--- path: /learn/crypto-onramp/ title: "Crypto onramp: how fiat becomes digital assets" description: A crypto onramp converts fiat money into digital assets. Learn how onramps work, what fees and timing include, and how to evaluate a provider for payments. image: /images/opengraph/og-learn.png publishDate: 2026-10-21 label: Enterprise timeToRead: 6 faq: - question: What is a crypto onramp? answer: A crypto onramp is a service that converts fiat money, such as dollars or euros, into a digital asset and delivers it to a supported destination. In a stablecoin payment product, it connects a bank or card payment to the stablecoin balance used for subsequent payments. - question: What is the difference between a crypto onramp and an off-ramp? answer: An onramp moves value from fiat money into digital assets. An off-ramp converts digital assets into fiat money for delivery through a supported payout method. Each direction can have different eligibility, fees, limits, and processing times. - question: Does a crypto onramp create a wallet? answer: Not necessarily. An onramp can deliver assets to an existing wallet. Some products combine wallet creation and funding, but the conversion service and the arrangement for controlling the wallet are separate decisions. - question: How much does a crypto onramp cost? answer: The total can include payment processing, conversion or exchange spread, provider charges, network fees, and any platform fee. Compare the amount debited with the usable asset amount delivered, using the same currency, payment method, asset, and network. - question: Is a crypto onramp instant? answer: Timing depends on identity checks, payment authorization or settlement, provider processing, and blockchain delivery. A fast onchain transfer does not make every bank-funded onramp instant. Measure the time until funds are usable in the destination wallet. heroTitle: "Crypto onramp: how fiat becomes digital assets" seoTitle: What is a crypto onramp? Fiat-to-crypto payments explained socialTitle: Crypto onramps explained locale: en canonical: https://tempo.xyz/learn/crypto-onramp/ --- # Crypto onramp: how fiat becomes digital assets _A crypto onramp converts fiat money into digital assets. For payment products, a stablecoin onramp connects the ways customers already fund accounts with the asset and network used to send payments. [Contact Tempo](/contact/) to discuss the onchain part of your payment flow._ A wallet does not become useful for payments until it has funds. Asking a customer to leave an application, use a separate exchange, and return with the correct asset adds steps and creates opportunities for mistakes. An integrated onramp brings funding into the product, while a provider handles the supported conversion flow. ## What a crypto onramp does A **crypto onramp**, also written crypto on-ramp or fiat-to-crypto onramp, converts money such as dollars or euros into a digital asset. It can serve many asset types. A stablecoin onramp is the subset relevant to funding [stablecoin payments](/learn/stablecoin-payments/). The destination is part of the product definition. Specifying a token name is insufficient: the provider must support that asset on the required blockchain, for that customer's location and funding method. A service that supports an asset on one network does not necessarily support it on another. An [off-ramp](/learn/crypto-off-ramp/) performs the reverse conversion. Moving assets between two wallets without converting fiat is a different operation. ## An illustrative onramp flow Consider a business funding a wallet with $5,000 for future supplier payments. The following example describes the operational stages, without assuming a particular provider's pricing or availability: 1. The business completes the provider's required onboarding and selects an eligible funding method. 2. The product identifies the destination stablecoin, network, and wallet. The provider supplies a quote or deposit instructions. 3. The business authorizes or sends the fiat payment. The provider receives or confirms it under that funding method's rules. 4. The provider converts the funds and delivers the supported stablecoin to the designated wallet. 5. The application matches the funding record, fees, and onchain transfer before making the balance available for payments. The delivered balance depends on the quote and any deducted charges. Recording only the initial $5,000 payment would miss the amount actually available to spend. ## Hosted checkout, embedded onramps, and bank funding A hosted onramp redirects the customer to the provider's checkout. An embedded onramp places supported checkout components inside the application. These approaches change the interface and integration work; neither establishes who controls the resulting wallet. For example, [Stripe's onramp documentation](https://docs.stripe.com/crypto/onramp) describes hosted, embedded web, and mobile component options. It also identifies the responsibilities Stripe takes for its own onramp service. Those responsibilities should not be assumed for a different provider or for every activity in the integrating application. Recurring bank-funded flows can use [virtual accounts](/learn/virtual-accounts/): reusable receiving details connected to a defined destination. This can suit repeated funding without a new checkout each time. The permitted sender, transfer method, currency, and reference requirements still matter. ## Fees and the amount delivered Compare the total funding cost using a consistent payment scenario. Include payment processing, conversion