platforms or trading apps where users frequently deposit and withdraw funds.
To learn more about how to integrate,
Open-loop payouts
Open-loop payouts are ideal when you don't want to integrate with Payments but do want to improve your payout experience. Here, you can send funds to users regardless of how they initially paid, making payouts more flexible.
To learn more about how to integrate,
WHO IT’S FOR
Ideal for crypto exchanges, PSPs, retail brokers, and global marketplaces that want to increase customer loyalty with instant payouts.
Why it matters
Real-Time Payouts: Funds are delivered instantly to your customers' bank accounts via real-time payment rails, enabling 24/7 access to funds.
Increased Customer Loyalty: Users receive their funds within seconds - boosting customer satisfaction and retention.
Improved Operational Efficiency: Payout setup and reconciliation are fully automated with a single API - reducing manual errors, failed transactions, and operational overhead.
Lower Liability: Accounts are verified in real-time - minimizing the risk and cost of failed, lost, or misdirected transactions.
How it works
1. Receive
Receive funds instantly via payments or deposits.
2. HOLD
Hold funds in your Ivy Account in 5+ different fiat currencies.
3. Send
Send funds in the same currency to your customers.
The flow of funds for an instant payout.
3. Get Stablecoin access
IN A NUTSHELL
Hold a stablecoin balance, instantly convert incoming funds from fiat to USDC, and settle directly in stablecoins, all through a single API.
To learn more, download our
Stablecoin Settlement One Pager.
WHO IT’S FOR
Ideal for onramps, crypto exchanges, and fintechs that want to avoid handling fiat, access stablecoins 24/7/365, and benefit from fixed fees and market-leading exchange rates.
Why it matters
Lower Costs: Funds are received directly in stablecoins, bypassing intermediaries and liquidity providers - cutting out deposit and conversion fees while saving on FX.
Real-Time Settlement: Settlements are processed multiple times per day using ‘straight-through processing’ even for large transactions - minimizing capital locked in transit and ensuring funds are in your Ivy wallet right when you need them.
Reduced FX Risk: Fiat is converted to USDC the moment it’s received in your Ivy wallet - minimizing exposure to currency fluctuations and market volatility.
Transparent Pricing: Settlement rates are clear and upfront with direct access to the best available exchange prices - avoiding hidden fees or margin surprises.
How it works
1. Receive
Receive funds instantly via payments or deposits.
2. CONVERT
Hold funds in your Ivy Account and convert them from fiat to USDC instantly.
3. Send
Convert funds from fiat to USDC instantly & settle them in your own wallet.
The flow of funds for stablecoins in the Ivy Platfrom.
Whether you're streamlining cross-currency flows or scaling global settlement operations, Ivy gives you the speed, simplicity, and security modern businesses demand.
Access borderless payment and banking:
Receive, hold, send, and convert funds seamlessly across fiat and stablecoins, all through one unified API, simplifying your financial operations globally.
Tap into stablecoins:
Move money instantly and securely across borders by using stablecoins as your always-on interoperability layer 24/7/365.
Onboard in days, not months:
Launch fast with a streamlined onboarding flow, developer-friendly APIs, and a dedicated team supporting you from integration to go-live and beyond.
If you'd like to explore more in-depth how Ivy can power your specific use case, or how we can help you unlock new possibilities for your product and customers, get in touch with our team. We help you build the future of finance.
