Stablecoin Payment Infrastructure FAQs | Orbital

What is Orbital?

Orbital is the trading name representing the Pay Perform group of companies, which provide stablecoin and traditional payment services to businesses that move money internationally. The Orbital platform brings stablecoin and traditional payment rails together, covering pay-ins, payouts, virtual IBANs, stablecoin wallets and currency exchange. Orbital has operated since 2017.

Who is Orbital for?

Orbital serves businesses whose payments cross borders and currencies. This includes financial institutions, payment service providers, international businesses and treasury teams, investment and trading platforms, marketplaces and companies paying suppliers or contractors across international markets.

What does the Orbital platform do?

Orbital brings different stages of an international payment flow into one infrastructure layer. Businesses can use Orbital to receive payments, manage fiat and stablecoin payment flows, convert between currencies and send funds internationally using stablecoin or traditional payment rails.

How is Orbital different from a cryptocurrency exchange?

A cryptocurrency exchange is primarily designed for trading digital assets for profit. Orbital is built for business payments. The focus is getting a defined amount of money to or from a business counterparty using the payment rail and currency appropriate to the transaction.

How is Orbital different from a bank transfer or SWIFT payment?

Orbital brings access to stablecoin and traditional payment rails within the same infrastructure. Stablecoin transfers can settle within minutes and are not restricted to banking hours. Traditional payment rails remain important where counterparties need to receive funds through conventional payment accounts.

Do businesses have to choose between stablecoin and traditional payment rails?

No. Stablecoin and traditional payment rails solve different payment requirements. The appropriate rail depends on factors including the counterparty, currency, market and payment requirement, so both can form part of an international payment strategy.

Do businesses need to hold cryptocurrency to use stablecoin payment infrastructure?

Not necessarily. Stablecoins can act as a settlement or transit layer rather than an asset a business intends to hold. Businesses can structure payment flows around conversion, settlement and onward payment requirements rather than treating stablecoins as an investment.

Why does regulatory structure matter when choosing a payment provider?

International payment services can be provided through different legal entities depending on the jurisdiction, service and regulatory regime involved. Businesses should understand which legal entity provides a service, the permissions under which it operates, the safeguards available under the applicable regime and where those permissions can be independently verified.

Orbital's legal entities, regulatory permissions and compliance controls are set out on the Legal and Compliance page.

How do I start working with Orbital?

Request a call through the website. Orbital's team will discuss your payment flows to confirm the platform fits your requirements. Onboarding then begins with business verification by the relevant service provider(s), followed by configuration of the payment capabilities, currencies and settlement approach your business needs. Approval typically takes 5 to 10 business days once complete documentation has been received.

Can I use Orbital with my existing bank account?

Yes. You can top up your Orbital account from your existing bank account and pay funds out from your 1st Name vIBAN to the bank account of your choice. Orbital sits alongside your existing banking relationships. You keep using established banking rails where they suit the payment, and use Orbital for the flows where stablecoin or multi-currency infrastructure is a better fit.