charges or spread, provider fees, network fees, and any fee added by the application. Identify which charges are included in the quote and which appear separately. For a fiat amount fixed at $5,000, compare the usable stablecoin amount received. For a target stablecoin balance, compare the total fiat amount required. These are different quote directions, so mixing them makes provider comparisons unreliable. Confirm quote expiry, minimum amounts, transaction limits, and what happens when a payment arrives late or fails. A low advertised percentage is only one input to the cost of a completed funding flow. ## Measure the complete funding time Funding time includes onboarding, payment collection, any review or hold, conversion, and onchain delivery. Some providers make assets available after payment confirmation; others wait for the underlying payment to settle. [Stripe's onramp API](https://docs.stripe.com/api/crypto/onramp_sessions/create) distinguishes these delivery approaches through its settlement-speed parameter. Use distinct product states for payment received, conversion underway, and funds usable. A submitted payment or successful card authorization is not sufficient evidence that the destination wallet has been funded. ## Custody and compliance responsibilities The onramp provider, wallet provider, and application can be separate parties. Establish who holds fiat during processing, who controls the destination wallet, and who resolves failed payments or recovery requests. The [stablecoin custody guide](/learn/stablecoin-custody/) explains the wallet decision in more detail. Document responsibility for customer or business verification, sanctions checks, transaction monitoring, disputes, and records under the actual contracts and supported jurisdictions. A provider handling checks for the conversion does not establish the responsibilities for the application's other services. ## How to evaluate an onramp provider Start with one complete funding route: customer location, fiat currency, payment method, asset, network, and destination wallet. Evaluate eligibility and usable limits for that route before comparing interface design. Then assess the quoted amount delivered, time to usable funds, custody arrangement, status events, refunds, and support process. Test exceptions such as abandoned checkout, rejected verification, delayed bank payment, and an unavailable destination. Measure completed funding and successful subsequent payments as separate outcomes. ## Where Tempo fits Tempo provides near-instant onchain settlement for supported stablecoin transfers. An onramp connects fiat funding to that onchain balance; provider processing and bank timing remain separate parts of the flow. Confirm the provider's exact asset and Tempo network support before designing the integration. For teams mapping funding through to recipient delivery, the [stablecoin settlement guide](/learn/stablecoin-settlement/) covers the broader evaluation. [Contact Tempo](/contact/) to discuss your payment requirements. ## FAQ ### What is a crypto onramp? A crypto onramp is a service that converts fiat money, such as dollars or euros, into a digital asset and delivers it to a supported destination. In a stablecoin payment product, it connects a bank or card payment to the stablecoin balance used for subsequent payments. ### What is the difference between a crypto onramp and an off-ramp? An onramp moves value from fiat money into digital assets. An off-ramp converts digital assets into fiat money for delivery through a supported payout method. Each direction can have different eligibility, fees, limits, and processing times. ### Does a crypto onramp create a wallet? Not necessarily. An onramp can deliver assets to an existing wallet. Some products combine wallet creation and funding, but the conversion service and the arrangement for controlling the wallet are separate decisions. ### How much does a crypto onramp cost? The total can include payment processing, conversion or exchange spread, provider charges, network fees, and any platform fee. Compare the amount debited with the usable asset amount delivered, using the same currency, payment method, asset, and network. ### Is a crypto onramp instant? Timing depends on identity checks, payment authorization or settlement, provider processing, and blockchain delivery. A fast onchain transfer does not make every bank-funded onramp instant. Measure the time until funds are usable in the destination wallet. --- ## Site links - [Tempo home](/) - [Privacy policy](/privacy-policy/) - [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/tempo) - [X](https://x.com/tempo) - [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/@tempo) ### Products - [Earn](/earn/) - [Routes](/routes/) - [Zones](/zones/) ### Solutions - [Embedded finance](/solutions/embedded-finance/) - [Cross-border payments](/solutions/cross-border-payments/) - [Institutional settlement](/solutions/institutional-money-movement/) - [Agentic payments](/solutions/agentic-payments/) - [Tokenized deposits](/solutions/tokenized-deposits/) ### Developers - [Documentation](/developers) - [Tempo Explorer](https://explore.tempo.xyz/) - [Tempo API](/developers/docs/api/) - [Performance](/developers/performance) - [Status](https://status.tempo.xyz/) - [GitHub](https://github.com/tempoxyz) ### Resources - [Blog](/blog/) - [Customers](/customer-stories/) - [Ecosystem](/ecosystem/) - [Learn](/learn/) - [Reports](/reports/) - [OUSD](/ousd/) ### Company - [About](/about/) - [Careers](/careers/) - [Brand kit](/brand/) - [FAQ](/faq/)