# Crypto Explained Simply > Start here. No jargon, no assumptions. Crypto Explained Simply covers onramp, offramp, swap, corporate wallet, custody, acquiring, stablecoin payments, bitcoin payments, otc, licensing, cards, industries, exchange and nothing else. Every article is written by Hannah Lowe. Writes the introductory material for people who are starting from zero. The intended reader is complete beginners arriving from "what is" and "how to" searches. No price predictions, no investment advice and no paid placements: articles explain how something works so the reader can decide for themselves. Where a number matters, the article states where it came from and when it was measured. 45 articles, published 2026-05-03 to 2026-10-25. Every article is also served as plain Markdown: replace the trailing slash with `.md` — https://cryptoexplainedsimply.com/getting-paid-in-crypto-as-a-supplier.md ## Offramp - [Getting Paid in Crypto as a Supplier: A Checklist](https://cryptoexplainedsimply.com/getting-paid-in-crypto-as-a-supplier/): What to put on the invoice, how to price it, when to convert, and the records to keep, for a small business invoicing clients abroad. - [Selling Crypto as a Business: The Bank Is the Hard Part](https://cryptoexplainedsimply.com/selling-crypto-as-a-business/): Why company bank accounts reject crypto settlements, what documentation prevents it, and how to structure the process so payments do not stall. - [What It Really Costs to Turn Crypto Into Cash](https://cryptoexplainedsimply.com/crypto-to-fiat-what-it-costs/): A breakdown of the three charges on a crypto sale, with worked numbers showing why the same sale can cost five times more depending on how it is done. - [Converting Crypto Back to Money: What Actually Happens](https://cryptoexplainedsimply.com/convert-crypto-to-fiat-plainly/): The steps between deciding to sell and money appearing in your bank account, why it takes longer than the sale itself, and what it costs. ## Custody - [When a Custodian Makes More Sense Than Doing It Yourself](https://cryptoexplainedsimply.com/when-to-use-a-custodian-instead/): A framework for deciding, based on staffing, amount and whose money it is, rather than on principle. - [Choosing a Custodian: What to Ask and What to Verify](https://cryptoexplainedsimply.com/choosing-a-custodian-checklist/): The documents to request, the claims to check independently, and the answers that should end a conversation with a custody provider. - [What Crypto Custody Means, and Who Needs It](https://cryptoexplainedsimply.com/crypto-custody-for-beginners/): Custody is a legal arrangement rather than a storage product. What a custodian does, what segregation means, and when it is worth the cost. ## Corporate wallet - [Moving Crypto Between Places Without Losing It](https://cryptoexplainedsimply.com/moving-crypto-between-places-safely/): Address checks, test transfers, network selection and the small habits that prevent the mistakes that cannot be undone. - [Keeping Company Crypto Records That Survive an Audit](https://cryptoexplainedsimply.com/keeping-company-crypto-records/): Which fields to capture for every transaction, how to handle the exchange rate question, and how to make month end take an hour. - [Setting Up Approvals for Company Crypto: A Working Example](https://cryptoexplainedsimply.com/setting-up-approvals-for-company-crypto/): Concrete thresholds and rules for a small company, which ones get weakened first, and how to test the setup before you rely on it. - [What a Business Crypto Wallet Does Differently](https://cryptoexplainedsimply.com/what-a-business-crypto-wallet-does/): Why a company cannot use a personal wallet, what controls a business wallet adds, and what each control is actually preventing. ## Exchange - [Choosing Where a Company Buys and Sells Crypto](https://cryptoexplainedsimply.com/choosing-where-to-buy-and-sell/): The criteria that matter for a business rather than an individual, in the order they eliminate options. ## Industries - [Crypto in Property Transactions: Where It Fits](https://cryptoexplainedsimply.com/crypto-in-property-transactions/): Property deals almost never settle in crypto. What actually happens, where the conversion belongs, and what the solicitor will require. - [Law Firms Holding Crypto for Clients: The Rules That