Paybis, founded in 2014, is a crypto on-ramp: buy with a card, bank transfer or mobile wallet, and the coins go to a wallet you choose. Since 12 May 2026, its EU company has held a MiCA licence from the Bank of Latvia, and its US company is registered with FinCEN as a money services business. That legal setup matters more than price: it decides who supervises your order and where you can complain. In the US, Paybis doesn’t serve individuals in New York or Louisiana. Card buys cost more than buying on an exchange.
Key takeaways
- Paybis runs through separate legal entities: SIA Paybis Europe (Latvia), Paybis LTD (Scotland) and PAYBIS USA LTD (a Delaware company based in Tulsa, Oklahoma). The one you deal with depends on where you live.
- On 12 May 2026, the Bank of Latvia granted SIA Paybis Europe a MiCA crypto-asset service licence and a PSD2 payment-institution licence.
- As of October 2026, Paybis’s US terms bar individuals in New York and Louisiana, and turn off swaps in ten other states and territories.
- Paybis’s July 2026 pricing policy splits its charge into a service fee and a network fee. Card issuers and payment processors can add their own costs on top.
- Paybis says you can buy up to $1,000 with simplified verification. Selling crypto to a card requires full verification.
Paybis at a glance
Paybis is best thought of as a checkout, not a trading venue. There’s no order book, chart or limit order. You enter an amount, paste a wallet address (or pick the built-in Paybis wallet), pay, and the coins are sent once the payment clears. Many self-custody wallets build in on-ramps like this, which is why plenty of people first see the Paybis name inside a wallet app and only then look it up.
| Item | What Paybis states (as of Oct 2026) |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2014. The founder and CEO is Innokenty Isers |
| Head office | SIA Paybis Europe, Brivibas street 171, Riga, Latvia |
| Service type | Buy, sell and swap. Optional custodial wallet in the EU, and delivery to an external wallet |
| Reach | Paybis says it serves customers in more than 180 countries, with restricted jurisdictions listed in its terms |
| Apps | iOS and Android. Its terms give the App Store ID as id1584641245 and the Play Store ID as com.paybis |
| Not offered | Selling crypto for cash. Paybis’s sell page says this isn’t available |
Its homepage also promotes upcoming “Earn” and card products, with yield figures. Those weren’t live services when we checked, and an advertised rate isn’t a promise. This review covers only the buy, sell and swap features that are available now.
Where Paybis is licensed (and what that covers)
Each licence answers a different question: who supervises the company, which rules apply to your order, and where you can complain.
European Union: MiCA and PSD2 from Latvia
The Bank of Latvia (Latvijas Banka) announced that on 12 May 2026 its Supervision Committee granted SIA Paybis Europe two licences. One is a crypto-asset services licence under MiCA, with authorisation number 27-55/2026/6. The other is a payment institution licence under PSD2, number 27-55/2026/7. The central bank said Paybis was the third company in Latvia licensed under MiCA. Through passporting, a MiCA licence lets a firm serve the whole EU. France’s AMF register, for example, lists SIA Paybis Europe as providing services cross-border from 29 May 2026.
For EU customers, this brings MiCA’s conduct rules into play. Fees have to be disclosed before you confirm, client assets must be kept separate, and complaints go through a formal process. If Paybis’s own complaint response doesn’t satisfy you, its EU terms say you can escalate to the Bank of Latvia, and consumers can also go to Latvia’s Consumer Rights Protection Centre. MiCA doesn’t insure your crypto against price falls or theft.
United States: FinCEN registration, not a federal licence
Paybis’s website shows a FinCEN money services business registration number, 31000272911973. Its US terms, last updated 1 July 2026, name FinCEN as the main federal anti-money-laundering regulator. Keep in mind what FinCEN registration means: it’s an AML filing, not a guarantee of how sound a business is, and each state runs its own money-transmission rules. The US terms say PAYBIS USA “does not offer, provide, or facilitate the custody” of digital assets. In practice, American customers are buying coins delivered to their own wallet, not storing them with Paybis. You can confirm the registration yourself on FinCEN’s MSB search page.
United Kingdom
Paybis’s own footer says it is “not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority” and that UK customers aren’t covered by the Financial Ombudsman Service or the FSCS. UK users should take that at face value.
What a Paybis purchase costs
Paybis’s pricing policy (last updated 1 July 2026, written to meet MiCA disclosure rules) describes two parts to its own charge. The first is a service fee for processing and executing your order. The second is a network fee for the blockchain transfer, which Paybis says it passes on with no mark-up. The policy says processing banks, card acquirers and card issuers can add separate costs, and that the exchange rate is shown before you confirm.
| Cost layer | Who sets it | Where you see it |
|---|---|---|
| Service fee | Paybis. Its homepage currently advertises no Paybis fee on a customer’s first buy | “Commission details” on the checkout screen |
| Payment processing | The card scheme, processor or Paybis’s payment partner. Cards usually cost more than bank transfers | Built into the quote, or shown as its own line |
| Network fee | The blockchain. It changes with congestion | Shown as a crypto amount before you pay |
| Exchange rate | Paybis’s quote, valid only for a short window | Compare “You spend” with “You receive” |
| Card issuer extras | Your bank. Some US credit cards treat crypto as a cash advance | Your card statement, not the Paybis screen |
Third-party reviews published in 2026 often mention a card-processing charge of about 4.5% plus a separate Paybis service fee. Paybis’s own fee article sits behind a bot check that we couldn’t read, so use those numbers only as a rough guide. To compare fairly, put the same amount into Paybis and a competitor at the same moment, then divide “You receive” by “You spend.” That ratio includes the spread, which a percentage fee line never shows. Our guide to buying crypto with a credit card explains the cash-advance trap in more detail.
