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How to Use Kinesis Pay as a Merchant: A Step-by-Step Guide

Kinesis Pay lets businesses accept payments in allocated gold (KAU), allocated silver (KAG), selected cryptocurrencies and other supported digital assets. Setup is a handful of steps, after which customers can pay online or, in some cases, in-store with QR codes.

You need a verified Kinesis account (Individual or Business). The process is the same for both. At the moment the website plugin only works with WooCommerce (WordPress).

1. Check eligibility and decide how you’ll use it

Make sure your business is in a permitted jurisdiction — Kinesis follows global AML/CFT rules, so some countries are restricted. Decide which channels you need: e-commerce checkout, physical POS, or invoice-style B2B payments. All three are supported, but the integration differs. Also decide how you want to settle: keep the payments in KAU/KAG, or auto-convert to fiat (USD, EUR, GBP) at the point of sale so you don’t carry metal-price risk.

2. Create and verify the account

If you don’t already have one, register for a Kinesis account. Both individual and business accounts work. Finish KYC. For a business that means Certificate of Incorporation / Articles of Association, beneficial-ownership declarations for anyone with more than 25 % stake, director ID and proof of operational address, plus bank-account details if you want fiat settlements. Turn on two-factor authentication — it’s required for merchant onboarding. Corporate KYC/KYB usually takes 3–7 business days because compliance reviews the industry (higher-risk sectors such as gambling or crypto exchanges can take longer).

3. Open the Merchant Dashboard and set up the profile

Log in on the desktop site. In the left navigation choose Merchant to open the Kinesis Pay Merchant Dashboard. Fill in the business details they ask for — name, type, website address and any other information. Submit the form; the dashboard is created automatically.

4. Pick an integration method

There are three routes:

• Plugin / extension for common e-commerce platforms. Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento or PrestaShop users can download the official plugin from the relevant app store. Note that the website plugin currently only supports WooCommerce (WordPress). Install it and activate it with the API keys you generate in the next step.
• API integration for custom sites or apps. Get the Merchant API docs from the developer portal and implement the checkout endpoints (createPayment, verifyTransaction, settlementStatus). Set up webhooks so your server receives real-time confirmation when a customer pays.
• Virtual terminal for phone, email or mail-order payments. You can key the details in manually from the Merchant Dashboard — no coding needed.

5. Generate and protect your merchant credentials

In the dashboard go to API & Keys. Create a Public API Key (for the front-end checkout) and a Private Secret Key (for back-end settlement calls). Keep the secret key in a secure environment variable and never expose it on the client side. You can also set IP whitelisting so only your servers can call the API. Keep 2FA switched on for the business account.

6. Set settlement preferences and fees

Open Settlement Settings and choose the settlement currency (KAU, KAG, USD, EUR, or a split such as 50 % gold / 50 % fiat) and the frequency (real-time per transaction or end-of-day batch). Check the merchant fee structure — rates are typically in the 0.5 %–1.5 % range per transaction. Confirm the exact rate in your contract. You can also set a minimum transaction amount if you want to avoid tiny payments being eaten by fees.

7. Put the checkout in place

For API users: add a “Pay with Kinesis” button on the cart or checkout page. When the customer clicks it, call createPayment with the order total, currency and a unique merchant reference. Kinesis returns a payment request that contains a QR code (for mobile scanning) or a deep-link URL (for desktop users). Show that QR or URL to the customer; they approve it in their Kinesis wallet and the chosen balance is debited.

For plugin users: the plugin inserts the Kinesis button into the normal checkout flow. Just switch it on and map product categories for reporting if you want.

8. Test everything in sandbox

Switch the dashboard to Test/Sandbox mode. Use the test credentials and dummy balances Kinesis supplies. Check that payment requests generate properly, webhooks fire and update the order status to “Paid”, and settlement amounts match the order total minus fees. Run at least ten test transactions covering success, partial payment and cancellation.

9. Go live

Flip the toggle from Test to Production in the dashboard and publish the updated checkout page.

10. Accepting payments

Online, customers with funded Kinesis accounts can pay with KAU, KAG, Currency One USD (C1USD), supported cryptocurrencies or other digital assets. The transaction settles inside the Kinesis system and no card details are entered.

In-store, download a merchant QR code from the dashboard. Customers scan it with the Kinesis app to pay, so you can take gold, silver and the other supported assets in person as well as online.

11. Monitoring activity

The Merchant Dashboard shows total sales, number of orders, total order value, sales over time, transaction history (customer wallet address, amount, timestamp), settlement balance (KAU/KAG or fiat) and fee deductions with the net receivable. You can set email or SMS alerts for large transactions (for example over $10,000) if you want to catch possible fraud or errors.

12. Settlements and withdrawals

At the frequency you chose, Kinesis moves the net amount (sales minus fees) to the wallet or bank account you designated.

If you settled in KAU/KAG you can hold it, convert it to fiat on the Kinesis exchange whenever you like, or withdraw physical allocated gold (minimum thresholds apply, usually 100 g or more).

If you settled in fiat the funds go by wire or SEPA to your registered business bank account within 1–2 business days after settlement.

13. What you can do with the proceeds

Payments land in your Kinesis account. You can hold the balances in allocated gold or silver, exchange them for other supported assets on the Kinesis Exchange, transfer them to other Kinesis users, or use them inside the wider Kinesis system. Merchants who keep eligible KAU or KAG balances may also qualify for Holder’s Yield under the platform’s rules.

14. Practical follow-ups

You can download badges, banners and checkout stickers from the merchant portal if you want to show customers that you accept Kinesis Pay. Some merchants choose to offer a small discount when customers pay with KAU/KAG because the card-network fees are lower. Review the settlement reports now and then to see which products or categories produce the most volume.

15. Compliance and records

Keep transaction receipts and settlement reports for 5–7 years (or whatever local tax rules require). Kinesis supplies exportable CSV/PDF files. Make sure your accounting software can handle settlements in both fiat and precious metals — you may need to track capital gains or losses if you hold the gold and later sell it. Check the merchant terms periodically; fee tiers or customer programmes such as Metalback can change.

16. Getting help

If something goes wrong during setup or use, contact support through these channels:

• Live chat (fastest option). It’s available 24/7 via the widget on any page of kinesis.money or on the Support Centre (support.kinesis.money). An agent can walk you through the dashboard, SDK, API keys, QR codes or confirmation issues.
• Email support@kinesis.money. Include your registered account email or HIN, whether you’re setting up as a merchant or trying to pay as a user, a clear description of the problem, any error messages, and screenshots if possible.
• Phone — the general support number is listed on the website.
• Contact form on the Kinesis website; the team replies by email.