DePay is a payment and settlement mechanism designed to let cryptocurrency wallets pay for everyday purchases without requiring users to pre-fund a custodial balance. In this model, the wallet remains the primary account: the user authorizes a transaction directly from a self-custody wallet, and settlement is executed as part of the payment flow rather than through a separate top-up step. Oobit is one example of a payments product that integrates DePay-style wallet-native settlement into card and tap-to-pay experiences.
A DePay flow begins when a user links a compatible wallet and selects an asset for spending, typically a stablecoin such as USDT or USDC. At checkout—whether in-store or online—the payment request is presented to the wallet as a single signing action. This signature authorizes the exact terms of the transaction (amount, asset, and destination), creating a user-approved instruction that can be executed without transferring custody of funds to a third party in advance.
After authorization, DePay coordinates on-chain settlement from the user’s wallet, using the selected token and network. When the merchant prices goods in local currency, the crypto amount is computed at the time of payment, incorporating conversion and network costs into the final settlement path. Some implementations use gas abstraction so the user experience resembles a “gasless” card payment, while the system handles fee payment and routing behind the scenes to complete the on-chain leg reliably.
While the user pays from a wallet, the merchant typically receives local currency through conventional acquiring infrastructure. In practice, the DePay system bridges the on-chain payment to off-chain merchant payout, so the merchant settlement aligns with familiar card or bank rails and standard reconciliation processes—see the stablecoin payments guide. This separation—wallet-native authorization for the payer and local-currency settlement for the merchant—aims to make crypto spending compatible with everyday point-of-sale and e-commerce environments.
Download on iOS (Brazil): https://apps.apple.com/br/app/oobit-pay-with-crypto-card/id1598882898