GoMining has opened its GoBTC Pay bitcoin-payment system to outside merchants and wallet providers, releasing a software development kit and application programming interfaces intended to move the product beyond the company’s own wallet.
The integration tools, unveiled on June 19, let retailers build GoBTC Pay into checkout flows and allow wallet providers to initiate payments for their users. GoMining told CoinDesk that it planned to recruit an initial group of 10 merchants during the rollout. The company says the system settles in bitcoin rather than converting the merchant’s proceeds into fiat by default.
A merchant integration layer for a mining-led payment rail
The package includes merchant onboarding, payment-management functions, online checkout integrations, developer documentation, an open API and a dashboard for monitoring transactions and settlement. That makes the launch principally an infrastructure release: it gives payment businesses the interfaces needed to test the network rather than announcing broad merchant availability.
GoBTC Pay uses GoMining’s own mining infrastructure to prioritize transactions for inclusion in a Bitcoin block. The company presents a payment as immediately accepted at checkout, while final settlement remains on the Bitcoin base layer. It estimates that on-chain settlement will occur in about 12 hours on average through its dedicated pool.
That distinction matters operationally. An instant checkout response and irreversible on-chain settlement are separate stages. Merchants evaluating the system will need to understand what assurance they receive before block inclusion, how exposure is handled during that interval and what happens if GoMining’s pool does not mine a block within the expected window.
Pricing is designed to recruit both merchants and wallets
GoMining says merchants will pay a 0.2% transaction fee. For transactions initiated by an outside wallet, the company says half of that fee will go to the wallet provider and half to miners in the GoBTC pool. Users are not charged a GoBTC transaction fee, according to the product documentation.
The revenue-sharing model turns wallet distribution into part of the acquiring strategy. A wallet provider integrating the SDK would gain a payment feature and, under the stated model, a 0.1% share of the purchase value. For GoMining, the same arrangement could extend acceptance without requiring every payer to use its reference wallet.
The fee is materially below the headline rates typically associated with card acceptance, but it is not a complete cost comparison. A merchant that receives bitcoin must still manage price volatility, accounting, tax treatment, liquidity and any later conversion into operating currency. The product also removes chargebacks by relying on irreversible bitcoin settlement, shifting fraud controls and refund processes to the merchant and payment application.
GoBTC Pay takes a different route from Lightning-based checkout
GoBTC Pay is positioned as a base-layer alternative to payment systems that use the Lightning Network. It does not require merchants or wallets to operate Lightning channels or manage channel liquidity. Instead, GoMining uses its role as a miner to prioritize transactions, with settlement ultimately recorded on Bitcoin.
The approach also differs from processors that accept crypto from a buyer but deliver fiat to the seller. Keeping the transaction denominated and settled in bitcoin may appeal to bitcoin-native merchants, although it narrows the immediate addressable market to businesses willing and able to hold or independently convert the asset.
The architecture creates a trade-off for payments operators. It preserves on-chain settlement and avoids dependence on payment-channel liquidity, but it makes GoMining’s pool, integration controls and pre-settlement assurances central to the service. The company’s product materials describe a 2-of-3 wallet design in which the user, GoMining and an independent custodian hold keys, with two signatures required. Prospective partners will need technical and legal detail on key recovery, service continuity, transaction screening and responsibility for failed or disputed purchases.
What payments firms should watch next
The first 10 merchant integrations will be the practical test of whether GoBTC Pay can convert mining capacity into reliable point-of-sale infrastructure. Useful indicators will include actual checkout acceptance times, the distribution of final settlement intervals, refund handling, integration effort and whether merchants retain bitcoin or convert it after receipt.
The SDK and API release expands the competitive set for bitcoin acceptance, but it does not by itself establish a broad payment network. GoMining must now demonstrate that third-party wallets and retailers can integrate the service safely, that its pricing is sustainable and that merchants are comfortable separating instant purchase approval from later base-layer finality.
Sources
- GoBTC Pay — Bitcoin payment protocol — GoBTC Pay / GoMining
- GoMining challenges Jack Dorsey’s Square with a pure BTC payment rail — CoinDesk
- GoMining launches Bitcoin commerce tool that cuts out fiat — crypto.news