Apply](https://cryptoexplainedsimply.com/crypto-for-law-firms/): Client money obligations do not change because the asset is crypto. What structure satisfies them and what will not. - [What an Investment Fund Needs Before It Can Hold Crypto](https://cryptoexplainedsimply.com/crypto-for-investment-funds/): Custody, administration, valuation policy and audit evidence. The requirements come from the fund's own obligations, not from crypto. - [Crypto Payments for Online Retailers in Difficult Categories](https://cryptoexplainedsimply.com/crypto-payments-for-online-retailers/): What card acquiring really costs a high-risk merchant once reserves and disputes are counted, and how an irreversible payment method changes it. - [Crypto Rails for Financial Technology Companies](https://cryptoexplainedsimply.com/crypto-payments-for-fintech-companies/): What a fintech needs from a crypto settlement partner, which parts to build and which to buy, and where the licensing line sits. - [Which Industries Actually Use Crypto Payments](https://cryptoexplainedsimply.com/which-industries-use-crypto-payments/): Adoption concentrated in specific sectors for specific reasons. What drives it in each, and how to tell whether yours is one of them. ## Cards - [Crypto Cards: What Happens When You Tap](https://cryptoexplainedsimply.com/crypto-cards-how-they-work/): A card funded by crypto sells a little of it at the moment of payment. Where the fees sit, and the tax consequence people miss. ## Licensing - [How the Rules Changed for Crypto Platforms in Europe](https://cryptoexplainedsimply.com/how-crypto-rules-changed-in-europe/): What authorisation now requires, what it means for anyone using a platform, and why the home country of the regulator matters. - [Why Keeping Client Money Separate Is the Whole Point](https://cryptoexplainedsimply.com/why-segregation-of-client-assets-matters/): The rule that decides what happens to your balance if a platform fails, what the arrangements are called, and how to check which one applies to you. - [What It Means When a Crypto Platform Says It Is Regulated](https://cryptoexplainedsimply.com/what-crypto-licences-mean/): Regulated by whom, for what, and how to check the claim in five minutes on a public register. ## Otc - [What Liquidity Means When Someone Quotes You a Number](https://cryptoexplainedsimply.com/what-liquidity-means/): The depth shown on screen, the depth that actually fills, and the depth available to you are three different things. - [Desk or Exchange: Deciding Per Trade](https://cryptoexplainedsimply.com/otc-or-exchange/): Three questions that settle which venue to use, and the cost comparison worked through with real numbers. - [Why Two Desks Quote Different Prices for the Same Trade](https://cryptoexplainedsimply.com/how-otc-quotes-work/): What goes into an OTC quote, why the numbers differ, and when it is reasonable to push back. - [What an OTC Desk Is and When You Would Use One](https://cryptoexplainedsimply.com/what-an-otc-desk-is/): Above a certain size, buying on an exchange works against you. What a desk does instead, and how to tell when you have crossed that point. ## Bitcoin payments - [Which Businesses Actually Accept Bitcoin, and Why](https://cryptoexplainedsimply.com/who-accepts-bitcoin-now/): Adoption concentrated in specific sectors for specific reasons. The pattern, and how to tell whether your business is in one of them. - [Accepting Bitcoin Without Taking the Price Risk](https://cryptoexplainedsimply.com/accepting-bitcoin-without-the-risk/): The objection to Bitcoin payments has always been volatility. Here is the arrangement that removes it and what it costs. ## Stablecoin payments - [Holding a Stablecoin Balance: Where It Should Sit](https://cryptoexplainedsimply.com/usdt-balances-for-a-company/): The options for keeping a company USDT balance, what controls each supports, and how much to hold. - [Stablecoin or Bank Transfer: Which for Which Payment](https://cryptoexplainedsimply.com/stablecoin-or-bank-transfer/): A direct comparison on cost, speed, reach and reversibility, and the corridors where each one clearly wins. - [Accepting USDT Payments: Six Things to Decide First](https://cryptoexplainedsimply.com/accepting-usdt-payments/): The decisions that determine whether taking stablecoin payments runs smoothly or generates constant exceptions. - [What USDT