GLOSSARY · BLOCKCHAIN & WEB3
On-ramp / Off-ramp
What fiat-to-crypto on-ramps and crypto-to-fiat off-ramps are, who operates them and what regulation requires of them in the EU.
WHAT IS IT? · FOR DUMMIES
On-ramp is the entry ramp from traditional money into crypto (pay by card or transfer and receive tokens); off-ramp is the exit (sell tokens and get euros in your bank). They are the doors between the two worlds — and where almost all the friction and almost all the compliance live.
WHAT IS IT? · PRO
Ramps are operated by exchanges, payment gateways and specialised providers that combine traditional payments, KYC/AML and liquidity. In the EU, exchanging crypto-assets for funds is a service inside the CASP perimeter (CASP license); a serious provider is recognised by its authorisation, not by its fee.
For a company that wants to accept crypto payments or pay salaries and suppliers mixing fiat and tokens, the design of the ramps (provider, costs, bank settlement, accounting) is 80% of the project — the terrain of our crypto payment gateway and our guide to accepting crypto payments.
01 / Key points
- On-ramp: fiat to crypto; off-ramp: crypto to fiat
- Operated by exchanges and gateways with KYC/AML
- In the EU, exchanging crypto for funds is a CASP service
- Ramp design is 80% of accepting crypto payments in a company
02 / Advantages
- Make crypto usable for people who live in euros
- Direct bank settlement for merchants
- Compliance delegated to the authorised provider
03 / Disadvantages
- Fees and spreads concentrated at the ramp
- Unavoidable KYC friction at serious amounts
- Provider risk: the ramp is one more third party