Paybis payment methods, limits and verification
The payment methods you’ll see depend on your country. As of October 2026, Paybis lists Visa and Mastercard cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, SEPA and other bank transfers, SWIFT, PayPal, Skrill, Neteller and Revolut Pay. It also lists regional options such as BLIK (Poland), Pix (Brazil) and SPEI (Mexico). On 22 October 2026 it announced iDEAL, EPS and Multibanco support. US customers generally have fewer choices than EU customers.
Limits depend on verification level, country and risk checks. Paybis’s terms say maximums can apply per order, day, month or account. Its homepage says you can buy up to $1,000 without full verification. Its FAQ lists card limits of USD 20,000 per week and 50,000 per month, and up to EUR 100,000 per week by EUR bank transfer. Treat those as published ceilings, not amounts you’re guaranteed. Full KYC means a government ID and, in some cases, proof of address dated within three months. For some card payments, Paybis may also ask for a selfie holding the card. Our explainer on crypto KYC covers why on-ramps ask for this.
State-level limits in the US, from the 1 July 2026 US terms:
- No service for individuals: New York and Louisiana.
- No swaps: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Puerto Rico, Vermont and Washington.
- No fiat purchases of certain tokens: AXS, BNB, CHZ, HOT, SUSHI and TRX are blocked for residents of those same ten jurisdictions. Texas has its own restrictions as well.
Selling crypto through Paybis
Paybis also works in reverse. You choose the coin, enter a card or bank account for the payout, send the crypto to the deposit address Paybis gives you, and receive fiat once it’s received and confirmed. Payout options include a debit or credit card (Paybis advertises sales of up to $20,000 to a card), bank accounts including SWIFT, Pix, Skrill and Neteller. Selling to a card always requires full verification, and Paybis says it doesn’t offer cash payouts.
Two things to check before you sell. First, the deposit address and network have to match exactly. The terms say Paybis can’t reverse a transfer sent to the wrong chain or address. Second, a sale is usually a taxable disposal. Paybis’s US terms say it reports transaction and account information to the IRS where the law requires it. If you mainly want fiat in a US bank, compare this route with the options in our crypto-to-cash guide.
Paybis scams: what is real and what is impersonation
Searches for “Paybis scams” usually turn up one of two situations. The first is impersonation. Paybis’s terms say it will never ask for your login codes, and that unsolicited contact claiming to be from Paybis is fraudulent. Type paybis.com yourself and don’t follow links in messages. The second is someone being coached into a purchase. A “recruiter,” romance contact or “investment coach” tells you to buy crypto through an on-ramp and send it to their address. Paybis works as designed in that case, but the money is gone the moment it reaches the scammer’s wallet. If that’s happened to you, report it to the FBI’s IC3 and the FTC in the US (or your national police), tell your card issuer, and don’t trust anyone who offers paid “recovery.”
Paybis vs MoonPay
Both are card on-ramps built into many wallets. They differ mainly in where their licences come from and where they operate. Our full MoonPay review covers MoonPay in detail.
| Factor | Paybis | MoonPay |
|---|---|---|
| EU MiCA home regulator | Bank of Latvia (granted 12 May 2026) | Dutch AFM (reported at the end of December 2024) |
| New York residents | Not served, per the US terms | Serves New York under a NYDFS BitLicense, according to company and press reports |
| US custody | None from PAYBIS USA. Coins go to your own wallet | Mainly delivers to your own wallet. Check its current terms |
| Fee disclosure | Service fee plus network fee, with possible third-party costs | Itemised quote at checkout |
In practice, quotes from both change from minute to minute and depend on the payment method. The only reliable comparison is two live quotes for the same amount, coin and payment method. If you’re still deciding on a route, our how-to-buy-crypto hub sets out exchange and on-ramp options side by side.
FAQ
Is Paybis legit?
Paybis is a real company that has operated since 2014. Its EU business holds MiCA and PSD2 licences from the Bank of Latvia, granted on 12 May 2026, and its US arm shows a FinCEN MSB registration. Licensing confirms it’s supervised, not that every transaction is safe. Use the real site or app, check wallet addresses carefully, and never buy crypto because a stranger told you to.
Do I need KYC to use the Paybis app?
Not always for small purchases. Paybis says you can buy up to $1,000 with simplified verification, but full verification with a government ID, and sometimes proof of address, is needed for higher limits and for every sale to a card. Verification requirements also vary by country, and Paybis can ask for more documents if its risk checks flag a payment.
Why is a Paybis card purchase more expensive than an exchange?
A card purchase combines several costs: Paybis’s service fee, card-processing costs, the blockchain network fee and the exchange-rate spread. Exchanges funded by bank transfer avoid most of the card-processing layer. Paybis’s July 2026 pricing policy says all amounts it charges are shown before you confirm, so compare “You receive” against an exchange quote for the same amount.
Is Paybis MiCA licensed?
Yes. SIA Paybis Europe holds a MiCA crypto-asset service provider authorisation (27-55/2026/6) and a PSD2 payment-institution licence (27-55/2026/7), both granted by Latvijas Banka on 12 May 2026. Passporting lets it serve other EU and EEA countries. MiCA covers EU customers only. It doesn’t apply to US or UK users, who deal with different Paybis entities.
Crypto is volatile and risky; this is education, not financial advice. Do your own research.