Is and Why Businesses Use It](https://cryptoexplainedsimply.com/what-is-usdt-and-why-businesses-use-it/): A stablecoin holds a steady value against the dollar. Why that makes invoicing possible, which network matters, and what the risks are. ## Acquiring - [Refunds When the Payment Cannot Be Reversed](https://cryptoexplainedsimply.com/refunds-and-disputes-in-crypto/): Crypto payments are final, which makes refunds a business decision rather than an automatic process. Three approaches and what each costs. - [Choosing a Crypto Payment Provider: What Matters in Order](https://cryptoexplainedsimply.com/choosing-a-payment-provider/): The fee is the fifth thing to compare. The four that matter more, and a process that gets to a decision in a week. - [The Compliance Side of Taking Crypto Payments](https://cryptoexplainedsimply.com/crypto-payment-compliance-basics/): What your provider handles, what stays your responsibility, and what to do when a payment is held for checks. - [What Crypto Acquiring Costs Compared With Cards](https://cryptoexplainedsimply.com/what-crypto-acquiring-costs/): A full comparison including the charges that do not appear on a card statement: disputes, reserves and the accounts you cannot open at all. - [What a Crypto Payment Gateway Actually Does](https://cryptoexplainedsimply.com/crypto-payment-gateway-basics/): The parts that make up a payment gateway, which part causes which problem, and what to ask about each when comparing providers. - [Accepting Crypto Payments: How It Works for a Business](https://cryptoexplainedsimply.com/accepting-crypto-payments-explained/): What happens between a customer paying in crypto and money arriving in your bank, who takes the price risk, and what it costs compared with cards. ## Swap - [Converting Between Two Cryptocurrencies: The Three Routes](https://cryptoexplainedsimply.com/converting-between-cryptocurrencies/): Direct pair, two trades, or a swap. Which route to take, what each costs, and how the record keeping differs. - [Swap or Exchange: A Simple Way to Decide](https://cryptoexplainedsimply.com/swap-or-exchange-which-to-use/): Three questions that settle whether to use a swap or place an order on an exchange, with the cost difference worked out. - [What a Crypto Swap Is and When to Use One](https://cryptoexplainedsimply.com/what-is-a-crypto-swap/): Swapping exchanges one crypto for another in a single step. How it differs from trading on an exchange and which situations suit each. ## Onramp - [Why an On-Ramp Asks for Your Documents](https://cryptoexplainedsimply.com/crypto-onramp-verification/): What identity checks are for, what happens to the documents, and why a purchase sometimes stops after it was already accepted. - [Buying Crypto as a Company: What Changes](https://cryptoexplainedsimply.com/convert-fiat-to-crypto-for-a-company/): Why a business cannot simply use a consumer app to buy crypto, what documents are needed, and how long the setup actually takes. - [Fiat to Crypto Exchange: How the Swap Actually Happens](https://cryptoexplainedsimply.com/fiat-to-crypto-exchange-basics/): What a fiat to crypto exchange does behind the screen, why the rate you see is not the rate you get, and how to compare two providers honestly. - [What a Crypto On-Ramp Is, in Plain Terms](https://cryptoexplainedsimply.com/crypto-onramp-what-it-means/): An on-ramp turns ordinary money into crypto. Here is what happens during that swap, who is involved, and what you are charged for. ## About this site - [About](https://cryptoexplainedsimply.com/about/): what the site covers, who writes it and how articles are checked. - [Author](https://cryptoexplainedsimply.com/author/): Hannah Lowe. Writes the introductory material for people who are starting from zero. - [Contact](https://cryptoexplainedsimply.com/contact/): corrections and questions. - [Privacy](https://cryptoexplainedsimply.com/privacy/): what the site does and does not collect. ## Machine-readable - [https://cryptoexplainedsimply.com/llms-full.txt](https://cryptoexplainedsimply.com/llms-full.txt): full text of every article in one file. - [https://cryptoexplainedsimply.com/sitemap-index.xml](https://cryptoexplainedsimply.com/sitemap-index.xml): every indexable URL. - [https://cryptoexplainedsimply.com/rss.xml](https://cryptoexplainedsimply.com/rss.xml): feed of new articles.